Jump to content

E85?

philbilly20

By philbilly20
in Engines & Drivetrain

Recommended Posts

Northside Enthusiast

Northside

Posted
Posted

Nobody I have found has said I get better MPG using E85. yes the Tag says 25% less, is that true for everybody probably not, some might do better some might do worse. And if you read one of my posts I did say some may experience different results. The tag also says 25hp, which if you read around and see dyno results nobody is getting 25hp, its closer to the 15 range. I beleive the tag that was written by engineers before some guy saying well a buddy of mine, or I get 50mpg on the DIC going down hill with a 50mph wind at my back. And yes all my mattress tags are laminated and afixed to each bed. Look at the tag anyways says its illegal for anybody EXCEPT the consumer to remove the tag

 

I told you I would run it, but the equation from performance to cost of the fuel, doesnt not work for me. Again I could care less that my 1/2 ton mass produced chevy is a little snappier or might get 25hp more hp going to work, I dont care i really dont nor will I ever, and I really dont care if Im going to lose money doing it. Now if it was the same price or cheaper to run per mile, I would do it.

 

The OP wanted an opinion. The opinion is E85 will net you worse MPG, as I said earlier as well yourself results may vary. I also said if you think up to 25hp is important, than go for it.

 

All i was doing was giving the OP the whole picture. Sort of narrow minded to say yeah yeah yeah run it 25hp, who cares about mpg. To top that off think about what E10 is doing to engines, I do genuinely have a concern that E85 might be bad in the long run, but for me thats not a real factor as this truck will be put out to pasteur in 2 years.

 

Well the OP's truck isn't E-85 capable anyway. My answer to his question "Is it worth it?" is try two or three tanks and make your own decision. "Worth it?", might be the few pennies difference in dollars per mile. That would depend on current prices for E-85 versus whatever gas grade you choose to run. It varies. To others, like me, the the difference in performance might be worth it. I find that I have found a way to get better performance for free by using E-85, and I save money because it's cheaper per mile than running premium E-10 gasoline.

 

I have easy access to E--85. It's priced right. My truck is set up for it. I had to try it out of curiosity. I'm glad I did! Try it you might like it too. If not, go back to whatever you ran before.

 

You chose to not try it. That's fine but your choice was not based on experience, mine was.

  • Replies 326
  • Created
  • Last Reply
nards444 Senior Enthusiast

nards444

Posted
Posted

 

Well the OP's truck isn't E-85 capable anyway. My answer to his question "Is it worth it?" is try two or three tanks and make your own decision. "Worth it?", might be the few pennies difference in dollars per mile. That would depend on current prices for E-85 versus whatever gas grade you choose to run. It varies. To others, like me, the the difference in performance might be worth it. I find that I have found a way to get better performance for free by using E-85, and I save money because it's cheaper per mile than running premium E-10 gasoline.

 

I have easy access to E--85. It's priced right. My truck is set up for it. I had to try it out of curiosity. I'm glad I did! Try it you might like it too. If not, go back to whatever you ran before.

 

You chose to not try it. That's fine but your choice was not based on experience, mine was.

Well I would agree, If his truck doesnt have the yellow cap and isnt E85 capable I wouldnt be doing it. Would he get by and not hurt anything, thats a risk. But you are right I will not try it as economically its doesnt make sense to me as I said before I dont need a little more HP going to work or the store. And when I tow my 8k boat I use premium, but only doing that a handful of times doesnt relegate me going to find an E85 station to do it.

KARNUT Senior Enthusiast

KARNUT

Posted
Posted

 

Well the OP's truck isn't E-85 capable anyway. My answer to his question "Is it worth it?" is try two or three tanks and make your own decision. "Worth it?", might be the few pennies difference in dollars per mile. That would depend on current prices for E-85 versus whatever gas grade you choose to run. It varies. To others, like me, the the difference in performance might be worth it. I find that I have found a way to get better performance for free by using E-85, and I save money because it's cheaper per mile than running premium E-10 gasoline.

 

I have easy access to E--85. It's priced right. My truck is set up for it. I had to try it out of curiosity. I'm glad I did! Try it you might like it too. If not, go back to whatever you ran before.

 

You chose to not try it. That's fine but your choice was not based on experience, mine was.

I do lots of research, not just on this site. Based on that I cant bring myself to run 87 gas. It can be done but your losing performance do to KR. So that leaves E85 and 93 gas. That made it easy E85 is cheaper and adds performance. It just runs better on it.

nards444 Senior Enthusiast

nards444

Posted
Posted

I do lots of research, not just on this site. Based on that I cant bring myself to run 87 gas. It can be done but your losing performance do to KR. So that leaves E85 and 93 gas. That made it easy E85 is cheaper and adds performance. It just runs better on it.

Curious in your area whats the cost difference between 87 and E85 and E85 and 93

KARNUT Senior Enthusiast

KARNUT

Posted
Posted

Curious in your area whats the cost difference between 87 and E85 and E85 and 93

With the drop in crude the margin has narrowed a great deal. E85 and 87 are now within 10 cents of each other at around 2:04 for E85 and around 2:65 for 93 at stripes where I buy.

KARNUT Senior Enthusiast

KARNUT

Posted
Posted

Are all the 2014 5.3 motors able to run e85?

I believe so, look for the yellow gas cap.
nards444 Senior Enthusiast

nards444

Posted
Posted

With the drop in crude the margin has narrowed a great deal. E85 and 87 are now within 10 cents of each other at around 2:04 for E85 and around 2:65 for 93 at stripes where I buy.

So your comparing the $1 dollar savings between premium and E85 vs 87 and E85. But yes as crude drops it could potentially be cheaper than E85 soon!!

KARNUT Senior Enthusiast

KARNUT

Posted
Posted

So your comparing the $1 dollar savings between premium and E85 vs 87 and E85. But yes as crude drops it could potentially be cheaper than E85 soon!!

I started on 87 gas, when I joined the forum I read about the KR with 87 gas and went to 93 gas. Seemed to run better. Then I got a 93 tune. One of the Mods, Ryan stated that all he ran was E85, knew about the power gain in the 14s. I was worried at first about water in the gas with E85 no problems so far. I like to know the power is there if I want it, very rare these days.

nards444 Senior Enthusiast

nards444

Posted
Posted

I started on 87 gas, when I joined the forum I read about the KR with 87 gas and went to 93 gas. Seemed to run better. Then I got a 93 tune. One of the Mods, Ryan stated that all he ran was E85, knew about the power gain in the 14s. I was worried at first about water in the gas with E85 no problems so far. I like to know the power is there if I want it, very rare these days.

Anything I have read about ethanol is that if its used within a week or so the water doesnt become an issue, which for most of us, isnt a problem. I just wonder long term about it. But GM has to confidence that it wont ruin anything for 5 years/100k otherwise they wouldnt warranty it. Like you I dont keep these things long, so it really doesnt matter.

Northside Enthusiast

Northside

Posted
Posted

Anything I have read about ethanol is that if its used within a week or so the water doesnt become an issue, which for most of us, isnt a problem. I just wonder long term about it. But GM has to confidence that it wont ruin anything for 5 years/100k otherwise they wouldnt warranty it. Like you I dont keep these things long, so it really doesnt matter.

 

Again I don't believe a lot of what I read. I have run E-85 exclusively in my '14 Silverado since last February. I don't have to work anymore and travel quite a bit, on my motorcycles. That means my truck sits for two and three weeks at a time with a tank of E-85 in the garage. Even when I'm home I go for many days without driving it. Never a problem. I do live in a drier climate here in Colorado, but we also have E-10 in all our gasoline, and I run it in my bikes and mower and snowblower. They sit for at least a week before use. The snowblower hasn't been used in nearly a month. It starts right up and runs great. I can ride all winter here but sometimes it's 3 weeks or more with the bikes. Never had an issue with water in the gas.

nards444 Senior Enthusiast

nards444

Posted
Posted

 

Again I don't believe a lot of what I read. I have run E-85 exclusively in my '14 Silverado since last February. I don't have to work anymore and travel quite a bit, on my motorcycles. That means my truck sits for two and three weeks at a time with a tank of E-85 in the garage. Even when I'm home I go for many days without driving it. Never a problem. I do live in a drier climate here in Colorado, but we also have E-10 in all our gasoline, and I run it in my bikes and mower and snowblower. They sit for at least a week before use. The snowblower hasn't been used in nearly a month. It starts right up and runs great. I can ride all winter here but sometimes it's 3 weeks or more with the bikes. Never had an issue with water in the gas.

I live in NY and everybody buys premium no ethanol for toys as its ruining things left and right and might be something to look into. http://www.yardcare.com/maintain/how-to-minimize-fuel-system-problems-when-using-ethanol-blended-gasoline/

Northside Enthusiast

Northside

Posted
Posted

I live in NY and everybody buys premium no ethanol for toys as its ruining things left and right and might be something to look into. http://www.yardcare.com/maintain/how-to-minimize-fuel-system-problems-when-using-ethanol-blended-gasoline/

 

That sounds like a problem for those who live back east where there's a lot of humidity. It's pretty dry here and we don't seem to have those problems with ethanol.

arkenzo Enthusiast

arkenzo

Posted
Posted

I'll be filling up with E85 tomorrow! Wonder how my lil' V6 will perform with it.

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

Go to topic listing

  • Latest Articles

  • Posts

    • 81mmcat
      Higher oil pressure after DFM shut off

      By 81mmcat · Posted

      Can anyone explain why the oil pressure runs higher after the DFM is shut off?  just installed the Pulsar Lt.
    • fm2176
      New to Me 2010 SLE (Quirks, Issues)

      By fm2176 · Posted

      Thanks!  I figured as such; GM and other manufacturers have used standard parts and harnesses across trim levels and such for decades.  I pulled the blank accessory cover off of my commuter van (a 2016 or so Chevy 15-passenger) years ago and found the plug for a USB outlet.  It wasn't connected to anything, though (I tried swapping in an outlet from another van).  I was a GM Tech years ago (late-90s) and was pretty familiar with my 2006.  I might be wrong, but I view newer vehicles (pretty much anything made in the past 20 years) as being a lot more plug and play.  Meaning, more unused wires and plugs unless you have the Mack Daddy of vehicles.    
    • Coastie05
      It's Been a Long Time...

      By Coastie05 · Posted

      Welcome back!
    • davester
      New to Me 2010 SLE (Quirks, Issues)

      By davester · Posted

      not all plugs will be used.  gm uses more generic harnesses that support most/all options, and if your truck doesn't have a specfiic option, the plug won't be used (commonly will have a dummy insert in the plug , or it'll be taped up, but some may just be left as is).  But it's sldo possible some p.o. has installed the wrong/cheaper parts that aren't correct for your vehicle...
    • fm2176
      New to Me 2010 SLE (Quirks, Issues)

      By fm2176 · Posted

      First off, I'm not trying to just get easy advice/fixes for the issues I've noticed so far.  I'll be combing through the site via searches and such, and if past experiences are any indication, should find what I need.  For the sake of conversation, though, I figured I'd post the handful of things I've noticed in the 12 hours since buying my 2010 SLE CCSB.     Indicator lights: Airbag and TPMS.  The tire pressures aren't reading for any of the wheels, so I'm pretty certain the sensors were either removed, are damaged, or are otherwise inoperable.  I used to mount and balance tires 25 years ago but am pretty much ignorant when it comes to TPMS.  My 2006 didn't have the sensors and this might be the fourth vehicle I've owned that does.     Radio: Rear speakers aren't working.  I removed the driver's side rear door panel and checked the speaker and wiring.  I also removed the sill and b-pillar covers to check the wiring.  A few minutes of Google Fu showed that this is potentially a head unit issue.    Switches: Power mirrors don't turn left/right.  I ordered replacement driver's door switches that should arrive tomorrow.  The windows and locks work but it was only about $20 for all of them.  The driver's side rear window switch lets the window down but won't put it back up.  I think the passenger rear doesn't work at all.  In the coming days/weeks, I'll break out my multimeter to check all of that.   Unknown wiring harness: There's a box attached to the front driver's side of the engine compartment, right where the second battery shelf is located.  There are three plugs, one of which looks like it fits a standard headlight-style bulb (9007 or similar).  It doesn't look like it's plugged into anything.  I'll do some digging and if I don't see anything elsewhere on the site, post some pictures here.   Unknown plugs on brake booster: There are at least two female plugs on the brake booster that aren't being used.  I think it might be a replacement/aftermarket, so maybe those are used for a different application, as there don't seem to be any unplugged harnesses and no indicator lights are on.   Little squeaks when turning: Sounds almost like a bushing around the bed of the truck.  I'll have to pay close attention as I get more familiar with the truck.   Clunk on acceleration: possibly the infamous drivetrain clunk.  My 2006 had it and I'm just not familiar enough with this truck yet to fully grasp what it is.   Anyway, my apologies for the vague and all over the place post.  This truck is new to me, and it's been four years since I drove my 2006.  With 200k miles, I know I'll need to learn this truck quickly to avoid having any major issues, despite being confident it's got much more life to it.  My 2006 had nearly 320k on it when I parked it (nearly 300k of which I put on the truck), and it was still drivable then, though I suspected the head gasket might have blown.  I'd hoped to have that truck back by now, but it's gone forever, as I detailed in my reintroduction thread.  

  • GM-Trucks.com Clubs

  • Popular Contributors

×
×
  • Create New...