[strych9]

A lot of misinformation here. Here are the facts:

1. Ethanol burns colder and thus produces less energy per volume than its non-ethanol counterpart. This results in reduced MPG when ethanol is used
2. There is no by-product in ethanol gas that adds any more contaminants from combustion than non-ethanol gas. No "gunk" at all
3. Ethanol does not have detrimental issues with plastics and rubber seals, etc. Methanol, however, is corrosive to these materials
4. Modern vehicles from mid-90's and up are designed to work best using 10% ethanol-blended fuel. They are calibrated to get the best balance of power and economy using ethanol fuel
5. In many areas, the only way you can get 93 octane fuel is to use ethanol. The "regular" version of the same brand of fuel is typically 91 octane, or 89 octane

Hope this helps you.