2020 test2 productsFuel & Additives
Which Engine Fuel Brand Wins?
We compared 2 engine fuel options head to head. 91 octane no ethanol gasoline came out on top. See the measured results, the runner-up, the budget pick, and a link to the full test video.
Winner
91 octane no ethanol gasoline
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Runner-up
TruFuel
Price shown in test: $20 per gallon
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The measured results
Every number below is read straight from the test. Scroll sideways to see all measurements. Products are listed in the order they finished.
| Product | Ethanol content verification | Lubrication and wear scar test, 40 ml sample, 30 second run | 1 hour engine burn and carbon buildup test | Fuel efficiency, fuel injected generator under a 2,370W halogen light load | Flame pattern in a see through cylinder head engine | Timed uphill drag run in the Farmabago |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 191 octane no ethanol gasoline | confirmed no ethanol content using a water separation tester | wear scar was about 7 percent larger than TruFuel's, so TruFuel provided slightly better lubrication than this gasoline | engine ran great, left a small amount of deposits on the piston, valves, and cylinder head, less buildup than TruFuel left afterward | engine ran 22 minutes 44 seconds total, about 1 percent better fuel efficiency than TruFuel | blue flame starting over the piston, gradually becoming bright orange and yellow | 58 mph |
| 2TruFuel 4 cycle engineered fuel, TF3 performance package$20 per gallon | confirmed no ethanol content using a water separation tester, consistent with TruFuel's ethanol free claim | about 7 percent smaller wear scar than the no ethanol gasoline, providing extra lubrication as claimed | engine ran just as well as on gasoline, but left a little more buildup on the spark plug, cylinder head, and around the valves than the no ethanol gasoline | engine ran 22 minutes 22 seconds total, about 1 percent less fuel efficient than the no ethanol gasoline | flame pattern looked very similar to the no ethanol gasoline | 58 mph, tied with the no ethanol gasoline on speed, though the host jokingly called it the winner of the exhaust note contest |
How it was tested
- ethanol content verification via water separation tester
- lubrication and wear scar test using a 40 ml sample
- 1 hour engine burn and carbon buildup comparison with compression checks
- fuel efficiency test in a fuel injected generator under load
- flame pattern comparison in a see through cylinder head engine
- timed uphill drag run in the Farmabago
“Engineered fuel performs about the same as 91 octane no ethanol fuel, and it definitely seems really overpriced.”
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