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Been running E85

crushNchowda

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crushNchowda Senior Enthusiast

crushNchowda

Posted
Posted

So I have a 2014 sierra AT w/ 5.3 and 3.42 rear, CC 4wd. I started running E85 just for the hell of it as I noticed a station that carried it near my work, and I have a company gas card so I figured the lower mileage wouldn't be as big a deal, plus ee85 is cheaper.

 

Well- 3 things I have learned (truck has 27,000 miles on it and up until the last 2 tanks I always ran premium) 1- E85 results in a noticeable power/torque increase after only about 20-30 miles of driving- truck pulls much harder particularly down low, I always felt the pickup from 70-90mph was actually pretty outstanding for a truck this size w/ a modest V8, but w/ the E85 now it really screams. 2- the mpg is also noticeably lower....now I have been driving w/ a lead foot for sure especially since I started running it, but I am averaging only 12.8 mpg vs. around 15.5 for the same type of driving. 3- 93 octane also seems to result in better performance/smoother idle and better mpg compared to 87. I have now drained my tank (very very low fuel warning) filled w/ 87 and after 20/30 miles it seems to ping a bit and run a but leaner also seems to be more anemic pulling on the highway. Mpg back up to 15.7 same commute

 

Now finally running 93 again and averaged 20.8 mpg on a 70 miles highway ride (not a fair comparison to the other tanks) but definitely pulling a bit harder than the 87 and idling smoother- power is only slightly different than 87, again I'd say its "smoother delivery" and I know that's not scientific, the power jump from 93 to E85 is substantial particularly in this colder weather and worth it to put a grin on your face.

 

I have driven the 6.2 and although new and not broken in like my truck I can honestly say it'd be REALLY difficult to tell the difference between a 5.3 w/ E85 in the tank vs a 6.2 on premium

 

Question- does the 6.2 take E85 because that'd be interesting!

KARNUT Senior Enthusiast

KARNUT

Posted
Posted

So I have a 2014 sierra AT w/ 5.3 and 3.42 rear, CC 4wd. I started running E85 just for the hell of it as I noticed a station that carried it near my work, and I have a company gas card so I figured the lower mileage wouldn't be as big a deal, plus ee85 is cheaper.

 

Well- 3 things I have learned (truck has 27,000 miles on it and up until the last 2 tanks I always ran premium) 1- E85 results in a noticeable power/torque increase after only about 20-30 miles of driving- truck pulls much harder particularly down low, I always felt the pickup from 70-90mph was actually pretty outstanding for a truck this size w/ a modest V8, but w/ the E85 now it really screams. 2- the mpg is also noticeably lower....now I have been driving w/ a lead foot for sure especially since I started running it, but I am averaging only 12.8 mpg vs. around 15.5 for the same type of driving. 3- 93 octane also seems to result in better performance/smoother idle and better mpg compared to 87. I have now drained my tank (very very low fuel warning) filled w/ 87 and after 20/30 miles it seems to ping a bit and run a but leaner also seems to be more anemic pulling on the highway. Mpg back up to 15.7 same commute

 

Now finally running 93 again and averaged 20.8 mpg on a 70 miles highway ride (not a fair comparison to the other tanks) but definitely pulling a bit harder than the 87 and idling smoother- power is only slightly different than 87, again I'd say its "smoother delivery" and I know that's not scientific, the power jump from 93 to E85 is substantial particularly in this colder weather and worth it to put a grin on your face.

 

I have driven the 6.2 and although new and not broken in like my truck I can honestly say it'd be REALLY difficult to tell the difference between a 5.3 w/ E85 in the tank vs a 6.2 on premium

 

Question- does the 6.2 take E85 because that'd be interesting!

I have been running E85 for most of the 10K miles on my truck, I lost 2 MPG in town and 3 on the hwy. Its cheaper than 93 the next best by a 1$ in my area, my truck hates 87 gas, you really notice it. Even if the price was the same id use it for the performance. I did lots of research before I bought my truck,and was going to buy the 6.2. When I read that E85 in the 5.3 got you within 40HP and TQ., and the different fuel options I bought the 5.3. The 6.2 your stuck with premium fuel. Then the price for the upgrade.
gone_fishing Enthusiast

gone_fishing

Posted
Posted

I was running E85 for a while this fall. It was $0.90-$1.00 cheaper a gallon then 87 gasoline. Now that gasoline has dropped, the spread is less and I'm running gas again (that and E85 causes the engine to start harder when it's cold out). When I was on E85 I lost about 2 MPG on the highway which I didn't think was too bad since it was about a $1.00 less a gallon. Plus the extra power was nice. I also noticed how much longer it would stay in V4 mode. I have a ScanGauge hooked up my truck monitoring timing and knock retard (KR). When on E85, total timing advance when in V4 mode was much higher and without any KR. When running 87 gas, there can be quite a bit of KR when in V4 mode which eventually causes the engine to kick out of V4 mode and go back to V8. I think this ability to stay in V4 mode longer and easier (depending on wind and speed) does offset the fuel economy reduction that E85 brings normally brings. From my observations, the 5.3 likes the higher octane of E85.

EaZ8 Enthusiast

EaZ8

Posted
Posted

i wish we had a E85 gas station in my area.

i think i read there are only 2 in all of ontario.....

fondupot Senior Enthusiast

fondupot

Posted
Posted

I used E85 for a while and while the power increase was nice. I was getting like 12-13 mpg around town. And E85 prices by me weren't low enough to justify using it.

 

The increase in power was nice. But I get similar results with my Blackbear tune on regular 89 octane.

KARNUT Senior Enthusiast

KARNUT

Posted
Posted

I used E85 for a while and while the power increase was nice. I was getting like 12-13 mpg around town. And E85 prices by me weren't low enough to justify using it.

 

The increase in power was nice. But I get similar results with my Blackbear tune on regular 89 octane.

I have a hard time not getting KR without a tune on 89 octane. One of the things a tune does is advance the timing, it would be hard to gain 25HP like on E85 with a 89 tune. I guess the drivability improvement with a Blackbear tune would feel like more power. Then theres that tune warranty question that concern some people, makes E85 cheap power.

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