E85 Fuel

[bdhsfz6]

Does anyone have personal experience with E85 "Flex Fuel"? I did a search which turned up a lot about ethanol production but very little on the subject of engine performance.

I bought gas at Sheetz this morning and noticed E85 (85% ethanol) was around a buck per gallon cheaper than regular E88 unleaded (15% ethanol). E85 has always been cheaper but I've never seen this big a difference before. I suppose it makes sense since the price of ethanol doesn't necessarily keep pace with the price of oil.
My 2012 GMC pickup burns E85 Flex Fuel. I kept careful mileage records and found it almost a wash as to which fuel was more economical. I used the E85 mostly because it was the "green" thing to do or so I thought, but I didn't care for the loss of mileage & performance.

I don't want to start an endless debate on the environmental impact of ethanol. Instead, I'd like to hear from others about how well E85 performs in your equipment. I'm considering a new vehicle and I'm trying to decide if it's worth buying another that uses flex fuel.

 

[WM75Guy]

In my area it is about 70 cents cheaper, if you can find it. Regular 87 no lead is $3.29/gal. It has been a while since I tried any and the loss in MPG, 3-4 MPG less, didn't save me much, if anything. At times I it cost me money burning it compared to 87 no lead, depending on the price. Brookshire shopping points can get me as much as $1.00 a gallon discount on 87 no lead. Plus I didn't like the way the vehicle ran.

 

[jaydee325]

Does anyone have personal experience with E85 "Flex Fuel"? I did a search which turned up a lot about ethanol production but very little on the subject of engine performance.

I bought gas at Sheetz this morning and noticed E85 (85% ethanol) was around a buck per gallon cheaper than regular E88 unleaded (15% ethanol). E85 has always been cheaper but I've never seen this big a difference before. I suppose it makes sense since the price of ethanol doesn't necessarily keep pace with the price of oil.
My 2012 GMC pickup burns E85 Flex Fuel. I kept careful mileage records and found it almost a wash as to which fuel was more economical. I used the E85 mostly because it was the "green" thing to do or so I thought, but I didn't care for the loss of mileage & performance.

I don't want to start an endless debate on the environmental impact of ethanol. Instead, I'd like to hear from others about how well E85 performs in your equipment. I'm considering a new vehicle and I'm trying to decide if it's worth buying another that uses flex fuel.

I don't understand your line of questioning as it appears you have answered your own question.

As I understand your post, your cost per mile is a wash between E85 and other fuels with less or no ethanol. You can only decide if performance meets your expectations.

What are you looking for here?

 

[Cataclysm]

I use it in one of my vehicles.

E85 shines if you boost and/or raise compression on an engine to make lots of power. Its 100 plus octane. Its way cheaper than race gas.

For regular vehicles not so much since they aren't running high cylinder pressure.

 

[jaydee325]

I use it in one of my vehicles.

E85 shines if you boost and/or raise compression on an engine to make lots of power. Its 100 plus octane. Its way cheaper than race gas.

For regular vehicles not so much since they aren't running high cylinder pressure.

Yup, hot rod tuners love the the stuff.

Loved being in the pits at the local short track and smell the methanol the sprint cars were using!

 

[AWSubie]

I have a flex fuel Silverado. The only difference I note between regular gas and e85 is lower miles per gallon.

 

[bdhsfz6]

I don't understand your line of questioning as it appears you have answered your own question.

As I understand your post, your cost per mile is a wash between E85 and other fuels with less or no ethanol. You can only decide if performance meets your expectations.

What are you looking for here?

I simply related my experience with E85 in my current vehicle. I'm looking for information on the experience others have had. Just because I've had a negative result doesn't necessarily mean everyone else has. I might do better with E85 in a new vehicle.

 

[dirttoys]

I found based on extensive testing (2 tanks) that the reduction in millage was nearly identical to the lower price. About 20% each. I can't get e85 everywhere, and all things being equal it required refueling more frequently. This was with a '14 f150 coyote.

Best,

ed

 

[number two]

Our local road commission orders flex-fuel models to get the upgrades like stainless fuel lines,etc.
Michigan northern rust corridor.

 

[MossRoad]

Does anyone have personal experience with E85 "Flex Fuel"? I did a search which turned up a lot about ethanol production but very little on the subject of engine performance.

I bought gas at Sheetz this morning and noticed E85 (85% ethanol) was around a buck per gallon cheaper than regular E88 unleaded (15% ethanol). E85 has always been cheaper but I've never seen this big a difference before. I suppose it makes sense since the price of ethanol doesn't necessarily keep pace with the price of oil.
My 2012 GMC pickup burns E85 Flex Fuel. I kept careful mileage records and found it almost a wash as to which fuel was more economical. I used the E85 mostly because it was the "green" thing to do or so I thought, but I didn't care for the loss of mileage & performance.

I don't want to start an endless debate on the environmental impact of ethanol. Instead, I'd like to hear from others about how well E85 performs in your equipment. I'm considering a new vehicle and I'm trying to decide if it's worth buying another that uses flex fuel.

First, there's no such thing as E88. There's Unleaded 88, which is E15, which contains up to 15% ethanol. E85 contains 85% ethanol.

Second, while there is a loss of mileage, there's no loss of performance on E85.

How to Go Drag Racing with E85

As a renewable energy source championed by environmentalists, some racers think of E85 as a wimpy fuel that has no place in a drag car. However, many bracket racers have shattered that perception by taking advantage of E85’s incredible 110-plus octane rating and dirt cheap pricing.

www.holley.com

E85 has a much higher octane rating than premium pump gas, which is 94. E85 is well above 100. This allows it to be run in very high compression engines without causing pre ignition issues.

 

[MossRoad]

I use it in one of my vehicles.

E85 shines if you boost and/or raise compression on an engine to make lots of power. Its 100 plus octane. Its way cheaper than race gas.

For regular vehicles not so much since they aren't running high cylinder pressure.

Our 2013 Impala has 11.5:1 compression ratio and is flex fuel capable. Many Impala performance enthusiasts are running E85 instead of straight gasoline.

 

[bdhsfz6]

First, there's no such thing as E88. There's Unleaded 88, which is E15, which contains up to 15% ethanol.

I understand the E88 designation has been changed to unleaded 88 or E15 but the Sheetz pump I used recently was still marked E85, E88, etc.

It's mentioned in a Patriot News article on Sheetz gas:

Sheetz gas discount available for unleaded88, E85: What are they and how to tell if your car can use those fuels

The convenience store chain Monday said it is dropping prices on a couple of its fuels through the Fourth of July weekend.

www.pennlive.com

This paragraph, about halfway through the article mentions it:

"E88, or unleaded88, is also known as E15 in the industry. A reporter with a Cleveland TV station noted in late May that they were seeing E88 fuel available at the pump and costing 20 cents less than “regular” 87 octane. So what is it?"

Sorry for the confusion.

 

[dodge man]

I own an 2017 F150 with a 5.0. I haven’t run E85 but have read about it on the F150 forums. Some vehicles can burn it fine but don’t take advantage of the higher octane. Others can burn it and get some performance benefits. My F150 would get some benefit. They have the compression and will get a timing bump to benefit from it. For me it’s not available locally but it sold in places nearby, say a 40 minute drive, so I don’t use it. From what I’ve read it’s a wash to use it like has already been said.

 

[MossRoad]

I understand the E88 designation has been changed to unleaded 88 or E15 but the Sheetz pump I used recently was still marked E85, E88, etc.

It's mentioned in a Patriot News article on Sheetz gas:

Sheetz gas discount available for unleaded88, E85: What are they and how to tell if your car can use those fuels

The convenience store chain Monday said it is dropping prices on a couple of its fuels through the Fourth of July weekend.

www.pennlive.com

This paragraph, about halfway through the article mentions it:

"E88, or unleaded88, is also known as E15 in the industry. A reporter with a Cleveland TV station noted in late May that they were seeing E88 fuel available at the pump and costing 20 cents less than “regular” 87 octane. So what is it?"

Sorry for the confusion.

Me too.

So many fuels...

 

[crashz]

I ran it once in a blue moon in my 2012. It felt smoother, mileage was 10% worse than the abysmal mileage it had on regular. It did run and smell cleaner. I think the oil would get less dirty, but that's just speculation.

I think the only places we can get it in new England is on the MA Turnpike. Not worth the time to go and get it, but nice to try if you're going that way.

 

[CCSO5514]

Does anyone have personal experience with E85 "Flex Fuel"? I did a search which turned up a lot about ethanol production but very little on the subject of engine performance.

I bought gas at Sheetz this morning and noticed E85 (85% ethanol) was around a buck per gallon cheaper than regular E88 unleaded (15% ethanol). E85 has always been cheaper but I've never seen this big a difference before. I suppose it makes sense since the price of ethanol doesn't necessarily keep pace with the price of oil.
My 2012 GMC pickup burns E85 Flex Fuel. I kept careful mileage records and found it almost a wash as to which fuel was more economical. I used the E85 mostly because it was the "green" thing to do or so I thought, but I didn't care for the loss of mileage & performance.

I don't want to start an endless debate on the environmental impact of ethanol. Instead, I'd like to hear from others about how well E85 performs in your equipment. I'm considering a new vehicle and I'm trying to decide if it's worth buying another that uses flex fuel.

I am a retired Sheriff’s Deputy. Shortly before I retired my agency experimented with E85 in some of our FlexFuel Impalas. Some squads used standard unleaded and some used E85. No additional maintenance issues developed. As expected, we got less MPG from the E85. We did not notice any increase or reduction in performance, based only on "seat of the pants" comparisons. Because of the reduced gas mileage from the E85, even though it was less expensive the cost per mile was essentially unchanged.

 

[MossRoad]

I am a retired Sheriff’s Deputy. Shortly before I retired my agency experimented with E85 in some of our FlexFuel Impalas. Some squads used standard unleaded and some used E85. No additional maintenance issues developed. As expected, we got less MPG from the E85. We did not notice any increase or reduction in performance, based only on "seat of the pants" comparisons. Because of the reduced gas mileage from the E85, even though it was less expensive the cost per mile was essentially unchanged.

Our 2013 Impala is flex fuel capable. Shortly after we purchased it used, at 1 year old, it developed a 'water in fuel' message. Took it in and there is a sensor in the fuel system that detects how much alcohol is in the fuel, and adjusts the system accordingly, and that sensor failed. It was $600. Under warranty, so nothing to us. (sensor only costs $100 at Autozone).

Flex fuel sensor.

Think about what that sensor has to deal with:

17 gallon tank.

Full tank of gas = 0% alcohol.
Half a tank of gas add 5 gallons of E85.

Half of 17 is 8.5 gallons of 100% gas.
5 gallons of E85 is 5x85% = .75 gallons of gas and 4.25 gallons of alcohol.

So now you have a mixture of 9.25 gallons of gas and 4.25 gallons of alcohol.

Then you add 10 gallons of pure gas, or 8 gallons of e85, throw in some E10 for good measure and you get the picture.

It's pretty slick, if you think about it.

 

[caver]

Seems hardly anyone carries it. One downside to my Flex Fuel F250 is it states in the owners manual to not run below 87 octane. This becomes a problem in western states at higher altitudes that have their lowest grade 85. Often the next step is mid-grade 88 which is way higher in cost. From the owners manual:
We recommend regular unleaded gasoline
with a pump (R+M)/2 octane rating of 87.
Some stations offer fuels posted as regular
with an octane rating below 87, particularly
in high altitude areas. We do not
recommend fuels with an octane rating
below 87.

 

[dodge man]

I learned recently you can get by running lower octane at higher elevations, hence why you only see in it places like Colorado.

 

[WM75Guy]

I think this statistic probably sums up whether flex fuel vehicles are cost effective or practical. To stay competitive GM offers them to fleet purchasers to meet mandates that a certain percentage of government fleet vehicles have to be alternative fuel capable.

https://www.kbb.com/car-advice/flex-fuel-guide/

Only two automakers — Ford and General Motors — offer FFVs in the model year 2022. Just 11 2022 models will be available as FFVs, with the four GM offerings sold only to fleet purchasers. According to the Renewable Fuels Association, that’s down from more than 80 different models from eight manufacturers, available to consumers as recently as the model year 2015.