E-85 Ethanol Tune...
#1
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Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 34
From: denver
Car Info: 04 wrx sti 02 wrx wagon 08 outcack xt
E-85 Ethanol Tune...
Looking At Converting My 04 Sti To Ethanol. Heard Alot Of Guys Are Doing This. Is It Worth It? Any Known Issues? Has Anyone Ran It For Some Time?
#5
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/in...4220001AAAwwWZ
http://www.cartalk.com/content/featu.../flexfuel.html
Can you adapt a regular car to run on E85?
Not without a chemistry degree, money to burn, and plenty of free time.
The materials in your car's fuel system, including plastics and aluminum, need to be designed to handle ethanol. Some components, such as rubber o-rings and gaskets might wear out more quickly or suffer damage, if exposed to ethanol.
Your car's injectors also need to be changed, along with the vehicle's computer.
The changes are relatively inexpensive when done on a mass production basis at the factory. But we wouldn't recommend you try to retrofit a car for E85 at this time.
Not without a chemistry degree, money to burn, and plenty of free time.
The materials in your car's fuel system, including plastics and aluminum, need to be designed to handle ethanol. Some components, such as rubber o-rings and gaskets might wear out more quickly or suffer damage, if exposed to ethanol.
Your car's injectors also need to be changed, along with the vehicle's computer.
The changes are relatively inexpensive when done on a mass production basis at the factory. But we wouldn't recommend you try to retrofit a car for E85 at this time.
Last edited by meilers; 06-28-2008 at 01:48 PM.
#6
#7
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Posts: 34
From: denver
Car Info: 04 wrx sti 02 wrx wagon 08 outcack xt
The reason for switching wouldnt be for saving money, it would be for 105 octane fuel, that is more accessible. a side effect is that it is only 2.89 a gallon. Has anyone done this? have you had any issues? I live in denver and alot of subarus have been tuned to e-85.
#8
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Posts: 1,703
From: Fremont
Car Info: 04 wrx, 05 Elise, 14 Impreza, 17 brz coming soon
need at least 30% larger injectors and at least upgraded fuel pump. -and of course a good tune for the setup.
if you live in co, there are plenty of e-85 stations, especially colorado springs.
if you live in co, there are plenty of e-85 stations, especially colorado springs.
#9
Corvette Fever magazine has been covering two C5s in Minnesota that run on E85. Both are 427 cid,11.5:1 and 12:1. They make more power on E85,and the modifications required were minimal. You can read about it at www.corvettefever.com.
#10
Corvette motors are MUCH more tolerant of higher compression ratios, which is what you would have to run to get actual power out of E85.
"This is because while E85 costs less than regular gasoline, your engine doesn’t burn it as efficiently."
There is less power per gallon of E85; in order to realize the extra power you'd have to very significantly increase the amount of fuel delivered to the cylinder as well as compression (which in our case means boost.) E85 is NOT "race gas"; it also has a higher water content than gasoline. Considering that Subaru motors can go through head gaskets with just the wrong coolant mixture (I went through two head and cam gaskets in our Legacy wagon because the dealer didn't add the required "conditioner" to the coolant; luckily they realized their mistake and replaced it under warranty) I would be cautious of putting in a fuel with a known corrosion problem.
"This is because while E85 costs less than regular gasoline, your engine doesn’t burn it as efficiently."
There is less power per gallon of E85; in order to realize the extra power you'd have to very significantly increase the amount of fuel delivered to the cylinder as well as compression (which in our case means boost.) E85 is NOT "race gas"; it also has a higher water content than gasoline. Considering that Subaru motors can go through head gaskets with just the wrong coolant mixture (I went through two head and cam gaskets in our Legacy wagon because the dealer didn't add the required "conditioner" to the coolant; luckily they realized their mistake and replaced it under warranty) I would be cautious of putting in a fuel with a known corrosion problem.
#11
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Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 34
From: denver
Car Info: 04 wrx sti 02 wrx wagon 08 outcack xt
spoke with subaru techs. only issue he has seen is slight corrosion on the fuel pump after 3yrs of consistent use. ($95 who cares). 105 octane at 3 bucks a gallon here i come. running 347whp and 385lbs on 91. should get 400whp.
#12
e85 will destroy all of the non-metal gaskets and seals in the motor. The cost of labor to replace all of those would cancel out any savings from switching to e85, and then you have a car that you can only fill up at a few places in town. Just a dumb idea.
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/in...4220001AAAwwWZ
http://www.cartalk.com/content/featu.../flexfuel.html
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/in...4220001AAAwwWZ
http://www.cartalk.com/content/featu.../flexfuel.html
I've also found that with E85 you will not get as good as MPG.
A few Subaru technicians have told me that Subaru's don't run
correctly useing E85 and they did mention that you will get corrosion
in your fuel system over time because of the higher water content
in E85. I wouldn't use E85 in my Subaru if it were free lol.
#14
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Joined: Nov 2002
Posts: 162
From: Boise Idaho, USA
Car Info: 08 FS/07 FXT/93 GC8 blue/black/black
read the e85 faq in nasioc
the RUBBER gasket thing seems to be over stated
the stock hoses are fine
but yes as a whole
30% bigger injectors (and or a fuel pressure change), a walbro and a tune
pdx tuning is doing a bunch of testing at the moment for staged AP maps
the RUBBER gasket thing seems to be over stated
the stock hoses are fine
but yes as a whole
30% bigger injectors (and or a fuel pressure change), a walbro and a tune
pdx tuning is doing a bunch of testing at the moment for staged AP maps