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General Category >> Rubber Side Down! >> E 85
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Message started by thumperclone on 05/09/06 at 07:38:56

Title: E 85
Post by thumperclone on 05/09/06 at 07:38:56

anybody run E 85 or other blend in their bike???

Title: Re: E 85
Post by Reelthing on 05/09/06 at 09:55:20

I have to use 10% ethanol as that's all they sell here now - man I don't think 85% is going to work proper

Title: Re: E 85
Post by red2k1 on 05/09/06 at 10:58:30

E85 is far too corrosive for the fuel system. In addition, E85 will reduce your mileage and performance since it does not contain the same thermal output per unit of measurement as does gasoline. In other words, it does not produce the same explosive power as compared to gasoline.

Title: Re: E 85
Post by SouthernMD on 05/11/06 at 18:15:34

My cage is a flex fuel vehicle. According to the manufacture with E85 I should get 3 mpg less and 10 hp more. I haven’t had the chance to test it since there’s only 3 dealers in the state and the closest one to me is 70 miles away. Any way my understanding of the difference between a flex fuel vehicle and a standard fuel system vehicle is the type of material the soft parts (hoses, seals, diaphragms and such) are made of.

Title: Re: E 85
Post by thumperclone on 05/12/06 at 15:22:24

SouthernMD wrote:

an too just learnig ..main reason for askin is flex fuel cages are fuel injected..my s 40 isnt...

Title: Re: E 85
Post by SouthernMD on 05/12/06 at 18:04:19

Carbureted, fuel injected, as long as the fuel is atomized to a fine mist I don't think it makes a difference.

Title: Re: E 85
Post by LeeRider on 05/13/06 at 11:57:10

I used to engineer automotive fuel systems for Walbro earlier in my career. I developed the very first in-tank high pressure fuel reservoir system in 1988 which went into all Ford light trucks and subsequently many other brands.

At that time, we designed these systems to be compliant with many types of fuels on the market, plus those anticipated to be likely in the coming years. I did a test program with Ford on a version to be compatible with M85 (85% methanol) as well as a variety of other fuel variations you may not have heard of. We were honestly not looking at E85 at the time. I can tell you that most fuel systems are not designed, stock, to be compatible with E85, although some might be okay. I've never been involved with either injected or carbureted motorcycles, but the same material issues would still apply.

Some of the elastomers in the Suzuki carb, fuel lines, fuel valve, tank, (grommets, gaskets, tubing, diaphragms) may not be compatible with E85. Some materials will dissolve, soften, embrittle, or swell more than intended by design. Unless your carb manufacturer can verify that it will handle E85, it is really pure experimentation on your part. Dissolved, burnt goo building up in the combustion chamber might not be fun!

Ethanol is hygroscopic (attracts/absorbs moisture), so there is also an increased possibility of corrosion in the tank, if the rust resistance is not robust enough.

Ethanol has higher octane than gasoline (129 RON vs 91-98 RON) but less energy (84,000 btu/gal vs 125,000 btu/gal). So, if the engine is optimised for higher octane (timing, compression ratios, etc) it can definitely produce more power than straight gasoline, but as someone mentioned above, the trade-off is decreased fuel economy and range.

Title: Re: E 85
Post by Digger on 12/31/06 at 20:56:31

For the record, my owner's manual (my bike is in my signature) states:

1. Max allowable MTBE content is 15%.

2. Max allowable ethanol is 10%.

3. Max allowable methanol is 5%.

IHTH someone.

Title: Re: E 85
Post by TVR on 12/31/06 at 21:01:19

Maybe they will come up with an additive to counteract the wonderful things they are doing for us....