03 4.7 question
Record Breaker
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 2,451
Likes: 0
From: CA
e85 is a joke and a total failure...sure it costs half as much as long as gas is $3+ a gallon but you get half the mileage. Not only that but it impacts our food prices from all the damn corn that is consumed making e85...pisses me off.
You need a flex fuel to run e85 but most gas has a little ethanol in it...I dunno if they sell a kit to convert to flex.
You need a flex fuel to run e85 but most gas has a little ethanol in it...I dunno if they sell a kit to convert to flex.
Last edited by SeVeReDiStOrTiOn; Jun 21, 2009 at 12:16 PM.
Veteran
Joined: Nov 2008
Posts: 452
Likes: 0
From: Atlanta
ive run it before quite a few times in mine. and i love thhe power and sound you get from it. they say you can get another 10% or hoursepower. while i dont believe that...you can still feel some extra power. and its really really cheep!!! but i get 11 mpg when i use it. not 14 like normal. but....i still think its a good thing to have. like when gas was 4 bucks in atlanta and there was a gas crisis and no body had gas for a week....it came in super handy because i was the only one in my neighborhood that could drive!!
Administrator
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 24,686
Likes: 21
From: South Georgia/East Florida
Sure there are kits out there:
http://www.etechmn.com/?gclid=CMy89v...FRkWswodfS--ow
http://www.change2e85.com/servlet/StoreFront
As far as getting worse gas mileage, this is correct.
There are some stories floating around about 50% reduction in mileage or twice as much ethanol is needed. Some of the automakers who introduced Flex vehicles did a terrible job with the fuel management systems that mileage did decrease as much as 50%. After some trial and error, the automakers have significantly improved their Flex systems and mileage conservation is within reasonable losses such as 5-15%. Conversion Kits like the Full Flex have been around for over 20 years. Realistic losses from conversion kits will average in the 15-25% range.
As for more power from E85, this is true.
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. Ethanol has a lower ignition temperature so the engine overall will run cooler increasing power. It also burns slower so instead of just burning out in one violent explosion forcing the piston down, it continues to burn the entire length of the piston stroke expanding gases more evenly and smoothly. So running E85 will give any engine more power over any pump gas as it has an octane rating of 105.
Oh yeah, and DO NOT attempt to run E85 in an engine not designed for Flex Fuel, unless you've done a conversion. Some dealers are spreading rumors and charging $300-$3000 for one tank of accidental E85 use. As a rule, one tank won't do any permanent damage, although it will most assuredly cause misfiring and a rough ride. Your check engine light will probably also come on. If you should accidentally or on purpose put E85 in your vehicle, drain the tank, put in regular gas and all should be well. If you use E85 without a conversion kit or non-Flex Fuel capable vehicle for an extended period, you WILL do damage to your engine.
http://www.etechmn.com/?gclid=CMy89v...FRkWswodfS--ow
http://www.change2e85.com/servlet/StoreFront
As far as getting worse gas mileage, this is correct.
There are some stories floating around about 50% reduction in mileage or twice as much ethanol is needed. Some of the automakers who introduced Flex vehicles did a terrible job with the fuel management systems that mileage did decrease as much as 50%. After some trial and error, the automakers have significantly improved their Flex systems and mileage conservation is within reasonable losses such as 5-15%. Conversion Kits like the Full Flex have been around for over 20 years. Realistic losses from conversion kits will average in the 15-25% range.
As for more power from E85, this is true.
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. Ethanol has a lower ignition temperature so the engine overall will run cooler increasing power. It also burns slower so instead of just burning out in one violent explosion forcing the piston down, it continues to burn the entire length of the piston stroke expanding gases more evenly and smoothly. So running E85 will give any engine more power over any pump gas as it has an octane rating of 105.
Oh yeah, and DO NOT attempt to run E85 in an engine not designed for Flex Fuel, unless you've done a conversion. Some dealers are spreading rumors and charging $300-$3000 for one tank of accidental E85 use. As a rule, one tank won't do any permanent damage, although it will most assuredly cause misfiring and a rough ride. Your check engine light will probably also come on. If you should accidentally or on purpose put E85 in your vehicle, drain the tank, put in regular gas and all should be well. If you use E85 without a conversion kit or non-Flex Fuel capable vehicle for an extended period, you WILL do damage to your engine.
Last edited by HammerZ71; Jun 21, 2009 at 02:35 PM.
Record Breaker
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 1,524
Likes: 0
From: REDNECK, USA
Sure there are kits out there:
http://www.etechmn.com/?gclid=CMy89v...FRkWswodfS--ow
http://www.change2e85.com/servlet/StoreFront
As far as getting worse gas mileage, this is correct.
There are some stories floating around about 50% reduction in mileage or twice as much ethanol is needed. Some of the automakers who introduced Flex vehicles did a terrible job with the fuel management systems that mileage did decrease as much as 50%. After some trial and error, the automakers have significantly improved their Flex systems and mileage conservation is within reasonable losses such as 5-15%. Conversion Kits like the Full Flex have been around for over 20 years. Realistic losses from conversion kits will average in the 15-25% range.
As for more power from E85, this is true.
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. Ethanol has a lower ignition temperature so the engine overall will run cooler increasing power. It also burns slower so instead of just burning out in one violent explosion forcing the piston down, it continues to burn the entire length of the piston stroke expanding gases more evenly and smoothly. So running E85 will give any engine more power over any pump gas as it has an octane rating of 105.
Oh yeah, and DO NOT attempt to run E85 in an engine not designed for Flex Fuel, unless you've done a conversion. Some dealers are spreading rumors and charging $300-$3000 for one tank of accidental E85 use. As a rule, one tank won't do any permanent damage, although it will most assuredly cause misfiring and a rough ride. Your check engine light will probably also come on. If you should accidentally or on purpose put E85 in your vehicle, drain the tank, put in regular gas and all should be well. If you use E85 without a conversion kit or non-Flex Fuel capable vehicle for an extended period, you WILL do damage to your engine.
http://www.etechmn.com/?gclid=CMy89v...FRkWswodfS--ow
http://www.change2e85.com/servlet/StoreFront
As far as getting worse gas mileage, this is correct.
There are some stories floating around about 50% reduction in mileage or twice as much ethanol is needed. Some of the automakers who introduced Flex vehicles did a terrible job with the fuel management systems that mileage did decrease as much as 50%. After some trial and error, the automakers have significantly improved their Flex systems and mileage conservation is within reasonable losses such as 5-15%. Conversion Kits like the Full Flex have been around for over 20 years. Realistic losses from conversion kits will average in the 15-25% range.
As for more power from E85, this is true.
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. Ethanol has a lower ignition temperature so the engine overall will run cooler increasing power. It also burns slower so instead of just burning out in one violent explosion forcing the piston down, it continues to burn the entire length of the piston stroke expanding gases more evenly and smoothly. So running E85 will give any engine more power over any pump gas as it has an octane rating of 105.
Oh yeah, and DO NOT attempt to run E85 in an engine not designed for Flex Fuel, unless you've done a conversion. Some dealers are spreading rumors and charging $300-$3000 for one tank of accidental E85 use. As a rule, one tank won't do any permanent damage, although it will most assuredly cause misfiring and a rough ride. Your check engine light will probably also come on. If you should accidentally or on purpose put E85 in your vehicle, drain the tank, put in regular gas and all should be well. If you use E85 without a conversion kit or non-Flex Fuel capable vehicle for an extended period, you WILL do damage to your engine.
