Flex Fuel / E85 vs Regular Unleaded Gasoline Comparison
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- čas přidán 12. 05. 2022
- E85 vs Regular Unleaded
#E85, #FlexFuel, #FFV, #RAM, #2019RAM, #BIOFUEL,
It is the first of May 2022, today Gas in California hit an all-time high of $5.95 per gallon, I have even seen gas as high as $6.50. 3 Months ago when gas started increasing like crazy I started looking at Flex Fuel. There were very few Flex Fuel/E85 videos that would help me. Most were videos on how to convert an existing car to run on E85. I want to know the advantages and disadvantages of using E85. This is my experience with E85 / Flex Fuel
What is FLEX FUEL
Flex fuel, or flexible fuel, is an alternative fuel made of a combination of gasoline and methanol or ethanol. Flex-fuel vehicles are those that have internal combustion engines designed to run on more than one type of fuel. Other than a few modifications to the engine and fuel system, says Kiplinger, flex-fuel vehicles are virtually identical to gasoline-only models.
This technology isn't new. It was first developed in the early 1990s and used in the mass-produced 1994 Ford Taurus, according to Car Bibles. By 2017, there were approximately 21 million flex-fuel vehicles on the road.
Flexible fuel vehicles (FFVs) have an internal combustion engine and are capable of operating on gasoline and any blend of gasoline and ethanol up to 83%. E85 (or flex fuel) is a gasoline-ethanol blend containing 51% to 83% ethanol, depending on geography and season.
FFVs are factory made and are capable of operating on gasoline and gasoline-ethanol blends, many vehicle owners don't realize their car is an FFV and that they have a choice of fuels to use.
Other than an ethanol-compatible fuel system and a different powertrain calibration, FFVs are similar to their conventional gasoline-only counterparts. While fuel economy (miles per gallon) is generally lower with increased levels of ethanol (engines are optimized for gasoline), many FFVs have improved acceleration performance when operating on higher ethanol blends.
What is E85
E85 is a fuel blend. A blend that holds ~85% ethanol and ~15% gasoline. Ethanol is basically a bio-fuel sine it’s obtained from biomass sources such as corn, grains, sugarcane and wheat and some others.
While Regular Fuel blends have an octane reading varying from 87-94, E85 have octane readings between 89 - 105.
Pro
Benefits
1. Cleaner for the Environment
Ethanol burns cleaner than gasoline, which means flex-fuel cars pump fewer toxic fumes into the environment. Flex fuel also contributes fewer greenhouse gases, making it a more environmentally friendly option than traditional gasoline.
2. Advanced Technology
Technological advances allow your car to adjust the way it's operating, including detecting the fuel blend and making any necessary adjustments. Modern flex-fuel cars can contain 10 to 85 percent ethanol. Thanks to the technology it's equipped with, your vehicle will determine the most efficient proportions.
3. Sustainably Produced
Many flex-fuel vehicles run on ethanol, which is sustainably produced from ingredients such as cane sugar and corn. This makes ethanol a good alternative to purchasing foreign oil.
4. Tax Benefits
Consumers who drive flex-fuel cars receive tax credits that can significantly reduce or even eliminate their tax obligation.
5. Improved Performance
While some might argue that using an alternative fuel source can negatively impact a vehicle's performance, in reality it can have the opposite effect. Flex-fuel vehicles don't experience a loss in performance when using E85 fuel. In fact, some even generate increased torque and horsepower.
Disadvantages
1. Sole Crop Use
Crops designed to be used for flex-fuel production can't be allocated to other sources. This could potentially drive up the price of animal feed. Corn is also susceptible to disease and weather conditions such as flooding and drought.
2. Gas Mileage
One of the main concerns about driving a flex-fuel car is its gas mileage. While ethanol does raise a vehicle's octane level, it contains less energy. In other words, it will take 1.5 times more to provide the same energy levels. So, yes, you will get fewer miles per gallon using ethanol. However, ethanol costs less than regular gasoline, so the savings should more than offset the mileage loss.
3. Scarcity of Fuel Stations
Because flex fuel isn't as economical as gasoline, gas stations are less likely to carry it. The benefit of a modern flex-fuel vehicle, though, is that you can use any combination of gasoline and ethanol, whether it's 100 percent unleaded gas or 85 percent ethanol. Your vehicle's sensors will detect the blend and make the necessary changes.
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I was surprised to learn E85 is actually good for your flex fuel engine as it cleans up deposits. That is pretty cool side effect.
It's suppose to be cleaner and cooler burning. But you end up using 30% more "fuel" to maintain the "ideal" air to fuel ratio. That's why the MPG drops. One of the downsides to E85 is that it'll attract more moisture than E10 fuels so you don't want it to sit around in your tank very long - and you don't want to make short trips either. If you live in colder climates, vehicles with E85 should have electronics to help with cold starting or you should have a block heater or switch to E10/E15 fuels in the winter. JMO.
perfect description of using E85. I run all the time in my Chevy Tahoe 5.3L. Trying to see about using in my boat but additional challenges there with not using all the time. Engine runs about 80 degrees cooler in the cylinders as E85 has a great cooling effect also. 87 Octane is $3.50 gallon and my E85 I pay $2.25 per gallon so even with the 25% drop in fuel economy, way ahead of the game. Bought the Tahoe from my Brother at 100K and he was afraid to run E85. At 230K now with 0 issues and runs like a beast compared to the 87 octane.
Very helpful! Thanks for all the details 🙏🏼
Thanks for doing the math!! Exactly the breakdown I needed!!
Thanks for being so thorough
Good stuff thank you for posting the video I have a 2019 jeep grand Cherokee and I definitely noticed the power different the gas seems to be right now at about 2 miles a mile and a half difference between regular and E 85
Thank you so much for this information is very helpful! I thank you for posting it when you did. I'm currently looking to buy a new Vehicle And I was wondering about flex fuel . Well thank goodness for your information because now I'm going to 100% purchase a flex fuel vehicle tomorrow!
Thank you Sir for this information!
Thanks for the explanation I just got a 2017 Ram 1500 Flex Fuel I forgot to ask the dealership about it
Very well done !
Great video
My car is turbocharged, and only takes high octane, and e85 has a very high octane rating, usually above 98, so for me e85 is much more affordable than the alternative. I modified my car to run on ethanol, meaning I had to change the fuel pump, injectors, and tune the ECU, but now I make more horsepower and spend less at the pump. For this reason E85 is actually very popular with modified performance cars.
I hear E85 has 105 octane. Some pumps down south show it. Not up here. I hear E30 has 94 octane.
Thanks Jeff very helpful towing use gas
Thank you for the simple experience presentation.
I'm glad you made the point of the "break even" point. In my area in Texas currently, regular unleaded is about $4.50-$5
I paid $3.73 last e85 fill-up.
My fuel economy dropped almost 25%. I probably will go back to regular unleaded and put in a tank of e85 maybe once a month for a good continued engine carbon cleaning I figure.
I definitely noticed the acceleration but I'm not racing my Sierra work truck 😎
Thanxs Here is California prices are crazy... I have seen it at $7.00... Yesterday I paid $3.89... I will pay $3.89 all day compared to $7
I paid 3.19 today first time pumping e85 filled up 21 gallons with 67 dollars. That felt amazing. @jeffgeorgerealestate
Great video!!! I have a 2010 ford f150 and I use it to commute to work round trip 50+ miles. So this $2 a gallon price difference should save a few bucks every week…. Unless my mpg takes a total dive. Thanks for the great video and insight. Much appreciated
Last year I took a trip in my little Prius of 800 miles one way and back. Getting there it got 55 mpg on unleaded only. Coming back on E85 it got 33 mpg. That told me alot. And it was the same road and same speed at 73 mph.
Were you going up/down in elevation?
About 4000 ft. change. But at 800 miles that's negligible. @@pingpong9656
I love it in my focus get 28mpg mixed. It's absolutely worth it, and I swear if your engine is running correctly, it will keep it cleaner than gasoline.
What i noticed after running it for 6 months straight was it was hard to start on cold starts it would turning over, then up north i had to run unleaded 2 full tanks and it went away.
So here in Houston gas is 2.80 and e85 2.69 I'd actually be paying more in fuel costs by running e85.
My truck doesn't have have any flexfuel badge but the gas capless is yellow n says E85
Thanks alot for your assessment of the e85, I just put an engine in my vehicle so trying to see do I want to go with e85 since my vehicle is flex fuel or regular gas as I want to do what would be best for the vehicle engines new life. Would u say the engine heads would be cleaner runing e85?
I’ve almost never had it be economically viable E85 is only about 70% as efficient so unless your gas is 30% more expensive don’t buy E85
Pretty close, it is more that E85 just has less energy than E0. Gasoline BTU value is around 114,000BTU/gal, E85 is around 81,800BTU/gal, or about 72% of the available energy of regular gasoline. Now his numbers indicate he got a bit better fuel economy than the math would say, getting 16mpg when he really should have gotten about 14.4. I suspect this is down to increased engine efficiency from changing valve timing to get more compression on E85 (due to higher octane).
My flex fuel vehicle started up without issue in 27* Fahrenheit/83% ethanol (tested)
When you said $28 per mile i was like DUDE WHAT!? Then i realized it was just a mistake and had to laugh a little bit
I pumped today e85 for the first time on the truck I bought and gas was 6 and e85 was 3.19. Filled up 21 gallons with 67$. Is saved about $66 in the first pump. Ima keep an eye on the milage.
On my flex fuel truck, my manual states not to use E-85 when pulling a trailer. This may be why your vehicle didn’t fair well while pulling a trailer and burning E-85.
I did a few more tests using E85 while pulling the trailer. It was not as bad as my first experience but as expected it was worse MPG. I really need to use UNL to get as many miles as possible while pulling to make it all the way to the River on 1 tank. Gas is much cheaper in AZ and NV. Thanxs for the comment.
Funny my 69 Buick recommend high ethanol fuel for heavy hauling because it runs so much cooler. Just got back from Panama, where they run 50s GMC busses on e85, and on the long hills, they flew by our Marcopole diesel bus.
@Jeff George Real Estate that is because new vehicles adjust the timing over a few thousand KM to suit the fuel you are running. If you hauled with e85 for at least 2 000 KM it would tune your engine to run properly!
Ethanol doesn’t cause cancer like aromatics found in "pure" gasoline. Ethanol also gives my turbo more power.
I can vouch for the numbers cited in the video. I have a 2011 Ford F-150 5.0 factory FFV and converted my 2014 Dodge Charger 3.6 with the flex fuel kit from eFlexFuel. My mpg on the truck is 15.5 on regular and 12 on E85, while the Charger got 20 on regular and 16 on E85. Based on those numbers, e85 gets 20-25% less mpg. Therefore, the price difference between e85 and gasoline should be 20-25% or higher. However, comparing e85 to regular isn’t fair based on the octane rating. A more equitable comparison would be e85 and premium (91 octane). I’m currently in LA and premium gas went as high as $6.19 while e85 was $3.49, a 44% difference and thus running e85 is saving you money. Gas went down a bit but it seems gas has higher fluctuations than e85. Pearson Fuels is the leading e85 wholesaler in CA only for the time being and their app gives a high selection of e85 stations, current and future.
Excellent comment, I agree I am here in So Cal as well. I agree I should have used 91 octane for the comparison. There is a station here in Temecula charging $7.19 for 91. Then just down the street E85 at $3.49. I love my Flex Fuel Truck...
I just got a 2014 and I wanted to know if I could jump between regular unleaded and flexfuel
Octane levels. Wondering about below zero starting too. My 2011 jeep has no FF badge or yellow cap. It was really confusing.
So glad I left California when I did. What a silly place it has become.
Remember to NOT vote for the same commie type of people in your new state 👍
Я также стал использовать е85, когда узнал, что моя машина это может. Мне пока нравится
There is less energy in E85 than in conventional unleaded fuel. That is why E85 delivers poor mpg.
Just switched to e85. 2018 Dodge Grand Caravan FlexFuel / Northern California
I checked my mpg before filling up I was at 18-19 mpg. 87 // Now at 11-12 mpg. With e85.
Power Market station
E85 $3.99
87 unleaded $5.99
I didn’t even full tank it. $40 e85 is almost full.
From “low fuel” fuel light on range “-5mi”
With 87 it would be triple the price to full tank.
Still going through the switch day 2 today.
If the price of fuel is about a dollar difference or more then e85 is saving money! Even if we have to fill up more than with unleaded.
It’s helpful if the gas station with e85 is in the neighborhood.
I have similar vehicle but use 87 did you change anything in your tank when switching to e85? Also after 3 months how's it holding thanks.
Gas mileage should drop when towing a boat regardless of whether you use E85 or any other fuel. Anyway, I installed a flexfuel kit in my 2002 Mustang GT a couple days ago. I had to wait until "purging" the E10 fuel before trying E85. I added half a tank of E85 to the half tank of E10 this morning. That resulted in 44% ethanol according to my app (bluetooth connection to the control unit). So far no problems. I'll know in 2 or 3 days what the gas mileage will be and although gas prices vary I should get a somewhat accurate calculation of cost per mile and compare that to the E10 data. I did this conversion because I plan to install a supercharger on my Mustang.
My cut off is when E85 is 2 dollars cheaper than 87 gasoline…..
CAN YOU USE ONLY REGUALAR GAS INSTEAD OF FLEX FUEL ??
Their is far less energy in e85 so you really need a special tune to get the performance out of it
Ethanol gets less mpg because it has a lower energy level per unit.. You engine makes more power because you can burn more of it in a given amount of air.. i.e. You can run it richer.. It has a much Hither Octane rating.. Thus in order to take full advantage of the high octane rating.. You need a higher compression ratio and more advance spark timing then you can up your MPG and power even more .
I would assume the tables in a flexfuel ECM would advance the spark timing for more Ethanol in the fuel tank .
A Turbo car loves E85.
Add +30% on your consupmtion
It's not cheaper here in central Florida. No reason at all to use it.
I have used E85 in my 2012 Ford F150 3.7 V6 and it does not make any sense because of the worst gas mileage and a big pick up truck. I don’t think it needs flex fuel. You’re kind of screwing yourself by using it.
Could I make my own e85
If you can make ethanol, and mix it with gas, then yes you can.
And i run Suncor fuel they make their ethanol from natural gas and CO2 not corn!
"Truck"? I use a high performance car. Built in Sweden.
bad for your transmission
In that "piece of shit car" that your using, I have a 2,0 estate, 223 BHP.
A Saab!