Running E85 with out Tuning??
TECH Addict
iTrader: (41)
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 2,005
Likes: 2
From: Battlecreek, MI / Mansfield, OH
Actually, while peak HP number gains are not that great, the torque before and a little after torque peak are wonderful!!! There are some guys out there on NA cars making more than 25 extra ft-lbs before peak torque!!
So, you need to do a little testing or just look at the whole curve and not just peak numbers.
So, you need to do a little testing or just look at the whole curve and not just peak numbers.
The reason i would want to run it is price. e85 is very cheap around here being a farming community. Plus we have invested in ethanol plants so why not, right?
I have been running e85 in a ton of different things. Build a lot of race engines for locals as a side job. My personal one is 15:1 which i run on e85. (we are also at a higher altitude so get away with more compression) It is great because i get the advantages of running high compression yet i can go fill up at the pump for $2/gallon. Can't beat that!
Plus in the summer time it runs so much cooler that i don't even run radiator fans. The down side is the tuning for cold starting is different. I don't run these engines during winter so it doesn't matter, but they do not like to start up cold.
btw, stoich of 14.7 is the same for all fuels on a gas scale. It is actual a lambda of 1 they just scale it different for different fuels. Thus the o2's still try and tune the motor to 14.7:1 like they would on gas. Then when in PE mode you would be getting the 30% additional fuel from the injectors... Also all fuel lines are rated for ethanol. Reason being is gas already has ethanol in it, so they have to be resistant already, so any newer efi car is capable to handle ethanol.
I just wasn't sure if anyone has done this and what the outcome is. If it was me i would tune for it, but my dad doesn't want to do that. Just wants a quick easy fix.
I have been running e85 in a ton of different things. Build a lot of race engines for locals as a side job. My personal one is 15:1 which i run on e85. (we are also at a higher altitude so get away with more compression) It is great because i get the advantages of running high compression yet i can go fill up at the pump for $2/gallon. Can't beat that!
Plus in the summer time it runs so much cooler that i don't even run radiator fans. The down side is the tuning for cold starting is different. I don't run these engines during winter so it doesn't matter, but they do not like to start up cold.
btw, stoich of 14.7 is the same for all fuels on a gas scale. It is actual a lambda of 1 they just scale it different for different fuels. Thus the o2's still try and tune the motor to 14.7:1 like they would on gas. Then when in PE mode you would be getting the 30% additional fuel from the injectors... Also all fuel lines are rated for ethanol. Reason being is gas already has ethanol in it, so they have to be resistant already, so any newer efi car is capable to handle ethanol.
I just wasn't sure if anyone has done this and what the outcome is. If it was me i would tune for it, but my dad doesn't want to do that. Just wants a quick easy fix.
I know that all gas has some ethanol content in it already. From what I researched the higher ethanol content of E85 will eat up rubber lines over the long run. I also got a 98% on my paper too lol.
Teching In
Joined: May 2022
Posts: 7
Likes: 1
The fact was that O2 sensors read lambda which they will display a value of 1.0.
Fuel ........................ AFRst ........ FARst ....... Equivalence Ratio ... Lambda
Gas stoich ................ 14.7 .......... 0.068 ................ 1 ................... 1
Gas max power rich .... 12.5 .......... 0.08 ................. 1.176 .............. 0.8503
Gas max power lean .... 13.23 ........ 0.0755 .............. 1.111 ............. 0.900
E85 stoich .................. 9.765 ....... 0.10235 ............ 1 ................... 1
E85 max power rich ...... 6.975 ....... 0.1434 .............. 1.40 ............... 0.7143
E85 max power lean ..... 8.4687 ...... 0.118 ............... 1.153 .............. 0.8673
E100 stoich ................ 9.0078 ...... 0.111 ............... 1 .................... 1
E100 max power rich .... 6.429 ........ 0.155 .............. 1.4 .................. 0.714
E100 max power lean .... 7.8 .... ...... 0.128 .............. 1.15 ................ 0.870
E85 has to be 30% less expensive for it to make sense, and I have never seen it be. And that is just the break even point, you’d still be going through the hassle of refueling more often.
E85 is not corrosive. The water it absorbs is when the alcohol evaporates and leaves the water behind.
E85 will dissolve fiberglass fuel tanks (boats).
E85 is not corrosive. The water it absorbs is when the alcohol evaporates and leaves the water behind.
E85 will dissolve fiberglass fuel tanks (boats).
Teching In
Joined: May 2022
Posts: 7
Likes: 1
E85 has to be 30% less expensive for it to make sense, and I have never seen it be. And that is just the break even point, you’d still be going through the hassle of refueling more often.
E85 is not corrosive. The water it absorbs is when the alcohol evaporates and leaves the water behind.
E85 will dissolve fiberglass fuel tanks (boats).
E85 is not corrosive. The water it absorbs is when the alcohol evaporates and leaves the water behind.
E85 will dissolve fiberglass fuel tanks (boats).
LS1 Tech Stories
The Best V8 Stories One Small Block at Time
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
Five Reasons the Camaro Was the Most Pivotal Player in the Pony Car Wars 2.0
Brett Foote
Teching In
Joined: Aug 2017
Posts: 19
Likes: 17
From: Treasure Coast of Florida
E85 has to be 30% less expensive for it to make sense, and I have never seen it be. And that is just the break even point, you’d still be going through the hassle of refueling more often.
E85 is not corrosive. The water it absorbs is when the alcohol evaporates and leaves the water behind.
E85 will dissolve fiberglass fuel tanks (boats).
E85 is not corrosive. The water it absorbs is when the alcohol evaporates and leaves the water behind.
E85 will dissolve fiberglass fuel tanks (boats).
Every locale is different with regards to price and availability. If I'm racing and don't need the range, it goes on E85. Saves about $20 per tank of fuel compared to gasoline when the price is right.
