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Asked: Sep 20, 2009 - 11:01 AM

Status: Closed

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rowanm

I've been told not to use E85 in my flex-fuel vehicle as it damages the engine. Is this correct?

I've heard that thought the fuel tank has been modified, the engines have not been upgraded to handle the hotter burning ethanol gasoline and it causes too much wear on the engine.

In Fuel Type / Drivetrain > Ethanol
3 answers - 66 days ago

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mr_shiftright

Date: Sep 20, 2009
Time: 02:21 PM

If you have a genuine FFV type vehicle, of course you can use E85. That's what it was built to do.

If you have a yellow gas cap, then you're all set for E85. Read up in your owner's manual as well. You don't say what kind of vehicle you have, so I can't say more about it.

People are even running E85 on non-flex vehicles with no ill effects.

Check this out:

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mr_shiftright

Date: Sep 20, 2009
Time: 02:21 PM

If you have a genuine FFV type vehicle, of course you can use E85. That's what it was built to do.

If you have a yellow gas cap, then you're all set for E85. Read up in your owner's manual as well. You don't say what kind of vehicle you have, so I can't say more about it.

People are even running E85 on non-flex vehicles with no ill effects.

Check this out:

UTUBE VIDEO

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0patience

Date: Sep 20, 2009
Time: 02:27 PM

Most of today's flex fuel vehicles have a sensor to distinguish which fuel, E85 or standard unleaded, that your vehicle is running and adjusts the computer accordingly.

Who ever made that statement hasn't done their homework.

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morin2

Date: Sep 20, 2009
Time: 06:59 PM

The biggest problem with ethanol as a fuel is that it is hydroscopic - meaning that it absorbs water. As your fuel sloshes around in your tank, the ethanol can absorb water from the air in the tank. If you drive a lot, you'll be burning up your fuel before it has enough time to become a problem. If you go away for a month and leave your car undriven, then it would be wise to fill it with regular gas - which is E10, and add a fuel stabilizer like Stabil for ethanol fuels.

It would be interesting to compare the cost per mile of driving with E85 vs E10 based on your car's actual performance (calculate cost + mpg) and decide which to use based on which is more economical. The environmental argument in favor of using E85 is bogus.

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Top Ethanol Experts
Rank Leader Points
1. mr_shiftright 95
2. morin2 60
3. pat 55
4. bandit10 35
5. jlflemmons 20
6. ray80 20
7. zaken1 20

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