What MPG are you getting while using straight E-85?

Our 2005 Explorer, 4.0 v6, 35,000, no mods was getting 16.5 mpg last summer and fall using regular 87 octane gas. For the last 2 months I have run straight E-85 and now I'm getting 13.6 mpg. I am going by what the computer says.

I am switching back to reg. 87 because if it goes any lower, the extra fuel cost will offset the 55 cent difference in the price per gal.

I knew I would be getting lower mpg but did not know how much. I have not noticed a power decrease with the type of driving I do.

Thanks for your input.

If this topic has been covered before I'm sorry for bringing it back up. I did a search for E-85 ethanol in this forum and didn't find anything.

 

From what I hear from most, you get low gas mileage, but heck you get great emissions. Thats great. I can breathe easier as I have to work more, to pay for gas.

In retrospect, my fiancee's dad has a 97 Dodge Ram 1500, with the 5.9 v8, that makes 14mpg, all stock.

And don't go by the computer, hand cacluate, its more accurate.

 

e85 is not as good a fuel and it takes more to give the same power of regular.

i do not think you are supposed to use it unless your vehicle is a varifuel vehicle.

 

Check out this LINK to see if your engine is E85 compatable.

 

Poor mileage is understandable with E85. I have a 1997 MM 5.0L (not E85 compatible) and it gets terrible mileage if I use regular with just 15 percent ethanol.

 

Yes, mine is E-85 compatible. It even says in the owners manual that mileage and power will be lower. I filled up Monday evening with regular 87, there was just under 1/4 tank of e-85 left. This morning the computer mpg went from 13.6 to 13.8. I may start doing a 50/50 mix. Fill up 1 time with regular 87 and fill up the next time with e-85 and see what that does. According to the manual this should not cause any problems.
I know the computer is not 100% accurate, but it is pretty close over a long time frame. I have hand calculated an average over a 3300 mi range and got what the computer said during that same time.
Correction to my original post, the mileage on my Explorer is 24,000. That really doesn't have an impact on this thread though.

 

dont do that. keep consistant. every time your computer has to adjust you will make horrible efficiency until it figures it out. my truck would do 17 with reg and 12 with e85, second tank was like 13 and third was 13.5

Matt

 

my dads car did the same- from the first tank of e85 to now he has increase over 4mpg, he never went back to gas in the process.

 

I have a 2000 Mazda B3000 (identical to the Ranger).. 3.0 flex fuel.

I actually get a power INCREASE when running E85. Yes... per volume E85 has less energy than the same amount of gasoline, BUT when using it more gets injected into the engine, hence the lower fuel economy.

You also get less emissions, higher octane, and more support for the american farmers, rather than middle east countries (not to turn this into a political discussion).

Personally my truck runs MUCH better on E85.. it just absolutely loves the stuff. It probably costs more to run E85, as it's only about 20-25 cents cheaper here than unleaded. Also there is only one place to get it here, and it's just a tad out of the way, so for those reasons alone I don't get it very often.. but if I happen to be driving by and am somewhat low on fuel, I'll stop in and fill it up.

I get 22-24MPG with unleaded... 18-20MPG with E85. If it were more convenient for me to get E85 all the time I would do so, even though it is a bit more expensive in the long run. I've also noticed that aggressive driving impacts E85 mileage much more than unleaded, so if you stay off the throttle you'll notice less of a difference in MPG than if you have a lead foot. Also plan on running a few tankfuls before you draw conclusions on the MPG hit. Also, the computer is dead-on accurate.. it just takes awhile for the average calculations to work their way to accuracy, especially after a drastic change, such as a repair or different fuel. Kind of like baseball batting averages... they swerve drastically at the beginning of the season, and towards the end hardly change at all.

You just have to weigh out all the factors on your own and make the decision as to which fuel to use yourself. Weigh in performance, cost, convenience, and political views and go from there.

 

Also- second the INCREASE in power on e85- dad's car does the same IMO.