I was wondering if any of you guys opted for the flex fuel set-up and how it works for you when you run ethanol.

I am considering a move to ethanol when I do my fuel system upgrade and wanted to get as much information as possible before I do so.

thank you.

 

They don't sell ethanol down south. I think we could get rid of ALL imported oil...just go to the midwest. Anyway, when I lived in so-dak I used the ethanol blend and it worked fine and I had no vapor lock. Plus its a higher octane gas that is cheaper than the lower octane regular gas. I don't think this had anything to do with your question....

 

Ethanol appeals to me for the reasons you have stated. I would like to do what I can as a single consumer to reduce dependency on foreign fuels and I would like to have a higher octane fuel at a reasonable price.

Unfortunately I am not able to find many people with practical real world experience of the fuel.

 

You could make your own ethanol

http://running_on_alcohol.tripod.com/

 

It's funny you posted that link as I was waiting for another page on that site to load when I switched back here.

 

E85 is being sold at the pump, we have like 2 in okc but it's a little more then gas per gallon but is suppose to clean your engine and run better but youwill get less mileage out of it. Alot of chevy vehicles come from the factory ready for e85 to be put in their tank. I haven't met anyone using it but i am not doing it becasue here it's about 10 cents more expensive then gas(don't see why) and I would get about 60-80 miles less per tank.

 

I've been running E85 for about 3 months now. Here in KC I only have 1 station that sells it and its about 10 miles away. They charge 1.59/gal.(same price the last 3 months, I like the stablity)
I got to say that I noticed more HP right way when using it, specially in the 1500-3000 rpm range. Much more power than premium 91 octane, E85 has about 105-115 octane it rocks!!!
cstchevy is right about the MPG droping, you can expect about a 20% decrease in MPG (E85 has more oxigen than regular gas so it burns different). Even so it's a lot cheaper than the premium gas and it cleans up the whole system. On my 3rd tank full I could tell that my 03 hoe was runing like new, wide open again.
Plus I love the fact that if you use it you decrease the amount of gas that you buy by 85% and support US farmers instead of foreign oil interest.
Check out this site for all the info you need and retailers in your area:
e85fuel.com
and this is also useful: http://afdcmap.nrel.gov/locator/LocatePane.asp
I love the stuff!!!!!! The exhaust fumes smell like monshine.
I've nicknamed my Tahoe "Cornolio".

 

We don't get the E85 here but do run the enhanced ethanol blend during the winters here for emmision reasons ( Nov thru end of Feb ). As stated, feels like the vehicles run better but you will notice the drop in gas mileage ( I also do not understand why ). Prices stay about the same.
Older cars, pre 1980, don't like the corn fuel as the heads/valves tend to burn. 2 stroke or HP motorcycles also do not like the stuff unless specifically tuned for it.
Kansas, love the "Cornolio" tag!

 

A bit off the subject, but a couple of years back someone was campaigning a funny car running on ethanol instead of methanol. As I recall, they were using some sort of corn oil instead of petroleum-based oil in the crankcase. They also used a vegetable based oil in the tranny and rear end. If anyone remembers the specifics, please post. The cool part was after a run, you could siphon the fuel cell for a good buzz.

 

ethonal truck link