gas vs E-85
Posting Guru
Joined: Sep 2006
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Um no. That is not true. There is no reason to go and try to run your truck on E85. I had to do a research project on E-85 for college this year and I learned alot of information about it. You get worse fuel efficiency with E-85. The faster you go, the worse fuel economy you will get. E-85 has to be atleast 55 cents cheaper than gasoline inorder for it to be worth you while. Also, there is research done by NASA and a Yale Professor that attributes E-85 to an increase in birth defects and an increase in breathing difficulties such as asthma.
Posting Guru
Joined: Jun 2004
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From: Niceville, FL.
It is my understanding that E85 rapidly deteriorates rubber/synthetic rubber components that are not designed for it. Also, in most cases I think you have to increase carburetor main jet sizes to maintain the proper air/fuel ratio. I can't see how ethanol derived from corn will ever be economically feasible without government subsidies. My understanding is that it takes more total energy to produce a gallon of corn ethanol than the gallon of ethanol itself contains.
Post Fiend
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 9,176
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From: Western Central NV
Originally Posted by Redneck1465
Um no. That is not true. There is no reason to go and try to run your truck on E85. I had to do a research project on E-85 for college this year and I learned alot of information about it. You get worse fuel efficiency with E-85. The faster you go, the worse fuel economy you will get. E-85 has to be atleast 55 cents cheaper than gasoline inorder for it to be worth you while. Also, there is research done by NASA and a Yale Professor that attributes E-85 to an increase in birth defects and an increase in breathing difficulties such as asthma.
Basically E85 is ALCOHOL. With alcohol you need much more to get the horsepower of gasoline. If you go to Jegs.com and look at carb jets you will see that the jets for alcohol are twice the size of jets for gasoline. I only thing I have ever seen alcohol eat up on a fuel system, is moisture, or mix with it to burn it. When I lived in Northern Nevada in the winter I would add a pint of rubbing alcohol to my gas every so often to help keep moisture from building up in the fuel system. Because at -20 below zero with highs in the 20s any moisture seems to freeze, & ice kind of restricts gas flow in a fuel system.
Moderator
Joined: Nov 2007
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From: Denver Metro Area, CO
Originally Posted by Redneck1465
Um no. That is not true. ... Also, there is research done by NASA and a Yale Professor that attributes E-85 to an increase in birth defects and an increase in breathing difficulties such as asthma.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/18/AR2007041800617.html
http://www.stanford.edu/group/efmh/jacobson/E85PaperEST0207.pdf
http://atoc.colorado.edu/~seand/headinacloud/?p=124
-chris
colorado, usa (where ozone is already an issue)
