Subfreezing temperatures make life more difficult for motorists and the vehicles they drive, making cars harder to start — or even impossible to start if moisture in the fuel system freezes. One long-standing cure is to add gas-line antifreeze, an alcohol-based concoction that promises to keep the gas flowing in frigid temperatures.
Water does collect in gas tanks and fuel lines from moisture in the air or from the storage tanks at gas stations. Today, however, vehicles in most parts of the country burn gasoline that includes up to 10 percent ethanol, a form of alcohol that performs the same water-absorbing chores as brand-name gasoline antifreezes, which are typically made of isopropyl or methyl alcohol (methanol).
Gas-line antifreeze isn't expensive and probably can't hurt, but if you have 15 gallons of fuel in your vehicle and 10 percent of it is ethanol, your tank already has 1.5 gallons of alcohol in it. Adding another 12 to 16 ounces of alcohol is not going to provide any additional protection against freezing.
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