E85 fuel system

[Punisher88]

back in the beginning of all this ----I purchased 99% ethanol from a fuel distributor and mixed in 110 leaded race gas to create 85% ethanolit was absolutely the worst accelerating mixture that I had ever seenwith some research we found that ethanol alone is a slow burning fuel and difficult to get a good burn ratewhen gas is introduced to it the gasoline acts as the igniter for the ethanolhigh octane (race gas) also has a slow burn rate ----so we attributed our failure of a "special" blend to having 2 slow burning fuels in a low compression engine.we have used this theory for nearly 13 years now and have had no reason to believe different.think about this---northern states go to a winter blend during cold months which is about 70%this is because the flex fuel cars will not start on 85% in cold weatherhere is another example---just about every time I have a customer call and say they are sluggish on restarts we ask what the content is and they usually have a content around 90%when we have them bring it down (with cheap pump gas) to 85% the response immediately comes back our theory has been that the low octane gasoline is what gets the ethanol to accelerate----we honestly only tested 1 time with high octane gas and formed an opinion ---maybe we should revisit the conceptBradwww.race-1.com

I'm running mine in a 525 and nlms spec head motor so that could be the reason I'm not having any issues.

[fastford]

back in the beginning of all this ----I purchased 99% ethanol from a fuel distributor and mixed in 110 leaded race gas to create 85% ethanol
it was absolutely the worst accelerating mixture that I had ever seen

with some research we found that ethanol alone is a slow burning fuel and difficult to get a good burn rate
when gas is introduced to it the gasoline acts as the igniter for the ethanol

high octane (race gas) also has a slow burn rate ----so we attributed our failure of a "special" blend to having 2 slow burning fuels in a low compression engine.

we have used this theory for nearly 13 years now and have had no reason to believe different.

think about this---
northern states go to a winter blend during cold months which is about 70%
this is because the flex fuel cars will not start on 85% in cold weather

here is another example---
just about every time I have a customer call and say they are sluggish on restarts we ask what the content is and they usually have a content around 90%
when we have them bring it down (with cheap pump gas) to 85% the response immediately comes back

our theory has been that the low octane gasoline is what gets the ethanol to accelerate----
we honestly only tested 1 time with high octane gas and formed an opinion ---maybe we should revisit the concept

Brad
www.race-1.com

Good information Brad , i have often wandered about blending my own with high octane race fuel and if it would be better , but high octane race fuel is slow burn and what you say makes since to me......

[RW57]

I use pump e85 last Fast Ford said take your checker the one time I didn't get some that the delivery man put gas in e85 tank .I put marvel mystery oil in tank for lubrication. When I had valve guide go bad and had heads fixed i asked my machinist to looks very thing over to see if he noticed any abnormal wear he said it looked good I've been on it now for 4 yrs and love it. Made a big difference in my engine.It's a 1500 grenade in a hobby car and regularly pulls 8 to 10 grand motors down the straights.

[stockcar5]

Im surprised a race version of e85 from Sunoco costs the same as regular e85. I pay 1.65 a gallon for e85. Doubt Sunoco is that cheap.

[brad hibbard]

I believe there are a few reasons why race grades of e85 are popular amongst some folks.

in the northern states we have winter blend during the colder months ---which makes it difficult to access a "good pump" blend until late spring or even early summer

another reason is the low volume that some stations sell of e85
most fuel storage tanks are in the ground and vented to the atmosphere
when anything sits idle in the ground for a length of time it will naturally gain moisture
anyone who has tested e85 knows what water and ethanol do when they get together
finding a station that moves a substantial amount of E85 is important
this requires a little research but is not all that hard
we are fortunate in my area that we have a local station that receives two 1000 gal loads per week
I would consider that fresh and we have had no issues with the fuel from this source

another reason is a false sense of security----some believe that if they purchase "race grade" E85 that the content is correct and the blend is permanent
this is not always the case and any stored E85 should be agitated (mixed) before testing and use

I enjoy E85 discussions----it is a great fuel but requires some effort
sometimes it gets a bad reputation but its usually from incorrect components or lack of proper fuel research

Brad

https://www.race-1.com

[racinsparky]

Make sure your fuel filter is not paper. The e-85 will eat it up.

[dirtslinger71]

How about timing and heat range on plugs from gas? Does that change?

[brad hibbard]

typically timing on e85 is on the high side (35-36)
HOWEVER---stay conservative if dyno testing is not available
several factors go into a total timing number
altitude
fuel curve (based on carb and fuel pressure)
exhaust system
actual "ethanol" content
and always ---is your balancer marked correctly

34 is safe in most cases

we run the same plugs for gas --E85 and alky

great tip from racinsparky on the filter

Brad

https://www.race-1.com