Non-Oxygentated 91 or Ethanl 87?

[MN_Stang]

I just put a newly rebuilt carburetor on my car and am going to start this weekend...which got me thinking..."Should I be running non-oxygenated gas to avoid any gumming up problems I read about with the ethanol gas that is pretty much all that's available in Minnesota?

If I go to non-oxygenated, pretty much all I can seem to find is 91 octane which I understand is not ideal power-wise for our lower compression engines.

With that in mind and knowing I need to store the car 6 months of the year in Minnesota, is it better to run 87octane 10% ethanol gas or 91octane non-oxygenated?

[richpet]

Just stay with 87 octane. Sure, the alcohol can eventually gum it up. Just drive it. For insurance feel free to use an additive like Startron or similar
The ethanol mainly causes an issue if it sits for too long.
Perfect example:
I purchased a 2000 Honda Goldwing GL1500SE in 2002. Last year for carbs (it had two). Those carbs were FINICKY due to very small passages - almost as precise as fuel injection. I put almost 130,000 miles on it in 15 years, never once had a carb issue. But, low mileage riders had them comparably common. Why? The ethanol fuel never sat for more than a few days.
I ran a can of Seafoam through it once a year is all. Still ran like a sewing machine when it got totaled (I got rear ended).
Extra octane when not needed hurts a lot more than helps.
Fill it with clear in the fall for winter storage, or use a stabilizer.

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[wraithracing]

Other than the added cost for no real performance benefit, there's nothing wrong with running 91 Ethanol free in an engine designed for 87 or 89. Using a higher octane won't cause damage or cause issues with the engine.

As stated if the vehicle sits for long periods in between drives and/or it takes long periods to use an entire tank of fuel, then I would recommend using the NON Ethanol fuel. It will stay fresh longer and ultimate be a better choice to prevent further maintenance issues and costs. Personally I would rather spend a little extra for the NON Ethanol fuel than adding a fuel stabilizer to the Ethanol fuel to try and make it last.

If you are daily driving the vehicle and going thru a tank of fuel on a weekly, bi-weekly basis then using fuel with Ethanol will work just fine. I would highly recommend running a tank of Ethanol free through the vehicle before winter storage and then top off the tank again with Ethanol free. Good Luck!