Started using E85 today ... it'll be interesting to see mileage results!

[fastscirocco]

Premium was $3.49/gallon and E85 was $2.15

I filled up with the E85 and reset average miles per gallon.
It'll be interesting seeing if I get more power and how much fuel I consume.
After filling up I reset the average miles per gallon display.

 

[R3cord303]

Premium was $3.49/gallon and E85 was $2.15

I filled up with the E85 and reset average miles per gallon.
It'll be interesting seeing if I get more power and how much fuel I consume.
After filling up I reset the average miles per gallon display.

I really wish we had E85 where I live. I'm on the Oregon Coast but over in the valley theres a bunch of stations that have E85 available. If I lived there I would have started using it all the time depending on price.

 

[Larryjb]

E85 (85% ethanol) is all about clean burning, not fuel efficiency. There is less energy in a gallon of ethanol than there is in regular gasoline, so you should expect to get lower mileage on E85, and less power.

 

[fastscirocco]

E85 (85% ethanol) is all about clean burning, not fuel efficiency. There is less energy in a gallon of ethanol than there is in regular gasoline, so you should expect to get lower mileage on E85, and less power.

Yes I'm expecting to get lower mileage, however my understanding is that you can get more power from it.

 

[swathdiver]

Premium was $3.49/gallon and E85 was $2.15

I filled up with the E85 and reset average miles per gallon.
It'll be interesting seeing if I get more power and how much fuel I consume.
After filling up I reset the average miles per gallon display.

With that price spread you'll be saving at about a nickel a mile in fuel costs, that adds up quick into good savings.

Tell me wha you are driving and I can tell you what to expect if you like.

You're not going to see the full benefits on the first tank of fuel. First, there's still a remnant of gasoline which will knock down the alcohol content. 2nd, the truck will relearn as time goes on, engine and transmission performance. By the third tank you should be getting the full effect.

Yes, the engine will make more power, not less. The effective R+M is higher than 93, about 105 for 80% E85. Cheap race gas!

I was never going to use the stuff until the night before a hurricane showed up and the gas lines were long but nobody was at the pump with the yellow handle!

 

[fastscirocco]

I drive a 2014 GMC yukon xk denali

 

[intheburbs]

E85 (85% ethanol) is all about clean burning, not fuel efficiency. There is less energy in a gallon of ethanol than there is in regular gasoline, so you should expect to get lower mileage on E85, and less power.

Well, you're wrong on a few points....

1) Ethanol is not about "clean burning." It's about making fuel out of renewable resources.
2) E85 has an effective octane rating of over 100. So it's kinda like racing fuel. The computer will be able to use more aggressive timing without detonation/pinging, which will yield a slight increase in power. It's not like the engine will belt out an extra 50 hp, but there will be a power increase.

 

[gooffeyguy]

My 2012 Denali XL gets about 9-10 mpg in town and 13-14 highway on E85. On 93 octane it gets 12-13 in town and 16-17 highway. My AFM (V4 mode) is tuned off, and A/C is usually on most of the time.

Factory says only a 7hp (403 vs 410) peak when on E85, but that's just at peak. On E85 there is more power throughout the rpm range and "under the curve". You will notice a difference from right off idle and at part throttle.

2001 Yukon SLT
2012 Yukon Denali XL
2011 Yukon Denali RIP 5/20/18

 

[BG1988]

Premium was $3.49/gallon and E85 was $2.15

I filled up with the E85 and reset average miles per gallon.
It'll be interesting seeing if I get more power and how much fuel I consume.
After filling up I reset the average miles per gallon display.

despite the hybrid it's still costing me 0.174 cents/mile on average

it's pure BS because Sacramento,CA the fuel is 3.499 for premium fuel at Chevron. so it's pretty obvious the gas stations are making a killing right now.. with the artificially high prices.. I hate going to cheap stations they rip you off pumping low octane fuel (87) at the 91 octane price (meaning you don't get what you pay for)..

it was pretty obvious I was getting 18mpg and down shifting to 3rd gear often even on slight hills..

my last fill up was 39.93 MPG 88 miles driven(city miles) I verified it pumped correctly.. (parked on a slight down hill to make sure it fills it up ALL the way)...
0.107 cents per mile.. I aggressively used 4 banger mode and electric ...pushed it to the limits getting to 30MPH is electric mode and quickly getting it from 30 to 41MPH and hitting cruse control to receive my 41-43MPG instant mpg rating...


if you really want to you can do the
Aerodynamic mod and get a

hybrid bumper/air dam and hybrid tail lights/square D-pillar

it will gain you 2-3mpg by lowering the coefficient drag to 0.34 from 0.367.. it's about 1,000 to do the mod \


but you can get the cheapest part being the large air dam for 120$

 

[gooffeyguy]

despite the hybrid it's still costing me 0.174 cents/mile on average

it's pure BS because Sacramento,CA the fuel is 3.499 for premium fuel at Chevron. so it's pretty obvious the gas stations are making a killing right now.. with the artificially high prices.. I hate going to cheap stations they rip you off pumping low octane fuel (87) at the 91 octane price (meaning you don't get what you pay for)..

it was pretty obvious I was getting 18mpg and down shifting to 3rd gear often even on slight hills..

my last fill up was 39.93 MPG 88 miles driven(city miles) I verified it pumped correctly.. (parked on a slight down hill to make sure it fills it up ALL the way)...
0.107 cents per mile.. I aggressively used 4 banger mode and electric ...pushed it to the limits getting to 30MPH is electric mode and quickly getting it from 30 to 41MPH and hitting cruse control to receive my 41-43MPG instant mpg rating...


if you really want to you can do the
Aerodynamic mod and get a

hybrid bumper/air dam and hybrid tail lights/square D-pillar

it will gain you 2-3mpg by lowering the coefficient drag to 0.34 from 0.367.. it's about 1,000 to do the mod \


but you can get the cheapest part being the large air dam for 120$

Is this on E85?

The OP drives a 2014 Yukon XL Denali and wondering what kind of mileage to expect on E85, not a hybrid on 91 or 93, but thanks for sharing...... lol

2001 Yukon SLT
2012 Yukon Denali XL
2011 Yukon Denali RIP 5/20/18

 

[BG1988]

Is this on E85?

The OP drives a 2014 Yukon XL Denali and wondering what kind of mileage to expect on E85, not a hybrid on 91 or 93, but thanks for sharing...... lol

2001 Yukon SLT
2012 Yukon Denali XL
2011 Yukon Denali RIP 5/20/18

E30 will get you optimal fuel MPG e85 will lower it

E30 = 94 octane fuel

 

[gooffeyguy]

E30 will get you optimal fuel MPG e85 will lower it

E30 = 94 octane fuel

Yup it sure will, but it costs more than E85 and just a tad cheaper than 93. You won't get the power increase the higher octane E85 will give.

2001 Yukon SLT
2012 Yukon Denali XL
2011 Yukon Denali RIP 5/20/18

 

[homesick]

Yes I'm expecting to get lower mileage, however my understanding is that you can get more power from it.

I don't know who's right in this argument, but less energy isn't going to get you more power.

About all I know about corn gas is that it's corrosive, rots rubber, and raises food costs.

joe

 

[gooffeyguy]

It has less energy, that's why it uses more fuel and you get less mileage. You get more power from it because it is really high octane, about 105 (vs 93 premium) and the computer detects the alcohol content and runs higher spark tables and gets more power out of the engine. Basically like race gas

2001 Yukon SLT
2012 Yukon Denali XL
2011 Yukon Denali RIP 5/20/18

 

[David Shaffer]

E30 will get you optimal fuel MPG e85 will lower it

E30 = 94 octane fuel

It's my understanding the newer 6.2 liter Ecotec is not E85 compatible.

 

[BG1988]

It's my understanding the newer 6.2 liter Ecotec is not E85 compatible.

if it's a L86 then yes

 

[fastscirocco]

My 2012 Denali XL gets about 9-10 mpg in town and 13-14 highway on E85. On 93 octane it gets 12-13 in town and 16-17 highway. My AFM (V4 mode) is tuned off, and A/C is usually on most of the time.

Factory says only a 7hp (403 vs 410) peak when on E85, but that's just at peak. On E85 there is more power throughout the rpm range and "under the curve". You will notice a difference from right off idle and at part throttle.

2001 Yukon SLT
2012 Yukon Denali XL
2011 Yukon Denali RIP 5/20/18

Thanks for the info!

So far my fuel consumption numbers are mirroring yours; ~ 10 mpg in the city and ~16 - 18 mpg on the highway on E85.
I filled up yesterday at $2.04 a gallon - it was a considerable savings of premium's $3.24.
Today gas prices have risen considerably, the same station now sells E85 for $2.39 and premium for $3.59.

I'm assuming 30% less mileage from E85 and do a simple calculation to determine which is the better deal when I fill up.
premium gas price * .70 and compare that to E85 price.

$3.59 * .70 = $2.51 > $2.39 for E85 - better deal to purchase E85.

 

[Larryjb]

I don't know who's right in this argument, but less energy isn't going to get you more power.

About all I know about corn gas is that it's corrosive, rots rubber, and raises food costs.

joe

I was wrong earlier in my post about power. I forgot that power is simply how fast energy is used. So, even though there may be less energy per gallon in E85, it uses the E85 slightly faster, which leads to slightly more power.

 

[swathdiver]

The OP drives a 2014 Yukon XL Denali and wondering what kind of mileage to expect on E85

10 City and 14 Highway if AWD. 10 City and 15 Highway if 2WD.

 

[swathdiver]

About all I know about corn gas is that it's corrosive, rots rubber, and raises food costs.

I used to agree with you Joe, now I'm not so sure about all that. Our farmers have increased the yield of an acre of corn every year and in 2017 an acre of corn yielded an astounding 176.6 bushes. Each bushel has 2.87 gallons of ethanol in it but the leftover has many other uses.

I figured I could supply my truck with 1000 gallons of E85 and would use just 1.6 acres of corn per year and 200 gallons of gasoline to run E85 @ 80% alcohol.