E85

[serialk11r]

Originally Posted by HunterGreene

You're correct, I just re-checked my facts. Should have done that the first time. You'd be less fuel-efficient, but have a bit more power. Still not worth the tradeoff, IMHO.

I think if the motor is built and tuned to take advantage of the E85, the power increase is quite respectable, though it's not huge if you're not cranking up boost. Even without boost, I think you can typically do like 15:1 compression ratio with good spark timing and AFR on E85, which is worth quite a bit of power and efficiency!

The loss in energy density (per unit volume) is partially made up for with increased efficiency, so I think it depends on how much E85 costs compared to gasoline and how you have your car set up that determines whether or not it's worth it. You get 20-25% less range, but the power you gain is essentially free if the price isn't too far from normal gas...so think of it as buying really cheap race gas at a slight premium/discount to normal gas.