Is anyone running E85 fuel?

[bobcowan]

I use it with good results. One of the big issues is availability. Here in the US, it can be tough to find. Especially on the back roads and in small towns. To set the car up to run E-85 only could be a real problem around here.

You'll need about 20-25% more fuel. For a carb, that means bigger jets, squirters, etc. That pretty much means a dedicated carb. You might need a bigger pump to handle the volume. Because it burns a little slower, you also need less timing. People often mistake ethanol with methanol. Methanol is very caustic, and will eat most rubber components. Ethanol is not.

My car has EFI with a custom built Megasquirt MS3+ ECU from DIY Auto Tune. There's a switch under the dash to switch from one fuel map to another. The ECU also controls the ignition. On the track I uses a dedicate program, and that's an easy download from the laptop.

There are some distinct performance advantages. Because it's a colder intake charge, it tends to be denser. More air and fuel = more power. Even on the hottest days, I never worry about heat management. At high altitude, with air temps near 100* and track temps near 150*, my water temp might get over 200* in a 20 minute session. In city traffic, it never comes close to overheating.

Even with using 20% more fuel, it's still far cheaper than race fuel, and much easier to get here in CO. When I travel to UT, I have to carry all I might use.