N54 HPFP/Turbo - Lawyers in Love

[teagueAMX]

Originally Posted by cdeslandes

It makes no sense whatsoever unless you're a corn farmer, and will actually increase our dependence on foreign oil.

+1

Not mention to what it does to food prices and create supply shortages

The corn farmers lobbied hard to use corn rather than a more efficient crop, but corn or a corn derived product is a mainstay for virtually every type of food we eat in this country and many other countries around the world. This will have huge consequences should we continue on this path.

[rmorin49]

Brazil seems to have the right approach. Use the waste from sugar cane production.

[teagueAMX]

+1

[cdeslandes]

Originally Posted by teagueAMX

+1

Not mention to what it does to food prices and create supply shortages

The corn farmers lobbied hard to use corn rather than a more efficient crop, but corn or a corn derived product is a mainstay for virtually every type of food we eat in this country and many other countries around the world. This will have huge consequences should we continue on this path.

Corn is a mainstay of all our food production precisely because of corn farming subsidies since WWII. But no politician has the guts to take that deficit component out of the equation...

Originally Posted by rmorin49

Brazil seems to have the right approach. Use the waste from sugar cane production.

They do. Unfortunately we have the wrong climate to grow sugar cane in the U.S.
The main problem with corn-based ethanol, is that it takes more than one gallon of oil-based fuel to make the equivalent of 1 gal of gasoline out of ethanol. (ethanol has fewer BTUs that gas, so you need more. Then you need oil-based fertilizers to grow the corn, and oil-based fuel to harvest it and turn it into ethanol)
So the more ethanol in gasoline, the more oil we need to import.

To quote the great George Carlin: "It's all bullshit, folks! It's bad for you!"

[mcbeee]

RE ethanol in fuel....I checked with Husky(main supplier of ethanol enriched fuel around here) and the top grade has less than 10%, I needed to know this for my Volvo's, all my cars have run on top grade Husky (Mohawk brand as well) fuel for the last 10 years or more. No issues and zero problems in the engines...

As for the new movement towards high % ethanol fuel, the comment about it costing more energy...100% correct......

It takes more energy to prep and make the corn into useable fuel than is returned by the fuel. A net loss...both in BTU's and CO2 ...the US Govt was conned by the farm lobby and pours billions into subsidies to grow corn etc etc etc.
But seriously, this whole corn into fuel thing is a load of BS... it's a net loss on all fronts. (I get some of my info from the lab where I work, not a secret by any means.)

[rmorin49]

Between the lobbyists and the Congress, I am not optimistic about the future.

[m6pwr]

Well, NASCAR just caved. http://www.autoweek.com/article/2010...SCAR/101019909

[cdeslandes]

Originally Posted by mcbeee

RE ethanol in fuel....I checked with Husky(main supplier of ethanol enriched fuel around here) and the top grade has less than 10%, I needed to know this for my Volvo's, all my cars have run on top grade Husky (Mohawk brand as well) fuel for the last 10 years or more. No issues and zero problems in the engines...

As for the new movement towards high % ethanol fuel, the comment about it costing more energy...100% correct......

It takes more energy to prep and make the corn into useable fuel than is returned by the fuel. A net loss...both in BTU's and CO2 ...the US Govt was conned by the farm lobby and pours billions into subsidies to grow corn etc etc etc.
But seriously, this whole corn into fuel thing is a load of BS... it's a net loss on all fronts. (I get some of my info from the lab where I work, not a secret by any means.)

Ethanol in a small percentage (+- 5%) is useful as a way to add oxygen to boost catalyst efficiency and reduce emissions. Anything above that is a waste.