Thread: IS 85% ETHANOL OK ??

No.
Correct me if i am wrong but Ethanol eats rubber! If the seals or hoses are not suitable for ethanol DONT DO IT! At best you will have a fuel leak. At worst a fuel fire. As a once off it wont hurt to splash and dash. Once you see the mess it makes you wont use it either. hoses fail, seals leak. Just think of ALL the seals and rubber based hoses used in your cars fuel system. Fuel filler seal,fuel pump seal fuel supply to and return from ENGINE hoses and connections. Dont forget the supply side to the engine is high pressure! If you have a carby on your old banger you will have to think about the diaphragm in the manual lift pump if you dont have an electric unit. All places for the fuel to **** out and catch fire. I dont think its worth the saving. By a diesel instead.
My 2c
cheers
Todd

I've used the E10 in various cars and the Lady Sarah, not sure either way, and for the Rangie I buy the cheeeepest 'cos it drinks so much. E10 or not

But 85% ? Nope. Not unless it was a new car and had iron-clad guarantees that it was designed for E85, not merely compatible.
- And this is coming from someone who used to make BioDiesel of all qualities and has been known to use the most fowl (spelling intended) oily-greasy waste fat in his test-beds/Daily Driver. Yet too chicken to risk E85 in anyone's older car, not even mine.

Supercars are purpose-built things, using the most suitable components to finish and win their races... they're not 'real' cars, just vehicles to advertise sponsers - who have bottomless pockets and can afford whatever is required.

See previous post !

I think Commodores are the only E85 certified cars in OZ>

E85 has a much lower energy density than petrol so needs bigger injectors etc etc . AFAIK and I am not very interested as I don't live in Brazil, the ECU has a sensor which tells it if E85 is being used and adjusts the parameters.

So no it is no good for D1s as regardless of alcohol eating rubber etc, the car probably would not run as it would be impossibly lean.

Regards Philip A

Check your handbook for compatibility.

It's not recommended for boats, lawnmowers etc because it's hydroscopic - absorbs water. Anything that sits around might get a water buildup. Pretty easy to flush out by regular use, alternating with ordinary fuel.

Boats, well smaller boats anyway, have the extra problem of using portable tanks, jerry cans etc. You might get water in one of them that hasn't been used for a while.

Regards
Max P

Even if you could use it you would need to check the cost per litre verses 95 RON or 98 RON... remember that Ethanol based fuels require a considerable amount more volume to generate the equivalent power, sometimes it is not viable.

E85 has been advailable in Nowra long before it was trendy in government circles and with the greens because a lot of the stuff is made here.
I tried It once.....don't worry about it unless.......
1/vehicle is designed from the factory to use E85
2/vehicle has approved E85 conversion kit fitted.

Hydroscopic as said, lack of economy, must be designed (hose/seal system) for it and must be tuned for it. Ran it in the supra and found it was on par for Shell Optimax for power but was far less economic (if that was possible, Opti 28L/100 v E85 36L/100). ELF 114 was the **** but at $8-/L and same economy as Opti but 20HP more. And buying 600 to 800 L for a track day made it expensive.

Even silicon I found was softened by it. Ended up using stainless braid/teflon lined bling stuff. Tuning was an issue too, convincing systems to deliver volumes outside default limits.

Originally Posted by PhilipA

I think Commodores are the only E85 certified cars in OZ>

E85 has a much lower energy density than petrol so needs bigger injectors etc etc . AFAIK and I am not very interested as I don't live in Brazil, the ECU has a sensor which tells it if E85 is being used and adjusts the parameters.

So no it is no good for D1s as regardless of alcohol eating rubber etc, the car probably would not run as it would be impossibly lean.

Regards Philip A

My other car is a 2013 Holden Captiva, which was designed to run on up to E85, I haven't had it on the 85, but do use the E10 on occasion