cp87GTA

I've been talking to a few guys that switched to E85. I was wanting to switch to methanol , but don't want milk in the motor. Everybody I know has problems with condensation. Not so much with E85. I've talked with a carb builder in my area, and he's going to build me a carb setup for E85. He built my buddies carb for his 406 methanol motor and didn't have to change a thing on it. They ran it on the dyno and put it back where the builder had it. The claims of performance almost as good as methanol, without the problems. Going to pull the 406 & glide out of the Grand Am and put it in my sons 96 bird. With the 486 gear and 32" tall tires I should be slow enough to be legal this season, I hope. I'm going to 4 corner weigh it after the engine change. It may just be lighter than my GA.

brandoz28

iTrader: (1)

there's a couple guys here who run it and love it. both run bottom bottom 6s and are dead nuts consistent every weekend. one guy runs an aluminum cell with aluminum lines and never had any problems with corrosion. i know five7kid runs it in his '57 as well maybe he'll chime in here....

Shagwell

Proud supporter of methanol myself. Not much ethanol available down this way(next to none).

five7kid

iTrader: (14)

Yeah, been running it in the '57 since the 2006 season. I didn't really build the engine for it, could use more compression (only 10:1, should be more like 12:1).

Other than buying QFT E85 metering blocks, I've done the carb mods myself, jet and air bleed changes mostly. I've got a wide band I need to install, we'll see if that yields usable information.

cp87GTA

I'm running 13.8/1 on my 406, should be good for the E85. The guy that's doing my carb has a great rep. around here for building a carb second to none. I've always done my own stuff too, but I have to admit my car isn't as consistant as I'd like. I was compettive at the end of the season and I want it to continue. Did you do anything besides switch to E85? Did your car 60 ft better? The guys I've spoken to said I could exspect .015 to .02 better with a better 60 fter because of the ethanol. I do have plastic cells and new 1/2 " aluminum fuel lines in both cars. What kind of fuel pump are you running?

five7kid

iTrader: (14)

I'm running an Aeromotive SS pump. I'm not making a heap of power, though. At most, 500 including a 100 shot (I only run 50 shot now, when I spray it).

I changed the cam the same time I converted over, so hard to say apples to apples if it makes more power.

For sure the engine needs more heat. I used to struggle to keep the engine temp below 160 before staging when running gasoline, now I have it up to 175 before I start the burn-out. Kind of nice to get back to the staging lanes, ready for the next pairing, and it's the other guy that needs time to cool his car down.

(Once last year, I was in the finals with another guy who runs E85 - we both ran our semi-final round, went straight back to the staging lanes, and said, "I'm ready, you ready?" "Yup, I'm ready, let's go!")

AlkyIROC

Methanol for me. The oil I put in the engine at the beginning of 2009 is still in the engine and it's still clean. If you milk down the oil so badly that you need to change it after every weekend, your tuneup is wrong. Having total seal top rings doesn't hurt.

You just need to get the oil temperature above 151* and the methanol will evaporate from the oil. If you never get the engine hot enough, you'll always have condensation. A simple vaccum pump, belt or electric, removes any remaining condensation from the crankcase.

I use a rad and fan from a Firefly to cool my engine. Most of the time the fan is turned off so I can build up some engine heat. I'll turn the fan on coming back up the return road.

Each type of fuel has it's own characteristics. They all have good and bad issues.

I've also hot lapped. I asked for a 10 minute break to refuel and update the logbook. The engine is ready to go but my transmission heat takes a while to cool down.

IHI

iTrader: (1)

I ran it, from what i saw on the engine dynoing tuning the carb for it, there is absolutely no way i'd try to tune a carb myself to burn it, esspecially just converting a stock unit over without the "special" E85 parts. it was amazing at how much had to be done to get the fuel curve correct all the way through the powerband without having spikes. won the first race i entered that year, car was deadly and i did'nt change the dial all day. I did'nt notice a lick of difference operating temp wise street or strip. and the car sat for about a month or so after i lost that crankshaft and it completely ruined my carb and fuel pump. I used a holley blue pump to transfer fuel from the barrels i bought directly from the refinery and the e85 turned into a yellow gelatin that ate the crap out of the aluminum.....obviously it had gotten air into it since it was just a transfer pump so it was'nt used that often.

It's coming around as more guys run it and technology is catching up, but after running it, i'll never run it again. The garage always reeked of rotten potatoes and it eventually seeped into the cars interior while sitting in the garage and made each road trip disgusting LOL!! Race fuel or methonal, life is much simpler since it's already been figured out, and with what we pay and the competition in Pro/Sp i'm not willing to allow anymore money to get lost for R&D, easier to run what's proven IMO.

radical82

We've been running it in drag cars for about 5 years now, and in my old shop truck for the same amount of time. About the only "bad" I have is to not use it in a car that is going to sit for any length of time... When the drag season is over I drain the ethanol from the tank and put in a gallon of race gas and run the car long enough to get the ethanol flushed out of the system.

We run 13.5 compression, and blend off pump E-85 with E-100 to E-90 just to get the extra octane but it's not required, just some extra insurance. Our "carb guy" does an excellent job and has been building E-85 cars ever since it became available. Running a Dominator on a 500+ CI engine, we used to run methanol but E-85 is cheaper, more readily available, and landed us some good sponsorship money besides!!!!!

The stroker going in my '82 Camaro street car will also be E-85 powered.

cp87GTA

I got my E85 tuned carb back yesterday, was exspensive, but looks awsome. I think I'll leave the gas carb on for a while. Taking the car down to get it certified next Sat. then I'll be pulling the engine and trans for winter maintence. Went out and started the car today, both needles and seat were bad and leaking. Anybody else having trouble with these using unleaded fuel? I don't believe I'll ever buy another set of viton tipped.

radical82

Pump gas these days seems to be such terribly poor quality....if the car sits for any length of time at all carb and injector problems happen! Just about forced to run some type of fuel system cleaner through the tank with every other fill up to keep things in the fuel system working.... Friend owns a parts store, sez fuel filter and fuel pump sales have been great all winter!!!!!

cp87GTA

Well, I made to the track yesterday running E85. My car didn't pick up much if anything at all. Air was 1800 ft with temps in the low 80s. The best I had was 1.31 60 6.31@107.83 mph. Last fall with real good air it ran 6.17@109.63 with a 1.27 60ftr. I made 7 or 8 passes and it only drifted from 6 .31 to 6.37 all day and thats with a few jet changes. My carb builder had 84s/86s and I ended up with 91s/93s. I kept jeting up untill mph stayed the same. Didn't even have to put the battery charger on it all day, thanks to the very fast cool down times. I'm going to like that. Glad I made the change at this point.

radical82

Only .06 change on ET even with jetting changes??? That thing is going to be very tough to beat!!! We're running 13.1 CR on E85, had days last summer that the ET didn't change more then .04 from morning time trials to afternoon eliminations. Don't know why it makes for so much better consistency, but I guess I don't really care either!!!!!

stiletto

im running E85. its awsome bada$$

overdriv

As a side note to this discussion, I have contacted Rocket Brand fuels and they sell their E85 in 55 Gal. drums for $430.00. It can be picked up at their warehouse in Channahon, Il or they will ship it to you. They quoted me $100.00 shipping to central IL.

Here is a link to the info on their E85. Sounds like good stuff but very expensive.

http://www.rockettbrand.com/techsupp...ationSheet.pdf

IHI

iTrader: (1)

That is the most retarded thing I've ever heard of Your not too far from MN where they sell E85 for $2.20/gallon....and your willing to pay $9.69/gallon????!!!! Your better off running racing fuel...it's CHEAPER and less headaches since it's readily available almost everywhere

five7kid

iTrader: (14)

I thought $3.60/gal at the track for E85 was bad enough.

overdriv

Excuse me, but I'm not retarded, have you been talking to my wife?

I didn't say I was going to buy any at that price. You obviously didn't read about it before you called me retarded. Rocket Brand E85 is 112 octane, an is consistently 112.

The E85 at the pump around here is anywhere from E77-E87 during the summer months.
I want something that is going to be consistently predictable.

Yeah I agree, race gas would be cheaper than that.

cp87GTA

I bought mine in Springfield, at Freedom oil@ $2.29 a gallon. It tested 85 on the nose. Went I inquired about buying my fuel from them, they told me they have 85 year round there. I switched for the consistancy, not because of the price. I was also having tunning problems on gas, plugs were black and sootty. I kept thinking it was fat but every time I put more fuel to it, it went faster. Now the plugs are very clean, almost too clean.

overdriv

Thanks for the info. That would be great to get consistent E85 from the pump. Where in S'field is the Freedom station?

IHI

iTrader: (1)

Overdrv, make no mistake...I did'nt call you retarded directly...just said that was the most retarded thing I've ever heard of

If you want consistant E85, just contact the distillery and buy them buy the drum, that's what I did when I ran it. You get a price break also

overdriv

No problem IHI, just making a little fun of it. You are right, it is expensive, but it's not like your usual E85. The E85 we buy at the pump is made from run of the mill unleaded gasoline. Rockets E85 is made with high octane gasoline to start with and the most important part, at least to the racer, is the consistency.

I'm hoping I can find a consistent supply at the pump somewhere. Another board member has told me where he buys his and I will give it a try.

IHI

iTrader: (1)

The e85 motor I had, I bought 2 drums from the ethonal plant up the road from where we dynoed, I think back then I paid $240 for 110 gallons with drum deposit, it was very consistant. Everything I've ever read from guys back then who were getting it from the pump said all the batches were specing out the same, even though there is zero mandates/regulations on E85 formula's....but most of the time the gas stations get the fuel from the same refinery and they're not going to change how they mix the fuel just for fun, they're going to keep it the same so all the processes and procedures are the same when refining it.

As for the Rocket brand, I dont care if they mix their E85 with unicorn sperm, aint no way it's worth that much....race gas is no less consistant than E85 if your set up is right, so if your buying E85 that's mixed with a 112 octane base fuel, your really not gaining anything by having the corn alcohol mixed with it....know what I mean?? Just use race gas, it'll cover the same compresssion spectrum and give just as good performance/consistency as the blended stuff.

The point of the E85 is that it's mixed with normal pump gas (why it's so cheap) but thanks to the alcohol content it's fine to use upto 14:1 and cases upto 15:1 without issue, but they recommend AT LEAST 12.5:1 or you will see no gain from it...which I can personally vouge for since my 1st engine ended up being 11.8:1 and switching from 93 octane, to 110, to E85 netted me nothing in power, just changed the sound of the engine.

Sad part, Rocket is probably producing this product for the power adder guys in certain classes, and guys that dont know about the E85 in depth will buy into the rocket stuff being the fuel to buy, not knowing they're just pizzing money away for no reason.

cp87GTA

North edge of town, Peoria Rd.& Dirksen Pky. I got a 30 gallon drum I'm going to use. I can get one for you if you need it. They had some floor cleaning stuff in them. Just have to wash them out. Send me an e-mail if you want one.