There is NO WAY that an XJ is getting 22mpg (they were rated 14 city - 19 hwy) AND there is NO WAY that using a small ethanol blend caused his mpg to drop to 10. NO WAY! I call complete and utter shenanigans on that. A one post wonder with an agenda is what I smell.

 

i agree that ethanol reduces gas mileage, cause when i drove my jeep with 4.56 gears and 35" tires across country i got about 15-17mpg, when i got through Oregon and got to Washington with the ethanol gas, my mileage went down to 12!

 

Youre talking about a 20% drop (which still seems extreme to me because there are too many factors like lead foot, hills, altitude, temps, etc), not a 55% drop like the original poster. Im not buying it. No way, no how. Someone show some real proof other than saying "I was getting about 'X' mpg, then I got 55% less 'X' mpg with ethanol!" A 10% ethanol mix will not cause you to lose 55% in your mpg's. There is no way I believe that.

 

http://au.answers.yahoo.com/question...8200304AAlVTe6

 

Im also fairly certain that E85 has fewer BTU's than gasoline, therefore it would burn cooler, causing a slight decrease in mpg's because it would need more fuel.

 

Me thinks ethanol had little to do with 50% decrease in mpg......the water content in the gas will have a lot to do with a mpg decrease.

 

Slow down man.

I live in Wyoming and use ONLY 85 and regularly get 22MPG highway and 17-19MPG in town.

Everytime I leave the state and fill with 87 my mileage suffers.

 

I don't mean to indicate that it suffers by 50%, but is suffers.

 

I dont think you read the first post, or Im miss-reading yours. The original post claims that the guy was getting 22mpg, then used the ethanol blend (not E85, just the blend) and it dropped his mileage to 10, a 55% decrease. Again, Ill stand by my statement all day: NO WAY!

 

You said no way an XJ gets 22mpg and that they are rated only 14-19mpg. All I intended to argue is that regardless of its fuel economy rating I regularly get 22mpg highway and I think it is a direct result of primarily using 85 blend available to me in Wyo, and that when I use 87 or 91 blend my mileage suffers, but not by 50%. You may be right about the 50% drop being a load.

 

Thats actually shocking to me that youre getting 22. Im lucky if I get 15 city - 18 hwy. I mean, its only 3 more than factory rated, but I guess climate, driving style, mods, etc., could account for it. Plus if you keep your Jeep in REALLY good shape it probably helps. Not that I neglect mine, but I definitely dont baby her. Anyway.....

 

I heard they are planning on going to 15% ethanol, and that this would detrimental to older model vehicles.

 

Well mine is a 92 with only 130k miles, I bought it in Dec 2010 with 120k in nearly perfect condition. The altitude, mild weather, low traffic congestion, condition of the jeep, and my light right foot all prop place a role in my 22mpg. I finally got all the parts in from rc for my series ii 3" today, so after tomorrow it is time to kiss 22mpg goodbye.

 

Has anyone considered that the OP said he bought the gas from a discount store?
Heck that gas might have had dirt, water, and 2 years of soot built up for all we know.
And yes, cherokees can get 22 mpg (Although your Lucky If you get that!), if you look at the smog ratings papers, it says it averages 20 mpg highway, with a range of 17-23 mpg highway.

 

Yeah, there is a LOT more to the story, thats for sure.

As for the mileage, I have my '99's window sticker. 19 hwy is what is says. I know those arent gospel, but theyre usually pretty accurate. But like I said, there are a LOT of variables. Id KILL to get 20hwy with mine, since I put about 2500 hwy miles a year on mine, and Im lucky to get 18. Usually my trips are 150 miles one way on the highway, and when I get to my destination Im down half a tank. But, its not why I own her.