LeeRider
Ex Member
|
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.
|
Pages: 1
