E85 Experiment.

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Any supposed power benefits of using E85 really hasn't crossed my mind or been of any concern. It is purely economics. The cost spreads are such that no other fuel, including using a diesel engine, offers me as low of a cost per mile that E85 does.

My 2017 Equinox 2.4L averages for all miles (city, rural, highway, gravel roads, etc) about 21 mpg using E85. Cost for E85 near me right now is $1.72. That equates to about 8.2 cents a mile fuel cost.

Regular is going for $2.52. If I used it, I would have to get 29-30 mpg average for all miles to get down to the same 8.2 cents a mile fuel cost. Not even a possibility.

And diesel near me is going for $3.14. So even one of the new diesel Equinox vehicles would have to average for all miles (city, highway, rural, gravel roads, etc) roughly 38 mpg to break even on 8.2 cents a mile fuel cost. Again, not going to happen.

And the numbers work the same for my 2015 Silverado 2500HD gasser, only the average mpg is lower across the board. It has been on E85 exclusively for 2 years.

Of course, prices vary regionally. Each person has to determine what offers the best value. But out of the last 15 years, E85 has been the hands down economic winner in my area for all but a couple years. It was especially economic when we hit the $4 gas several years ago. I could get E85 for $1.50 or more less than regular. This is why flex fuel capability is in the top 5 of features that I look for in any vehicle purchase.
 
On my '12 Optima 2.0T, I run the LAP3USA ECU tune (Stage 1.5+) with lots of bolt on performance parts. I normally always run 93 octane (E10) Costco/Exxon gas (Top Tier only) and love the way my car runs.

Since LAP3USA now has a Stage 2 tune that requires running a E30 mix (or a water/meth injection system), I decided to "experiment".

On a nearly empty tank (~50 miles range left which means I had a ~2-3 gallons left), I put 10.725 gallons of Costco 93 octane (E10) gas and drove to a nearby station that sell E-85 or more specifically "FFV Gas" which is E51% min (and can be up to 83% Ethanol for summer months) and put 5.055 gallons in which it topped off the 18.5 gallon tank.

By my figures, that should be basically E30. I began my 20 mile drive home (~78°F ambient) and after a few miles noticed a bit more "pep in her step"! I didn't do the gradually change-over, I just went straight for the ~E30 mix. I'll report back what I find. I did hit peak boost at ~20.5psi on one WOT run to the barn. So far so good!
 
Update: So I've run a tank full now and to me I feel like the car has more pep and response running it. It seems the LAP3USA ECU Stage 1.5+ tune adapts well to it and I have NO issues to date. I just refilled with ~E25 mix and I think I might add a small amount of Lucas Fuel Treatment or MMO (like a maintenance dose) to help provide a bit more lubrication to the fuel pump and injectors. YMMV. Doing this mix also helps reduce the cost of my fill-ups just a bit with Costco 93 octane at $2.85/gal and Speedway E85/FFV at $2.05/gal (I did 12 gal of 93, 4 gal of FFV).

http://www.georgebelton.com/E85Calculator.php
 
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2nd Update: I filled up today with 12.047 gallons of Costco 93 octane (Top Tier, E10) and 4.25 gallons of FFV (51%-83% Ethanol). Previous fill up was over 366 miles (22.35MPG which is about average with my driving). I did add some MMO (6oz) to the previous tank (and this one) to help lubricate the fuel pumps and injectors. My cost for the fuel was $2.83/gal of 93 octane and $1.99/gal of FFV. So far, the car feels like it is more responsive and eager to rev and no issues whatsoever have shown up. If I keep it under an E30 blend, I think I'll be just fine.
 
Originally Posted by TiredTrucker
Any supposed power benefits of using E85 really hasn't crossed my mind or been of any concern. It is purely economics. The cost spreads are such that no other fuel, including using a diesel engine, offers me as low of a cost per mile that E85 does.

My 2017 Equinox 2.4L averages for all miles (city, rural, highway, gravel roads, etc) about 21 mpg using E85. Cost for E85 near me right now is $1.72. That equates to about 8.2 cents a mile fuel cost.

Regular is going for $2.52. If I used it, I would have to get 29-30 mpg average for all miles to get down to the same 8.2 cents a mile fuel cost. Not even a possibility.

And diesel near me is going for $3.14. So even one of the new diesel Equinox vehicles would have to average for all miles (city, highway, rural, gravel roads, etc) roughly 38 mpg to break even on 8.2 cents a mile fuel cost. Again, not going to happen.

And the numbers work the same for my 2015 Silverado 2500HD gasser, only the average mpg is lower across the board. It has been on E85 exclusively for 2 years.

Of course, prices vary regionally. Each person has to determine what offers the best value. But out of the last 15 years, E85 has been the hands down economic winner in my area for all but a couple years. It was especially economic when we hit the $4 gas several years ago. I could get E85 for $1.50 or more less than regular. This is why flex fuel capability is in the top 5 of features that I look for in any vehicle purchase.

2.42 here in nnews va for regular. No one here sells e85. Diesel is 2.65 cheapest I have seen. For many reasons diesel is a bad choice for a car. Common rail design wears out those expensive pumps and injectors, plus DEF and regen eats up diesel fuel. Plus high labor and parts costs. Diesel only works for trucks hauling some weight around, as in towing trailers, RV, deliveries and in boats.
 
For me running E85 is more about the clean burn and better performance than anything. Not to mention love the exhaust smell. My 2002 Silverado has been running on it for close to 3 years now.
 
Originally Posted by sdowney717
Originally Posted by TiredTrucker
Any supposed power benefits of using E85 really hasn't crossed my mind or been of any concern. It is purely economics. The cost spreads are such that no other fuel, including using a diesel engine, offers me as low of a cost per mile that E85 does.

My 2017 Equinox 2.4L averages for all miles (city, rural, highway, gravel roads, etc) about 21 mpg using E85. Cost for E85 near me right now is $1.72. That equates to about 8.2 cents a mile fuel cost.

Regular is going for $2.52. If I used it, I would have to get 29-30 mpg average for all miles to get down to the same 8.2 cents a mile fuel cost. Not even a possibility.

And diesel near me is going for $3.14. So even one of the new diesel Equinox vehicles would have to average for all miles (city, highway, rural, gravel roads, etc) roughly 38 mpg to break even on 8.2 cents a mile fuel cost. Again, not going to happen.

And the numbers work the same for my 2015 Silverado 2500HD gasser, only the average mpg is lower across the board. It has been on E85 exclusively for 2 years.

Of course, prices vary regionally. Each person has to determine what offers the best value. But out of the last 15 years, E85 has been the hands down economic winner in my area for all but a couple years. It was especially economic when we hit the $4 gas several years ago. I could get E85 for $1.50 or more less than regular. This is why flex fuel capability is in the top 5 of features that I look for in any vehicle purchase.

2.42 here in nnews va for regular. No one here sells e85. Diesel is 2.65 cheapest I have seen. For many reasons diesel is a bad choice for a car. Common rail design wears out those expensive pumps and injectors, plus DEF and regen eats up diesel fuel. Plus high labor and parts costs. Diesel only works for trucks hauling some weight around, as in towing trailers, RV, deliveries and in boats.



I wouldn't count out car diesels. At least not the Chevy Cruze I got 47.9mpg on my 1,600 mile round trip to Boston. This was in stop and go traffic and traffic flowing 85mph.

Some on the Cruze forum are getting 60mpg and 1,000 miles to a tank.
 
I guess it might make sense if there are plenty of E85 stations near you. There are none where I regularly live and commute, but I do occasionally see them on my travels. How has it been for you in the winter?
 
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