So I was thinking about it.....These flex fuel cars made to run on E85 as well as regular gas...........This can't be much more than a change in injector and ignition curves, right?

So if someone with a UTEC, say, wanted to run E85, an alternate tune could be made for the E85, right?

Assuming normal injectors will work, etc. I know it's a theoretical longshot, but I'm just guessing as I don't know the properties of E85.

 

E85 is corrosive to aluminum. All engines designed to run E85 all cast iron and stainless steel.

It will also damage the rubber fuel lines and the insulation on the wires inside your fuel pump and injectors. Any car not specifically designed to run E85 shouldn't use it, IMO.

Also, E85 produces less power and requires more fuel to run, so you will get less power and worse fuel economy. The only pluses are that it is cheaper and produces fewer controlled emissions.

 

I don't know about the less power part considering a few Subie's in CO that have switched to E85 and able to run more boost/ignition on the street thanks to the octane rating. Their only detrement was a hit in mpg due to having to run a different AFR. Also the Titan is flex fuel and that has an aluminum motor. The only thing i've heard as a limiting factor for E85 is having the necessary fuel upgrades to support the needed increased capacity for fuel delivery. I've heard of the rubber lines being an issue though. It would definately be interesting to get some good discussion on this topic.

 

Forced induction is different because E85 is effectively a higher octane, so you are able to increase the boost pressure with less risk of detonation. Ethanol is a form of alcohol which I believe many people running high boost generally inject into their engine anyway to combat detonation. But, if you were able to run the same boost on straight gasoline without detonation you would see more than the E85.

But, AFAIK, high concentrations of ethanol are harmful to aluminum. I could be wrong, but I remember hearing that.