E85 Tahoe

[05Zsvntyfun]

Don't yell at me if this is stupid but is anyone running E85 on a fairly stock tahoe? If so, any perks or drawbacks?


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[MrBalll]

From what I've read on here most say it's not worth it.

Tons of topics on it floating around; just search.

 

[05Zsvntyfun]

From what I've read on here most say it's not worth it.

Tons of topics on it floating around; just search.

Okay, thank you


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[TXBowtieGuy]

When I run E85 I get slightly less power and slightly worse city mileage but Highway mileage is same. And E85 here is usually over a dollar cheaper than regular.

So...
City, power, towing. Go with regular.
Road trip. Go with E85.

BTW I have a lead foot.

 

[Jackle1886]

I run it when I can in my work tahoe. Needs to be about 30% cheaper to break even. With a tune (maybe on newer models without) you WILL make more power. But at a loss of mpg.

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[Maximus1]

I have a custom HP tuner tune, headers, aftermarket Hughes cam, K&N CAI and several other add on's.
Pros: Running E-85 I notice a better throttle response and seems to run stronger.
Cons: I loose about 1/3 mpg's.

 

[rockola1971]

I run it when I can in my work tahoe. Needs to be about 30% cheaper to break even. With a tune (maybe on newer models without) you WILL make more power. But at a loss of mpg.

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That is impossible. With 2 identical vehicles (other than one being flex fuel and the other not) with the same type of tune, compression, etc it is impossible for the E85 to make more power OR even get the same MPG on any road.
Its a scientific fact that E85 BTU output is 81,800 BTU/ Gal and regular unleaded (No ethanol) is 114,100 BTU/Gal and Regular Unleaded reformulated (E10) is 111,836 BTU/Gal.

There is just no way possible to get more energy out of E85 vs. Regular unleaded or even "watered down" E10. All this translates to the fact that it costs more per mile to drive on E85 than regular unleaded at current U.S. prices. Why would you want to pay more to drive? Ethanol cant hurt cleaning out your injectors but thats about all its useful for unless you are into making farmers richer.


So you will use more E85 to drive the same distance that you would using regular unleaded. There is NO magic in a flex fuel vehicle PCM. It has a flex fuel lookup table for fuel injection control which allows MORE fuel to the cylinders when using E85. Hell the flex fuel vehicles (5.3L) use the 6.0L higher flowing injectors because the standard 5.3L injectors wont flow enough fuel for engine demand when using E85.

Anyone tells you anything else is either a farmer selling corn or just completely FOS and in denial.

E85 is perfect for higher compression engines because its octane rating is high enough to prevent detonation. And as we all know octane rating HAS NOTHING to do with HP output.

 

[Jackle1886]

The only thing you're forgetting is timing. Increase the timing increase the power output. You said e85 has a higher octane rating. Meaning you can increase the timing without predetonation.

GM even posts separate numbers on regular vs e85. See http://www.lsxmag.com/news/power-numbers-released-for-gen-v-5-3l-ecotec3-and-4-3l-truck-engines/

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[rockola1971]

The only thing you're forgetting is timing. Increase the timing increase the power output. You said e85 has a higher octane rating. Meaning you can increase the timing without predetonation.

GM even posts separate numbers on regular vs e85. See http://www.lsxmag.com/news/power-numbers-released-for-gen-v-5-3l-ecotec3-and-4-3l-truck-engines/

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What you are forgetting is at what RPM? Bottom line it costs more money to run E85 per driven mile than regular unleaded. 8 more HP doesnt get you more miles. I can put in 92 octane and get more HP by advancing more timing in if you wanna go there. You cant use the outcome of apples and oranges.

 

[swathdiver]

Bottom line it costs more money to run E85 per driven mile than regular unleaded.

It really depends on what the price spread is. It costs me about $.18 cents a mile to run E85 or $.21 cents a mile to run gasoline at current prices.

 

[Fless]

It costs me about $.18 cents a mile to run E85 or $.21 cents a mile to run gasoline at current prices.

@swathdiver, do you mean $0.21 or 0.21 cents?

We used to have signs entering the tollway that the toll was "$0.30 cents", but I could never figure out how to pay 3/10 of a cent. LOL

 

[swathdiver]

@swathdiver, do you mean $0.21 or 0.21 cents?

We used to have signs entering the tollway that the toll was "$0.30 cents", but I could never figure out how to pay 3/10 of a cent. LOL

The former, two dimes and a penny!

 

[mikeyss]

I have been running E85 in my 09 6.2 Tahoe for a few months now, and since I work 8 miles away from work, I fill up every 2 weeks no matter if I run 91 or E85. I get WAY more power from E85 and feel NO power loss with 95° temps with a failing A/C compressor. E85 is $2.19 which beats $3.20 for premium.

 

[Anthony06]

I currently run e85 or a blend of e85 and 93, and this is my experiance with it...
after countless lectures from my father ( an ASE Master tech, with Nissan masters and ford masters...) telling me the e85 is actually more in the end than the regular octane. he claimed the mpg is drastically reduced thus having to fill up more frequently subsequently costing more in mpg than reg octane. well, me being his ever so hard headed son, decided after owning my 'kon for 2 yrs and only realizing after a year i had the L59 flex fuel varieant after verifiying rpo codes on www.compnine.com i built enough corage to try it out after hearing my buddy runs straight e85 on his 16 evo and the benifits of burning cooler and the hp gains he gets to which he has the dyno tickets to persuade me..... now i gotta see and decide myself about the e85 hype right?

so i went down to town having 1/4 tank of 93 (required from my bullydog gt gas tuner) and i filled the tank with e85..... and to my surprise i blew thrugh that tank faster than i ever imagined i could....

so i was over the whole e85 fad ... f that noise right it was unreal and uncanny thinking ppl run this my dad had been right damn.... or so i thought. lol so i was browsing looking and reading all types of mods one night and came across the debated e85 over octane issue again all while discussing a medication issue with my wife........... BAM i had a thought. this thought had brought me up pretty quickly scrambbling for my keys and shot out the door pretty quickly so much so i forgot i was in mid convo with wife. so i get to gas station and pulled up to that yellow handled pump... filled all 26 gallons up at 1.79 a gallon (this compparing to the 2.30 for 86 and neaarly 3.00 for 93) so pretty stoked i head home realizing i had nowhere to go lol.

long story short i had a duh moment realizing fuel trims right, so the flex sensor picks up the alchol content has changed thus commanding a diffrent table needs to be applied, and with that i had ran ethonol any time i had it but 1 time because i didnt even know any 2002 vehicles were flex. i had no badging reflecting so i can assume the previous owners had not either. so not only does the tables change i feel its learning it now too.

so naturally that ytank would deplete quickly cause it was implementing and learng a new table and trim. after the 2nd tank my milage leveled out and my mpg retained the 13 mpg as the 93 octane gave. this coming from the data the bully dog gave me and i even reset the fuel info on the tuner to verify results and they came out the same still. now on the e85 i noticed more pep in my 'kon a noticable differance also it seemed to run quieter than usual. i now run e85 and every 3 tanks ill blend either a 50/50 blend of 93 or 1/4 3/4 blend.

I will also say originally my first go with e85 was npot 85 ... after being told about checking content for accuracy of pump i learnd i put e15 in not knowing that the stores around me that carry ethonol have 2 blends.... so i personally love the benifits and i plan on modding my 09 cobalt with the flex sensor and bigger fueel inj. from the sister hhr.

 

[Anthony06]

there is no loss in mpg between the 2... well at least in my case i own an 02 yukon with the l59 with 330k and an 01 with the lm7 with 270k i also drive overly aggressive and my experience on both owning And driving both is this, only AFTER Running at least 2 full tanks of e85 the fuel trim tables are completed or close to completed for the e85 based fuel trim as to which then the mpg levels out and after monitoring it from my bullydog first 2 tanks with go rather quickly, so much so i was almost like F*ck this e85 shit(very glad i didnt and stuck it out) but after the 2nd tank my mpg evens back out and i got 13mpg ont 93 octane and 13mpg on e85. both my rigs are stockish, no major bolt ons. my l59 (E85) i run a 75/25 blend 75% e85 to 25% 93 octane, with that ive experianced a noticably quicker throttle response, it runs cooler, quieter, and off the line it has more pep in its step. i preffer my l59 over my lm7 so much so that ive removed the content sensor and fuel injectors off a donor just so both my rigs are flex capable and i plan on converteing soon as i copy the fuel trims over and ensure thats the only changes


All in all as stated i prefer my flex

 

[Anthony06]

And wow lol i got so eager to respond to this question i didnt see i already responded on this matter lmao srry guys lol

 

[swathdiver]

there is no loss in mpg between the 2... well at least in my case i own an 02 yukon with the l59 with 330k and an 01 with the lm7 with 270k i also drive overly aggressive and my experience on both owning And driving both is this, only AFTER Running at least 2 full tanks of e85 the fuel trim tables are completed or close to completed for the e85 based fuel trim as to which then the mpg levels out and after monitoring it from my bullydog first 2 tanks with go rather quickly, so much so i was almost like F*ck this e85 shit(very glad i didnt and stuck it out) but after the 2nd tank my mpg evens back out and i got 13mpg ont 93 octane and 13mpg on e85. both my rigs are stockish, no major bolt ons. my l59 (E85) i run a 75/25 blend 75% e85 to 25% 93 octane, with that ive experianced a noticably quicker throttle response, it runs cooler, quieter, and off the line it has more pep in its step. i preffer my l59 over my lm7 so much so that ive removed the content sensor and fuel injectors off a donor just so both my rigs are flex capable and i plan on converteing soon as i copy the fuel trims over and ensure thats the only changes


All in all as stated i prefer my flex

It's all good Anthony! I've also recorded that mine gets better mileage when the alcohol content is between 16%-22% than running 93. The motors love it.

 

[Mudsport96]

Here are the answers you seek. Dyno proof, gas vs e85 (e50 because he mixed) and gas manifolds vs gas long tubes.

To long didnt watch video, e50 is worth 1hp with a cam and long tubes (and dyno tune).... so stock probably worth less.

 

[Spacido]

Hi everyone,
I dig up the subject a bit to share my experience at the E85 with my Tahoe 5.3 2001. Already, I drive the E85 because the price in France is $3.09 per gallon versus $6.59 per gallon for the E10. I equipped my tahoe with a flexfuel case with an ethanol sensor, which prevents the engine failure light from ignition. My consumption has inevitably increased. I don't feel any difference in driving... except on my bank account

A majority of US vehicles drive with E85 or LPG in our country. These are very common changes

 

[1BADI5]

I have been running E85 in my 09 6.2 Tahoe for a few months now, and since I work 8 miles away from work, I fill up every 2 weeks no matter if I run 91 or E85. I get WAY more power from E85 and feel NO power loss with 95° temps with a failing A/C compressor. E85 is $2.19 which beats $3.20 for premium.

Yup, getting my tune finished tomorrow.

E85 is way cheaper then 93 and E85 has an effective octane rating of 106 octane.

If your truck is an actual flex fuel equipped truck, the PCM will adjust the fueling tables and timing to take advantage of E85.........which on a stock truck would/should be good for another 10-15hp. Those of us with cams and better cylinder heads can really reap the benefits.

Yes, less mpgs, but more power aka fun.