Useless Information

[gooffeyguy]

I've never noticed mine sputtering at first startup in cold weather with E85, but I remote start it most of the time also, and it's a different engine (6.2)

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

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[gooffeyguy]

Damn server!

 

[kbuskill]

Sorry on the delay but here is a pic of the 88 gas I mentioned. Looks like it is just e85.View attachment 211271

E15....

 

[kbuskill]

I've never noticed mine sputtering at first startup in cold weather with E85, but I remote start it most of the time also, and it's a different engine (6.2)

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

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

I have never noticed this either. I remote start almost every morning. Never had it stall. Mine is the 5.3L.

 

[Fless]

Not E85. The 88 octane is on that pump is E15. 15% ethanol, 85% gasoline.

Sorry, late to the party. @kbuskill called it.

Ethanol octane will be something north of 100, maybe as high as 113. Mix it with gas and the octane rating comes down a bit, but 85% ethanol should be higher than any E10 gasoline mix.

 

[iamdub]

So, E85 returns reduced MPG but has a higher octane rating (higher than needed in our engines, but still cheap high octane) and regular gas or even E10/E15 returns considerably better MPG but at a higher cost.

Would there be any benefit to mixing E10/E15 87 with E85? Get X amount at X dollars of the cheapest Top Tier E10 gas you can find, then fill the rest with E85. Our engines need only a few points higher octane than 87, but not necessarily mid 90s+. I wonder if the balance of cost per mile could be significantly dropped just by filling up with a half-assed calculated blend of the two fuels. You'd benefit from the price savings of E85 and the improved economy of regular gas while not running on TOO high of octane fuel.

I know fuel prices fluctuate a lot. But, if someone calculated their average MPG to come up with a general ratio to blend the E85 and E10/E15 at a station that had E85 at the same pump as the other grades, they'd just have to stick to that ratio and not have to re-calculate every time the price changed and the only extra work would be to swipe their card twice.

I'm not the greatest with math and I don't drive enough to worry with it, but I had to spell out my thoughts.

 

[gooffeyguy]

That's kind of what is done in this pic of a pump I took last month in central Missouri.

As E rating goes down, price and mileage goes up, octane and % of ethanol goes down....

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

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

 

[gooffeyguy]

Also, calculate fuel as cost per mile. I've found that E85 price stays pretty constant around here, only ranging from $1.99-$2.14 per gallon. When premium prices are $2.89 or more it's cheaper to run E85, but when premium prices are below $2.69 it ends up being cheaper to just get premium. When prices are around the $2.79 mark it's a wash.

Now each vehicle will differ on this depending on what kind of mileage it gets on each fuel type.

Earlier this week premium (93 octane) was $2.39 and I filled up with that, even though I had a 3rd of a tank (10 gals) of E85 left

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

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

 

[Fless]

That's kind of what is done in this pic of a pump I took last month in central Missouri.

As E rating goes down, price and mileage goes up, octane and % of ethanol goes down....

Reminds me of the old Sunoco pumps where you could set the dial for your choice of maybe 6 or 7 octane ratings.

I haven't seen those pumps in Colorado; they apparently mix at the pump. I'd be surprised if they had separate underground tanks for each type. I've done what @iamdub suggested and mixed E85 with E10 from time to time, but E85 isn't very convenient for me in the Denver area. The nearest station with it is about 15 miles away and not a direction I usually go. They have only a 250 gallon E85 tank so, when I go, they may have it or not. Not worth a special trip but I'll stop in if I'm in the area.

I do tend to avoid it altogether in winter as I've experienced cold start issues with E85 only.

My '08 Fusion is not Flex Fuel and usually gets non-ethanol 87 octane, which is mid-grade around here; 85 octane is the regular grade at this altitude. But I've found only one station (Murphy Express) that offers it, and it's the same price as E10 87 octane. Go figure.

 

[swathdiver]

Sure, you can mix it up for cost savings but would have to drive it and see how performance is affected. At a certain percentage, which I do not know, the computer shifts from gasoline tables to the Flex Fuel tables or maybe there's a table for each percentage of alcohol content? Don't know. I do know the motor makes more horsepower and torque burning E85 and runs great on it.

My truck's combined average for both fuel types over the last year is 10.9 mpg on E85 and 14.2 mpg on 93. E85 costs $.22 cents a mile versus $.25 cents a mile for 93 for the last 13 months. The truck's most efficient tank was $.16 cents a mile on FlexFuel.

I think that E-30 would be interesting to try but the pumps around me only offer E85 and E15.

I've lost my train of thought and forgotten the point... I think!

 

[randeez]

Sure, you can mix it up for cost savings but would have to drive it and see how performance is affected. At a certain percentage, which I do not know, the computer shifts from gasoline tables to the Flex Fuel tables or maybe there's a table for each percentage of alcohol content? Don't know.

fyi
the ecm is always in the high octane table until is sees x amount of knock and it drops into the low octane tables...

by most measures it just spits out a ratio to gasoline to know how much fuel to spray to reach stoich, the engine would be just as happy and never know what fuel it's using if tuning stopped there. before i had the ff sensor installed i rarely saw anything more than 68-70% ethanol shown on the torquepro app. with the sensor installed i usually see 65-80% ethanol only shown over 80% a handful of times. the ecm determines ethanol content via the virtual sensor by watching fuel trims after a fill up. why thats important....

improved performance comes from additional modifier tables that mirror base tables, about all of them modify by a percentage of ethanol.
ie, to make it simple: base timing is 20*, ethanol modifier table will add a max of 10* of timing, if 60% ethanol than it adds 6*.... whatever cell youre in will now bring the timing to 26*. other tables for fuel enrichment modify only under wot conditions adding in more timing and fuel. there are 2,3,4, variable tables that take coolant temps, intake temps, engine load, ethanol etc to modify

 

[iamdub]

Thanks for the schooling, Randy.

 

[randeez]

knowledge is power

 

[swathdiver]

Sorry on the delay but here is a pic of the 88 gas I mentioned. Looks like it is just e85.View attachment 211271

Thanks Thomas, this slipped by me. It's not E85, it's E15 or 88. My local Sunoco and that Marathon/Pro-Energy station labeled it like E85. I thought they also had E30 but was wrong or they don't anymore.

Getting in the 11s driving around town. Will be towing for about 150 miles today but will be lightly loaded and will be taking the rig out onto the highway for the first time. That trip just might burn 18-20 gallons of fuel! LOL We shall see.

 

[swathdiver]

The run is done. Picked up my buddy's 14 foot utility trailer and headed north on US Hwy 1 averaging 40 mph or so until the last ten miles when the speed limit was 55 and lights few and far between. Transmission temp got up to 185 and then cooled down at 55. Drove in M5 the whole time.

Loaded up and headed west to I-95 and then headed back down south. It's breezy out today and the truck did not want to shift into 5th at any speed over 60 mph. So on the highway she was turning 3000 rpms @ 70 mph in 4th with the selector set for M5. The truck itself weighed around 6900 pounds and the trailer about 2800. Brakes were not working well on it this time, set gain all the way and could not get them to lock up when empty. Still stopped fine.

4th gear @ 70 mph the instant MPG showed 5 mpg burning E85! LOL At 65 it shot up to 6 MPG! LOL Slowing to 60 the transmission shifted into 5th finally and was turning about 2000 rpms, forgot the MPGs on that one but the transmission temp hit 192 as we hit our exit and hour or so later.

Gettin' better at backing up, nobody was run over and only had to make slight adjustments this time!

 

[swathdiver]

Something just didn't seem right about the brakes, specifically the trailer brakes. So I'd read and reread the manual, watched every youtube video on the subject and realized what a dummy I've been!

I've been hauling this thing around with no brakes! I was using the 4-pin to 7-pin adapter and it never dawned on me that this was ONLY good for lights! Duh! Duh! Duh! LOL

So after leaving the doctor's office I went out to the field where I parked the rig and swapped the adapter out and coiled up the 4-pin and plugged in the 7-pin. Lights all worked as before but now when I moved the slider on the brake controller, the little gain bars lit up! They didn't before.

Pulled out onto a sleepy road with no traffic and started setting the gain and got up to 7.5 and still couldn't get the brakes to lock up on the trailer. Trailer was empty too. At 7.5 and moving the slider it stopped real nice, even the truck without using the Yukon's brakes.

Darn, now I want to go out and tow again but was only a few miles away from my buddy's shop so I brought it over there and made a spectacle out of my trailer backing abilities and garnered the sympathies of the local mechanics who guided me in close enough and they picked the trailer up off the hitch and moved it into place right proper! LOL

I'm a slow learner and learn best by doing, not being told or being shown but by doing. Well, now I done it! LOL

I wanted to weigh it but we were too busy getting the house transformed into a home yesterday. Maybe next time.

 

[kbuskill]

Something just didn't seem right about the brakes, specifically the trailer brakes. So I'd read and reread the manual, watched every youtube video on the subject and realized what a dummy I've been!

I've been hauling this thing around with no brakes! I was using the 4-pin to 7-pin adapter and it never dawned on me that this was ONLY good for lights! Duh! Duh! Duh! LOL

So after leaving the doctor's office I went out to the field where I parked the rig and swapped the adapter out and coiled up the 4-pin and plugged in the 7-pin. Lights all worked as before but now when I moved the slider on the brake controller, the little gain bars lit up! They didn't before.

Pulled out onto a sleepy road with no traffic and started setting the gain and got up to 7.5 and still couldn't get the brakes to lock up on the trailer. Trailer was empty too. At 7.5 and moving the slider it stopped real nice, even the truck without using the Yukon's brakes.

Darn, now I want to go out and tow again but was only a few miles away from my buddy's shop so I brought it over there and made a spectacle out of my trailer backing abilities and garnered the sympathies of the local mechanics who guided me in close enough and they picked the trailer up off the hitch and moved it into place right proper! LOL

I'm a slow learner and learn best by doing, not being told or being shown but by doing. Well, now I done it! LOL

I wanted to weigh it but we were too busy getting the house transformed into a home yesterday. Maybe next time.

Here is a little cheat/trick, from a class A CDL holder, to help you back up a trailer.

Place your hand at the bottom, 6 o'clock position, of the wheel when backing. If you want your trailer to go toward the drivers side, move your hand toward that side. If you want your trailer to go toward the passenger side, move your hand toward that side.

A lot of people have trouble backup up in general and when you add a trailer they are totally lost... lol

 

[swathdiver]

Thanks Ken! I've been doing those "S" turns but sometimes get at such an angle that it doesn't matter which way I turn until the whole thing is pulled forward and straightened out some.

In today's case, I also have a building and a pole to contend with. Steering from the bottom of the wheel is much easier on my brain! LOL

 

[gooffeyguy]

Something just didn't seem right about the brakes, specifically the trailer brakes. So I'd read and reread the manual, watched every youtube video on the subject and realized what a dummy I've been!

I've been hauling this thing around with no brakes! I was using the 4-pin to 7-pin adapter and it never dawned on me that this was ONLY good for lights! Duh! Duh! Duh! LOL

So after leaving the doctor's office I went out to the field where I parked the rig and swapped the adapter out and coiled up the 4-pin and plugged in the 7-pin. Lights all worked as before but now when I moved the slider on the brake controller, the little gain bars lit up! They didn't before.

Pulled out onto a sleepy road with no traffic and started setting the gain and got up to 7.5 and still couldn't get the brakes to lock up on the trailer. Trailer was empty too. At 7.5 and moving the slider it stopped real nice, even the truck without using the Yukon's brakes.

Darn, now I want to go out and tow again but was only a few miles away from my buddy's shop so I brought it over there and made a spectacle out of my trailer backing abilities and garnered the sympathies of the local mechanics who guided me in close enough and they picked the trailer up off the hitch and moved it into place right proper! LOL

I'm a slow learner and learn best by doing, not being told or being shown but by doing. Well, now I done it! LOL

I wanted to weigh it but we were too busy getting the house transformed into a home yesterday. Maybe next time.

So the trailer only had a 4 pin plug on it, even though it had electric brakes?

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

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

 

[swathdiver]

So the trailer only had a 4 pin plug on it, even though it had electric brakes?

The trailer has both! My buddy told me to use the 4-pin so I listened and whipped out my GM adapter oblivious as I bet he is!