mixing E85 and gasoline

[denver_whitest185]

I know running straight E85 is not a good idea unless your tuned for it, and really won't give any benefits unless its forced induction or very high compression and is tuned correctly for the fuel difference needed

i was wondering if mixing it would do anything though. the gas station near my place has E85 for $2.79 a gallon, where 85 is 3.77 a gallon (the ninja 250 manual says to run regular, not premium). i don't think i'll be saving alot of money, but would running 20%-30% ethanol as opposed to the standard 10% that is in regular maybe give me some sort of benifit? its a carbed bike if that matters.

anyone experienced with actual results of this?

[highpsi03]

I run 100% ethanol in my fully built eclipse. Ethanol is cheaper, but you must also remember that you must use 30% more than regular gasoline. I only run ethanol in my car because i run 9:1 compression and over 28psi of boost. Ethanol is 105 octane, but i see no purpose in mixing it with regular gasoline in a bike. I've thought of running 100% ethanol in my r6 but it would require a re-tune, (richer by around 30%) Basically what i'm trying to say is that it isn't worth it. You are risking running something lean and seizing a motor. Basically its going to be hard to make sure you get the mixture the exact same every time, and even then how would you know what the ideal ratio of ethanol to gas is safe? On my car i run a wideband 02 sensor so i have the tune down, and i run 100% ethanol all the time, so nothing really changes. You must also remember that ethanol makes the motor harder to start (especially on 100% mixtures) and ethanol is known to dry out rubber lines and orings after extended long term use. Basically i'm saying i wouldn't do it. If your bike was fuel injected with an 02 sensor i would see no probably with adding a bit of ethanol, but not on a carbd bike.

[TT5.0]

I think something like 20% is not harmful, but then again I have to ask why bother? Given that there is no detonation/pre-ignition, lower octane fuels will actually deliver more power unless you tune for it. Running a high octane fuel on a vehicle that is not tuned to utilize it will actually make the vehicle slower. Remember, leaner = faster (until it blows up).

[denver_whitest185]

i understand how E85 works, and the concepts behind tuning it correctly and that it has a much higher octane ratine. my alltrac is now tuned for 22-24 psi on race gas if i feel like cranking it up, and ive had a few talks with platypus mike about his forester, which is making a little over 350whp on a daily tune on E85

it was more a question that if i mix a half gallon or so of E85, would anything good come out of it. running 20% or so shouldn't actually lean it out significantly, but it might a little, which would be a really easy way to make an extra horsepower or two on such a small bike, and it wouldn't cost me anything (i'd probably save a dollar or so every fill up, but thats not what im worried about)

as far as wearing on rubber fuel lines, 20% shouldn't do any more damage than straight gasoline.

[rybo]

I'm not sure you'll notice even if you get a little extra HP- the key to making the extra power will be in the jetting, and you'll need to spend some significant time on the dyno to get that just right. There are a lot of other things you could probably do for less money that would give you a better benefit performance wise. The cost here is all in getting the jetting right.

[AshliRider44]

We definitely notice the extra HP in the WRX, of course it's not a ninja but....

[rybo]

We definitely notice the extra HP in the WRX, of course it's not a ninja but....

Ash,

Are you guys blending with regular gas or running straight E85?

[Jim_Vess]

but would running 20%-30% ethanol as opposed to the standard 10% that is in regular maybe give me some sort of benifit? its a carbed bike if that matters.

Short answer ... no.

Unless you rejet the bike for it, the increased percentage of ethanol will probably cause it to run like shit.

Check you owner's manual, it may say that it's not recommended to run anything greater than 10% ethanol in your bike. The OM's for both my bikes say not to exceed 10% ethanol.

[denver_whitest185]

i think i'll stay on the safe side and just not run it.

thanks for the input though

[highpsi03]

We definitely notice the extra HP in the WRX, of course it's not a ninja but....

You notice a difference in the wrx because it's a turbocharged car that runs a knock sensor. Pump gas will sometimes ping and the knock sensor will pick it up and pull timing. With e-85 you are less likely to knock, therefore you have full timing advance because the knock sensor isn't picking up knock.

[highpsi03]

i my alltrac is now tuned for 22-24 psi on race gas if i feel like cranking it up, and ive had a few talks with platypus mike about his forester, which is making a little over 350whp on a daily tune on E85

.

Problem is that when you get into running 100% full e-85 your pump and injectors usually can't keep up. I run dual fuel pumps, full -6an fuel line from the tank and 1600cc injectors. Which aree 4x the stock size.. You can't just toss e-85 into a car and expect to make more power without some supporting mods. In short, no don't bother running it in your bike.

[denver_whitest185]

I wasn't planning on "tossing" e-85 straight into my bike, so i don't know where that statement is coming from, and mike is tuned specifically for it by harvey, while mine is just regular race gas on a chipped tune.

i already agreed with you guys, so unless theres some new info on running 20-30% ethanol in a bike, i think this is settled.