Corn Feed E85 We have been working with the E85 fuel on some Natural Aspirated and Forced Induction applications and have been very impressed with the results. E85 is great for the performance enthusiast, is cheaper than 87 octane fuel and is rated at 105 octane. At this time it is still hard to find in a lot of area's but this is about to change. E85 Availability "Underwriters Laboratories (UL) is expected to complete testing on E85 fuel station pumps by early 2008. While many E85 fueling stations have been operating in other countries and this country for years with pumps whose individual parts are approved by UL, some major fuel distributors continue to anxiously await this approval of the complete E85 pump to locate pumps nationwide." (Ethanol industry experts feel comfortable in saying early in 2008 for Underwriters Laboratories fuel station pump approval - Illinois Corn Growers Association.) Tunning for E85 E85 is a very easy switch on Natural Aspirated cars with the proper size injectors and the PMS. We have found to run E-85 fuel on a car that is running 93 octane fuel and the injectors are running 75% or less at W.O.T. it is as simple as going into the PMS and clicking on a few options. Go to page two and put +22% in Global. That's all it takes for the fuel side of things. We have found on ignition timing they like about 4-6 degrees more than what worked with 93 octane fuel. On a natural aspirated standard compression 4.6 engine (with the tune desribed above) we ran it on our Dynojet Dyno and thought we would see no power gains with this low of compression ratio. We were surprised to see we picked up 8 w.h.p. over 92 octane fuel. The neat thing about E85 for natural aspirated aplications is you could build a 11.5 to 12 to 1 engine for a daily driver and it would work great with E85. As seen in the Dec 07 5.0 Mustang & Super Fords magazine (click for article CLEAN POWER): On Forced Induction cars the demand on fuel injectors and fuel pumps are much greater. We feel this is two fold. One is because of the amount of E85 fuel it takes to equal the energy that petroleum makes and also with E85 cooling the intake charge down. It allows you to make more h.p.. which takes more fuel. From our testing you usually need to go at least 50% bigger on fuel pumps and injectors. Questions about running E85 in my car 1.) E85 Ethanol is corrosive. Yes ethanol is corrosive, but not very much. Gasoline is corrosive too. Ethanol is biodegradable in water. So it has a tendency to contain and attract water. It is not the corrosive properties of ethanol that can cause damage to your vehicle; it is the water which can rust a vehicle's fuel system from the inside out. Today's vehicles (since mid 1980s) have fuel systems which are made to withstand corrosive motor fuels and rust from water. Also today's distilling processes are superior to way back when. We now have better techniques for drying out ethanol or reducing the water content. On side note, gas contains water too. Ever hear of dry gas? 2.) If I put E85 in my gas tank, it will eat it away. If your car was built in the old days, it has a lead-coated, steel tank. The water in ethanol would cause the tank to rust from the inside out. The government mandated that all gas in the USA contain 10% ethanol to help reduce pollution. In the mid 80s, automakers made vehicles with fuel systems to be ethanol and rust tolerant. Gas tanks began to contain polymers and Teflon which are extremely durable. 3.) If I put E85 ethanol in my non-Flex Fuel vehicle, it will ruin it. One tank won't hurt. Some dealers are spreading rumors and charging $300-$3000 for one tank of accidental E85 use. This use may cause misfiring and a rough ride. Your check engine light will come on. If you should accidentally or on purpose put E85 in your vehicle, drain the tank, put in regular gas and all will be well. If you use E85 without a conversion kit or non-Flex Fuel capable vehicle, you can ruin your engine. 4.) Ethanol will burn up my engine. Ethanol has a lower ignition point than gas. Ethanol has about 115 octane and E85 has 105 octane. It burns cooler and will extend engine life by preventing the burning of engine valves and prevent the build-up of olefins in fuel injectors, keeping the fuel system cleaner. 5.) Ethanol will ruin gaskets, seals, rings and more. This is true. Running 100% ethanol or alcohol in an engine can cause severe damage. Ethanol has no lubricating properties. People who run E100 in their vehicles will add special oil to their ethanol to act as a lubricant to the fuel pump, injectors and the top engine. Those who don't add the oil end up destroying their engine. That is why we use E85. The 15% gasoline acts as a lubricant to all vital components and allows a long and trouble free engine life. 6.) E85 will eat my rubber fuel lines. This is another myth from the old days. Rubber technology has significantly advanced so the concerns of a 20 year old car or newer having issues like this are extremely rare. Plus the 15% gas will help keep lines lubricated. 7.) E85 will destroy my fuel pump. E85 won't destroy your fuel pump, but using it can damage it. If you have a new car and run E85 in it from the day it is new, you will probably have no problems out of the ordinary with your fuel pump. If you convert a high mileage vehicle to Flex Fuel, the E85 will cause the sediment in the gas tank to dissolve and then get sucked up by the fuel pump. This sediment can shorten the life of the pump of your high mileage vehicle. Fuel pumps are not expensive to replace. The sediment will be trapped by your fuel filter so it will not reach your engine. 8.) Vehicles need more E85 ethanol so there is less power. It is true that a vehicle does require more E85 than regular gas since the amount of energy per unit of ethanol is less than that of gas. However, E85 is 105 octane. Gas comes in 85, 89 and 91 octane. The 105 octane of E85 will not only eliminate knocks and pings, it will give your car more power than gas. 9.) Does my car have to be tuned for E85? Yes your car must be tuned for E85 or your car will not perform right and will turn on engine lights. Rick