Running on e85

[STjake]

Hello all! I did some searching and couldn’t quite find what I was looking for, but my question is with proper tuning can our cars run on straight e85? I currently have a stratified 93 tune which I love, but was wondering if there was any more potential with e85 without having to worry about mixing for e30. It may seam easy to some, but it really is a bit of a pain to do two separate transactions at the pump and basically do everything twice to get e30. It would be worlds easier to just run e85 alone. If that’s a silly idea, please tell me! Im a novice in the ford tuning world. Thanks guys!

 

[codestp202]

You'll spin the stock turbo out on e30. If you go big turbo, you'll stick make huge power on e30 and then I believe most people just run aux fueling (an additional set of injectors). There's a lot of threads on this already so take a look around a bit.
Definitely would need to upgrade the fuel system for e85.

BTW, I went to Kent state! Doesn't look like you'll be putting that power down for a couple more months based upon the snow I've been getting pics of out there lol

 

[Truth in Ruin]

My first glance at your post had me thinking: how are you getting 93 in California? Then I noticed you live in Ohio. I don’t know why, but I thought you lived in Cali haha!

Anyway, if I’m not mistaken- I think I saw a thread on here that talks about a FiST being converted to run on straight E85, but I don’t remember what they did to make it so, but I do know it would take more than just a tune to do it. Aftermarket fuel pump, etc.

On a side note, tuners have said that there’s no performance benefits going higher than E50, and I believe Alex from Stratified said that you can run up to E50 with stock hardware.

Using an E30 flash tune (like Stratified has) has more leeway than a costum E30 tune. You don’t have to be as precise with the ethanol mixture. You can easily run E30, E35, E40 without as much precaution.

 

[STjake]

Thanks for the replies everyone! And yes the fiesta has been parked more times than not this winter. I got to enjoy my strat tune for about a day before I had to put her back up haha. My main point was more or less performance aside, could we run on e85 if tuned properly. It seems after some more searching our low pressure pump just can’t keep up.

 

[apex1]

Stratified explains on their website how running E85 can harm our cars. Going above E50 can cause harm. Here are 2 quotes from the Stratified website. http://www.stratifiedauto.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=117_123&products_id=296

Is E85 good for my Ford EcoBoost motor?

As long as the E85 and pump gas mixture is kept below E50 it is perfectly safe to run blended fuels in the Ford EcoBoost. We recommend reading our FAQ or our write up on The Benefits of E85 for more information.



Can I run full E85?

Filling up with ONLY E85 is not recommended and may cause deposits to form on the high pressure fuel pump. The target is to achieve an E30 mixture by mixing E85 and premium pump fuel.

 

[HBEcoBeaST]

The limiting factor is the hardware (fuel pump) not the tune. Your engine needs a much higher volume of e85 to run properly (higher octane but less energy density).

Just mix E30ish blend (3-4gal e85 rest premium 93) when you're close to empty. Our ECUs and your custom tune figure out the rest.

I'm running Stratified's E30 stage 1 with just a drop in filter and rmm. Blows the pants off a full bolt on FiST running Cobb's stage 3 91oct. E30 is the way....

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[me32]

You'll run out of injector on straight E85. E30 will give you the same performance and your injectors will be able to handle it with a tune. Im with you thoe its too much of a hassel to balance E30 on a daily driver. I fill up every 2-3days for my commute. Last thing i want to do is play with mixing fuels for my daily driver.

 

[HBEcoBeaST]

You'll run out of injector on straight E85. E30 will give you the same performance and your injectors will be able to handle it with a tune. Im with you thoe its too much of a hassel to balance E30 on a daily driver. I fill up every 2-3days for my commute. Last thing i want to do is play with mixing fuels for my daily driver.

I have the canned Stratified E30 tune. It has a built in safety net so it'll automatically compensate if you're over or under your desired ethanol ratio. Per their instructions "add 3gallons e85 when your empty light comes on and fill the rest with premium". I just give the gas attendant $8 for e85 (3-4gal) and fill the rest with premium on my card. Maybe there's more picky tunes out there but for me it's easy. I know I'm not running exactly E30 but that's OK.

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[apex1]

I have the canned Stratified E30 tune. It has a built in safety net so it'll automatically compensate if you're over or under your desired ethanol ratio. Per their instructions "add 3gallons e85 when your empty light comes on and fill the rest with premium". I just give the gas attendant $8 for e85 (3-4gal) and fill the rest with premium on my card. Maybe there's more picky tunes out there but for me it's easy. I know I'm not running exactly E30 but that's OK.

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Keep in mind that the premium fuel is likely 10% ethanol so if you have a couple of gallons left in the tank you have room for a bit over 10 gallons. For 10 gallons of E30,
Stratified's chart calls for 2.6 gallons of E85. If you are routinely adding 3 gallons with 7 gallons of premium, you might slowly be creeping above 30% ethanol. 3.1 gallons of E30 is correct for a total fill of 12 full gallons of fuel according to the Stratified chart.

 

[DEss]

Keep in mind that the premium fuel is likely 10% ethanol so if you have a couple of gallons left in the tank you have room for a bit over 10 gallons. For 10 gallons of E30,
Stratified's chart calls for 2.6 gallons of E85. If you are routinely adding 3 gallons with 7 gallons of premium, you might slowly be creeping above 30% ethanol. 3.1 gallons of E30 is correct for a total fill of 12 full gallons of fuel according to the Stratified chart.

I wouldn't worry about +/- 1 gal either way. For 10 gals of fuel, if you put in 4 gals of e85, then your mixture would be e40. If you put in 2 gals, then you're at e25. That's assuming ideal conditions. More than likely, your e85 isn't really e85, so putting in a little more would give you more headway.




DEss

 

[dmb]

a friend of mine who worked at a refinery said on e-85 they add 15% gas so people can't drink it. imagine taking a jug of fuel home after work... very unhappy wife's for sure.

 

[danbfree]

Man, too bad the E85 stations around aren't convenient at all along my commute route, but at least as a new owner now I know some options so great thread, thanks!

 

[alexrex20]

I fill up twice a week and it's not a hassle at all. I put in 3gal of E85 then round up to the next dollar, then top off the rest with 93. I get fuel around 1/4-1/8 tank. The tune can accommodate anywhere from E20 to E40. Put your calculator away and just put in about 3-4gal. Easy.

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[danbfree]

I fill up twice a week and it's not a hassle at all. I put in 3gal of E85 then round up to the next dollar, then top off the rest with 93. I get fuel around 1/4-1/8 tank. The tune can accommodate anywhere from E20 to E40. Put your calculator away and just put in about 3-4gal. Easy.

I'm saying that all the e85 stations in my area are out of the way for me unfortunately... it's easier/closer for me to go e0 instead but I know that doesn't help with octane but is definitely better running than just e10... but either way at least I have a much better idea of different tunes and fuels to try now so I definitely appreciate all the input!