I'm sorry that I kind of got on a tangent there. I've been researching this for about a year now, and every time I turn a corner there is someone telling me that ethanol is a bad fuel, and it simply isn't true. I've been running 100% ethanol in my 1980 monza drag car for 4 years now, and it's been great. The fuel burns slower to allow higher compression and timing, and has a pleasant, almost sweet smell to the exhaust.
Now, what I'm not saying is to run out and pump your non FFV truck full of ethanol and go tearing *** around the neighborhood. Even though the ram runs rich (11.5:1 is what I've heard too), it's not rich enough to account for the eth. Your truck will require around 20% more fuel with E85 than with unleaded, so be it bigger injectors, or a different computer, or a piggy back unit, you need to get the extra fuel somehow. All the research I've done has said that every vehicle produced after 1996 has FFV capable fuel systems. Its been an EPA mandate since then, so your fuel system should be fine. I'm adding a different fuel pump with metal internals, taking off the nylon sock in the tank, and adding an external fuel filter to mine just to be safe, but the plastic fuel tank, I've been told, is adequete for all fuels, up to and including 100% methanol.

 

Let me explain myself in another way.

Without a proper tune, ethanol mixed with gas will reduce power.

What is does do is allow for more timing and compression to make more power, but mixed with gas in a pcm controlled motor like our trucks, it loses power.

Ethanol also washes oil off of the cylinder walls.

Alky dragsters use heavier oil than we do for that reason.

Large outboard motors are now experiencing blown fuel pumps because of the ethanol blends being sold now.

On paper, ethanol and/or methanol have a higher octane rating than gas, but, if you don't take advantage of it by tuning and compression, you actually loose power.

Methanol is used to reduce detonation in many boosted hemis. Methanol has around the same octane rating as ethanol.

Don't get me wrong. In a properly tuned and built motor, the ethanol will produce more power than gas. But our trucks cannot be set up for it the way they are. They would have to get higher compression pistons, a method of tuning with or replace our pcms, etc., so that we could run more timing, etc.

And, I believe that we should, as a nation, move toward eth as our fuel to stop the dependancies on foreign oil.

 

I believe I can settle this debate with a simple solution.

Why not follow the owner's manual?

Now there's an idea!

H.H. ~certified smartass~

 

Thats the best answer I have ever read on this forum!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


E85 is a great product..I push it as much as I can.
But NEVER use it in a vehicle that isn't rated for it.
And if your vehicle IS rated for it, regular pump gas will work just fine!!

 

dodgedlr,

I suppose I've have the reputatuion of pushing this "Owner's Manual" thing to death but it still surprises me how many individuals never take the time to read it.

As I've said so many times, if everyone would read their owners manual from front to back just once, half the questions in this forum wouldn't be asked.

Just my 2 cents.

H.H.

 

Hey guys, the owner's manual is fine for stock vehicles.

I'm afraid that many our our trucks are no where near stock anymore, LOL!

 

Why not download and read the FFV 4.7V8 section of the official Dodge Ram Field Service Manual?

http://www.hemitruckclub.com/2006-DR.zip

 

http://www.theautochannel.com/link.h...ndID=ETHANOL85

 

Does it have a section on running 9lbs of boost and 39# injectors with an smt-6 tuner and 2 bar map sensor?