Thread: Thinking of converting to E85.. Yes or Ne??

So I am seriously thinking of converting my car to E85. I was originally thinking of getting a Devil's Own Meth kit and calling it a day, but the whole E85 thing won't leave the back of my mind. Here are some pro's and con's for me.. Let me know what you think and if I should just say f*ck it and do it LOL

Pro's:

My car is no longer my daily driver as I have another vehicle (mainly drive it for pleasure)
My car is already E85 ready as it has all the hi-flow fueling needs from the pump to the injectors (would just need a retune - thanks in advance Nick)
I would make a sh*t ton more power being able to drop a pully size or two and run lots more timing (currently on a 3.0 at 15* timing with mid-11's AFR)
I could get a couple 5 gallon gas cans to help compensate for the long commute to fill up
The E85 station closest to me is a straight shot on the highway (I live 3 miles from the highway)
I would skip the meth kit
E85 is much cheaper than 93...
The station is about a 20-25 min drive from where I work, so I can always go to fill up after work when needed.

Cons:
The station closest to me is about a 30 to 40 min commute from my house each way depending on traffic
My car would burn more fuel hence needing to fill up more often depending on how much I drive it (and get on it).
I would rack up more mileage on the car having the long commute to fill up.. (About 30 miles each way all highway)
If I go to fill up and the station is out of E85 then what do I do???

What should I do???

Do it. More power/more timing. Lower pulley drop!

30 miles each way is nothing. Just get enough when you do go where you don't have to go so often or just make the trip when your going to be in the area. Racking up mileage is nothing's its a Grand Prix not some expensive luxury car where resales can be effected.

It's not a DD so you'll be saving mileage anyways.

i would do it. The only e85 station is for government use around me. so sad.

Me too if it was easily available around my area I would do it. But last I check it's only available on base (a hour away and I'm a a civilian so pain in the ass). Or 2 hours within the Tallahassee area and fudge that.

i sooooo wish i had 2 or 3 stations within 30 mins.... id drop to a 3.0 and call it awesomesauce.

hahaha you already know how i feel about e85 Chris... mmmmmmmmmmmmmcorrrrnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnfuelllllllll lllllllll


Not gonna lie, its a PITA having to drive so far to fuel up, and then having to dump it in by the can, BUT the payoff is worth it, IMO. before i went to my current setup, i made from 25-35 more whp thru the entire rpm band after the switch, with advanced timing and boost.

BUT, i suppose teh potential may be even greater, since i had meth injection, and kept it after the fuel switch.

Give it a try and keep your old pcm just in case it doesn't work out. That's exactly what I did. I've got the pcm, injectors, pulley and belt in a box and can switch back to 93 in a couple hours if need be. I'll say that e85 made an incredible difference in my car... Probably 50 hp with an professional tune. Went from a 3.2 to a 2.8. We are lucky here in S.E. Michigan and and have e85 all over.

Originally Posted by tms8582

Give it a try and keep your old pcm just in case it doesn't work out. That's exactly what I did. I've got the pcm, injectors, pulley and belt in a box and can switch back to 93 in a couple hours if need be. I'll say that e85 made an incredible difference in my car... Probably 50 hp with an professional tune. Went from a 3.2 to a 2.8. We are lucky here in S.E. Michigan and and have e85 all over.

I just don't understand how some states have it all over and some like pretty much all of New England have it in just a few spots. It's so scarce..

You could always get a utility trailer off Craigslist for like $100, a hand crank fuel transfer pump from harbor freight for $30 and a clean 55 gal. Drum off CL for free and buy your corn by the barrel. I do it but I have a fork truck and a barrel sling so I can just put the barrel in my truck.

If it's not a DD and you are set up for it already then yes. Just in case make sure you get the Racetronix rewire kit.

You can always bring extra gas containers to fill up. After about 2 or 3 tank fulls then you'll be all E85. No more mix. I'm lucky. I have 3 stations by me.

Even though it burns faster it's cheaper then 93 and it's cheaper then race gas. Doesn't matter since it's not a DD.
It's like running 105 oct all the time. You will gain much ore power especially if you drop a pulley.

Just to give you an idea about the greatness of E85. My setup is different since I'm turbo'd but I ran an 11.53 before E85 and had some KR. Went to E85 with the right fueling mods and ran an 11.11 pretty much without tuning. Being that I'm more modded, I needed to buy an MSD fuel pump voltage booster since I was running out of fuel.

You will love it if you do it.

Originally Posted by Silver2kgtp

If it's not a DD and you are set up for it already then yes. Just in case make sure you get the Racetronix rewire kit.

You can always bring extra gas containers to fill up. After about 2 or 3 tank fulls then you'll be all E85. No more mix. I'm lucky. I have 3 stations by me.

Even though it burns faster it's cheaper then 93 and it's cheaper then race gas. Doesn't matter since it's not a DD.
It's like running 105 oct all the time. You will gain much ore power especially if you drop a pulley.

Just to give you an idea about the greatness of E85. My setup is different since I'm turbo'd but I ran an 11.53 before E85 and had some KR. Went to E85 with the right fueling mods and ran an 11.11 pretty much without tuning. Being that I'm more modded, I needed to buy an MSD fuel pump voltage booster since I was running out of fuel.

You will love it if you do it.

Thanks for the info.. I have the Casper require kit with a Racetronix pump, hi-flow fuel filter, and 60# injectors.. I think that is all I would need to run it besides a retune, no?

Yep and a smaller pulley!!!

Need to change the injector flow rate and tune. As I said tuning takes a while till all the 93 is out of tank.

Worst case is you might need to upgrade to 80 lb injectors. Might need to do that if you drop pulleys

Originally Posted by Silver2kgtp

Need to change the injector flow rate and tune. As I said tuning takes a while till all the 93 is out of tank.

Worst case is you might need to upgrade to 80 lb injectors. Might need to do that if you drop pulleys

My 60's should be fine.. I think they are actually 65's.. They're the seimen's ones. So would it be okay to drive around on E85 for a few tanks before getting tuned for it?

Your 60's will be perfect but no you cant drive around with e85 on a 93 tune. The a/f mix will be way too lean. What I did was talked to my pcm guy (Intense) and have him send me a ball park tune for e85 then got it dialed in on the dyno.

My 60s are nowhere near maxed with my 2.7" you should have plenty of fuel. If you don't have a tuner maybe look into getting a second PCM to have the e85 tune on so you can switch back and forth. I wouldn't want to have a car stuck on the e85 tune permenantly. It only takes me about 20 minutes to convert it. I DD on E85 all summer though unless I'm going out of state or something where the E85 is sketchy. The only time I went back to 93 all summer was my trip from MI to Ok. 1000 miles each way and I didn't feel like planning all my fuel stops out ahead of time and carrying spare fuel with me. When I drive it down to Norwalk around 300miles I leave it on E85 and I just fill up at home before I leave and in Norwalk before I come home.

Is it possible to buy E85 by the barrel?

I remember reading that 55gal drums were possible, just don't remember where?

I have all I need to do it(E85) but will wait till next year, just for ****z n giggles...
So if you're ready I would! : )