Ethanol Awareness

Ethanol fuels are becoming more commonplace throughout the snowbelt. Speed shops and engine builders have traditionally recommended shying away from ethanol fuel whenever possible, because non-ethanol fuel is typically more stable and consistent. However, in some areas you can no longer get fuel without ethanol in it. In other areas, stations that have not sold ethanol fuels are now converting. Those with highly tuned sleds need to be aware that fuels containing 10% ethanol will require different calibrations than fuels without ethanol to maintain a proper fuel-air ratio, especially with highly-tuned engine calibrations.
On carbureted models, it is typically recommend to increase the main jet size 2 to 3 sizes when running ethanol fuels. Fuel injected sleds require different calibrations as well. Arctic Cat has used an ethanol jumper wire on the ECU in the past. Other manufacturers have dealt with it differently.
The main thing is you need to know what kind of fuel you’re using. If you are jetted or calibrated for non-ethanol fuel, a tank of ethanol fuel could be disastrous for the high-performance engine. Check with their dealer or performance shop for the recommendations for their specific model.