Anyone actually running FlexFuel
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New User
Joined: May 2018
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Anyone actually running FlexFuel
My 17 F150 is going back as a lemon. I am doing an exchange of collateral on a 17 F250 XLT 6.2 Gas. Is there any advantage of running flexfuel in it? How much worse is the mileage? E85 is about 80 cents a gallon cheaper here in San Diego. Does it work ok for towing? Any disadvantages? I know fuel economy is lowered due to the lower energy density of the E85. Thanks in advance for any advice.
Mountain Pass
Joined: Aug 2017
Posts: 162
Likes: 9
Run it! Great fuel! more power, smoother running, and cheaper. Only disadvantage is economy 10-20% less or if your truck will sit for long periods of time. If you run e85 full time maybe do 1 tank regular gas every couple/three months.
San diego has great availability on e85 now. I run it in my other truck.
San diego has great availability on e85 now. I run it in my other truck.
Logistics Pro
Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 3,541
Likes: 5
From: Weatherford Texas.
It may be cheaper per gallon but at 20% less mpg it is break even.
https://www.edmunds.com/fuel-economy...ison-test.html
https://www.edmunds.com/fuel-economy...ison-test.html
More Turbo
Joined: Apr 2011
Posts: 543
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From: Extreme NW Ohio
You get lower fuel mileage because of the lower BTU content of the e85, which means LESS power, that’s the way it works. The math didn’t work out here in our area, so my ‘12 always lived on a diet of 87 octane unleaded.
Fleet Mechanic
Joined: Dec 2012
Posts: 1,304
Likes: 93
My thoughts exactly... Plus it has been my understanding that E85 is harder/ more corrosive?? On the fuel system... So no real gain.. maybe even negative.. but not a scientist.. so can't prove it
Freshman User
Joined: Mar 2013
Posts: 25
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E85 has a higher latent heat of vaporization than regular petro. This results in denser charger thus creating more power. Add into the equation that E85 has more resistance to detonation/knock and you you can add in more timing and create even more power. The stock ECU tune wont do this for you so this point is moot without a tune. The point here is that the average car should pickup power on switching over to E85.
More Turbo
Joined: Apr 2011
Posts: 543
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From: Extreme NW Ohio
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Freshman User
Joined: Mar 2013
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This has been stated ad nauseam. The amount of dyno proven results that prove E85 has the ability to create more power is just as ad nuaseam.
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Fleet Mechanic
Joined: Jan 2015
Posts: 1,377
Likes: 294
From: SE Michigan
Flex fuel isn't a fuel. It's just a way to denote that a particular vehicle can run different mixtures of fuel. Common FFVs in the US run on gasoline or gasoline-ethanol blends of up to 85% (E85).
Fleet Mechanic
Joined: Jan 2015
Posts: 1,377
Likes: 294
From: SE Michigan
E85s lower MPG is due to it's lower energy content. The energy content of 1.0 US gallon of (pure) ethanol is 76,100 BTU, compared to 114,100 BTU for gasoline. 1.5 gallons of (pure) ethanol has the same energy content as 1.0 gallon of gasoline. If a mixture is 90% gasoline and 10% ethanol, the MPGs will be slightly lower.
Post Fiend
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 19,311
Likes: 97
From: Waterloo, Iowa
E85 needs a different timing curve, higher compression, and a much higher AFR, than gasoline. That's one reason it wasn't practical for street driven cars before the advent of computers and EFI, guys used to drill out the carburetor jets to 1/4" or whatever to make it run right.
It has a high octane and will make a crapton of power WAY more than gasoline (less BTU per gallon, that's true) but only if the engine is setup to utilize it effectively.
It has a high octane and will make a crapton of power WAY more than gasoline (less BTU per gallon, that's true) but only if the engine is setup to utilize it effectively.
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