e85 or stay with pump gas
If you are N/A and driving on the street, it's a waste.
-it runs cooler because you are putting more fuel through the system, so that cooling comes with reduced MPG The cooling effect comes from the ethanol (EtOH), not from using more fuel. Yes you use ~30% more fuel due to the lower heat energy of the EtOH.... but due to the stoichiometry of the combustion reaction, more fuel is able to be consumed per unit of air; thus, the combination of cooling + being able to burn more fuel = the potential for making more power if tuned properly.
The cooling effect comes from the increase in latent heat of vaporization attained with the alcohol, yes, but what happens if you DO NOT increase the fuel volume by that 30%? Yes you (can) make more power with E85, yes you (can) run cooler, but it comes with a drastic reduction in MPG.
-higher chance of contaminated fuel unless you are running it often, and keeping the tank fully topped off. This comment doesn't really explain what it happening the way it is written...what I think you were trying to say was.....the ethanol is hydroscopic, so it can absorb water out of the air. If the fuel is left sitting exposed to open air too long it will
deteriorate.
Ethanol blended fuels are hygroscopic, they will aggressivley absorb moisture out of the air. The more air in your fuel tank, the moisture they will absorb. The more moisture it absorbs, the more moisture it carries through your fuel system. The ethanol in the blend, will absorb far more water than the gasoline can, and phase shift occurs as the gasoline and ethanol actually separate in your fuel tank. It's not a good thing, and there are no additives you can put in to prevent it. All you can do is rotate the fuel often and alwasy keep the tank topped off. This won't be as much of an issue in a daily driver that tops off often, but can cause havok on a weekend cruiser or similar like boats, snow machines, motorcycles, chainsaws, etc.
-higher chance of contaminated fuel since it sits in tanks much much longer at the gas station since it's not as popular.
Possibly, but they adjust the alcohol/gasoline ratio the for the season...more gas in the winter, less in the summer. I always test my e85 due to these variations. I have seen as high as 90% EtOH, and as low as 75% EtOH.
The E85 is not being used as often. Gas stations are not turning it over regularly like E10. So a fuel that has a much shorter shelf life, a high tendancy for contamination as it absorbs water vs separating from it, and is used less often...not what I want to put in my car.
The only folks I would steer toward E85 are those running alot of boost, trying to make max power, with everything second, and access to good tuning resources.
If you are trying to cruise, and just have a little fun now and again, E85 is not the direction I would go.
No offense taken with your response, this is just my opinion, and it's good for the OP to see them all.
and for your viewing pleasure, microbial influenced corrosion on my tank thanks to E10
If you are N/A and driving on the street, it's a waste.
-it runs cooler because you are putting more fuel through the system, so that cooling comes with reduced MPG The cooling effect comes from the ethanol (EtOH), not from using more fuel. Yes you use ~30% more fuel due to the lower heat energy of the EtOH.... but due to the stoichiometry of the combustion reaction, more fuel is able to be consumed per unit of air; thus, the combination of cooling + being able to burn more fuel = the potential for making more power if tuned properly.
The cooling effect comes from the increase in latent heat of vaporization attained with the alcohol, yes, but what happens if you DO NOT increase the fuel volume by that 30%? Yes you (can) make more power with E85, yes you (can) run cooler, but it comes with a drastic reduction in MPG.
-higher chance of contaminated fuel unless you are running it often, and keeping the tank fully topped off. This comment doesn't really explain what it happening the way it is written...what I think you were trying to say was.....the ethanol is hydroscopic, so it can absorb water out of the air. If the fuel is left sitting exposed to open air too long it will
deteriorate.
Ethanol blended fuels are hygroscopic, they will aggressivley absorb moisture out of the air. The more air in your fuel tank, the moisture they will absorb. The more moisture it absorbs, the more moisture it carries through your fuel system. The ethanol in the blend, will absorb far more water than the gasoline can, and phase shift occurs as the gasoline and ethanol actually separate in your fuel tank. It's not a good thing, and there are no additives you can put in to prevent it. All you can do is rotate the fuel often and alwasy keep the tank topped off. This won't be as much of an issue in a daily driver that tops off often, but can cause havok on a weekend cruiser or similar like boats, snow machines, motorcycles, chainsaws, etc.
-higher chance of contaminated fuel since it sits in tanks much much longer at the gas station since it's not as popular.
Possibly, but they adjust the alcohol/gasoline ratio the for the season...more gas in the winter, less in the summer. I always test my e85 due to these variations. I have seen as high as 90% EtOH, and as low as 75% EtOH.
The E85 is not being used as often. Gas stations are not turning it over regularly like E10. So a fuel that has a much shorter shelf life, a high tendancy for contamination as it absorbs water vs separating from it, and is used less often...not what I want to put in my car.
The only folks I would steer toward E85 are those running alot of boost, trying to make max power, with everything second, and access to good tuning resources.
If you are trying to cruise, and just have a little fun now and again, E85 is not the direction I would go.
No offense taken with your response, this is just my opinion, and it's good for the OP to see them all.
and for your viewing pleasure, microbial influenced corrosion on my tank thanks to E10
