Ethanol put to the test: E85 v E10 v premium unleaded

[jaydece]

Guys?

Thought this might a good read...

http://theage.drive.com.au/motor-news/e ... 1ahgx.html

I'm no genius and expert on petrol but I've got a couple of mates who run caltex E85 on there xr6 turbos and nissans... and are getting great power numbers = 20kw - 30kw extra, more boost, etc... compared to 98....but long term effects? who knows...

E85 availability is another concern....and from what my mates tell me each petrol station varies on there octane rating levels E70 / E80 / E85 due to some cars having hard starting on cold mornings in different areas....and adding to this some petrol stations have better E85 than others because of what source type of E85 it is...being wheat, sugar, corn, nappies..etc....and of course petrol / power results will vary...

So to me E85 is a bit of a pain in the ass...but maybe in the near future.....I could see myself running E85....

as usual this is OPEN to discussion....

[BUDDAH]

Well if its on the internet it must be true

[subyroo]

I have used E10 once in my 03 XS Forester and never again, it's no speed demon at the best of times, but the E10 turned it into a powerless heap of shit between Tamworth and Sydney back in 2008.

I will never ever use E10 or any other blend in my current Forester again whilst there are alternative RON fuels available.

[coyote]

I've put ethanol to the test and just wish I could get more of it.

[Kekotic]

I've put ethanol to the test and just wish I could get more of it.

aha I knew he wasn't really gone

[Gambit]

I will be tuning specifically for e85 when my build is completed so will let you know how it pans out.

[Ric]

I've put ethanol to the test and just wish I could get more of it.

Do you mean in more locations, or does your regular servo run out often?

[blacktop™]

I've put ethanol to the test and just wish I could get more of it.

Do you mean in more locations, or does your regular servo run out often?

I wish it was in more locations (around my area)...that's the only thing holding me back getting my car tuned with it.

I also don't like the 'up to' 85%. Wish they could guarantee the percentage.

[nytrojen]

my car runs purely on the tears of squirrels (10 points to whoever remembers the reference)

[DJC]

I think the availability of the fuel is the issue at the moment. If you run out of E85 you can't just put 98 in. If you run out of 98, you could get away with putting 95 in.
Having a chat to Joe from Pulse this morning, and both their track cars run on E85, however he said for the average performance street application it's just not viable at the moment. Unless of course you live next to a reliable servo who stocks E85.

[smythie]

If you do want to make use of the benfits of E85 but are worried about availability you can setup (or have setup) tunes for different fuels and apply the tune appropriate for the fuel you are using.

[DJC]

But I was under the impression that that only applies to E rated fuels and not your standard RON fuel because of the different injectors and plugs etc.