E85 Question

[endoracing]

I just purchased my gryphon (and its great!) and had a question:

I have read that cars need fuel system modifications in order to run E85 but I have also read that all cars in the last 20 or so years already have E85 compatible fuel systems and only the engine tuning needs to be modified.

Is there any truth to the latter and if so would a custom E85 tune from PHP be enough to allow a non-flexfuel f150 to run E85 safely?

Just curious in case gas prices get out of hand and E85 somehow remains low.

Thanks,
Jeff

[cleatus12r]

Can I ask why you want to run E85?

The mileage will likely be horrible, the power will be sub-par, and it's really not worth it.....

[Longshot270]

Pretty much what he said.

Because of the lower energy content you'll be burning a lot more of it. Does burning more justify the lower expense? Kinda like seeing cookies at the grocery store. The big box is $4 and the small box is $3, but the small box is half the size of the big one. If you eat cookies like I do those little boxes may have a cheaper face value but you spend more with just two boxes. Now do a conversion to gallons and the fact that your truck takes over twenty.

The flex fuel vehicles have more than just a sensor to tell the PCM that it is now drinking like an alcoholic, they also have improved rubber components that are more resistant. Yes you could tune any vehicle to dump more fuel into the cylinders but that doesn't mean that the rest of the vehicle should be using it. That would also not be a tune you run all the time. When I was buying my truck I read in the manuals that even flex fuel vehicles have to run tanks of regular gasoline ever so often so it is not like they are immune from the effects of high concentrations of ethanol, and they are made for it. The vehicles in the last decade were made for mixes of gasoline that were basically contaminated with ethanol, not ethanol with a little bit of gasoline.

[PhqChevys]

Originally Posted by endoracing

I just purchased my gryphon (and its great!) and had a question:

I have read that cars need fuel system modifications in order to run E85 but I have also read that all cars in the last 20 or so years already have E85 compatible fuel systems and only the engine tuning needs to be modified.

Is there any truth to the latter and if so would a custom E85 tune from PHP be enough to allow a non-flexfuel f150 to run E85 safely?

Just curious in case gas prices get out of hand and E85 somehow remains low.

Thanks,
Jeff

Jeff, I have the same question as you. I have a '07 F150 5.4L. I've talked with the tech's at my local Ford dealer and multiple people have told me that all of the parts used in my truck, in relation to the fuel system, are the same as the E85 flex fuel version of my truck... the fuel lines, tank, pump, filters, injectors, ect.... They said that the only difference is a sensor to tell the PCM the fuel type in the tank and the PCM program itself. I think it would be a nice feature to have a tune sitting in my Gryphon that I could load into my PCM and use E85 if need be. Maybe Bill could elaborate on this for us a bit, I trust his opinion more than hearsay on the internet or chatting with the Ford tech's at the shop bay door....

[endoracing]

Like I said, I have heard both ways on compatibility in the fuel system, there are many sites that swear by it and sell components to convert (computers, not fuel systems). I understand the energy difference in E85 but it would still be a nice option in the event of a gas spike where E85 stays low. I don't know the validity of it but I have also heard that E85 has a smoother power curve and is good for towing. I don't have any first hand experience with E85 which is why I am asking. If a tune is enough to make it work then for 30 bucks I wouldn't mind giving it a try.

Phq, thanks for making me feel like I'm not crazy I know I've read it all over that the fuels systems are fine, I wish I could find a definitive answer.

The wife semi-OK'd the jump to an F250 .. so if I play my cards right I will be asking diesel questions instead in the near future.