Fuel Consumption with E85

I have done about 2000kms using E85 and found that the car goes well with it but you do not do it to save money. With the increased consumption, the saving of about 20c/litre over E10 is about equal. It is more about the increased performance and cleaner for the environment, engine and sustainability. I have only tried Caltex Eflex which is either 70 to 85 % ethanol as there are no United Petrol stations near by which sell only 85% ethanol only.

 

The stock tune is crap, it is not just a matter of where and how you drive the klms, get your car tuned for e85 and your 270rwkw V8 will cost you around 15¢ per klm versus PULP98 which costs 19¢. That's $40 a tank!
73l x $1.15/litre = $83.95 / 550k combined e85
73l x $1.70/litre = $124.10 / 650 combined PULP
My best run was 630k Sydney to Albury see this measured run from 1:00
[video=youtube_share;aX-uYag1yM8]http://youtu.be/aX-uYag1yM8[/video]
Saves money, kills knock, burns clean, makes sense.

 

Yes mate, in engineering mode you can get a read of the ethanol level (or use an OBD reader), and because it's winter, unfortunately the best ethanol content I've had since end of Autumn is 70% United, 60% Caltex.
See the reason is obviously not the price of ethanol (which is now next to nothing from Sorghum out at Dalby) but commercial risk associated with Service Company's storage and delivery at lower dewpoints due to colder weather (adds to the complexity of anhydrous supply).
Because of its burn properties our car won't start near the snow-line or across the Hay Plain (less than 11ºC) with 85% - it will eventually start, run badly for about 15 minutes then go like the clappers - unless overnight ambient is significantly less than freezing when the normally harmless 1-2% moisture creates micro icicle gremlins at points throughout the fuel supply.
Spring is coming, United servos with high turnover will be above 80% within a couple of weeks, book your car in to have it tuned for e85 then, as opposed to e58 from Caltex at the moment!

 

Hi Black X,
How did you go with the large black grill removal...can it be removed??????
Do not run your VF on E85....I have a VY "S" with 157,000 K's....and the motor is still intact and has never been touched...I have always used 95 Octane for 10 years of original ownership...the injectors have never been cleaned....still waiting on my VF SV6.
Cheers,
J.B.

 

On what grounds do you make this comment? Considering the VF range was designed with E85 in mind.

 

Jingle Bells I don't know how or why you would (even if you could) run your petrol engine on e85, but the L77 is designed for it, and goes much better and cheaper than without it.
As for longevity, Black X has the same engine as me, I have done 135,000 K's...and not only is the motor still intact but goes 45% better than when I bought it a couple of years ago.
Sure I let her breathe better, in that regard she has been 'touched', but I never picked her locks and cracked her open...
I always use e85 or P100 when I can for the past two years of ownership...original injectors have never been cleaned nor plugs replaced...because ethanol cleans everything and it didn't need to!
Take a look at this video, what you see is not possible without ethanol...it shows asymmetrical afr and thermal discrepancies per cylinder beyond pulling spark plugs.
[video=youtube_share;ONekASBfHD4]http://youtu.be/ONekASBfHD4[/video]
Injector spray pattern and air flow becomes apparent because ethanol is like Mr Sheen keeping internals spick and span all the way out the quad tips.
Black X your engine loves alcohol, give her a nip of the good stuff when you can and she'll love you long time without a need to touch her.

 

Jingle bells doesn't know **** - go hard on e85 my friend.

 

Look around you...lower MPG...sorry Km's/100...the injectors will gum up...from my experience always go with the high octane petrol...I never ran my '78 Hz Monaro on standard fuel...always used super...do not let these hair brain schemes posted here influence you....always do the right thing from the start...even if holden say you can use E85...its only a cover up by them to save the enviroment...in the long run it still costs the same...as you have to fill up more often...I will bet london to a brick on that the sugar farmers do not use E85 to harvest their crop....for me to put E85 in my car it would have to be a fuel shortage...anyway the the holden motor running on E85 is still in its infancy....will the Bathurst 1000 be using E85....WAKE UP!

 

Yes mate, V8 SuperCars run e85.

 

one and only2004,
You are typical of the crap you read here and unable to have an intelligent post.....Go and put some sugar in your tank you ding bat and you have E85.

 

Lol as Pirate said the V8supercars do run E85 and have done for many years, also E85 has a higher octane rating than Premium unleaded hence why many people with modern performance cars run it. Yes with E85 you will get less k's from a tank as E85 has a higher burn rate, but it will certainly not ruin your engine as you claim. Do you also believe that the world is flat?

 

Its hard to have an intelligent conversation with a closed minded fool like yourself - with the attitude you display I'm surprised you didn't convert the old trusty VY to a carby setup - after all anything new is the devil!

My turbo VZ SS runs E85 thanks, I manage 400km to a 50l tank easily and haven't blown up. 600hp thanks to the farmers of Australia.

Its dicks like you who kept us in the dark ages.

 

Vasco da Gama thought the world was flat...until he circumnavigated the world...looks like I am dealing with uneducated people here...I rest my case!

 

United at Rozelle / Speedway is the best / cheapest. Get the United iphone app as it tells you current prices where to get it and gives tel numbers to check.
BTW did you ever run your EVO on ethanol?
Remember right now e85 is 50%-60% ethanol blend, so even if you were to fill it twice to flush the residual petrol out it is still only about half as good as it should be.
Partial ethanol 'flex fuel' will trip the ECU into action for safety, but the stock tables are wacky in performance terms, running way rich without the actual benefit of ethanol's 1/3 higher oxygen for example. Won't do it harm, good for it actually, but no benefit to your wallet or performance.
It is the oxygen in e85 that creates a more complete burn, improving overall performance, and I found the stock tables to be closer to the mark with the summer blend, 80% or greater.
Otherwise you need a dyno tune for ethanol (e85 & P100).

 

Oh...so you still own a VY yet you list your ride as a VF. Interesting. I own a spaceship, just hasnt been delivered.

Your VY bucket isnt designed to be run on E85 and your fuel tank and lines are not made of the appropriate material.

Not having cleaned your injectors doesnt mean they're in great condition.

Jingle Bells you went full retard.

 

I have thought about getting a tank of E85 (or E?? - flex) to give it a try in my MY12.5 SV6. At this point, the engine runs just fine on ULP, with the occasional E10 tank.

Since ethanol has a 30% lower calorific value than ULP, each 10% equates to around 3% higher fuel burn. Obviously the higher octane rating of ethanol may vary that a little in certain specific driving conditions, but not much in normal driving I would expect.

From the research that I have read, ULP typically uses 3% less fuel than E10, while PULP uses about 4.2% less than E10.

The nearest E-Flex fuel to me is about 20 km in the direction that I hardly ever go, so it will not become my normal fuel in the foreseeable future, so I haven't chased it to evaluate it myself.