E85

[gooffeyguy]

My son just sent me a pic of an E85 test they use at their shop. Now all of you who want to know how much ethanol is in the gas you pump can test it in 5 minutes. Rev-X makes a couple different testers for ethanol / E85. Here's one:

@swathdiver

I just look at my torque pro app that's connected to a Bluetooth dongle plugged into the OBDII port to find out the Ethanol content in my tank.

2001 Yukon SLT
2012 Yukon Denali XL
2011 Yukon Denali RIP 5/20/18

 

[Fless]

I can do that, too, with the Tech 2 but not right from the pump.

 

[George B]

Just spent the last hour reading this thread. Sounds interesting. Gonna give E85 a go once I get back to driving more often.

 

[itsbo1313]

I prefer e85 but right now here in Riverside County, CA e85 is $2.15 and premium is $2.59, so I'm running premium. The corn fuel has to be at least 70 cents a gallon less than premium to make the mileage hit worth it.

 

[Mickey_7106]

I can check ethanol content with my obdlink scan tool through my phone

 

[Fless]

So can I, but my point is to be able to see what you're putting into the tank, not the composite mix that results. "E85" does not always have the same ethanol content, it varies widely. Rare that they even post a minimum % at the pump.

 

[JonnyTahoe]

I can check ethanol content with my obdlink scan tool through my phone

No need to check the content here when Reg fuel is so cheap.

 

[JonnyTahoe]

I just look at my torque pro app that's connected to a Bluetooth dongle plugged into the OBDII port to find out the Ethanol content in my tank.

2001 Yukon SLT
2012 Yukon Denali XL
2011 Yukon Denali RIP 5/20/18

Bluetooth Dongle. Torque Pro app. Think I need a newer truck.

 

[George B]

At what price difference does E85 break even with 87? Truck says I am averaging 14 mpg after a 139 mile trip. E85 is about 5 cents cheaper than 87 here.

 

[iamdub]

At what price difference does E85 break even with 87? Truck says I am averaging 14 mpg after a 139 mile trip. E85 is about 5 cents cheaper than 87 here.

No way is that enough of a difference. E85 returns considerably lower fuel economy. It varies with the actual net alcohol content and you have to calculate it by cents per mile. But, without doing the math, I can tell you that $.05 isn't enough of a difference.


Having said that, I'm currently planning on having mine tuned to be optimized on E85 when I get it tuned for the cam, raised compression, headers, etc. Mine being a weekend toy at most means I can get out to an E85 station as needed for a fill-up rather than having to find one along a daily commute. I'm not concerned as much about splitting hairs with MPG as I am getting as much power as reasonably possible.