I have been contemplating going with e85 on my 69 Barracuda 440. I looked for information on doing this and found very little. I have a 69 440 with stock compression (10:1? not hp), bore and stroke. It has a 484 purple camshaft in it, a performer intake with Schumacher tri-y headers, and electronic dizzy with vac advance. The transmission has a 2800 stall with a mild kit in it. The rear is set up with 3.55 gears.
My questions are:
1. What are the pros and cons with going to e85 for a weekend street toy, car shows and cruises. The car will probably see the track once a year.
2. Would I have to take special precautions for water in the fuel?
3. What is involved with swapping over to e85; an e85 carb and fuel pump?
Thanks,
Andy
First, let me clear up a little miss information....
1. e85 is not harder on your fuel pump
IF your fuel pump is alcohol compatible.
2. Some modern rubber fuel line is compatible with ethanol, it just depends on the type of rubber.
Pros:
1.
More power...Most folks I have talked to picked up anywhere form 1-3 tenths in the 1/4 mile. My car was right in the middle of this, picking up a little over 2 tenths when I switched to e85.
2.
Cooling....With e85 you get the cooling effect of the alcohol which if GREAT. When I would drive my car on the street on pump gas, the car used to get a little hot if I sat in traffic, or if it was a hot day it would run hot (fan running constantly). On e85 the car doesn't get hot, even on hot days sitting in traffic, AND I don't have to run the fan constantly.
3.
Cost less....If you are using pump gas, it is pretty much a wash in price once you take into account that you use more e85 than you do gasoline. If you mix with pump gas with race gas or run straight race gas then the savings is HUGE...as in the carb swap could pay for itself in 2 years or less, no joke.
Cons:
1.
Ethanol is hydroscopic (it collects water fast). If you don't drive your car regularly (like once every couple weeks) the fuel can collect water, too much water and you will start to see a white residue form which is the formation of organic acids (acetic, formic, etc) and your car will run like crap. The way to prevent this is to keep the fuel sealed off from the atmosphere if not being used. Also, keep your tank full. Obviously, if you live in an environment with low humidity it will take longer for this to occur.
2.
Fuel economy will go down. You burn more e85 than pump gas (somewhere between 25-40% more depending on your tune), so your fuel mileage will suffer.
From how you described your car and its use, I would not switch to e85 at this time. It would probably be a headache for you with a car that is only driven once in a while. Also, you would need a fuel system that can support ~30% more fuel, alcohol compatible fuel pump, alcohol compatible fuel filter, and either the carb swap or a carb kit.
