Whats the point of E85 gasoline?

[Farmer17]

When I bought my new Ram 1500 in 2018 it was rated for E85 gas which I thought was great because it was about 50 cents/gallon cheaper. Then I filled my tank with E85 and my gas mileage went down from 21 mpg in the city to about 13 miles per gallon. I was happy getting 21 mpg from the 10% E10 Ethanol since I drive with a heavy right foot but no way E85 would be cost effective even if they dropped the price a bunch. The mechanic at the dealer told me to run some E85 through my truck a couple of times a year to keep the injectors clean so I don't have to pay to have them cleaned but other than that whats the use for it? I still run pure gasoline though all my other engines like law equipment, four wheeler, and boat because I heard the ethanol was bad on the seals on the older or less sophisticated engines.

 

[pawngal]

The push behind E85 is because the ethanol comes from a renewable resource, corn. I had a 2011 Tundra, a notorious gas guzzler, that could use it. I figured out the price difference had to be at least 90 cents a gal. Did hit that a few times years ago.

 

[Ivan the Butcher]

Never heard a E85 story with a happy ending!

Ivan

 

[kozmic]

Another epic fail from the chauffeured crew in DC

 

[swsig]

If you're a corn farmer, you love E85. It takes an enormous amount of corn to produce it. That keeps the demand for corn, and consequently the price, at a high level. Politicians from corn-producing states who vote against E85 would have short careers.

 

[MRB1]

If the government is pushing it's use, I'll continue to run ethanol-free gas.

 

[ggibson511960]

E85 (ethanol) is a windfall for the corn industry, specifically Archer-Daniel-Midland, Cargill and the host of other providers of the technology. As an energy source, it suffices if nothing else is available. A fair accounting of the diesel fuel, fertilizer and energy necessary to grow, harvest, transport, ferment, distill and blend ethanol makes it about an energy break even, not a good strategy for a planet with finite resources. Ethanol fuel was a nice byproduct of sugarcane on the Gulf Coast and for Brasil that had nothing else. With 60% of the Btu content per pound, ethanol struggles to compete with fossil fuel. Ethanol distilleries need a waiver from the EPA for formaldehyde emissions. The production blend credits, import tariffs and consumption mandates keep the ethanol industry on life support. Nobody pipelines ethanol or blends due to metallurgical problems and hygroscopic corrosion.

E85 use does make it easier for the U.S. to meet the silly consumption mandates dreamed up by the EPA.

 

[GypsmJim]

The mechanic at the dealer told me to run some E85 through my truck a couple of times a year to keep the injectors clean so I don't have to pay to have them cleaned but other than that whats the use for it?

I have not had to clean or rebuild a carburetor or clean injectors for many years. Not since using E10. E85 is not necessary in that regard.

The purpose for using E85 is because it's a renewable resource and is not dependent upon foreign oil.

Nobody said it was cost effective.

 

[Old 44 Guy]

Tried it once on an out of state trip. Lousy milage. Never again.

 

[lihpster]

If you put E85 in the new Dodge Demon 170, horsepower goes from 900 on dino fuel to 1025. So, there's that very specific purpose.

 

[Breakaway500]

Great stuff in high performance cars. Mileage goes down but power goes up! Hard to find in my area so my "needy" track cars live on track sourced 100 octane (which does have 10% alcohol)

 

[arjay]

We subsidize corn so there a huge excess of it (farmers ain't dumb) It's got to go somewhere…

 

[Rustyt1953]

E85, E86, whatever it takes.

 

[twodog max]

Making fuel from a food source is a dumb idea no matter how it is sliced.

 

[venomballistics]

Yeah ... It has lower energy density.
Yes, your milage will take a kick in the crotch and you may or may not see any savings depending on how much effort you want to put into tracking commodities.
What it does bring to the table is lower emissions.
For that, if it was consistently the better economic choice, I'd give it serious consideration.

 

[THE PILGRIM]

But Tojo say No No!

 

[venomballistics]

Making fuel from a food source is a dumb idea no matter how it is sliced.

It's already used in ridiculous ways.
As E85 goes, I think it's fading away into obscurity anyhow.

 

[MRB1]

We subsidize corn so there a huge excess of it (farmers ain't dumb) It's got to go somewhere…

It would be nice if that "somewhere" was to the feed distributors - my feed corn costs are unjustly high.

 

[pharmer]

I just don't understand how boiling "mash" to distill alcohol (which at that point would be "high octane hooch") is more "planet friendly" when it's added to gas thereby cutting mileage by 10% for E10 and 20% for E 15. I guess it's more "DC math." I guess since Bill gates can't control oil production he'll buy all the cornfields and control us that way. Yes, I do believe Gates/ Microsoft are evil. Joe

 

[DWalt]

My Ford Ranger works on E85. Never used it, probably never will. And I don't know of any gas stations near me that sell it. I do notice that some have"No Ethanol" gas, but at about a $1/gal premium price. That puzzles me. I would think it should be cheaper, not more expensive.

 

[pharmer]

Currently ethanol is about 40 cents/gal cheaper than RBOB (wholesale gas). Joe

 

[yaktamer]

Never heard a E85 story with a happy ending!

Ivan

Apparently you're not a midwestern lobbyist.

 

[Farmer17]

I run E10 gas in my Ram quad cab truck all the time and get about 21mpg in the city and have also ran straight gasoline, higher octane, and premium gas and got no better mileage, acceleration or power pulling my ski boat. It seems like every convenience store in Oklahoma sells E85 but I don't know who is buying it. Gas pumps aren't cheap so there must be someone buying it?

 

[NYlakesider]

I run E10 gas in my Ram quad cab truck all the time and get about 21mpg in the city and have also ran straight gasoline, higher octane, and premium gas and got no better mileage, acceleration or power pulling my ski boat. It seems like every convenience store in Oklahoma sells E85 but I don't know who is buying it. Gas pumps aren't cheap so there must be someone buying it?

My belief is the E85 for the most part appeals to the less informed driver out there. They only see the price and have no clue about the serious reduction in mileage that **** gas gives.
Once they finely figure it out they go back to E10 gas!

Its more serious than the none ethanol Vs E10% situation. Most anyone I know gets real gas for anything 2 stroke. I do see many owners manuals come right out and say NO E85 fuel.

As a gear head I do realize in a vechicle set up to use it that E85 can give a substantial power increase. The key word is vechicle/computer tuned to utilize that fuel.

 

[JET4]

The only thing E10 and higher gas is good for is causing problems with your boat motor.

 

[.455_Hunter]

My wife's family live in SD corn / soy bean territory, and one brother is operating two mid-size farms. E85 was (maybe still is?) popular due it being home grown and home produced with local plants. They intentionally bought vehicles that were E85 capable.

 

[pawngal]

Considering that Iowa is #1 in corn production and
#1 in ethanol production one would think it would be used more here than it is.
Some gas stations have it, many don't. The only ones that always have it are those operated by a farm coop.

Another tidbit, Iowa is #1 in the production of biodiesel and #2 in soybean production (Illinois is #1)

Also, Iowa produces 64% of its electricity from wind energy. Highest of any state.

On can either praise or blame long time Iowa Senator Charles Grassley for much of these "alternative energy sources"

 

[LVSteve]

I run E10 gas in my Ram quad cab truck all the time and get about 21mpg in the city and have also ran straight gasoline, higher octane, and premium gas and got no better mileage, acceleration or power pulling my ski boat. It seems like every convenience store in Oklahoma sells E85 but I don't know who is buying it. Gas pumps aren't cheap so there must be someone buying it?

Two points here:

1) It takes several tank fulls for a vehicle to adjust to a different gas octane, unless you do a manual reset of the engine management system.

2) In another post you confessed to driving with a heavy right foot. That will often mask any changes in gas octane.

With regard to point 1), I found that my Xterra idled rough in hot weather with regular 87 octane. I switched to 89 and reset the computer and it fixed the idle issue with a small improvement in gas mileage. Believe it or not, the other fix for the 87 octane rough idle was to fit a 0.5" plenum spacer on the intake.

 

[pantannojack]

I believe it to be a conspiracy to burn our (the peasant class) burn our food.

 

[GypsmJim]

The only thing E10 and higher gas is good for is causing problems with your boat motor.

There are Boatmen, Boaters, Guys with boats, and people that just decided to buy a boat because it looked like fun.

The vast majority of these groups are simply clueless. The top end know what to do and the bottom end just don't do any maintenance at all.

The beauty of ethanol is that is gave everybody an excuse to identify why their boat is all screwed up. Those are also the boats that are now sitting alongside the garage with no cover rotting in the snow.

Those of us that do proper maintenance have ZERO problems with E10. In fact, it is an advantage because of the benefits it provides.

The rest simply complain.

E10 is completely political. We are stuck with it. Learn what to do and it could be your friend. Otherwise, the voting booth is your other friend.