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E85 can I do anything to improve fuel mileage?

19K views 51 replies 22 participants last post by  Nonstop 
#1 · (Edited)
Are there aftermarket tunes that can better optimise fuel mileage when using E85? I use my JGC 3.6 to commute 80 miles a day over moutainoue terrain into stop and go traffic. So far I have run two tanks of regular gas and averaged about 18.2 MPG and ran two tanks of E85 and averaged about 16.3. E85 really seems to suffer when Im in town or in stop and go traffic. More so than regular fuel.

If I go off trip comupter when Im doing flat highway driving I get about 24 hwy with regular and about 21 with e85.

I can get E85 for about $.50 a gallon less than regular fuel. I like the idea of running Ethonal. Cleaner burning, car runs cooler, energy indipendence, putting money into pockets amrican farmers, etc. Id just like to get a little better mileage. Current tank of e85 Im running closer to 18 MPG but I reall am driving like a little old lady. Trying to coast whenever possible etc. LOL!
 
#3 ·
Yeah I know but there must be some custom tunes that will eek a little more for me and not fry the motor. Im surprised my mileage has been so close to regular gas. But then we get crappy gas in California to begin with.
 
#4 ·
There isnt custom tuning available for the WK2, and no matter how aggressive the tune might be it will never equal gas. Regardless of octane, there is only so much timing you can add to a given engine.
 
#5 ·
What these guys said, it takes 30% more e85 to equal the same power as gasoline. The two pretty much equal out when you do the math, if you were trying to hot rod the truck it would be awesome for that.

Sent from my PC36100 using Tapatalk
 
#6 ·
I'm sure if somone cracked it there is likely a little more room with AFR and timing but I will live with it.

Im just about even on cost right now. I do like E85 option when oil prices spike as the cost differntial justifies its use. When regular dips below about $4 it doesnt make sense. I have a station thats around $3.65 a gallon right now for e85. I wished I lived closer to that $2.99 a gallon store in Sacramento!

http://e85prices.com/california.html
 
#20 ·
There is a reason E85 is cheaper than non-E85...it produces less MPG. Just the nature of the beast.

I'd never run that crap through my engine...10% ethanol is bad enough.
I agree. Ethanol is the bane of the car community forced upon us by greenie nuts.

It screws with seals and is very corrosive to many types of rubbers and plastics. My BMW burned out 5 fuel pumps due to this crap.

It breaks down rapidly and you can't let it sit in your tank for any length of time like you can with gas. 2 months and your sludged up.

It doesn't put money into farmer's pockets. The farmers actually don't like it and it raises the food prices across the board for food as farmers plant more corn and less other stuff including feed for animals. http://www.alternet.org/environment/52073/

It costs more to make increasing gas prices. If the administration would get off their respective asspect and stop artificaily raising gas prices to force everyone to by chevy volts the world would be a better place. Gas prices have doubled since GW all due to current policy. Big thumbs down to Ethanol crap. :slapfight:

SEBRING - Imagine, they said back in the 1970s, when an Arab oil embargo sent gasoline prices skyrocketing from 25 to 50 cents per gallon.
Imagine. We could grow our own fuel. We could make alcohol from corn and potatoes and soybeans, and our cars could run on it.
It burns cleaner. It's cheaper. It's renewable. It's made in America.
But it turns out, ethanol isn't the miracle fuel it's cracked up to be.
Ethanol Retains Water
"I just purchased a fuel additive made by Sta-Bil to disperse the water that ethanol causes," says Tom Moeller, a Highlands County man who was boating in Georgia last week.
Why does Moeller's boat have water in the fuel tank?
"Alcohol attracts water," said Bobby Willis of Central Florida Yamaha in Lake Placid. "It creates a water problem in your fuel."
Now there's an irony. Ethanol attracts water, and watercraft like WaveRunners and boat motors are constantly in the water.
Yamaha, says Willis, suggests installing a 10-micron filter. "It costs about $50. You can install it yourself. Just cut your fuel line and put it in the line."
"Ten percent ethanol is tolerable for use by WaveRunners," Willis said. "It can get more drastic, especially if you're using E85."
With the exception of BP, all major brand gas stations in Highlands County sell 10 percent ethanol. Only unbranded stations, like 7 Days, Hendricks Corner, An Foodstore and Mystik, sell gasoline without ethanol.
Ethanol Dissolves Plastic
"Ethanol can dissolve some solid materials," says a June 2006 Yamaha advisory to dealers. That includes varnish and rust on steel and corrosion on aluminum tanks. The result is contaminated fuel.
"In some cases, ethanol has been known to dissolve components of the fuel system itself," said Willis.
"Some fuel tanks and fuel lines are made of plastic, and ethanol is eating away at the plastic," said Jimmi Fredricks, service manager at Freedom Marine in Lake Placid. "It turns into a jelly, and when you get to the bottom of the fuel tank, it starts sucking it in."
Larson Boats, which Fredricks sells, recommends using no ethanol at all.
"Fiberglass is the worst. If you have a fiberglass tank, you need to replace the tank. Get it out of there," Fredricks says. Engineers, who have been dealing with the ethanol problem for two years, are now starting to retrofit fuel systems with plastic that can't be dissolved by alcohol.
According to an April 9 story carried on the Dow Jones newswires, a federal class action lawsuit filed in a Los Angeles has charged ExxonMobil, Chevron, BP, Shell and other oil companies with manufacturing and selling ethanol blended gasoline that damages marine fuel tanks, engines and other components.
"The oil companies know this fuel is corrosive, but they're keeping consumers in the dark to pump up their profits," said Brian Kabateck, lead attorney on the case. "The cost to the consumer is thousands of dollars in repairs."
The suit seeks to represent owners of boats with fiberglass tanks who fueled their tanks with ethanol blended gasoline from a California retailer.
Ethanol Dissolves Gum
At the Shell convenience store on Main Street and CR 17 in Avon Park, owner Mohammed Shamim said filters on the pumps must be changed several times a week.
"They're always clogging up," said Shamim.
Ask any painter: alcohol is a good paint stripper. It breaks off old varnish, gums, and resin deposited by years of gasoline sitting around in tanks. Then it turns into sticky goo, plugs filters, sticks up carburetors and fuel injectors, and causes everything from mild drops in performance to complete engine shutdown, says Matthew A. Cohen, writing for teamrsm.com.
"The ethanol found in those states' gasoline supply can cause thousands of dollars in damage to the boats," Cohen says. "Ethanol eventually pulls gums, resins and debris out of the tanks and into the engine."
Ethanol Gets Poor Gas Mileage
Another downside: ethanol is more expensive than gasoline. Since alcohol produces less energy than petroleum gasoline when burned, gas mileage is reduced by 10 to 30 percent, according to Consumer Reports, October 2006.
"To see how E85 ethanol stacks up against gasoline, Consumer Reports put one of its test vehicles, a 2007 Chevrolet Tahoe Flexible-Fuel Vehicle, through an array of fuel economy, acceleration, and emissions tests," said a Consumer Reports article. "Overall fuel economy on the Tahoe dropped from an already low 14 mpg overall to 10. In highway driving, gas mileage decreased from 21 to 15 mpg; in city driving, it dropped from 9 mpg to 7."
When Consumer Reports calculated the Tahoe's driving range, it decreased to about 300 miles on a full tank of E85 compared with about 440 miles on gasoline. So, motorists using E85 have to fill up more often.
Joe Rutigliano of Joe's Service Center in Avon Park has seen increased complaints about "check engine" lights. Most involve the car's sensors not being able to measure oxygen correctly, which he says has to do with how rapidly ethanol burns.
The sensor works with a computer that controls the ratio of air to gasoline that's inside the engine. What might be happening, Rutigliano said, is that unburned gasoline is being emitted from the engine because of the sensor malfunction.
"If you start dumping unburned gas, you're talking about damaging the catalytic converter," he said. That's at least a $150 repair job. On some cars, it's $1,100.
This is especially true for cars built in 2003 or earlier, he said.
One customer brought in a Toyota Prius that was averaging 51 mpg. Now it's down to 40 mpg. Rutigliano is convinced it's the ethanol.
But Kelly Payne, who owns a tree care service in Sebring, believes his older car fleet can handle it just fine. He owns a 2005 Sea Pro, a 2006 pickup truck, and operates 1980s and 1990s trucks, all using unleaded gasoline. None had a noticeable drop in fuel efficiency or problems he thought were caused by ethanol.
Good And Bad News
This is from Forbes magazine: "Ethanol, once heralded as the homegrown Nicorette gum of America's oil addiction, is getting a second look from lawmakers ..."
Distilling ethanol is an energy-intensive process that often uses water, electricity generated from coal, another source of greenhouse emissions.
Which leads to an old joke about a farmer who buys land. After the closing, when it's way too late to back out, the seller says to the farmer: "Oh. By the way. You'll need water."
It takes three gallons of water to make one gallon of ethanol, according to domesticfuel.com. That's interesting news in drought-stricken Florida, where manufacturers are popping up to make ethanol.
Here's a true story, repeated in February 2007 by Tampa newspapers: Florida's first ethanol plant, U.S. EnviroFuels LCC, will need 390,000 gallons of fresh water every day to run its ethanol plant at Tampa's port. That's enough for nearly 1,500 homes, which are under once-a-day watering restrictions.
ONLINE: A History Of Ethanol
Is Your Vehicle E85 Compatible?
Check the 8th digit in the Vehicle Identification Number.
Go to www.e85fuel.com/information/vin.php
In Fords with certain engines, for instance, if the eighth digit of the VIN shows a "V" on a Ford Crown Victoria, an F-150 or Ranger pickup truck, a Lincoln Town Car, a Mazda B3000 pickup or a Mercury Grand Marquis, the car can be fueled with 15 percent ethanol.
ETHANOL DOS AND DON'TS
• Replace pre-1985 fiberglass tanks.
• Replace fuel lines, o-rings and gaskets that aren't built for ethanol.
• Inspect hose clamps and metal fittings in the fuel system for corrosion.
• Refill the fuel tank often to reduce airspace in the tank, which reduces water condensation.
• Install a fuel line water separator to eliminate water that collects in the tank.
• Use fuel additives to stop fuel from aging and oxidizing.
• Use de-emulsifying or hydrophobic additives to prevent water from homogenizing with fuel.
Never use a fuel additive that emulsifies water.
Never buy fuel that isn't clear and bright.
Do not use E10 contaminated with water without a combustion-enhancing additive.
Do not leave a near-empty fuel tank sitting for long periods of time.
 
#8 · (Edited)
Since the Federal and State subsidities in our area lapsed on 1-1-12, the price of E85 is within 10 cents of E10 unleaded (Minnesota has a minimum 10% ethanol content law). Because of this, using E85 is a $ losing proposition. Hopefully, less corn will be used to make ethanol and take some pressure off food costs. Contrary to popular belief, replacing petroleum with ethanol is NOT environmentally sound, due to the amount of energy required for the process.

http://www.startribune.com/business/136838948.html

http://www.technologyreview.com/energy/18173/
 
#9 ·
Contrary to popular belief, replacing petroleum with ethanol is NOT environmentally sound, due to the amount of energy required for the process.
This is mostly true but the reason it is so true is that here in the US were are being forced by the Gov't and farm lobbyists to use corn to make that ethanol. Corn is one of the hardest sources to crack for ethanol. Brazil and other tropical countries use excess cane sugar to make ethanol. In that case it is a cost effective process.

Now, here in the US, we cannot economically grow cane sugar but there are other products that we could use that would be more cost effective but that would leave corn growers out in the cold. Some of those materials are switch grass, seaweed in our coastal areas, even grass clippings!

Another problem is that ethanol has higher taxes on it than petroleum based products here in the US. Those go back over 100 years in an effort by oil lobbyists to get us hooked on petroleum as well as the prohibition era to prevent people from having their own stills for both drinking alcohol and making our own fuel alcohol.
 
#10 · (Edited)
Lol! So many myths and so few facts. Fact is we have plenty of non corn based ethanol plants in US and we will continue to build better higher producing ethanol refineries. Fact subsidies have dropped off and in fact ethanol is being taxed just like petro fuel. Fact ethanol burns cleaner and keeps induction temps lower than Dino juice.

Fact price differential in independent studies show current ethonal prices about 15% less than regular gas. Way more to get gas with same octane ratings! You'd have to buy race gas! Oh wait ethanol is race gas! Lol!

Fact if you look at the entire process of exploring for oil, drilling, transporting, refining and distributing petro it's not as viable as ethanol . Add to this wars caused by oil we need to have from middle east and oil is a real loser. and money for ethanol goes to many more local Americans than foreign drilled oil. Then add to this oil spills and environmental damage and all enemy spent cleaning up spills and I think you get the picture . And $5 a gallon dino fuel prices have no impact on all food costs ...right? Lol! Junk science articles aren't helping anyone in this discussion. Many in oil lobby fund these junk studies. With billions at stake you bet your going to see all sorts of bad press on alternatives. The growth of ethanol has been staggering past 4 years. It's only going to grow and ain't nothing you can do to stop it.

I run nothing but ethanol in my race car and it produces far more hp than pump gas does. While energy content is less it has vey high octane rating.

I wouldn't put crappy regular dino fuel in my sweet Jeep! Nothing but high octane ethanol for me!
 
#11 ·
[/QUOTE]

I run nothing but ethanol in my race car and it produces far more hp than pump gas does. While energy content is less it has vey high octane rating.

I wouldn't put crappy regular dino fuel in my sweet Jeep! Nothing but high octane ethanol for me![/QUOTE]

How does it produce more HP when the energy content is less?
 
#13 ·
Now that the cost of ethanol and the construction of new ethanol plants is no longer being highly subsidized by the Federal and many State governments, the use of ethanol will have to stand on it's own merits.

That is why E85 sales have dropped significantly, and construction starts of new and planned ethanol plants has ground to a near halt.

Why anyone would pay nearly the same per gallon for E85 and get 20-25% less mpg is beyond understanding.

If you want to waste your money, go ahead. I don't plan to race my GC.

If you really want to help the environment, sell your Jeep and buy a hybrid or electric car...or better yet - a bicycle.
 
#15 · (Edited)
Where you getting your data? It's wrong. Ethonol sales are increasing production is increasing as well. As long as regular stays over $4 bio fuel can be affordable alternative. Your offering same arguments I heard 5 years ago and production has skyrocketed. We will see more and more ethanol burners. Once more stations are in place then look for cars even better optimized for E85.

If gas prices drop significantly ethonol will struggle for sure but industry has momentum and they are making improvements in production methods to reduce costs. Many plants now use corn cobs without kernels. So farmers can still make money for grain. I think people underestimate American innovation. We have some very smart people working in these plants all across the US. Federal subsidies got industry launched. Plenty of momentum now. My area has seen growth of e85 stations so it's not just me buying e85. Lol! Also put yourself in position of principle owner of a bio plant. You think you would just sit around and not improve operations to become more cost effective? Granted some poorly managed plants will close but well managed sites will overcome issues. There are plans for ethanol pipelines from Midwest to larger populations in the works. There's a reason big oil is jumping into bio fuels. They know they have a real competitor now.

I can't tow my ethanol buring race car with a hybrid or a bike. Lol! Indy racing league has converted to all ethanol race cars recently too!
 
#14 ·
Yep Slightly lower energy content has little to do with HP. Most premium dino fuels have less energy than regular gas too. Just throw more fuel in and higher octane of e85 allows ecu to advance timing more than regular fuel. If you don't have compression to take advantage of higher octane then using higher octane won't help much but pentastar has just enough where ecu can take advantage of higher octane.


http://horsepowercalculators.net/e85-calculator/e85-calculator
 
#17 ·
"Waste of water...."

1. So is beef. Uh, that is: Growing the corn to feed to the steers. Now if we all became vegetarians, then think of the water we would save. Many of these thirsty crops (like corn) are still being subsidized.

2. So are dams. In the West, the lakes behind these dams are huge evaporation ponds They are essentially "banks" for the government, who makes money on hydro-electric power, recreational and sport fishing.

If we built towns and cites where water was available, instead of the deserts of the Southwest (LV, LA, PHX...etc), think of the water we would save.


Back on topic (sort of):

Let's face it, you buy a new car and your "carbon footprint" is huge....regardless of the fuel.
 
#21 ·
Most of that post is irrelevant when talking about e85 in a higher compression flex fuel vehicle like Pentastar v6. I would expect a lower compression v8 like one found in an older Chevy Tahoe to perform poorly.

Again let's stick to facts. Facts are that ethanol production and distribution are increasing across the US. Fact is v6 JGC is a flex fuel vehicle designed for e85. Fact is my vehicle is used everyday which makes any potential aging issues with e85 mute.

For well built flex fuel vehicles e85 is a fine alternative. Especially when gas prices start heading to $5 a gallon.

So appears I'm one of few forum posters here making commitment to use e85 long term? I will be a long term user of e85 and continue to report how car runs and if I have any problems related to e85. So far have had 3000 trouble free miles using e85. I will log temps in variety of situations from towing to city driving. Logging mileage as well. My last tank of e85 returned 17.8 mpg. Again mountain driving with stop and go traffic cycles.
 
#22 · (Edited)
How much is E10 (regular unleaded in most states)? (3.799/gal - MN)

How much do you pay per gallon for E85 in your area? (3.719/gal - MN)

How many mpg do you get on E10? (I get 19.2 mpg avg - 50/50 city/hwy)

How many mpg do you get on E85? (I get 16.5 mpg avg - 50/50 city/hwy)

The facts in our area (Minnesota/Wisconsin) are:

E85 gets approximately 15% less mpg than E10 (and 20% less than regular gas with no ethanol, when you can find it where not required by law in Wisconsin - required by law in Minnesota).

E85 costs 8-10 cents per gallon less than E10. It used to be a 34-40 cents per gallon difference until 1-1-12, when the ethanol subsidy expired.

E85 has issues when used in the Midwest in the winter months. You need to keep your tank full and use gas stations that sell enough to keep their inventories fresh. High water content in E85 can become an issue otherwise, causing poor combusion and/or gas-line freeze).

I would use E85 if it were an economical alternative to E10. As you can see for our area, where our current E10 price is $3.799 per gallon and E85 is $3.719 per gallon (checked this morning on my way to work when I filled up) - using E85 would the equivilent of $4.375 per gallon or approximately 14% more.

Ignoring all other rhetoric, bully for you using E85 if the cost/benefit ratio works out for you; or if your principles direct you to pay more.
 
#23 ·
How much is E10 (regular unleaded in most states)? (3.799/gal - MN)

How much do you pay per gallon for E85 in your area? (3.719/gal - MN)

How many mpg do you get on E10? (I get 19.2 mpg avg - 50/50 city/hwy)

How many mpg do you get on E85? (I get 16.5 mpg avg - 50/50 city/hwy)

The facts in our area (Minnesota/Wisconsin) are:

E85 gets approximately 15% less mpg than E10 (and 20% less than regular gas with no ethanol, when you can find it where not required by law in Wisconsin - required by law in Minnesota).

E85 costs 8-10 cents per gallon less than E10. It used to be a 34-40 cents per gallon difference until 1-1-12, when the ethanol subsidy expired.

E85 has issues when used in the Midwest in the winter months. You need to keep your tank full and use gas stations that sell enough to keep their inventories fresh. High water content in E85 can become an issue otherwise, causing poor combusion and/or gas-line freeze).

I would use E85 if it were an economical alternative to E10. As you can see for our area, where our current E10 price is $3.799 per gallon and E85 is $3.719 per gallon (checked this morning on my way to work when I filled up) - using E85 would the equivilent of $4.375 per gallon or approximately 14% more.

.
The market data doesnt support some of your numbers? There are e85 E10 price trackers all over the US now. Prices reported this week show much bigger margin than you are reporting in MN and WI. You sure you were looking at E 85 prices? Im easily paying $.40 to $.60 a gallon less for E85 in my area of California.

http://e85prices.com/minnesota.html

http://e85prices.com/wisconsin.html
 
#25 · (Edited)
All I can say is the information from the E85 websites you posted does not match reality for Minnesota and Wisconsin. We used to see 40-60 cents per gallon E85 vs E10 differentials, until the 38 cents per gallon E85 subsidy (4.5 cents per gallon E10 subsidy) expired 1-1-12. Now, the best I have seen lately is 30 cents per gallon, with most in the 10-20 cents per gallon range. I believe the small differential I saw at the gas station this morning was due to a 10 cents per gallon drop in E10 after the weekend (was 3.899 on Sunday and dropped to 3.799 this morning so I filled up), and they had not reduced the E85 price yet.

While the state of Minnesota has historically led the nation in use of E85 and the number of pumps per capita, E85 usage is dropping as people realize the savings are not there when you take 15-20% less mpg into account. Because of this, the Minnesota State Legislature has proposed increasing the minimum required ethanol content of gasoline to E20, but is meeting strong opposition.

The cost savings at $3.799 per gallon would have to be 60 cents just to hit break-even. It would be interesting to see the same comparison of E85 vs regular (E10?) in California where you live.
 
#26 ·
Hmmm many of those prices in MN were recently posted? I usually get e85 for about 40 to 60 cents a gallon less than regular In SF bay area regular runs about $4.17 to $4.30 gallon and E85 is around $3.65 to $3.80 gallon.

US patriots support ethanol by purchasing 100% US sourced fuel. If you want to send your money to hostiles in middle east by way of big oil feel free!
 
#27 ·
Great. We'll have fuel but no food/

Tell Obama to support the keystone oil pipe from Canada if you want NA oil.



Gas mileage will fall 20-25% with e85 vs. Gasoline.


So if the price of the e85 is 20-25% less OR GREATER
than it makes financial sense.

Ill leave the politics of it all to the rest of you....
 
#28 ·
Great. We'll have fuel but no food/


Gas mileage will fall 20-25% with e85 vs. Gasoline.


So if the price of the e85 is 20-25% less OR GREATER
than it makes financial sense.

..
Again all myths. There have been several studies that show Ethonol has very little impact on food prices, and as ethonol refining practices become better more and more plants dont use food stocks as a means of production. Many are just using husks now and selling kernels to livestock. However if food conservation is your biggest conern there is something even less efficient than ethonol driving up our food costs. If Amercans could get over their addiction to processed beef we would all be better off and have far more affordable food. Commercial Livestock is about most ineffcient food source around and talking about enviromental damage.

Again high oil prices drive signficantly more cost into food supply chain than the minimal amount of agriculture dedicated to ethonol. These comments of food shortages and food price hikes due to ethonol are sound bites at best.

We have ethonol capacity now to fuel impact prices. How long will Keystone pipeline take to build after all states and local muniplaities have lawsuits against federal government? While I appluad US based drilling and discovery efforts I dont see our production base growing signficantly. And why not invest in ethonol as an alternative? As chemists spend more time in this emerging alternate fuel industry I can assure you they will come up with better formulations, more efficeint production methods, etc. Us early patriotic adopters of ethonol are people who are providing revenues so industry can make progress. I dont buy that this is a dead industry. Its proving it now - not only is it standing on two legs without federal subsidies our stupid government is also now taxing it just like gas! And sales are still climbing! Tells me the smart people in the industry are coming up with leaner production methods and more people like me are standing tall and doing right thing.

I encourage all with E85 vehicles to fill up at least once in a while with e85 to help our brothers and sisters across the US who are helping us to break free from corrupt oil terrorists of the Middle East. Giveng the finger to corrupt middle eastern and Asia oil traders who drive up prices for their own greed.

Just read about happy guys in Oman making money selling oil futures. I can assure you they have less interest in the US being successful country than agribusiness and ethonol producers in the US do.

http://arabnews.com/economy/article604826.ece

I look at my near break even using Ethonol as investment in US infrastucture. Its something I can do as a cconsumer to make US a better place help put more US jobs here. Just like not buying cheap Chinese made products and only buying US made goods.


Yes Im being political but I'm putting my money where my mouth is and actually driving social change as opposed to waiting for "daddy"" governmt to do something. Every dollar I put into Ethonol is helping US economy, growing industry in places where jobs are needed and divorcing me from middle East oil cartels. I dont think anyone who buys imported foreign oil can claim this. In fact I'm suspect of anyone who buys imported oil or even goods made in China. Call me conservative but our country has been wrecked by people looking for best deal rather than shopping smart and making sure social good in our country comes from our purchases. Start paying attention to countries you send your money. I buy most of my clothes from companies who only make clothes here in the US, Im looking at travel trailer made by company who does all manufacturing here as well. My race cars get parts all made in good ole US of A. I think its time for us to start investing in US and to stop thinking politians will do something. You can wait for your government to put in Keystone pipeline or go to an industry that is providing US jobs right now and taking money out of the hands of corrupt middle Eastern and Asian traders. Its less a political statement for me and more of a philosphical decision I have made with all purchases I make as I have absolutely no faith in Republicans or Democrats to steer our country in right direction. Nope I'm taking control right now! Could you imagine what would happen to US economy if we all as consumers embraced this way of thinking? We would drive economic boom like we havent seen. Maybe even see housing inflation again! Dang our housing market certainly needs that!
 
#31 ·
Station on the way to work this morning has E85 priced at $3.59/gal and 87 octane $3.70/gal. Hardly worth the decrease in MPG to save $0.11/gal. I guess if your paycheck depended on the sale of E85, you would be a bit more outspoken.
 
#34 ·
The data from AL supports your position you don't have nearly price spread we have in more E85 developed States. I'm still seeing 50 to 60 cents a gallon difference. Suspect E85 industry is focusing on regions that have high gas prices due to lack of gas refining capability or higher refining costs. It's a break even deal for me. If I were to really shop regular gas I might get a little savings but the e85 station is right next to my job site. Easy to duck in and by e85.

I have requested a station in area where I live.

http://e85prices.com/
 
#32 ·
I'm in Northern IL and I can second Justal13's low E10 to E85 price differentials. I don't care what the average country or regional price dufferemtials are posted on websites. What I actually see is a 5 to 10 cent difference between E85 and 87 octane E10 locally.
 
#37 ·
I would not run E85 in any engine wether it is rated for it or not. You are getting a little over 16 MPG and saving only 50 cents a gallon? 1. Ethanol is very caustic to an engine. 2. there is a lot less energy in a gallon of ethanol vs a gallon of gasoline. 3. You would probably get 5 to 6 more miles per gallon with gasoline and I bet if you did the math it would almost be a wash. Aside from the fact that the ethanol is eating up the innerds of your engine much faster than gasoline would... Look for non ethanol regular unleaded gasoline and see what your MPG goes to then. I bet you will be shocked by the emprovement.
 
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