So I was thinking about my old 06 5.4 today, and I was wondering if anyone could actually tell the difference between E85 and regular gasoline? You would think 10 HP, and 30 TQ would be a pretty big difference, but I never really read anything about the E85 difference.

 

If your butt dyno isn't properly calibrated and working very well, then probably not. After all, it is a 2-1/2 ton truck and I think the HP and TQ numbers are at the crank, not the RW.

However, your wallet dyno (MPG) will feel the difference...

 

Well I added exhaust to my 06, and my butt dyno could feel it(it would chirp the tires going into second), and it probably didn't add as much power as the E85 is supposed to.

 

never noticed it with the butt dyno...and the wallet dyno did notice the difference.

it's actually more expensive 75% of the time to run E-85 since you get such crappy mpg's with it.

 

yes, overtime its way more expensive. i think my truck actually runs better on regular gas. i ran 2 tanks of e85 through it and didnt like it.

 

not even really "over time". if you crunch the #'s, you'll see that E-85 starts costing the same if not more money after 2-3 tanks of it. the loss of MPG's seriously undermines the "savings" benefits it has from that lower price at the pump

nevermind the maintenance costs associated with its useage.

 

sorry, I didn't realize I had slightly de-railed this thread.

part of the reason you don't see any immediate gains is because of the way the FFV system works.

the gas tank has a sensor that determines what the ethanol content is. this tells the PCM which fuel strategy to use. And since most of the gas tanks are 27+ gallons, you pretty much need to run the tank to empty, fill it with E_85 and then run it empty again to ensure you are running a concentration of E-85 that will shift the PCM fuel maps over.

By the time the sensor determines you are running exclusively E-85, it's been a while. Your butt dyno probably isn't that sensitive at that point. We are talking 6+ hours on a long drive...or several days for normal driving.



You can see the difference on a Dyno...but 10 HP and 30 TQ on a 5,000 lbs or heavier truck is insignificant IMO

 

Leave it up to a "Bubble Head!"

 

Can E85 hurt an older truck? As it has been stated it burns hotter then gas (I don't know one way or the other). I have found that in my truck, I lose MPGs with E85 and the power is about the same. But around here the gas stations keep E85 at the same price as regular gas, so why use it. I read an article that figured it took more fuel to produce E85. I would like to see a F-150 with a smaller diesel engine with out all the EPA crap (good MPGs & power). Chris

 

I know with BioDiesel, it's the older truck's plumbing that is the main issue with not being able to handle biodiesel over a certain %. If you have an older truck that doesn't have a sensor in order for the truck to know that you are running E85 in great amounts, I would get a tune for that if your truck is new enough that it has a lot of computer controls on it. Not having the fueling tables for it in the stock truck's programming, probably has some baring on the loss of mpg. I don't know how much you can re-gain with a tune, if it all, but it might help.


I've read it both ways. It just depends on what agenda the writer is pushing.

Unfortunately, that's not going to happen on any new vehicle. You might sometime see a 4 cylinder diesel in a 150, but it will have EPA stuff on it. Unless there is just some technology advancement that negats the "need" for it.

 

E85 should not be used in a vehicle not designed for it's use. E85 is much more corrosive than gasoline. If a vehicle is not built to withstand the extra corrosion, you will eventually have fuel system problems, leaks, failures, etc.
Ethanol is added to regular gas sometimes to thin it out or help it absorb water (some say that cheaper gas sometimes is diluted with ethanol and water). This makes you get worse mileage but has been shown to not really hurt an older vehicle.
The only reason I will ever run E85 is to periodically clean out my valves. That is of course, unless the price drops enough to make it worth the diminished mileage.

 

In a vehicle that is not made for it, E85 can have drastic consequences.
The reason is because each molecule of e-85 has less combustable material in it, than regular gas. Having said that, you can gain an octane advantage with E-85, but it takes more of it. I think the reason is that it lights up quicker when ignited.

The issue arises when you try and run it on a non e85 engine. Not only is it more corrosive, but it will make you truck run in a very lean condition. This can cause burnt pistons and valves and excessive heat in the combustioin chamber.

Engines that are designed for this have larger fuel injectors to increase flow when the tank sensors tell the ECM that it has the E85 in there.

I know there are many drag racers that are using it because it is 105 octane. They just jet their carbs way fatter than normal and they get great performance with a much cheaper price.

One of the things the ECM does when it is told that there is E85 in there is to start bumping the timing up until knock is detected, then back it off a bit. Since it is higher octane, you get a timing boost as well as increased flow rate. That is where the increase power comes from.

I have a Silverado at the moment until my new 150 shows up, and it definately runs better on e85. You can tell it. It drops about 3 mpg, but is a lot more fun to drive.
I figure that E85 needs to be roughly 40cents/gal cheaper than gas to cost out. If it is not that, then I generally don't use it.