Fuels of the days

Ah yes, oxidizing fuels—the brilliant idea that turned your once-reliable '90s car into a sputtering, leaking, corrosion-ridden nightmare. Who thought it was a great idea to push ethanol-laced, oxygen-heavy fuel into engines designed when Nirvana was still on tour? Instead of the smooth operation your car was built for, now you get inconsistent combustion, altered air-fuel ratios, and the privilege of spending your hard-earned money on replacement parts, constant tuning, or—better yet—a brand-new vehicle, preferably on credit.

Let’s talk about the real damage: corrosion. Ethanol absorbs water like a sponge, which means fuel lines, injectors, and seals that were never designed for this chemical bath are now decaying from the inside out. The rubber and plastic compounds used in older fuel systems swell, crack, and degrade because they weren’t engineered for modern oxygenated fuels. Metal components? Enjoy your accelerated rust and pitting, courtesy of galvanic corrosion and increased acidity in your fuel system. Meanwhile, your air-fuel ratio—meticulously engineered by people who didn’t expect government-mandated ethanol—gets thrown off, making the engine run leaner, hotter, and ultimately shortening its lifespan. But hey, at least we’re “saving the environment” while you shell out for premature repairs and wasted fuel.

The best part? This isn’t just about wear and tear; it’s about efficiency being flushed down the drain. Instead of reliable combustion and predictable mileage, you’re now playing a game of constant recalibration, endless repairs, and parts behind the corrosion curve. Your car was built for good old-fashioned hydrocarbons, not a science experiment in molecular degradation. But no worries—when break downs, the wasted money, and the rusted-out tank finally send your car to an early grave, you can always finance a shiny, government-controlled new one. Because nothing says “progress” like paying for the problems someone else created.

And let’s not forget about fuel stability. Ethanol isn’t just bad for your engine—it’s bad for the fuel itself. Unlike pure gasoline, ethanol-laced fuel degrades faster, absorbing moisture and separating into useless layers over time. If you were hoping to store some fuel for the long haul, surprise! Your “gas” now resembles a swampy mess of water and varnish, utterly useless for combustion. The Renewable Fuels Association will tell you it’s all fine, but science says otherwise—ethanol-blended fuels start breaking down in as little as 30 days (source: U.S. Department of Energy, 2019). So while grandpa’s carbureted V8 could sit for months and fire right up, your modern ethanol-soaked tank might as well be full of salad dressing.

And what about efficiency? Ethanol has lower energy density than gasoline, meaning you burn more of it to go the same distance. This translates to lower fuel economy and more frequent stops at the pump—how convenient! So not only is your engine suffering, but your wallet is too. Progress!