[Turbo_435i]

I am pretty knowledgeable when it comes to motors and how they operate etc, kinda old school you could say. I've changed out pistons, transmissions, axles, fuel pumps etc all by the ol' do it your selfer work.


I am totally clueless when it comes to the newer fuel type E-whatever(85,35?) etcc....

I have never really looked into it much and dont know anything about it, other than the fact that they were using it on certain cars etc for better fuel mileage ???

I have seen numerous post here about ppl using E-85, E-35? on their bmws etc and tuned cars etc....


I'm the type of person that doesnt try to act like I know something, if I dont know, i politely "ask", and have no issue showing my ignorance(lol), as long as i can learn from it..... so that being said....

what the EFFFFFF is E-85 E whatever number, and how does it work ? vs reg octane gas ???

also, i always thought that a cars engine / fuel system had to be SETUP for this type of fuel to operate properly, similar to diesel engines ????


does E-gas run cooler, burn better ? is it more expensive, readily available at certain gas stations? and can it mess up anything on a bmw if its not suppose to be used in our engines ???


sorry for long post, but i know someone here is smarter than me on the topic, and i appreciate your help in advance.

[Turbo_435i]

just found this, wtf ?

[BMW GENIUS]

I'd be interested in taking some notes from others as well!

[BD_F22]

E85 is commonly used in Flex Fuel vehicles but many high hp cars (EVO's, GTR's, BMW's, etc) use it. The reason being is it is rated at 100+ octane and has pretty good cooling properties as well but does decrease fuel economy. The fuel itself is e85 which means it is 85% ethanol in comparison to reg 93 containing 10% ethanol.. When you see someone say they are running e35 it means they are mixing 91 or 93 with the e85. E35 refers to the mixed ratio of ethanol so if you generally fill with about 4 gallons of e85 and 9-10 of 93 it will average out to about 35% ethanol content.

The benefits of e85 is the higher octane and the ability to run more aggressive timing and boost. It helps with torque tremendously and is much cheaper than race gas.

Most people running high concentrations of e85 need to upgrade their low pressure fuel pump (LPFP) in order to be able to handle the extra fueling.

[Turbo_435i]

I understand ppl ARE using E-85 etc,

BUT, is it safe for the PARTS in our cars?

Meaning:

1. Fuel rail
2. Fuel pump
3. Fuel lines
4. Cylinder head / valves
5. Fuel tank
6. Injectors

And anyrhing else I might have missed that comes into contact with the E-85 fuel.

Also,

If I have a stock M235i and only upgrade is JB4, would i need E85 for the higher boost maps ? ie... Map 5 or map 7 ?

Or can i run the higher boost map 5 & map 7 on 93 octane?

[boost82]

Originally Posted by schybrid

I understand ppl ARE using E-85 etc,

BUT, is it safe for the PARTS in our cars?

Meaning:

1. Fuel rail
2. Fuel pump
3. Fuel lines
4. Cylinder head / valves
5. Fuel tank
6. Injectors

And anyrhing else I might have missed that comes into contact with the E-85 fuel.

Also,

If I have a stock M235i and only upgrade is JB4, would i need E85 for the higher boost maps ? ie... Map 5 or map 7 ?

Or can i run the higher boost map 5 & map 7 on 93 octane?

I have yet to see a f series n55 ewg car running straight e-85. I could be wrong just haven't seen anyone get there yet, not sure about the pneumatic waste gate n55's either. N54 is a different story but they do not have a totally oem fuel system if they are.

Yes all of the modern cars have fuel systems that can handle ethanol, your motor will be fine. Most gasoline you buy today is 10% ethanol, alcohol is more corrosive than gasoline so the fuel systems are designed to handle it since it is mixed in a vast majority of the gas you buy today. The only issue for using it as race gas is it is not as dense as gasoline meaning you need more of it. So since you are tuning your car for more boost and timing, it needs more fuel. So when running ethanol on a tuned car your oem fuel system can't move enough of it to keep up. That's why people mix it or the upgrade their low pressure fuel pump to run straight e-85. When mixing it you find a happy medium of gas and ethanol that your fuel system can handle that will enable you to run race gas tunes without upgrading your fuel pumps. That's where you see guys talking about e-35 etc instead of e-85. So yes you can run map 7 with ethanol but it's not something that you can just throw some e-85 in the tank and go on your merry way. You have to log, experiment with mixtures, make sure you know the ethanol content of the gas you are using and believe it or not e-85 isn't really e-85 in the winter months so you have to understand that as well.

Imo methanol injection is way easier but there are a lot of benefits to ethanol like bd was saying in his post.

[boost82]

Also you need a down pipe to run map7 and you def need either race gas, ethanol or methanol

[Turbo_435i]

Originally Posted by boost82

I have yet to see a f series n55 ewg car running straight e-85. I could be wrong just haven't seen anyone get there yet, not sure about the pneumatic waste gate n55's either. N54 is a different story but they do not have a totally oem fuel system if they are.

Yes all of the modern cars have fuel systems that can handle ethanol, your motor will be fine. Most gasoline you buy today is 10% ethanol, alcohol is more corrosive than gasoline so the fuel systems are designed to handle it since it is mixed in a vast majority of the gas you buy today. The only issue for using it as race gas is it is not as dense as gasoline meaning you need more of it. So since you are tuning your car for more boost and timing, it needs more fuel. So when running ethanol on a tuned car your oem fuel system can't move enough of it to keep up. That's why people mix it or the upgrade their low pressure fuel pump to run straight e-85. When mixing it you find a happy medium of gas and ethanol that your fuel system can handle that will enable you to run race gas tunes without upgrading your fuel pumps. That's where you see guys talking about e-35 etc instead of e-85. So yes you can run map 7 with ethanol but it's not something that you can just throw some e-85 in the tank and go on your merry way. You have to log, experiment with mixtures, make sure you know the ethanol content of the gas you are using and believe it or not e-85 isn't really e-85 in the winter months so you have to understand that as well.

Imo methanol injection is way easier but there are a lot of benefits to ethanol like bd was saying in his post.

thanks for the explanation, i really appreciate it.

so my last question would be then,

we could basically run a low mixture of E-85 to 93 octane, say

80% 93
20% E-85

and it would be better than straight 93, not as good as E85, but possibly just enuff to handle our lower boost levels, and not get detonation. Now keep in mind, i say, 80%/20%, but maybe mix needs to be 70/30 etc.....


at what point do you think the mix could be an issue, meaning whats the highest percentage of E85 you can mix without causing corrosion or fuel pump issues ?


basically E35 means ppl are only using 1/3 tank E85 to 91-93 octane ?

guessing 85/3, not exact, but you get the point.

[boost82]

Yes it will effectively raise the octane of the fuel. If you aren't going to run the more aggressive maps I wouldn't even bother with it but that's just me. Just have to remember most 93 octane is 10% ethanol and e85 is 85% ethanol when you mix them.

[mike@x-ph.com]

Originally Posted by boost82

Also you need a down pipe to run map7 and you def need either race gas, ethanol or methanol

Correct.
Edit: thought it was a question

[Redline8725]

Hello can anyone help me with this question? I have a 2014 m235i with downpipe, armytrix exhaust, afe intake, and a rev 9 intercooler +stage 2 jb4 and i was wondering what else do i need to be able to run 30% e85 and the rest on 91

[Anthony235]

Originally Posted by Redline8725

Hello can anyone help me with this question? I have a 2014 m235i with downpipe, armytrix exhaust, afe intake, and a rev 9 intercooler +stage 2 jb4 and i was wondering what else do i need to be able to run 30% e85 and the rest on 91

Nothing, you could run e30 on a stock car if you really wanted to. I run e35 as my daily mixture.

Your results may vary though.

[Redline8725]

No shit i though i need to do more mods to be able to run e85 mixture

[bryan_G01]

Our cars have had no issues with an e30 blend, basically 3.2 gallons of e85 to 10.5 gallons of 93 or 91.

Also, you may kick a CEL, its a check engine light for lean bank 1.
Many of us have it and live with it.

It's more trial and error than anything. Also note that if you let your car sit, don't use E85 as its highly corrosive and will do some damage. If you drive it everyday, go for it, feel the power!

If you want to run more, get a stage 2 LPFP from fuel it.

[Anthony235]

Originally Posted by bryan_f22

Our cars have had no issues with an e30 blend, basically 3.2 gallons of e85 to 10.5 gallons of 93 or 91.

Also, you may kick a CEL, its a check engine light for lean bank 1.
Many of us have it and live with it.

It's more trial and error than anything. Also note that if you let your car sit, don't use E85 as its highly corrosive and will do some damage. If you drive it everyday, go for it, feel the power!

If you want to run more, get a stage 2 LPFP from fuel it.

Interesting. Never heard of or experienced the CEL.

[Anthony235]

Originally Posted by Redline8725

No shit i though i need to do more mods to be able to run e85 mixture

Well to take advantage of it you would need some way to tune for it. Also a downpipe is highly recommended as well.

[Redline8725]

My car has full bolt ons and jb4 stage 2 with Bluetooth so i think it can handle it

[Redline8725]

AFE cold air intake, ER change pipe, REV 9 intercooler, VSFR Downpipe, Armytrix cat catback exhaust system , JB4 stage 2 , H&R lowering springs. I think that it 🤔