E85

[cudatom]

So was contemplating switching over to E8s for cost savings on fuel at the track. But when I checked the E85 I have around me most is actually E70-75. So by the time I mix some E98 with it to get actual E85 My savings over blending race fuel and 93 Premium to get 98 octane for my car is about $.70($1.05 if I want 100 octane).

Is anyone else running into this same situation. I know E85 will run cooler(I have a hard time getting my temp to 180 now on premium and race gas) and I may pick up some et but why when the cost difference is so minimal.

Is there something I'm over looking? All comments welcome pro and con. Thanks

 

[Schober Motorsports]

I was talking about this with my engine builder the other day... According to him you can run up to 13-1 compression with this stuff. Maybe someone else could chime in?

 

[hangn0ut]

I assume this is track only car with a carburator? If its a matter of economics I would have to say dont do it. And if its about going fast,step up all the way to methanol. Be certain about what exactly you want before you start spending money.

 

[cudatom]

I assume this is track only car with a carburator? If its a matter of economics I would have to say dont do it. And if its about going fast,step up all the way to methanol. Be certain about what exactly you want before you start spending money.

It is a street/strip car and yes its carbureted. Nothing fancy just a high ten sec car but I'm always looking at ways to get the best bang for the buck so to speak. The fuels system was planned a head so that I could go either direction with my fuel. The only cost would be to convert my carb.

One thing I did find out on another board is that there is a winter mix of E85 that tends to have less ethanol content so my concerns with having to buy E98 to mix w/pump E85 to get a true E85 may not be nec. That would really bring the cost down.

 

[383 a4 runner]

I would have converted a long time ago but e85 is not sold in my area. When compared to $10 gallon race fuel it is a big savings in my book. I never drive my car because of that. I have to drive 30 miles to buy race gas. I usually mix 5 gallons of race gas with pump 93 on a fill up. E85 is somewhere around 105 octane and it's supposed to run cooler. I'm running 12.5:1 compression so it would be great for me.

 

[Bigal75]

I wish they sold that stuff up here.

 

[mopar 3 B]

Plan on cutting gas mileage in half.

 

[GetX'd]

Maybe I'm wrong but I was under the impression ethanol gas was not good for these older cars. Does anyone know more about the quality of the gas and impact on the internal parts?

 

[cudatom]

I would have converted a long time ago but e85 is not sold in my area. When compared to $10 gallon race fuel it is a big savings in my book. I never drive my car because of that. I have to drive 30 miles to buy race gas. I usually mix 5 gallons of race gas with pump 93 on a fill up. E85 is somewhere around 105 octane and it's supposed to run cooler. I'm running 12.5:1 compression so it would be great for me.

That was the mix I used when I first got the car running but have determined I can back it down to 1 part 110 and 2 parts 93. That gets me to 98.6 for my octane.
Last summer when Premium was over $4 per gal and $9 for Sunoco 110 I started looking into the switch. I was glad I thought ahead and used a pump , lines and regulator that could were compatible w/either gas or alcohol. Now my only cost is the carb and since I'm switching to a dominator anyways the cost is minor.

Mopar 3b more like 15-20% less from my research

 

[mopar 3 B]

Have talked to a few with E85 complaint trucks and they would be happy with those figures.
But then that is not comparing apples to apples.
Maybe wrong but also thought internals required some special coating.
This has been discussed in the past and there a some here quite knowledgeable.

 

[cudatom]

We ran E85 in our 2008 Sebring Coverable and that was what we got(20%). We only did it a few times as back then it was hard to find where we live.

I can see where a truck would get less. Ours being a car never really had any kind load on it like a truck would.

 

[funknut]

Maybe I'm wrong but I was under the impression ethanol gas was not good for these older cars. Does anyone know more about the quality of the gas and impact on the internal parts?

There are several reasons why ethanol can cause problems in cars not designed for it.

Ethanol is more corrosive to plastics and rubber than gasoline, and because ethanol absorbs moisture, it can degrade some metals (oxidation). If added to a rusty fuel tank, for example, it can break up the rust and send particles into the fuel system.

Ethanol blend gas will absorb moisture, and ethanol evaporates more quickly than regular gas. When the ethanol evaporates it leaves behind the water. Ethanol blended gas goes 'stale' much faster than non-ethanol gas.

Even normal ethanol blends at the pump (E10-E15) can adversely affect older cars. To do E85 properly you need to make sure every part of the car that touches gas is 'flexfuel compatible'

Also, E85 is about 30% less energy dense than regular pump gas, so your fuel system needs to flow 30% more fuel.

Having said all that, it's a fantastic fuel, particularly for boosted applications. The higher octane of E85 makes it much less prone to detonation.

If you have 25 mins, this is a funny and informative video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ltWcgiCm4NY

 

[hangn0ut]

Just a bit more. modern cars constantly monitor the fuel and adjust for it. and as it has been pointed out,e-85 can vary from tank to tank. that could mean a lot of tuning and calculating as different blends are mixed together. and can you trust the gas station to post what blend they are selling reliably? personally i would keep an eye on the fuel system if switching to e-85. sometimes hoses sold as compatable with gas or alcohol based fuels dont hold up to well if switched from one fuel to the other. octane numbers dont really apply to alcohol based fuels to well. the amount of chemical cooling going on lets these fuels play way beyond their octane rating.

 

[moparbob498]

I converted 2 Holley HP dominators to e85 (easy)-& I'm running a blown application, so I can say first hand that stuff is amazing, power up, engine temps down, fuel cost down 90%- but as mentioned earlier, it go's stale so to speak very quickly in humid areas especially, condensation really messes it up, I set my fuel system up for alky, & run e85 with no issues to date, no vacuuming the crank case & expensive oil changes ect W/ alky

 

[jakepup]

i run 9:1 static compression with 8psi of boost "13.63:1" at my altitude with a 500" stroked/blown motor and right now at the pump it reads e72-75 through my ethanol content analyzer ,and my car is tuned for e85, car runs just fine "a little on the fat side" but have had zero problems with it. prolly have to change plugs once this summer but crusing down the highway I get 8 mpg if im not in it, am very happy I went the e85 route, only 18 bucks to go play for half a day. runs fairly cool, cant beat that

 

[cudatom]

Thanks for the replies. I will be switching over soon. It will cut my cost in 1/2 as long as what I get at the pump is good quality. I'll be checking w/a couple stations close to me and see how often they get deliveries and check the quality.

 

[jakepup]

Thanks for the replies. I will be switching over soon. It will cut my cost in 1/2 as long as what I get at the pump is good quality. I'll be checking w/a couple stations close to me and see how often they get deliveries and check the quality.

id recommend purchasing an ethanol content analyzer for ztronics, fairly priced, easy to install and never leaves you guessing.

- - - Updated - - -

form what I have seen here in central sd the ethanol content only varies about 2-3 points, they start shipping e70-e75 in September and do so until may-june for winter starting pourpouses, I see anywhere from e72-e74 right now , never more never less . like stated above it doesn't really hurt much to run a lower content besides running rich, I don't think you will ever see a problem with over mixed "like e95" but who knows I guess.

 

[cudatom]

I will definately be buying an ethonal content checker. Better to be safe than sorry I didnt check.