BetaONE will rise again! - E85 Ethanol Fuel Blend

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E85 Ethanol Fuel Blend - Flexible Fuel Vehicles

So are any of you using this stuff? It's $1.99 a gal. here in Illinois vs. $2.99 for regular 87 unleaded. Even though I don't own a vehicle listed as a Flexible Fuel Vehicle I've been doing lots of reading on this topic thanks to Google.

Today, I decided to take the step and put 2.5 gal of E85 with 10.5 gal of regular 87 unleded in our 3.0L 1994 Plym Voyager. From what I've read many people are running 50/50 without any problems, but I thought I'd take baby steps. So far no problems and the only difference I've noticed is in my wallet.

Your comments are GREATLY appreciated. :)

http://www.drivingethanol.org/aspx/w...ican_made.aspx

http://www.e85fuel.com/e85101/flexfuelvehicles.php

I have not even saw any in these parts for sale yet in the Carolina area. One thing I wonder about though with it being ethanol based which means it will be extremely clean burning. Also with that base it might want to clean some of the deposits in the tank and lines that normal gas will not clean. Now if it cleans very slowly then all may be good but if it cleans and loosens then it comes loose in larger pieces then it may cause problems.

You have to remember another thing that the temperature of the combustion chamber may be higher as it will be using a leaner mixture due to the original setup being for gas. Keep a watch out for the check engine light and if it comes on you will want to find out why asap. The o2 sensor may be good enough to keep the mixture close enough.

Thanks
Dudelive

Man I wonder if they will put this in the carolina region? I sure would like $1.99 a lot better than $3+ a gal for 87 grade. Could I fill up the whole tank with it? :)

If you own a vehicle listed as E85, yes you could run a full tank of it.

You can look here to see:

http://www.e85fuel.com/e85101/flexfuelvehicles.php

@Dudelive - Yes I agree, that's why I doubt I'll put more than 3 gal of E85 with 10 gal of the regular 87 stuff. Not to mention how corrosive E85 is on seals & stuff where regular gas has build in lube properties. :p

Find out where to get E85 in your area:

http://www.e85fuel.com/database/search.php

I have been tempted to try the 50 50 mix as well...let us knwo how it works...

As I mentioned before, I doubt I will ever go 50/50 in my vehicles. After all none of them are E85. Today I just added 3 gal of E85 to our other van for the first time, a 1996 Plym Voyager.

Edit - Here's some more interesting news.

Quote:

Alcohol made from sugar cane is becoming the fuel of choice in Brazil, and other countries - so much so that global sugar prices hit a seven-year high this week. Regular car engines will run fine on a 10 percent blend of alcohol and gasoline. But by using computer sensors that adjust to whatever mix is in the tank, flex car engines run on either ethanol, gasoline, or any combination of the two. And they have been roaring out of dealerships here since Volkswagen sold the first TotalFlex Golf in March 2003.

Today, flex cars are outselling traditional gasoline models. In August, 62 percent of new cars sold were flex, according to industry numbers. "Demand has been unbelievable," says Barry Engle, the new president of Ford Brasil. "I am hard-pressed to think of any other technology that has been such a success so quickly."

As many countries reexamine their dependence on petroleum fields for fuel, Brazil offers a model for how to make the switch to cane, beet, wheat, or corn fields. The successful transition here comes down to many factors, but price is the primary one, experts say.

Unlike hybrids sold in the US, for example, flex cars sold in Brazil don't cost any more than traditional models. In fact, some models are only available with flex engines now. Ethanol engines use 25 percent more ethanol per mile than gasoline. But ethanol (the alcohol produced by fermenting sugar) usually sells at somewhere between a third to half of the price of gas. Even people who were reluctant to take the plunge and buy a flex say they have been won over by the savings.

Code:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/csm/20051007/wl_csm/oflex_1