E85 is 85% Ethanol and 15% gasoline.

It has 105 to 110 octane.

There might be a problem with our fuel lines and connectors. They might just fall apart with E85. . . .

But I don't know.

At 105 to 110 octane we could run much higher boost which means the internals need to be changed anyway - so upgrading the fuel system to handle E85 is not that big of a deal.

We would need to re-tune regardless of what octane we have maps for.

Who has any experience with E85 tuning in general or specifically on the Turbo?

I don't understand why there has not been more infromation on E85 with all the different tuners out there.

Cars that are already E85 cars should be super easy to tune. Just put a Turbo or a SuperCharger on it and call it a day. With all the extra cooling privided by E85 there might not even be a need for an intercooler.

The possibilities are endless......

 

This has been discussed recently, the factory fuel system should have no problem with E85. Most modern cars have fuel systems designed with ethanol in mind and should not experiance deterioration.

E85 requires 30-40% more fuel, you would need a much larger injector than stock to make even similar power levels available with the stock injector at 5bar. Once a larger fuel system and injectors is taken care of you will need a tuner who is willing to work on this solution. It will take some time to program, but if you have E85 readily available in your area it makes for a great option.

I have a feeling you will see more news about this in the future once more testing has been done and a few pioneers make the step.

 

yup as wes said i had a thread on this not to long ago.

 

First off, I admit to having no experience with running e85. From my limited perspective, the benefits of being able to run much higher boost outweigh the lesser energy content of corn juice and subsequent lesser fuel efficiency relative to pump gas. Further, the cost of a tank full of that same moonshine is far less vis-à-vis race fuel. This naturally assumes proper tuning and installation of supporting hard parts such as larger fuel injectors and fuel pumps.

As I’m sure others have noted, it is the scarcity of e85 dealers that provides one of the reasons for the dearth of tuners utilizing that fuel. I believe the OP resides on the West Coast. The following link http://e85vehicles.com/e85-california.htm lists all of the ten e85 dispensers in California. Count ‘em. That’s one in LA County and two in SD County. It just doesn’t make economic sense for a tuner to tune for ethanol when there isn’t any clientele able to take advantage of the tune or the fuel.

With that said, I am aware of a few tuners in SoCal who tune for high boost e85 applications in the import world. Road Race Engineering in Santa Fe Springs and Reese Tuning in San Diego come to mind. Would I trust them with an Evo? Perhaps. Would I want to be a guinea pig with my P-car? I think you can answer that.

 

Thanks for the replies.

I know that E85 is a ***** and a half to get in SoCal.

There is a gas station on the west side that had a sign saying "E85". I think it was on San Vicente.

 

Yep, that’s the only station in LA.

 

I have a feeling you will see more news about this in the future once more testing has been done and a few pioneers make the step.[/quote]


I agree with this statement.

 

We have one two spots in Orlando where we can get it , our resident tuner was going downthere and purchasing it by the pickup truck full in 5 gallon jugs, after a few visits they questioned his usage for it. With gas prices where they are for hte general public there isn't currently the "demand" for a cheaper gas like E85, however as a substitute for race fuel it works well to an extent. If you can build a fuel system for it and get a proper tune it will make for a reliable setup. Our camo car will be setup so where we can run it with a proper tune, however I'm not sure it's something we will explore. If there is a high enough demand in the future, it's definately something that could be packages and offered as a kit from tuners.

With a standalone piggy-pack you can also run a E85 sensor which would alert the ECU of the ethanol content in the gas and switch maps to a E85 map. A few tuners I know in the Motec world have been packaging system like this for other cars using Motec, a true flex fuel option for performance vehicles.

 

who is going to be the first to try it

 

Hhmmmm I wonder...

 

Tommy Bahn?
He should respond on this thread. He has built some very high horsepower Supra that run E85! Additionally he owns a 996 turbo and maybe he could give some insight on this question?
Robert

 

Gotta love when a $10 fitting stops a car from being put back together!

 

I will do it with a GM sensor to allow it to trim the fuel and ignition map according to the voltage of the "flexfuel" sensor. This is not something I would recommend for most people though, and I will definitely not offer it as a package.... there is too much liability in it. In the winter months, you actually get E70 anyway.

I need to upgrade the fuel system first and foremost.

BTW, is 422rwhp/455rwtq good for a bone stock car, down to the airfilter(11psi max, dropping to 7.5)? With the semi stand alone, of course.

Justin

 

Just for fun, a Ruf650 vs. Evo E85.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c8Z2p...eature=channel

 

Do you know how much money was put into that EVO?

I know there are EVOs that cost about $100k to build.