E85: Impressions?

[MarkT]

E85 is 110 octane, this is why you notice a SOTP inprovement, and why you see a lot of recreational drag racers going to it. A lot cheaper than comparable race fuel.

The octane rating of a fuel simply measures the resistance that fuel has to knocking. Higher octane ratings do not necessarily mean more HP.

The thing is, once you have enough octane for your engine, more octane does nothing.

I believe the big difference in E85 power comes from the differences between ethanol and gasoline... ethanol has much more "cooling effect" as it vaporizes in the intake which will result in a denser charge in the cylinder.

Also, I believe ethanol burns more completely than gasoline...

Most importantly, even though the energy content of ethanol is less per gallon than gasoline, the correct stoichometric air-fuel ratio is about 9:1 vs about 14.5:1 for gasoline... this means you are burning considerably more ethanol and the end result is more energy content is released burning ethanol.

 

[TehKing]

The octane rating of a fuel simply measures the resistance that fuel has to knocking. Higher octane ratings do not necessarily mean more HP.

Of course, and that is the exact reason why a lot of big players are running it. It is cheap and they are able to run tunes that are much more aggressive than they would normally be able to on straight dino.

E85 is cheap, and abundant here in Minnesota. Mostly because of the large subsidies ethanol producers receive from this state, which I do not like, but that is a topic for a different thread.

 

[jesse]

The octane rating of a fuel simply measures the resistance that fuel has to knocking. Higher octane ratings do not necessarily mean more HP.

The thing is, once you have enough octane for your engine, more octane does nothing.

I believe the big difference in E85 power comes from the differences between ethanol and gasoline... ethanol has much more "cooling effect" as it vaporizes in the intake which will result in a denser charge in the cylinder.

Also, I believe ethanol burns more completely than gasoline...

Most importantly, even though the energy content of ethanol is less per gallon than gasoline, the correct stoichometric air-fuel ratio is about 9:1 vs about 14.5:1 for gasoline... this means you are burning considerably more ethanol and the end result is more energy content is released burning ethanol.

excellent points Mark! I usually toss in E85 prior to an outing...give it a bit of a boost lol almost like a low end NOS lol

but yes, i do like running it, its awesome.

But i always use my E85 calculator whenever im just running around town or doing highway driving..at times, you get more bang for your buck with 87..or better MPG's i should say...depending what the price is of course.

 

[MarkT]

Exactly Jesse... E85 doesn't get the mileage of 87 but it's about 20% cheaper per gallon around here. Pretty close to the break even point because my mileage drops about 20% on E85... but 87 definitely could have an economic advantage depending on gas prices and what kind of mileage you get from each fuel.

 

[jesse]

yea..right now 87 is at 2.59 out my way...so its more beneficial for me to use 87 scootin around town and such...but when it was 2.69 and up..E85 all the way! Its GREAT to have such options...i never knew i would use it, but now its like a safe guard, as the gas stations are suppose to keep E85 at 2.19...and it SHOULD go down if there is more of a demand...crossing fingers here lol cause if it ever gets down to a 1.50 a gallon, thats gonna be awesome...would love to run nothing but E85 if its going to save me some ends.

 

[Wilson]

had the 800 outlander can-am out today 32f must be a good temp for e-30 cos I could pull a wheelie at 15+mph usually have to slow down to 8 or 10 mph. I run e-30 in every thing all the time would love to try some e-85 in it

 

[BigJ]

Ah cool to see this thread again

Another advantage of E85 I've discovered is storage. Its all I carry now in the bed of the truck. It keeps forever (unlike gasoline that needs to be rotated every few months) and it doesn't stink if spilled.

That last one is a big deal when *** miles out in the wild on a multi day trip. Get a little gas on ya and you're gonna live with it for the rest of your trip. Get some E85 on ya and you won't know it a few minutes later.

 

[whtrapta]

Hmm I didn't know that. Only filled up with it 2 times. The fuel mileage sucked so bad i didn't use it again

 

[Wilson]

I told my aunt her light came on cos e-30 burns to clean and can't tell the engine is running pull up behind some one not burning ethanol and you can smell the difference. I like telling people its so clean and safe you could drink it if not mixed with regular gas

 

[BigJ]

I wonder if E85 will survive the summer. The government subsidies end soon, and I think I read prices will jump over a buck overnight when they do.