Do you lose horsepower with E85?
What Are the Positives? E85 fuel can give you a significant boost in power and torque without breaking the bank for racing fuels. It has a base octane rating of 105 and has the bonus of added cooling properties that add even more knock resistance than racing fuels with the same rating.
While E85 is typically cheaper per gallon than gasoline it might be more expensive per mile. Since ethanol contains less energy per volume than gasoline, FFVs will generally get 15%-27% fewer miles per gallon when fueled with E85, depending on the car and the driver's driving habits.
While some might argue that using an alternative fuel source can negatively impact a vehicle's performance, in reality it can have the opposite effect. Flex-fuel vehicles don't experience a loss in performance when using E85 fuel. In fact, some even generate increased torque and horsepower.
Faster Burning. E85 fuel has a faster ignition time and flame propagation when compared to gasoline. This leads to higher cylinder pressure, as well as increased engine torque and power, gaining up to 20%.
On a stock turbocharger, it is not uncommon to achieve 40 to 50 more peak horsepower over gasoline. On larger turbo setups, it is possible to gain 100 or more horsepower by using E85. With flex fuel options that are available or right around the corner, using E85 is going to become even better than ever.
E85 is such an effective cleaner that some people run about 1 or 2 tanks worth of E85 through their engines instead of using a fuel injector cleaner. A surefire way to ensure that your engine remains clean is to use E85 often (or all the time).
Because ethanol attracts water it can create rust and seal breakage over time, and if E85 is left in the fuel tank for long periods it can attract more water vapor and potentially cause engine damage.
E85 has higher octane than regular gasoline. This means that E85 is a lot better for your car's engine than regular gasoline. It is also a cleaner fuel with lesser harmful emissions. On the downside, E85 burns faster and produces lesser energy than gasoline.
The short answer is no. E85 has been tested and certified by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for use in FFVs, which means that it is approved for safe use in these vehicles. In fact, many experts believe that using E85 can actually provide better performance than regular gasoline in certain models of FFVs.
With use of E85 ethanol and appropriate tuning, we saw a net gain of 64 WHP & 38 WTQ over 93 octane gasoline! The gains do not stop there either, E85 enables the limits to be pushed to levels typically only seen with race gas!
Do engines run hotter on E85?
All of these maximize the engine's power. E85 burns cooler than gasoline. This means less heat build-up in the engine. When enough heat builds up, the engine loses power.
Most people report a reduction in fuel economy of 15 to 25% when running on flex fuel. The loss in MPG is dependent on the actual ethanol content of the fuel that you're running.
Using E85 in your vehicle without an E85-specific engine tune can quickly ruin your engine. That's because more fuel is needed when E85 is used. If you were to try to run E85 in an engine that was tuned for gasoline, it would run lean. Running lean can lead to serious engine damage.
Right off the bat, any contest between 112-octane E85 and premium unleaded pump gas (91- or 93-octane) would be no comparison. The E85 offers more power, even before we get into the added ability to run more timing and/or boost from the lack of octane on the pump gas.
E85 alone (even with a tuned engine) won't make your car louder. It may change the way your exhaust sounds, but most of the time there isn't a noticeable change in volume. Some car owners have reported a growlier sound with E85 and smoother running engine, but the sound isn't louder.
E85 does get less mileage than regular gas, however, it's a matter of crunching the numbers, according to De Haan. He said if E85 is at a 20% discount or greater compared to gasoline, it may be worth it. The fuel can also run in short supply, and sometimes gas stations can have the pump shut off.
“So, every gallon of ethanol that gets blended comes with an RFS credit that is today worth about $1.50 a gallon," he says. "Some marketers and blenders are passing along some or much of the value of those RIN credits to consumers in the form of these lower prices.
Mistakes involving E85 ethanol
If you accidentally put E85 fuel in a car built for regular petroleum-based gasoline, chances are your check engine light will come on. And while that's never a good feeling, a one-time mistake shouldn't cause engine damage.
Cold temperatures make this harder. So the colder the weather, the more time and energy it takes for ethanol to vaporize. Ethanol takes more time than gasoline to vaporize. This is why a car with E85 doesn't necessarily run or idle the best in cold weather until the engine is warmed up.
| E85 | GASOLINE* | |
|---|---|---|
| Fuel economy, mpg | ||
| City | 7 | 9 |
| Highway | 15 | 21 |
| 150-mile trip | 13 | 18 |
What happens if I put E85 instead of 87?
If your car isn't a flex-fuel vehicle and you mistakenly add E85 to your tank, you may notice reduced performance and gas mileage. Your check engine light may also appear, but the mishap likely won't damage the engine. They recommend topping the tank off with regular gasoline several times.
E85 contains less energy than 100% gasoline. Based on its energy content and cost per unit volume, it is actually less efficient as a motor fuel, with fewer miles per gallon. In addition, the big lie about ethanol involves ignoring the huge amounts of CO2 created to produce fertilizer for the grain (usually corn).
That increase in gasoline prices has caused demand for E85 fuel to soar. Robert White, the VP of Industry for the Renewable Fuels Association, said in California, demand could double for triple for E85 volume this year.
Using any octane level of gasoline in a flex-fuel vehicle is acceptable. The sensors in an FFV detect whether the fuel is pure gasoline or 85% ethanol and make necessary changes for optimal fuel injection and timing of combustion.
Fuel Economy – E85 vaporizes at a rate of 30-35% on average faster than traditional gasoline. Because of this, vehicles that operate on E85 fuel will typically see a reduction in fuel economy by that same 30-35% rate compared to what the vehicle would experience on gasoline.
The most common cause of slow flow is clogged filters. Filters can clog due to the age of the filter. Although filters do not have a shelf life, as a general rule they should be changed once per calendar year. If you dispense over 100,000 gallons per month, we recommend changing filters every 6 months.
| 0-60 | 1/4 mile | |
|---|---|---|
| time (sec.) | time @ (sec.) | |
| Gas | 9.3 | 16.7 |
| E85 | 9.8 | 17.0 |
E85 has a typical octane rating of around 100-110. That's 7-17 more octane points than 93, 9-19 more points than 91. This is one of the big reasons you can make more power with E85. Turbocharged Subaru engines, as well as other brands, are knock limited from the factory on 91/93 octane.
Lastly, the energy density of E85 is significantly less than standard gasoline. This means fuel economy will be reduced, and injectors and the fuel pump might need an upgrade (more on this below).
The highest energy density fuel is hydrogen, the simplest chemical component. Gasoline, which is derived from refining crude oil, contains much more energy than coal (twice the lower grade bituminous) or wood (three times).
Why do turbo cars run better on E85?
Ethanol also has a higher thermal efficiency meaning when it does ignite, the temperature of the combustion is lower compared to pump gas. This allows a turbocharged engine to take more boost within a safe operating range without damaging the engine.
What is the octane rating of E85 compared to gasoline? E85 has an octane rating ranging from 100-105, making it a high performance fuel. In comparison, regular unleaded gasoline has an octane rating of 87.
E85 gas is suitable for use in any vehicle designated as a flex-fuel vehicle by the manufacturer. Cars.com reports that flex-fuel vehicles are capable of running on both ethanol-gasoline blends and regular gasoline.
Flex fuel that contains a higher ethanol content won't last as long as flex fuel that contains a lower ethanol content. For example, E85 contains 85% ethanol, and E20 contains 20% ethanol. That means E85 won't last as long as E20. The good news is if E85 evaporates and/or absorbs moisture, it doesn't happen right away.
Unleaded 87, 89 and 91 are up to 10% ethanol. Unleaded 88 is 15% ethanol, which is why it's cheaper. Flex fuel has anywhere from 51% to 83% ethanol depending on the region and time of year.
Octane rating
According to the manufacturer, this is due to the cooling properties of ethanol. E85 has an octane rating higher than that of regular gasoline's typical rating of 87, or premium gasoline's 91-93.
Ethanol doesn't damage catalytic converters. If anything, ethanol will help keep your catalytic converters clean.
The good news is E85 doesn't cause white smoke. It can cause steam to come out of the tailpipe. Steam isn't a bad thing. It's an indicator of extra water in the exhaust system.
While E85 gas costs less than regular gasoline at the pump, the decrease in miles per gallon makes it more expensive when driving. Despite the lower miles per gallon, flex-fuel vehicles often put out more torque and more horsepower when running on E85 instead of regular gasoline.
E85 Cools Your Engine Better Than Regular Gasoline
It requires lower combustion temperatures. Also, it creates a thermodynamic cooling effect that regular gasoline doesn't offer. This is quite beneficial because E85 helps keep the engine cool. This helps keep the engine healthy.
Does E85 make more power than 93 octane?
Right off the bat, any contest between 112-octane E85 and premium unleaded pump gas (91- or 93-octane) would be no comparison. The E85 offers more power, even before we get into the added ability to run more timing and/or boost from the lack of octane on the pump gas.
Because ethanol attracts water it can create rust and seal breakage over time, and if E85 is left in the fuel tank for long periods it can attract more water vapor and potentially cause engine damage.
E85 contains 26% to 28% less energy per gallon than gasoline does, depending on how much ethanol the “regular” gas contains. The US allows up to a 10% blend. So in the most basic terms E85 would have to cost at least 26-28% less to be worthwhile.
