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5.0 + E85 Fuel

Moroney167

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Not to much talk about running E85 here on the forums. I found some talk on other ones. Curious everyone input on it. Assuming stock truck not tuned speific for E85.. Lets not get into price per gallon or trying to beat the MPG game. E85 has a higher octane approx 107-110 so research tells me. And with 85% ethanol it will take more to burn and make power. With that said seems overall everyone notices a good bit of power gain from it and MPGs will go down. I have a station I pass every day to work and back so its very easy to get.

Any input on more frequent oil changes?
Long term effects?
Is it bad to mix half a tank of regular fuel with it (some have said they do to blend it in, others say run fuel as low as you can to run E85 straight).

Being easy to get, and wills ay after first 1/4 tank I have run it in my 5.0 it is a substantial power gain for daily driving and with smashing the right foot to the carpet. Have 5,100 miles on my truck and have only run 87 since new. Ran 91 for one trip while towing but never really tested it not towing.
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Mtnman1

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The stock truck is tuned for E85.
You can mix E85 with "regular gas".

Doesnt matter. Wont hurt anything.

Oil changes should be every 4-7k. Regardless if fuel. That depends on driving style. City, lots of stop and go. Lots of idle. Change sooner.
 

RedundanT

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I lost about 3mpg with E85 over premium. Depends on price of fuel as to whether it is saving you any money. Didn't feel a lick of performance difference between E85 and the 93 octane I usually run. If E85 was more available in my area I'd probably stay with it till gas came down.
 

Blueshound

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I've only seen E85 for sale once. The nearest is an hour away. I'll probably try it someday but won't seek it out.
 

JohnMcClane

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Inb4 the “ethanol is the worst thing you can put in your gas tank” gang arrives.
 

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jeffcrum

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Inb4 the “ethanol is the worst thing you can put in your gas tank” gang arrives.
Of course, it is not the tank that is an issue. It is the burning temperature of ethanol. Just saying 😌
 
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JohnMcClane

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I don’t mean to thread jack, so here’s a short answer.

Use E85 if you want some extra power and reduced mileage, I plan on pumping it in before I tow something.

Use as close to ethanol free if you want maximum mileage and don’t drive frequently.

Non-Ethanol gang will bang the “ethanol doesn’t provide more power drum” but diesel and ethanol users know, there’s more kinetic energy stored in diesel and ethanol than regular gasoline.

Unfortunately, ethanol turns to water way to fast, hence the pump and pull plan I have.
 

JohnMcClane

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Of course, it is not the tank that is an issue. It is the burning temperature of ethanol. Just saying 😌
New generation 5.0 block is way more capable of burning ethanol than previous generations, but I’m sure you know that driving a 3.5 right?
 

jeffcrum

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New generation 5.0 block is way more capable of burning ethanol than previous generations, but I’m sure you know that driving a 3.5 right?
I followed your lead on getting ahead of it. But, certainly come at me? Right?

Piss off!
 

JohnMcClane

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Did they get banned that fast?
 

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130 Ghost_Riders

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Ethanol has its place but it doesn’t have more energy than gas, any extra power that ethanol can produce is due to the increased compression that it can take. The only way ethanol can really be useful is if the vehicle can adjust the compression to accommodate it. My 5.4 ’08 would lose almost 1/3 of its rated range with E85. I don’t know how much adjustment the new 5.0 can do but the ecoboosts could do something with ethanol assuming they’re flex fuel compatible. Which brings up the other issue; if your vehicle isn’t made to be flex fuel, if you don’t have the yellow identifier at the fuel door you’re probably hurting your vehicle. The ethanol will eat at the normal fuel rubber used and over time will cause it to fail, it won’t happen the first time you put it in but with enough use it will fail.
 

Pedaldude

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I lost about 3mpg with E85 over premium...
What MPG do you normally get?

My first few tanks had some where I only got 12MPG and my last tank was over 20MPG. For the former, 3MPG would be a 25% hit on range. The latter case would be a more reasonable trade off of a 15% reduction in range.

I just spent $5 a gallon to fill my tank, the nearest E85 is $4.50 a gallon. So at 90% of the cost of regular 87 octane where I would be paying 25¢ a mile at 20MPG, I'd be paying 26.5¢ a mile with the E85. On the 12MPG scenario, I am paying 41.5¢ a mile with regular and 50¢ a mile for E85.

Here's an interesting article on ethanol from the people who bring you ethanol :geek:

http://www.ethanolproducer.com/articles/13684/blog-ethanol-advantages-outweigh-btu
 

DarkSkyForever

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Unfortunately, ethanol turns to water way to fast, hence the pump and pull plan I have.
Ethanol doesn't turn to water, if it did you'd have some very upset hard liquor enthusiasts out there. It absorbs moisture from the atmosphere, and with the pressurized and sealed fuel tanks we now have on our trucks, you shouldn't need to worry.
 

mstfld

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What MPG do you normally get?

My first few tanks had some where I only got 12MPG and my last tank was over 20MPG. For the former, 3MPG would be a 25% hit on range. The latter case would be a more reasonable trade off of a 15% reduction in range.

I just spent $5 a gallon to fill my tank, the nearest E85 is $4.50 a gallon. So at 90% of the cost of regular 87 octane where I would be paying 25¢ a mile at 20MPG, I'd be paying 26.5¢ a mile with the E85. On the 12MPG scenario, I am paying 41.5¢ a mile with regular and 50¢ a mile for E85.

Here's an interesting article on ethanol from the people who bring you ethanol :geek:

http://www.ethanolproducer.com/articles/13684/blog-ethanol-advantages-outweigh-btu
I can get E85 for $2.79 here in Iowa, works for me
 

ndnashlenss

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Ethanol combines with the air trapped in the tank to turn to water. I believe its called phase separation, from my understanding talking to other gear heads this is an issue if it sits in the tank for longer than a month. I know many guys who add a little bit of sta-bil to the tank, to slow down the separation.

Personally I prefer e85, it burns cooler keeping the engine cooler and there isn't a huge temperature difference in cylinders, this is important for 21+ trucks with the DOD and AFM. I get 16.5 to 17mpg compared to the 20-22mpg on 87 octane. If e85 is cheaper in your area run it. I've seen cylinder heads pulled off of ls3's after running a few tanks of e85 cleaned a good bit of carbon build up off. Good luck!
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