E85 vs regular gas dyno
Its mostly my personal opinion and experience. Around here you can get 3 different grades of premium fuel. 91octane with 10% ethanol, 91octane without ethanol, or 93octane with 10% ethanol. Now ive used all three in my LS1, LT1, and sport bikes. I prefer the 91 with no ethanol added.
I work @ a service/gas/auto parts store in rural Nebraska, so I see $30k worth of fuel exchange hands every week. I find it funny being that there are 2 big ethanol plants within 20miles of us, and being surrounded by corn fields, however most of the farmers that sell the corn that is processed at the ethanol plants, wont use gas with ethanol added to it.
I just think that ethanol is an inefficient fuel. A buddy of mine had a chevy avalanche. He traded it on a new F150 cause it was "E85" and he was going to save so much money on gas... Guess what? He wont put E85 in it anymore. With E85 he would save a few bucks @ the pumps, but he would avarage 100miles less per tank then regular unleaded fuel. So basically it would cancel the savings out. But he said the truck had alot less power with the E85 in it.
I know ive kindof got off topic here. E85 can make more on the dyno then regular gas, with a tune to take advantage of the higher octane. But if you think you can just pull up to the pump and put in some E85 and get more power, good luck! Let me know how that goes for ya...
I work @ a service/gas/auto parts store in rural Nebraska, so I see $30k worth of fuel exchange hands every week. I find it funny being that there are 2 big ethanol plants within 20miles of us, and being surrounded by corn fields, however most of the farmers that sell the corn that is processed at the ethanol plants, wont use gas with ethanol added to it.
I just think that ethanol is an inefficient fuel. A buddy of mine had a chevy avalanche. He traded it on a new F150 cause it was "E85" and he was going to save so much money on gas... Guess what? He wont put E85 in it anymore. With E85 he would save a few bucks @ the pumps, but he would avarage 100miles less per tank then regular unleaded fuel. So basically it would cancel the savings out. But he said the truck had alot less power with the E85 in it.
I know ive kindof got off topic here. E85 can make more on the dyno then regular gas, with a tune to take advantage of the higher octane. But if you think you can just pull up to the pump and put in some E85 and get more power, good luck! Let me know how that goes for ya...
maybe you should try it so you can break the 340 mark
On The Tree
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 159
Likes: 0
From: Lafayette , Indiana
I have back to back stats.. 93 Octane 442 rwhp and 405rwtq. E85 458rwhp and 421rwtq N/A stock bottom end Lt1. Gains were not what i wanted but for a $1 less a gallon i will take it.
Chris
Chris
HA HA!! Good one. We all got to start somewhere.
But yes I think I will put some E85 in, new injectors, new fuel pump, and get new tune. I probably need a new tune anyway, this tunes 5days old now. Sounds great, do you think I'll break 340, do ya really!!!!!!!
But yes I think I will put some E85 in, new injectors, new fuel pump, and get new tune. I probably need a new tune anyway, this tunes 5days old now. Sounds great, do you think I'll break 340, do ya really!!!!!!!
You will probably only be able to get E85 @ the pumps for a few more years before Fed mpg standards set in. The new standards wont be able to be met with E85, it burns to fast and when new cars stop being E85 capable it will be hard to find. So enjoy it while you can.
Sorry, but like stated above......E85 is on it's way out already. Work is at a standstill where the ethanol plants are being built. Some funding for projects are being cut already. Corn is been shooting through the roof and it takes 3 gallons of water to make one gallon of E85, not to mention all the other natural recources being wasted on it. It's just not the answer and is more or less a fad on the way out!! Traver
TECH Regular
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 471
Likes: 0
From: Rolesville, NC
Sorry, but like stated above......E85 is on it's way out already. Work is at a standstill where the ethanol plants are being built. Some funding for projects are being cut already. Corn is been shooting through the roof and it takes 3 gallons of water to make one gallon of E85, not to mention all the other natural recources being wasted on it. It's just not the answer and is more or less a fad on the way out!! Traver
E85 has its place, just not sure where yet?
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Verdad Gallardo Sorry, but like stated above......E85 is on it's way out already. Work is at a standstill where the ethanol plants are being built. Some funding for projects are being cut already. Corn is been shooting through the roof and it takes 3 gallons of water to make one gallon of E85, not to mention all the other natural recources being wasted on it. It's just not the answer and is more or less a fad on the way out!! Traver
E85 hurts our economy more then it helps. Theres plenty of proof out there, just search for it. But if you want to pick up some extra hp, go for it. Convert to E85, get a new tune and enjoy. But in 2years when E85 runs out and your back @ the dyno detuning to run on regular gas, I'll be the one in the back saying "I told u so."
Staging Lane
Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 73
Likes: 1
i will personally eat my own fecal matter if E85 is gone in two years. There is alot of money behind E85 right now and I highly doubt the existing plants that are $120 mil a piece will just shut down in two years. The commodity prices are high right now, the dollar is weak, so in an international market, it really hasn't risen that much. There is only $.10 worth of corn in a box of corn flakes, the rising prices are from fuel price increase and everything else, not JUST the price of commodities. But once again, I said I don't want to get into the politics of it.
andy
andy
Teching In
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 9
Likes: 0
E85 WILL make more HP than pump gas, just depends on what you are doing. A procharged C5, for instance, will pick up 20-50 HP (7-8 psi, stock bottom half) over premium. N/A the gains aren't quite as good (6-8 RWHP consistently on a 420 hp application LS motor) But the knock retard will be non existent. We've made over 1000 to the tire on a whole bunch of different applications over the last three years, and in my judgment, if the fuel is accessible to you, there is no comparison to premium. We've done over 2100 vehicles on the stuff and have found the only corrosion issues is with bare aluminum fuel cells, the fuel forms aluminum oxide OVER TIME. this is a black residue that forms (anodized is NOT a problem). Older natural rubber will corrode, anything made in the last 15 years is usually not a problem (except a few imports) Most of the other components are compatible, and we have seen ZERO issues with fuel pumps, lines, etc. I think we are in the 100s for LS motored cars alone that we've done, not counting the 1500+ K series pick-ups we've done. There is a lot of bad info out there, and alot of guys that say they know what they are talking about but have little to no first hand experience. It's all "well my buddy's uncle is a mechanic and..." Bullshit. show me hard evidence of problems. Mileage on a C5 on Korn is only about a 10-12 percent reduction (hand calculated) if the tune is correct. I have 427 stroker guys running 26-28 on gas and 28-30 on e85. Corvette fever just did an article that came out this month on 2 of them. We've made 1200 to the tire with a C5 on Korn, 1380 hp with a turbo mustang (thru a TH400), and a whole bunch of blow thru carb stuff over the 1000 mark. Like i said, if you try to compare it to pump gas, you will find no argument for the plus side unless you can't get it or if you are N/A and have to spend money to up inj and fuel pump because you don't have the capacity with your current set-up. N/A gains, again, are not as significant, but forced induction is a no-brainer. This is the hard facts on the fuel for your car, leave the politics out of this (it always ends up that way...)
pics of internals- http://www.rune85.com/internal%20engine.htm
Look at all the cars in the dynomax dyno challenge, 8 of the top ten (or 8 of the top 8) chose e85 over premium, and the LEAST hp we made with those cars was 1130.
andy
pics of internals- http://www.rune85.com/internal%20engine.htm
Look at all the cars in the dynomax dyno challenge, 8 of the top ten (or 8 of the top 8) chose e85 over premium, and the LEAST hp we made with those cars was 1130.
andy
rising gas and diesel prices have more to do with food costs going up than the corn we produce in this country. you do realize that a majority of the corn grown in the united states is field corn and not fit for human consumption right?
i love all the naysayers saying we cant do this and that. this is America we can do anything we want to as long as the country has the brains to go for it. if south america can have self sustained ethanol plants and use e-85 as their primary fuel why in the hell cant we?
E-85 is not going away. Right now it is the best alternative for MTBE we have and since the government outlawed MTBE, we have no choice but to produce it. I agree that corn ethanol isn't the long term answer, but it is a viable one right now.
To the people that do not like E-85 read up on switchgrass being used to produce ethanol. Ethanol is simple to make... just converts the sugars in the plant with enzymes and it produces ethanol and carbon dioxide.
yes switchgrass is another great source for e-85 however if they start replacing corn with switchgrass we're going to have problems. now if people grew their switchgrass for their lawns then recycled it for e-85 production we would be money.
