MOJO GARAGE

BY COSTA MOUZOURIS

Last year, I wrote a couple of columns about gasoline, one explaining that octane prevents engine knock; the other that ethanol is used primarily to replace lead as an octane booster. However, ethanol also reduces gasoline’s energy content by about three per cent, which affects engine performance.

I recently drove to Florida, and I brought my 1986 Honda CH80 scooter along to ride locally. Arriving in Florida, I noticed some gas stations advertising ethanol-free gasoline. I then got the idea to run a little experiment. Part of taking my scooter out of winter storage for the trip included filling the tank with fresh fuel, in this case 87 octane gasoline that contained up to 10 percent ethanol (the pump doesn’t specify the actual amount).