Anybody running E85

[02TACOE]

Just wondering if anybody out there is using E85 & what they thought of it. Just had a gas station open up in my area of MA. that caries it so I went And put 20$ worth of it to see how it runs. The HOE now has a check engine light that says to lean bank 1 & 2. Just wonderin iff it is throwing the computer off seeing as i still had a 1/4 tank of regular 87 octane and I know the E85 is like 105 octane.

 

[thdrill]

dumb question...is your hoe flex fuel, if it isn't that could be part of the reason for the code.

 

[jomulk56]

Sepiroth runs/ran E85 in his truck.

 

[Grocery Getter]

I've been running it for a few months now and love it. Look, the $$ savings are minimal maybe 5% at best but it's 105 octane. Basically E85 is 25% less efficient then normal gas so while it's cheaper you'll need more fuel to go the same amount of mile you would on a full tank of normal gas. With my tune I had to use premium fuel and it was only 91 octane(got a BB 93 tune) so I was putting an additive as well so it was quite expensive. There are only three E85 stations in ALL of the greater Phoenix area and one happens to be 5min from my crib. As for the "green-ness" of it. I'm not sold on that and many say it is "dirtier" due to the refining process and transportation. I definitely can tell the difference at the pedal and if there is a slight possibility it is contributing to less dependence on foreign oil I'm in, especially since the station is right down the block.

 

[blueflamed03]

I have heard, unless your car is set up for E85, you loose mileage, and it can harm your fuel delivery setup.
It's 85% alcohol...

 

[Travieso]

i know that my car is set up for E85, always wonder how it would run with different gas?

 

[blueflamed03]

my buddy has a street/race Mustang, 421 stroker...runs on pump gas...ran 11.40's on motor, then swapped fuel system to accept E85, made other changes and ran 11.00 to 10.90's on E85.

 

[Grocery Getter]

I have heard, unless your car is set up for E85, you loose mileage, and it can harm your fuel delivery setup.
It's 85% alcohol...

I reckon that's true and why there is a difference in the VIN numbers on flex fuel vehicles.....so you know if your set up for it or not.

 

[Sepiroth]

I have a flex truck and to this day I use E85. I use it cause its 50-60 cents cheaper than 87 which more than makes up for the loss in mileage. However, i feel it should be cheaper yet.

 

[02TACOE]

Yes my truck is flex fuel just thought that with it having 74,000 miles & first time ever putting E85 in it mixing with the reg. gas would make a difference but the check engine light seems to be out now so i guess i will try a full tank and see what happens

 

[04Hoe]

Why would anyone run it?

It may cost less, but is proven less mileage and power. I see no benefit in its use.

 

[Sepiroth]

04Hoe, I use it because I want to and for me, it's cheaper.

 

[Grocery Getter]

Why would anyone run it?

It may cost less, but is proven less mileage and power. I see no benefit in its use.

Less power....... Um not so much buddy. E85 is 105 octane and and has more power. It is 25-30% less efficient but 25-35% less expensive then 91/93 octane so u get more power and save a buck or two a tank. If ur running 87 in ur rig you clearly dont give a crap anyway so I reckon it wouldn't make sense either way.


 

[blueflamed03]

just good conversation, but isn't too much octane rating almost as bad as not enough? I mean I go to drags all the time, and guys say "don't think by adding 110 to the car will make it faster, when 105 will do", and it's the same cost. Wouldn't it have the same effect, unless the motor is higher compression? (E85 compliant)

 

[TogaPC]

I've done a little research on this and it turns out that E85 is at least 107 octane and the standard is 108. This means that your engine can advance the timing without knock and produce more power. It does have about 25% less energy than 93 octane so it requires more fuel.

Asked Justin at Black Bear about it and he said "it should make your truck run like a bat outta hell but your gas mileage will suck". I can vouch for this. I'm on my second tank and I do feel a bit of a difference. My mileage is suffering a bit but not too bad.

A word to the wise, if your vehicle is not flex fuel, don't run it. It will corrode your seals and you're ECU isn't setup to compensate for the higher octane and air/fuel mixture.

Other than that it's $.70 cheaper here and has a little extra punch so for around town I'm happy with it.

 

[Jay]

Just FYI, a 12-12.5:1 compression engine running E85 will get the same or better mileage as our 9.5:1 stock engines do on pure gasoline.

But the high compression engine running on E85 will make significantly more power and run cooler at the same time.

I like running a full tank of E85 in my 07 every 4th tank or so. Keeps the insides all clean and it does get a noticeable power increase with the more aggressive timing.

Plus the bulk of the money you spend on it stays right here in the USA instead of going to those pesky little countries that don't particularly like us.

 

[blueflamed03]

we use it, even use it on the NOS side...

 

[sumo]

wish it was around here in RI or close to so i can try it for myself

 

[bahollis]

When you guys say there's a .70 cent difference are you talking about E85 to Premium Unleaded? There's only a .14 cent per gallon difference in my neck of the woods between E85 and 87 Octane. Even E85 to Premium it's only .40 difference.

I have run it in my truck, and it ran like shit.. and yes it's flex.

 

[TogaPC]

Yeah, I'm talking about E85 to premium. I have a 93 octane tune and so it's either premium or E85. Not sure why you're truck would run worse on E85. Most find you get a bit of a power increase from it but gas mileage sucks. Keep in mind that E85 is 85% ethanol which acts like a fuel system cleaner. It's possible that you flushed a bunch of crap from your fuel tank into your filter especially if you've never ran E85 before. It's also possible that you got ahold of a bad batch.

Overall, I'm pretty impressed with E85. I know all the negative points but i'm averaging about 3 mpg less on it and getting a good bit of extra power. It's worth it to me for around town. On the road i think I'll stick with good old 93 octane premium.