Ethanol And E85 Alternative Fuel
Thread Starter
11 Second Club
iTrader: (37)
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 2,046
Likes: 3
From: Vancouver, WA
Ethanol And E85 Alternative Fuel............... So what do you all think of GM's push for the E85 fuel? I'm sure you've all seen the commerials for it by now. From the small amount of research I've done, it appears to have no real drawbacks and is in fact a high octane fuel (113) as straight Ethanol. The E85 is a blend of 85% Ethanol and 15% regular fuel. If it is a cleaner burning fuel, I see it as a nice alternative. It would also help the US economy with the farming communities in the midwest with diminishing farm land etc.. Seems like a win-win situation but maybe I'm missing some of the facts on it.
Here is a good link I found: http://www.ethanol.org/index.htm
Comments?
Mike
Here is a good link I found: http://www.ethanol.org/index.htm
Comments?
Mike
Last edited by Mikey 97Z M6; Feb 20, 2006 at 11:00 AM.
Originally Posted by Rokko
There was an article in the paper about this fuel, a vehicle also consumes it at a more rapid rate than the fuel we use now.
Yup. It needs to be run at about 9:1 air:fuel (vice 14:1 like gas). You need bigger fuel pumps if you want to run it in a performance application. Also, there are few places that have it readily available right now. I have heard it can be hard on rubber in fuel lines, but that may be a rumor. It definitely has merits though.
I thought I read that E85 is 85% Ethanol and 15% petroleum. Sounds like a good step towards fuel independence to me. I've also researched Biodiesel for my truck as an alternative fuel. As far as I've seen, I can run up to 100% Biodiesel in my truck without problems. Last time I fueled up, I mixed 15gal of 99% Biodiesel (B99) with 11 gal of petrol diesel. The mixture ran without any significant drawbacks. I did drop about 1mpg which is not a biggie in my view.
I like the push that GM is making towards E85 and if you've been watching the news, the push that WA state is making towards being a production leader in Biodiesel.
I like the push that GM is making towards E85 and if you've been watching the news, the push that WA state is making towards being a production leader in Biodiesel.
Joined: Nov 2001
Posts: 10,023
Likes: 6
From: LT1 land...the "409" of the 90s!
I read about this 5-6 years ago. It will take a major over haul of the fuel system for most cars. Exception would be Flex fuel cars designed for the task. If the correct injectors are choosen you could get by with very little tuning 
BTW If I remember John is right on the 85% E 15%G mixture
As long as they get the price down per gallon(you will comsum a good deal more) it would be great!
BTW If I remember John is right on the 85% E 15%G mixture
As long as they get the price down per gallon(you will comsum a good deal more) it would be great!
It is the equivalent of 100 octane. The big things are the fuel pump o-rings need to be replaced with viton or a similar material to prevent deterioration as well as rubber fuel lines and the base fuel map usually needs to be bumped up around 140-160%
But it would allow more compression and burns clean compared to petroleum based fuels. E85 sells for around $1.10 a gallon in the midwest.
But it would allow more compression and burns clean compared to petroleum based fuels. E85 sells for around $1.10 a gallon in the midwest.
Well, we can grow more corn. I think we are using up petrol faster than animals are decomposing & turning into oil....tho the Middle East seems to be trying to rectify that.
Sadly after watching the piece on 60 Minutes about the ice caps melting, I think we all need to prepare for changes in the not-too-distant-future regarding our cars. Or grow gills.
Sadly after watching the piece on 60 Minutes about the ice caps melting, I think we all need to prepare for changes in the not-too-distant-future regarding our cars. Or grow gills.
Trending Topics
Joined: Nov 2001
Posts: 10,023
Likes: 6
From: LT1 land...the "409" of the 90s!
Originally Posted by Nate_Taufer
It is the equivalent of 100 octane. The big things are the fuel pump o-rings need to be replaced with viton or a similar material to prevent deterioration as well as rubber fuel lines and the base fuel map usually needs to be bumped up around 140-160%
But it would allow more compression and burns clean compared to petroleum based fuels. E85 sells for around $1.10 a gallon in the midwest.
But it would allow more compression and burns clean compared to petroleum based fuels. E85 sells for around $1.10 a gallon in the midwest.
Like I said the correct size injectors and you would pretty much be good to go. Many fuel pumps would be attacked also. Those are the main reason I mentioned a complete over haul of the fuel system. It basicly needs to flow twice as much and not give in to the corrosive natures they will be weathering
Looks like cost would be the same just have to fuel up twice as much
In the past and present I have researched to benifits and defualts of alternate fuels
LS1 Tech Stories
The Best V8 Stories One Small Block at Time
6 Common C5 Corvette Failures and What's Involved In Repairing Them
Pouria Savadkouei
Retro Modern Bandit Pontiac Trans AM Comes With Burt Reynolds' Autograph
Verdad Gallardo
Top 10 Greatest Cadillac V Series Performance Models Ever, Ranked
Pouria Savadkouei
Top 10 Most Powerful Chevy Trucks Ever Made!
Hennessey's New Supercharged Silverado ZR2 Has 700 HP
Verdad Gallardo
Coachbuilt N2A Anteros Is an LS2-Powered C6 Corvette In Italian Clothes
Verdad Gallardo
Awesome K5 Blazer Restomod Comes With C7 Corvette Power
Verdad Gallardo
10 Camaros You Should Never Buy
10 LS Engine Myths That Refuse to Die
Verdad Gallardo
Back when I was in college I actually did a rather large paper on E85. Granted this was back in 2000, but from what I found it was a good alternative, with the major drawback being availability, but since then, it has been growing. Also back then gasoline was still cheap, so running ethonal was a more expensive option, but now it would probably be about the same.
Besides the possible fuel system changes, there were other things to note:
Basically higher octane
Less energy per gallon than gasoline
Lower stoich. mixture, therefore you need more ethanal, so your mileage won't be as good.
Another thing that hasn't been mentioned is it doesn't vaporize as easily as gasoline at low temperatures, so in cold climates (ie Minnesota, etc) block heaters and other heating systems may be neccessary. Shouldn't affect us much here. Also I don't think it would work well in a carb application in cold climates because of the lower vaporization.
Back when I was doing my research paper GM was sponsoring a compitition at colleges where the students took brand new vehicles and converted them to run on E85. I'm sure they used some of those findings in there current flex. fuel vehicle.
I really hope that E85 catches on. I recently heard our ol' friend Bill Gates invested a lot of money into some Ethanol company that was trying to get started here on the west coast (Northern Cali if I remember right)
Besides the possible fuel system changes, there were other things to note:
Basically higher octane
Less energy per gallon than gasoline
Lower stoich. mixture, therefore you need more ethanal, so your mileage won't be as good.
Another thing that hasn't been mentioned is it doesn't vaporize as easily as gasoline at low temperatures, so in cold climates (ie Minnesota, etc) block heaters and other heating systems may be neccessary. Shouldn't affect us much here. Also I don't think it would work well in a carb application in cold climates because of the lower vaporization.
Back when I was doing my research paper GM was sponsoring a compitition at colleges where the students took brand new vehicles and converted them to run on E85. I'm sure they used some of those findings in there current flex. fuel vehicle.
I really hope that E85 catches on. I recently heard our ol' friend Bill Gates invested a lot of money into some Ethanol company that was trying to get started here on the west coast (Northern Cali if I remember right)
Originally Posted by Ackattack1
Another thing that hasn't been mentioned is it doesn't vaporize as easily as gasoline at low temperatures, so in cold climates (ie Minnesota, etc) block heaters and other heating systems may be neccessary. Shouldn't affect us much here. Also I don't think it would work well in a carb application in cold climates because of the lower vaporization.
I really hope that E85 catches on. I recently heard our ol' friend Bill Gates invested a lot of money into some Ethanol company that was trying to get started here on the west coast (Northern Cali if I remember right)
It figures, Kalifornia still considers us the 'suburbs'
Thread Starter
11 Second Club
iTrader: (37)
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 2,046
Likes: 3
From: Vancouver, WA
Originally Posted by JJKJ
I thought I read that E85 is 85% Ethanol and 15% petroleum.
I wasn't able to get on here at all last night as my home computer took a crap on me.
For me, changing out some fuel support items wouldn't be a big deal, but to 95% of the population I imagine it would be a big deal. I coud see a slow transition into E85, but it doesn't look like it's going to be taking over anytime soon. I'd love to see it as an option at every pump though. Filling up more often would be a bit of a pain, but if it keeps the money out of the middle east, I'd make the sacrifice.
I guess the Indy car series is going to use a blend of Ethanol for the 2006 race season, then in 2007 they are going full on Eth... It'll be interesting to see how that pans out.
As for the comment on Eth deterioating the seals on the nitrous solenoids, plumb a dedicated 1gal fuel cell filled with race fuel for the nitrous.
Mike
Originally Posted by Amorget
I think it was Hyrdogen that GM spent a bunch of time and money researching. The problem is that it is so freakin explosive that you need anti-static suits and stuff to refill.
Nate
Teching In
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 3
Likes: 0
I know it's been a while since any of you have talked about this but I've heard that if you either raise the compression ratio or use a super/tubro charger to boost the compression that the power would be the same with similar economy. any of you know if this is true?
