anyone running E85 ???

[silvrsrt]

I am really interested in doing this. my mods are...


K&N FIPK
2.76 w/idlers
off road x-pipe
SLP catback
TNT F2 kit 100shot

I live in phoenix and all we have is shitty 91 octane. I want to start running
E85. I plan on adding a KB boost-a-pump and 60lb injectors. I have friends with EVO's that are picking up 50 whp just by switching over.

anyone done this? what else is needed besides fuel upgrades?

 

[wjurls]

E-85 is very corrosive to fuel systems not specifically designed to handle it. You would need to upgrade all lines and fuel rails etc. to be able to safely run e85.

 

[silvrsrt]

is it corrosive? yes.. but so is gasoline! here is a little info I found...

FACT: Yes ethanol is corrosive, but not very much. Gasoline is corrosive too. Ethanol is biodegradable in water. So it has a tendency to contain and attract water. It is not the corrosive properties of ethanol that can cause damage to your vehicle; it is the water which can rust a vehicle’s fuel system from the inside out. Today’s vehicles (since mid 1980s) have fuel systems which are made to withstand corrosive motor fuels and rust from water. Also today’s distilling processes are superior to way back when. We now have better techniques for drying out ethanol or reducing the water content. Did you know that gas contains water too?

To me it sounds like in order to cause damage you would have to run strickly E85 for a period of years. like 10 years or longer..


this link seems to have some good info.

E85 Conversion Kits Change2E85.com

can anyone that has had experience chime in?

 

[04SilverSerpent]

I'm waiting for actual real world results on our cars with just upgraded lines, tune etc over an extended period of time before I decide on running it consistently. I have a gas station right down the street and woud love to run more boost.

 

[04MystiCobra]

I think MM&FF mag is running E85 in one of their cars.

 

[silvrsrt]

I seen an article in 5.0 magazine, they tuned an 04 cobra and picked up 20 rwhp and 20 ftlb.

I pulled this directly off hitechmotorsports.com

E85 Conversions
A spinoff from our E85 race testing has yielded an E85 conversion program for passenger cars and trucks. We retrofit your 1988-2004 Ford V-8 car or truck and 1985-2005 GM V-8 car or truck for E85 usage. Usually, E85 has a 20% loss of fuel economy, hence the 20% difference in price at the pump. However, after 18 months of working with the fuel maps, timing curves and enrichment tables we now achieve an average fuel economy of 4-9% less than the gasoline tune.

Here is what it means to you:

1) An overall savings of 10% on each gallon of fuel you use (60c per gallon at todays prices)
2) The E85 program makes 3-4% more power at the wheels than the gasoline program does
3) Emissions are considerable lower than with gasoline
4) The engine runs cooler than when it runs on gasoline
5) We put money back in the local economy rather than send money to the Middle East

Our program includes a “flip switch” so you can change between gasoline and E85. This allows you to travel anywhere in the U.S. or Canada and change your type of fuel type if E85 is not available. One of the knocks on E85 is the rumor that it ruins fuel injectors, fuel pumps and lines. Our test vehicles have been out for 18+ months and 40,000+ miles with no differences in wear or corrosion. The 15-20% gasoline used in E85 appears to lubricate all the pumps and injectors to the point where 100% gasoline use is not required.

Turn around time is only a few hours and a cost of $800 per vehicle.

We are retrofitting vehicles now that we are in our new facility. If you want to drive one of our test vehicles, Contact us today!

Thanks,
Bart, Brian and the staff at Hitech Motorsport
763-712-9088


So say I have a friend who is going to make me a killer deal on some 60lb injectors and a boost-a-pump should I get a tune for e-85??

 

[black01mustang]

You make more power because e-85 has a higher octane rating. I remember correctly it's 98. This allows you to raise the boost and increase timing. The only downside to e-85 is you have to run more fuel as it doesn't contain the same energy as gas does.

 

[StacyStangz]

Fore Precision Works offers an E-Series coating to protect your FPW fuel rails when using E85. It also has a neat look to it! Ill try to get some pics of the E series coating later. :burnout:

 

[ZOSO]

Here's my take on e85.



DO IT!!!!

you'll love it. I dont have a baseline after but my trap speed went up 3-4mph. I am running it and it is great stuff. just make sure you have enough injector and pumps. I have my BAP set all the way up and still running hi on pump duty cycle. Plan on at least 30% more injector. I needed it. (Im at 5500' too so watch it closely if your at sealevel) Haven't had any issues yet and have been running it straight for almost a year now. The effective octain it ~105oct. I have all the stock lines cept for the pprv delete. Running more timing in the midrange and topside of the maps. Just watch your gas miliage. Mine went to shit and am only getting about 10-11 mpg where as on gas i was 16-17. I have made the conversion and am very happy with it so far. I have been doing all my own tuning with sniper delta force software. I haven't seen any adverse affects yet except cold starting sucks ass. When you tune for it and you are using a gasoline wideband just tune to the regular afr you would for gas. (Lambda is lambda). I have found the car runs the best around 11.7-12.0 wot. Im pushing 25-26deg timing up top. Any other questions just ask. Numbers in sig are before e85

 

[Senkak]

Justin with VMP Tuning was supposed to attend an E85 shoot out but was unable to go.
Give him a shout. He is very knowledgable on the subject.

 

[Justin@VMP]

E85 in a terminator would be pretty neat. 60s should support that 450rwhp power level okay.

 

[ZOSO]

It's not neat it's freaking awesome!!! People give ya weird looks at the gas pumps. The smells is great.

 

[1bad03snake]

It would be nice it it were more common. The only pump I know of is 45 miles away.

 

[silvrsrt]

Here's my take on e85.



DO IT!!!!

you'll love it. I dont have a baseline after but my trap speed went up 3-4mph. I am running it and it is great stuff. just make sure you have enough injector and pumps. I have my BAP set all the way up and still running hi on pump duty cycle. Plan on at least 30% more injector. I needed it. (Im at 5500' too so watch it closely if your at sealevel) Haven't had any issues yet and have been running it straight for almost a year now. The effective octain it ~105oct. I have all the stock lines cept for the pprv delete. Running more timing in the midrange and topside of the maps. Just watch your gas miliage. Mine went to shit and am only getting about 10-11 mpg where as on gas i was 16-17. I have made the conversion and am very happy with it so far. I have been doing all my own tuning with sniper delta force software. I haven't seen any adverse affects yet except cold starting sucks ass. When you tune for it and you are using a gasoline wideband just tune to the regular afr you would for gas. (Lambda is lambda). I have found the car runs the best around 11.7-12.0 wot. Im pushing 25-26deg timing up top. Any other questions just ask. Numbers in sig are before e85

awesome! Im glad to find someone with a real experience! what about having the car tuned by someone who has not tuned a car on e85??? is this a no no?

E85 in a terminator would be pretty neat. 60s should support that 450rwhp power level okay.

good to know. What about a little shot of N20?

It's not neat it's freaking awesome!!! People give ya weird looks at the gas pumps. The smells is great.

I heard it smells like a margarita lol

It would be nice it it were more common. The only pump I know of is 45 miles away.

I have a pump 3 miles from my house :rockon:

 

[ZOSO]

I dont think a person that has never tuned it before would not have that big of a problem. If they are good and know what they are doing they could figure it out. It may be expensive tho. As dialing in the injector slopes and fuel trims will take some time. since your in arizona you wont have too bad of cold start issues. Now just as a side note do it in the summer time. As winter e85 is more like e60-e70. So if you tune it during the winter months and when you go to summer blend it may be leaner. A good starting point would be slope the injectors ~30% smaller to fool em so they spray a little more. And use a wideband for gasoline and just tune to the regular afr you normally would. e85 stoich is 9.xx:1 where as gas is 14.7:1. Which is lambda. so think like an ecu. lambda is lamda. doesn't matter what fuel it is. the wideband is looking for lambda. so 9.xx or 14.7. And in the mix you can add timing thru out the whole range.

 

[95greenvert]

I can get e85 from a nearby gas station also. Would running e85 just require a tune? My car is not a DD so it wouldnt be a problem running e85 all the time and not having a flip chip to switch between gas tunes. I'm very interested to learn more about this.

 

[ZOSO]

yes it requires a new tune.

 

[Justin@VMP]

If you are running a stock blower you can probably get away with running E85 with some 60s and a bap, or dual GT pumps and an FPDM. I can make a mail order tune for E85 and we can dial it in over email with a wideband.

 

[CAT600]

We have started tuning my setup on E85. It is now making 686rwhp on a Dyno Dynamics in Shootout 8F mode. I built my Mammoth setup with return fuel and an Aeromotive eliminator main pump, and 79lb injectors. I believe that we will run out of fuel in the top end once we push past 6200rpm

Just as a matter of interest, the same pulley combo dropped boost by 2 psi all the way through the range (down to 21psi in the midrange and 24psi at 6200) due to the cooling effect of E85 vs gasoline. Tune is in the really early stages and the SCT software is commanding only 12 degrees of timing (we came from 50/50 mix of Sunoco/93). I would estimate another 30-40rwhp at least which would get us to 725rwhp on a DD dyno.

That's if the 79lbers make it, I dont think they will.

Daniel

 

[ZOSO]

We have started tuning my setup on E85. It is now making 686rwhp on a Dyno Dynamics in Shootout 8F mode. I built my Mammoth setup with return fuel and an Aeromotive eliminator main pump, and 79lb injectors. I believe that we will run out of fuel in the top end once we push past 6200rpm

Just as a matter of interest, the same pulley combo dropped boost by 2 psi all the way through the range (down to 21psi in the midrange and 24psi at 6200) due to the cooling effect of E85 vs gasoline. Tune is in the really early stages and the SCT software is commanding only 12 degrees of timing (we came from 50/50 mix of Sunoco/93). I would estimate another 30-40rwhp at least which would get us to 725rwhp on a DD dyno.

That's if the 79lbers make it, I dont think they will.

Daniel

I saw your build and that is awesome. As fr your injectors I bet you'll be real close. Its great stuff.