E85 fuel conversion??

[chknhawk]

I was reading something the other day about someone doing an E85 conversion on some car and they said that not only does it burn cleaner but the E85 fuel has a higher octane than normal gasoline. I find this hard to believe but I wanted to pose the question and see if there are any fuel experts who can back this up.

The next question would be if this is true is there an application for the Z. I like more octane and cleaner burn. I'm an N/A guy at the moment and anything I can do to shave off crap and replace it with good stuff I'm all for that.

Any ideas?


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[fonzo179]

If its enviro-friendly and economical, i'm in....just cause i'm a hippie treehugger! lmfao

[Chuck33079]

It has a higher octane, but less energy. You would be able to get it tuned for more power, but mpg would drop. You would also need larger injectors and fuel pump since you need more fuel volume to produce the same energy. It does burn cleaner, but I'd argue it does more harm than good. Our use of corn for fuel has caused the prices of grain exports to rise, thus increasing food prices in developing nations where people already have enough problems preventing starvation. It also raises the prices for livestock feed here, bringing up the cost of meat and dairy. On a macro scale, corn based ethanol isn't as good as you would have led to believe. Plus, it's being heavily subsidized by the government so it's not really as cheap as you would think. Now if we would take a cue from Brazil and use sugar cane based ethanol, those objections go out the window since it essentially uses the wasted parts of the cane for fuel.

[MyKindaGuise]

Originally Posted by Chuck33079

It has a higher octane, but less energy. You would be able to get it tuned for more power, but mpg would drop. You would also need larger injectors and fuel pump since you need more fuel volume to produce the same energy. It does burn cleaner, but I'd argue it does more harm than good. Our use of corn for fuel has caused the prices of grain exports to rise, thus increasing food prices in developing nations where people already have enough problems preventing starvation. It also raises the prices for livestock feed here, bringing up the cost of meat and dairy. On a macro scale, corn based ethanol isn't as good as you would have led to believe. Plus, it's being heavily subsidized by the government so it's not really as cheap as you would think. Now if we would take a cue from Brazil and use sugar cane based ethanol, those objections go out the window since it essentially uses the wasted parts of the cane for fuel.

Pretty much all this. Couldn't be more spot on.
I will be running E85 on my car. However E85 will need some beefy injectors.
E85 is also really cheap here is PA. $3.25/gallon vs my 93 $3.85/gallon

http://www.injectorrx.com/fuel-injector-calculator/

[Chuck33079]

OP, it takes a long time for the cost per gallon savings to pay off the cost of the larger fuel system and lower MPG. This isn't for fuel economy. It would take a long time to break even when you figure the cost of the re-tune and larger fuel system with the lower mpg. You can make more power, but I wouldn't expect more than 10-15whp out of it. It would allow you to run a little more timing. That's about it. If you're boosted, you'll see a much larger increase. Personally, I'd get a good meth kit. That way you see 90% of the benefit of E85, and you can get gas anywhere.

[Chuck33079]

FYI OP, octane is not a measure of energy. It's a measure of resistance to preignition/detonation. That's why you can run more timing advance.

[DEpointfive0]

It doesn't burn cleaner. That was the original thought, but they recently found out that they screwed up.

[Chuck33079]

Originally Posted by DEpointfive0

It doesn't burn cleaner. That was the original thought, but they recently found out that they screwed up.

Really? You mean that in our government's haste to give some money back to big agriculture under the guise of reducing foreing oil dependance, they made a mistake in their math/fudged the numbers? I wish I was surprised.

[MyKindaGuise]

Originally Posted by Chuck33079

OP, it takes a long time for the cost per gallon savings to pay off the cost of the larger fuel system and lower MPG.

Actually it isn't cheaper at all. 30% greater consumption would need to be 30% less cost per gallon to break even.

[Chuck33079]

True. My math suffers in the morning before coffee.

[theDreamer]

Also be warned a lot of gas stations that once carried e85 are now stopping because of low demand but many times still reported as having it.

[Chuck33079]

Personally, if I were looking for a cheap(er) way to get higher octane fuel, I'd go up to Sherwin Williams and buy a big jug of toluene and mix that in. I forget the calculation, but toluene and a dash of Marvel Mystery Oil to keep rubber parts from degrading bumps the octane quite nicely. Just don't get any on the paint.

[DEpointfive0]

Originally Posted by Chuck33079

Personally, if I were looking for a cheap(er) way to get higher octane fuel, I'd go up to Sherwin Williams and buy a big jug of toluene and mix that in. I forget the calculation, but toluene and a dash of Marvel Mystery Oil to keep rubber parts from degrading bumps the octane quite nicely. Just don't get any on the paint.

Lol!!!!!!
The old school method!
Going the old school method will cost MUCH more, lol. It used to be feasible when Toluebe and other paint thinners were $1-5/gallon

[Chuck33079]

Originally Posted by DEpointfive0

Lol!!!!!!
The old school method!
Going the old school method will cost MUCH more, lol. It used to be feasible when Toluebe and other paint thinners were $1-5/gallon

Really? I haven't looked at it in a long time. How much is it now?

[Chuck33079]

Holy ****. I just looked and the cheapest I could find a gallon was over $10. Damn.