Anyone tried E85 yet?

[enginjoe]

It allows you to daily drive a car with a tune that only fuel like c16 can beat and it only costs 3.20 - 3.50/gallon. There are drawbacks and things that have to be done so you can use it, so don't anyone think you can just put it in your car and it will run.

[1turbofocus]

Originally Posted by enginjoe

It allows you to daily drive a car with a tune that only fuel like c16 can beat and it only costs 3.20 - 3.50/gallon. There are drawbacks and things that have to be done so you can use it, so don't anyone think you can just put it in your car and it will run.

e85 isnt = to c16 or c10 or c105 or c100 0r even c98 cotane e85 has a very low octane rating to say e85 has a high octane rating is VERY misleading and means some one does not understand e85 and how it works , e85 works most from its cooling of the charge effects not it claimed higher octane

100 octane fuel in every way will out do e85 and 100 octane fuel would be 100% safer then e85 , cost more yes but how much 100 octane can you buy for the cost of an engine and install ???????

If you added e85 you would need to retune the rueling , if you added 100 cotane you would not need to change the fueling and on a stock tune you would be safer and the focus would add its own timing for the 100 octane fuel to be able to get the gain out of it but only the amount needed and still keep the engine safe


Tom

[enginjoe]

I believe I said you just can't put it in your car and run it and that there are drawbacks.

It works great for me and I daily a car with it (4 1/2 years so far). The car has a modified fuel system to support it and a tune to make it work.

I understand that no one tuning the ST or any focus for that matter it seems, is using it. That's all I started this thread to find out, not to get in a pissing match with people who don't know how to use it or have failed at it.

[vanace]

Originally Posted by enginjoe

I believe I said you just can't put it in your car and run it and that there are drawbacks.

It works great for me and I daily a car with it (4 1/2 years so far). The car has a modified fuel system to support it and a tune to make it work.

I understand that no one tuning the ST or any focus for that matter it seems, is using it. That's all I started this thread to find out, not to get in a pissing match with people who don't know how to use it or have failed at it.

Just seems to me the math doesn't work. Sure e85 costs less initially, but if your using 30% more of it then it seems to me your fuel cost is a lot higher. the previous flex fuel vehicle I owned said if you used e85 then your under sever duty maintenance schedual. Another added cost. Not to mention that corn is generally used to make ethonol.. our food supply= dumb. And e85 makes more smog making components ... if you care about that kind of thing.

As far as octane rating... higher octane does not add horsepower. It allows you to do things to the engine to make more hp. Like higher compression ratios or more ignition timing. Higher octane for simplistic explinations burns slower so detenation can be kept under control.

[enginjoe]

It costs more than regular gas to run, but less than half as much as race gas. So, if you do a little math; 3.5/gal x 1.30 = 4.55/gal (that's the extra 30%) for fuel that is roughly equivalent to c16 in a turbo car. That is the draw. 100oct gas is 7.20/gal and C16 is 18.00/gal. There's some math right there.

Now here is the kicker: It is only worth it if you have the capacity in your fuel system and can turn up the boost a significant amount to get the power.

[1turbofocus]

How can you say e85 is = to C16 ?

Tom

[Brabs_Weather]

Found this for you od the svtperformance website

Research Octane Number | | Motor Octane Number | | R+M/2
ethanol...........118....................96....... ................107
regular gas .......92....................82................... .....87
E85 (summer)...113....................94.............. .........104
C16.................119.................117....... .................118
Form the person posting:

"As a drag racer I feel the most important number is the Motor octane number. Research and R+M2 don't mean to much to me.
R+M/2 is the number you see at the pump. to get that number you take, research octane plus motor octane and divided by 2.
So you can see where some say the octane of E85 is 113 and some say 104 and some 94. The R+M/2 of E85 is 104"

[enginjoe]

It's not about the octane people, it's about a turbocharged car, with a fuel set up and tune for E85. It been done a thousand times, not by any Ford Focus people, but it's been done.

[1turbofocus]

Right off the bat who ever posted that is off a little , C16 = 116 fuel

No contact who makes E85 and ask them the octane rating of at the pump e85 it wont be a motor octane of 94 or even close to a 104 octane

It amazes me people think that e85 has a high octane fuel

Tom

[Tommyatomic]

Originally Posted by 1turbofocus

It amazes me people think that e85 has a high octane fuel

Tom

It maddens me that people think higher octane = more power. When infact it only equals less volatility and in many cases less stored chemical energy.

Many forums need to have mandatory stickies regarding what fuel octane actually means to engine performance.

E85 Very plainly is 85% ethanol and 15% petrol. There is not to my knowledge any significant regulation on the octane rating of the 15% of E85 that is petrol.

According to wikipedia there is also E85 winter blend, which is actually E70 (70% ethanol, 30% gasoline). It makes a note (that I find ironic) that because
Winter E85 (E70) contains more petrol that MPG is much higher than with E85 so for once a winter blend fuel with beter MPG than its non-seasonal counterpart.

Wikipedia also states that E85 is mistakenly though to be 105 octane when it is infact 94-96 octane (R+M/2). It also states that E85's use in racing applications First because of its 94-96 octane rating is higher than most premium pump fuel 91-94 octane; and second because of lower intake charge temps.

I would like to point out that water/meth injection is much cheaper and far more effective than e85.

E85 would be a great performance fuel choice for ethanol purpose built engines with closer 14:1 compression and fuel-injection control systems that have a wider range of pulse widths to inject approximately 34% more fuel than a non e85 engine. E85 has a different stoichiometric ratio than pump petrol.

E85 would not be my first choice for a little bit more pep in an inline4 engine.

Glad to hear you have such good luck in your SRT4. I wonder how awesome that would have gone with 94octane and meth injection.