E85 Price per mile comparison

[ChuckD]

I have been doing some calculations on whether it would be cost effective to make the switch. And if it was better for the enviroment. All calculations were done based on a bone dry 26 gallon tank. 87 octane here is $2.53 per gallon = $65.78 for a fill up. We have been averaging 13 mpg. Therefor we "could" get 338 miles on a tank. That equates into 19.4 cents per mile. E85 is $2.39 per gallon= $62.14 to fill up. Now figuring in a 15% mpg loss (using a 91 oct. tune) that would put me at 11.05 mpg therefor we could get 287.3 miles per tank. That equates to 21.6 cents per mile. 2.2 cents a mile differance. It would take the price of regular to increase to $2.81 per gallon and E85 to remain the same for it to even equal out. So in the more E85 you use in a vehicle the more fuel you will use per mile will emit more CO2 than regualer 87. So a simple minded person like myself can plainly show that the EPA trying to pull wool over people, and they even admit it in their data. http://www.epa.gov/greenvehicles/Det...icle_ID=111289

[88Racing]

Thanx Chuck!
Its quite typical in the larger scale vehilcles like pickups and suvs to see the negative decreases like this with e85.
But with smaller vehicles like the sub compacts there have been some positive results.
E85 dips into the food production also where as gas doesn't.
Peace!

[cleatus12r]

Thanks for pointing that out, Chuck. It's something that a few people have been aware of for quite some time but most "blind" people ignore so that they can feel secure by THINKING they're doing something good for the planet.

[ChuckD]

I forgot to add that on the average 15000 mile per year it wold cost $330 more to run E85.

[Jackpine]

But, as you point out with price comparisons, I think E85 was once upon a time more than $1.00 cheaper per gallon than the real stuff, due to Government subsidies. This was back in the "Bush years". It may get to that again, and then it IS cheaper to use for the consumer than real gas.

I've made my negative feelings about gasohol known in the past, so I won't go into them again, and, we have at least one forum member, Chester8420, who happens to be a farmer and, of course, has quite a different view.

- Jack

[martinoledad]

Just wondering can bill do a custom tune that will give better gas mileage for the E85 gas, and even more power then it gives already.

[cleatus12r]

The real unfortunate thing about gasoline-powered vehicles is that they HAVE to maintain a specific air fuel ratio at all times. E85 requires a slightly richer mixture than gasoline and also has less energy per volume than gasoline.

This means that not only do you need more E85 per combustion event, but the force exerted on the crankshaft from the piston is significantly less as well.

[ChuckD]

From my research you need a high compression ratio to really take the benifits of the higher octane. No offense to any farmers but we have to be real in all aspects of it. I was a Co-op boy for a long time. But to use the analogy "Why spend $100 on an escort when you can spend $25 and get the same results."

[majek5]

Plus from what I heard, it costs $1.25 to make $1.00 of fuel.