who here uses/used e85?

[QueBert]

I'm getting a tune for my car and reading up on it I noticed quite a few of the people have gotten the e85 version and love it. I *thought* a station up the steet has it, but nope no dice. The closest station's 22 miles and the next few closest are a few miles farther. I don't follow e85 so I'm basically in the dark here. I figure someone who runs it can comment. What direction is it going? Are new stations still popping up, or is it going the opposite way? From my Googling I can't tell, but it definitely doesn't look very active, but I'm not sure if it's heading towards that or dying out, or staying the same. They offer the tune in a 91 octaine/e85 selectable version but I'd have to buy the flash cable to re-do the flash every time I want to switch gas.

I'd like to run e85 for the sizable HP & Torque boost but I don't want to pay $$$ if it's basically going to become harder to find stations in the future. Imho driving 20+ miles to get gas isn't going to happen.

 

[NutBucket]

Get two tunes and switch between them?

 

[EightySix Four]

I'm getting a tune for my car and reading up on it I noticed quite a few of the people have gotten the e85 version and love it. I *thought* a station up the steet has it, but nope no dice. The closest station's 22 miles and the next few closest are a few miles farther. I don't follow e85 so I'm basically in the dark here. I figure someone who runs it can comment. What direction is it going? Are new stations still popping up, or is it going the opposite way? From my Googling I can't tell, but it definitely doesn't look very active, but I'm not sure if it's heading towards that or dying out, or staying the same. They offer the tune in a 91 octaine/e85 selectable version but I'd have to buy the flash cable to re-do the flash every time I want to switch gas.

I'd like to run e85 for the sizable HP & Torque boost but I don't want to pay $$$ if it's basically going to become harder to find stations in the future. Imho driving 20+ miles to get gas isn't going to happen.

Don't bother then, there hasn't been significant expansion of e85 from what I can tell. I used to switch tunes on my Sky but it became more of a PITA then it was worth.

 

[QueBert]

Don't bother then, there hasn't been significant expansion of e85 from what I can tell. I used to switch tunes on my Sky but it became more of a PITA then it was worth.

Did you find the e85 tune was noticeably better?

 

[NutBucket]

I guarantee it is better. You'll definitely make a lot more power. My friend tuned his evo for e85 and loves it.

 

[QueBert]

I guarantee it is better. You'll definitely make a lot more power. My friend tuned his evo for e85 and loves it.

You're not helping me feel good about going with the 91 tune With the closest station 22 miles and my car having like a 12 gallon tank I don't see how it would be even considerable to go the e85 route.

HUMMM I could buy 3 5 gallon gas cans and every time I go get a fill up and fill up the cans too.

 

[EightySix Four]

Did you find the e85 tune was noticeably better?

I tuned it myself and yes, it was significantly better. Still wasn't worth the drive unless I was intentionally out looking for 'vettes to surprise or something.

 

[Zorba]

Here in OKC a gas station chain has been putting E-85 pumps in at all of there stations. They would run out from time to time until a few months ago, they put up signs saying the supply was very unstable and they would only guarantee its availability at a few stations.

At least in this very red state, E-85 would be very hard to find. Hell here it is hard to find E-10.

 

[NutBucket]

True. Don't feel bad, e85 is MUCH rarer in CA.

 

[Ferzerp]

e85 takes has a higher octane rating, which means you can compress the mixture more.

*However* you also need to put in a lot more fuel and need to have a fueling system capable of doing so. That means a bigger fuel pump and higher flow injectors. If you have all of these things, yes, you can get more power out of e85 because you can compress it like you can ~96 octane gasoline.

So the answer is yes, if you know what you're doing. However, if you have to ask us, you probably don't understand the nuances and the other upgrades you will need to be able to deliver the volume of fuel required.

It also is a little more complicated than that because the higher volume of the liquid also means that everything also stays cooler, meaning more air for better combustion, etc.

 

[jlee]

Did you find the e85 tune was noticeably better?

lololololol


15psi, butt dyno'd at what, maybe 300-330whp?

24psi, butt dyno'd at WAY MOAR.

Granted, I am not on a stock turbo, engine, or fuel system...but the difference can be immense. Effective octane of E85 is far, far above pump gas and on par (or better than) race fuel.

 

[Ferzerp]

Effective octane of E85 is far, far above pump gas and on par (or better than) race fuel.

It actually isn't massively better, but since you have to use so much more of it, you cool everything down so much that it works out as if it were. I guess that might be what you mean by "effective octane" though.

 

[QueBert]

e85 takes has a higher octane rating, which means you can compress the mixture more.

*However* you also need to put in a lot more fuel and need to have a fueling system capable of doing so. That means a bigger fuel pump and higher flow injectors. If you have all of these things, yes, you can get more power out of e85 because you can compress it like you can ~96 octane gasoline.

So the answer is yes, if you know what you're doing. However, if you have to ask us, you probably don't understand the nuances and the other upgrades you will need to be able to deliver the volume of fuel required.

It also is a little more complicated than that because the higher volume of the liquid also means that everything also stays cooler, meaning more air for better combustion, etc.

People are telling me without a single upgrade besides the e85 Trifecta tune they're pushing 360-400hp, 400-440tq & a lot more boost. With the 91 tune it's somewhere around 280hp and a lot less torque. Pretty insane numbers for a $200 tune. Also they're maintaining the same MPG as pre tune. I'm not trying to upgrade parts to get results here, and that's not even needed here.

 

[jlee]

It actually isn't massively better, but since you have to use so much more of it, you cool everything down so much that it works out as if it were. I guess that might be what you mean by "effective octane" though.

Yup. You can easily run 40+psi on E85 without any fuel problems. It basically eliminates octane as a power restriction and puts it on the physical components of the engine.

 

[jlee]

People are telling me without a single upgrade besides the e85 Trifecta tune they're pushing 360-400hp, 400-440tq & a lot more boost. With the 91 tune it's somewhere around 280hp and a lot less torque. Pretty insane numbers for a $200 tune. Also they're maintaining the same MPG as pre tune. I'm not trying to upgrade parts to get results here, and that's not even needed here.

I find that hard to believe, considering E85 is approximately 30% less energy-dense than gasoline.

 

[Ferzerp]

Also they're maintaining the same MPG as pre tune

Based on this alone you're being flat out lied to. The energy just isn't there per volume. We're talking a larger than 30% energy deficit per unit of volume (which is why you end up pumping more of it, and need robust fuel delivery).


You could have a vehicle that comes stock with far oversized injectors and fuel pump, but that isn't a common thing. That would solve the fuel delivery needs, but the mileage drop is inherent to the fuel itself. There is no way around that.

 

[QueBert]

you guys are right, I was misreading what the people were saying, MPG will go down about 3-5mpg but it's a lot cheaper than 91 so it works out to be the same price or cheaper to run it. I misunderstood the cost thing as meaning the same mpg. I'd good with lower mpg if it's not costing me any more money.

 

[Drako]

I have heard if you use e85 and throw in a Black Panther pill, you can achieve Triple Maximum performance.

 

[Zivic]

You're not helping me feel good about going with the 91 tune With the closest station 22 miles and my car having like a 12 gallon tank I don't see how it would be even considerable to go the e85 route.

HUMMM I could buy 3 5 gallon gas cans and every time I go get a fill up and fill up the cans too.

if it is a pain in the @ss to find fill stations, that trumps any hp gain in my book.

my car makes 100 more HP on e85 and I sacrifice about 10% in mileage vs my 92 pump tune. I have 3 stations in my town that have e85, so I don't have to go out of my way to find it. i used to run two maps on my evo. one e85 and one regular 92 and download the e70 tune for winter. Now I just run the dual maps with e85 and e70 and don't even fill with 92 any more.

it's definitely worth it if you have easy access to e85, but not if you have to drive 20+ miles to get it. I only get about 140-150 miles to a tank, so 20-25 miles each way to fill isn't worth it

 

[Zivic]

I find that hard to believe, considering E85 is approximately 30% less energy-dense than gasoline.

not hard to believe if they are running an overly rich pump gas tune.

 

[EightySix Four]

The horse power is there with Trifecta tunes, no doubt, but you definitely lose mileage.

 

[QueBert]

Decided to go with the regular 91 tune, seems like it would be too much hassle to re-flash every time I wanted to switch fuel. And if I was running e85 and flashed back I'm assuming the tank would have to be all but empty. So it would require planning and extra work. It does sound interesting though.