E15 or E85 Fuel in Vortec Engines

[0xDEADBEEF]

On that note... I tried running ethanol free fuel in both of my '97s (from a non top-tier certified station) and got noticeably worse mileage. When I swapped back to E10 from a top tier station the mileage came back. IMO filling at top tier stations is more important than ethanol content unless you're going to be storing the fuel for long periods, as mentioned.

I tried that experiment on my old LX450 and the mileage went way up, but not enough to justify the extra dollar plus per gallon.

 

[L31MaxExpress]

My fuel cost on E85 is substantially less than premium pump gas, I get a large increase in torque and less carbon buildup. Even the old 350 at 9.6:1 gained ~30 ft/lbs of torque down at 2,000 rpm.

 

[Scooterwrench]

If you like high ethanol fuels I would recommend adding some Marvel Mystery Oil for top cylinder lubrication. High ethanol fuels are very dry and the rings and valve guides need some lube. You get a little from the PCV valve but not nary enough until blowby occurs.

 

[Boots97]

I can't understand why the government would want to waste good corn liquor putting in fuel tanks. It wreaks havoc in motorcycle fuel tanks that have no galvanizing in them.

From what I've read, it's bc Corn has to be processed to make food. There's two main types of corn and that's sweet corn and field corn. Sweet Corn is the corn on the cob and corn kernels in a can or frozen bags. Sweet corn is filling, but doesn't have a ton of nutrition and doesn't digest well by humans. This is why I rarely eat sweet corn. Plus, it's also not good for you if you're a diabetic (I'm not, but others have said it themselves). Field corn is nearly inedible in plant form (my friend's family grows corn and my grandparents both grew corn on their farms) which is why it needs to be processed into stuff like corn meal and corn flour. Not all corn is fit for human consumption and this is where most of ethanol comes from. Ethanol can also be made from other crops like sugarcane which is common in countries like Brazil. In other words, crops that would've never seen food production anyways is made into something useful.

EDIT: Field corn is also used in animal feed and cheap dog/cat food to stretch out the food. IDK about dogs, but cats don't need grain in their diet at all. They're strictly carnivores.

 

[454cid]

From what I've read, it's bc Corn has to be processed to make food. There's two main types of corn and that's sweet corn and field corn. Sweet Corn is the corn on the cob and corn kernels in a can or frozen bags. Sweet corn is filling, but doesn't have a ton of nutrition and doesn't digest well by humans. This is why I rarely eat sweet corn. Plus, it's also not good for you if you're a diabetic (I'm not, but others have said it themselves). Field corn is nearly inedible in plant form (my friend's family grows corn and my grandparents both grew corn on their farms) which is why it needs to be processed into stuff like corn meal and corn flour. Not all corn is fit for human consumption and this is where most of ethanol comes from. Ethanol can also be made from other crops like sugarcane which is common in countries like Brazil. In other words, crops that would've never seen food production anyways is made into something useful.

Field is corn is used for animal feed, too. I tried taking a bite out of it when I was a kid, but it was raw not cooked.

 

[Scooterwrench]

Boots,I'm glad you don't eat sweet corn,means more for me.

 

[Boots97]

Field is corn is used for animal feed, too. I tried taking a bite out of it when I was a kid, but it was raw not cooked.

Yes, I forgot to mention that, field corn is also used for animal feed.

EDIT: Field corn is also used in cheap dog/cat food to stretch out the food. IDK about dogs, but cats don't need grain in their diet at all. They're strictly carnivores.

 

[GoToGuy]

So are happy that you stepped on that landmine. I bet if you had checked the owners handbook it probably said nope, nada, do not.
This reminds me of the " Do not push the big red Button". Or the wet paint sign on bench with butt print where someone sat down .

 

[mn_ski]

About 9 months ago I switched to filling my truck exclusively with 91 Non Oxy. Non Oxy is readily available here. For me I noticed my average MPG increase 2-2.5 MPG.

 

[Leburns]

I have a 2000 CCSB with a 350. I drive about 60 miles one way to work, so 120 miles a day. I fill this stupid 26 gallon tank every other day. I believe corn is food, not fuel. That being said, I have run E15 for several months now. I get the exact same mileage, and it seems to have about the same power. I will NOT be trying E85.