Running ethanol
Discussion
Hi guys i have a couple of questions about running ethanol for you if you don't mind.I figured i would ask here because i dont know any were else i could get a decent answer from someone with experience
1)are there any real world benefits for using it in a small capacity 4 cylinder car engine?
2)would it be advisable to use it in a turbo aplication?
3)what general modifications would be required?
4)is it as dangeorus as people make out?
5)is it expensive to run a car on it over here in the uk?
1)are there any real world benefits for using it in a small capacity 4 cylinder car engine?
2)would it be advisable to use it in a turbo aplication?
3)what general modifications would be required?
4)is it as dangeorus as people make out?
5)is it expensive to run a car on it over here in the uk?
I'm no expert on running Ethanol, but seeing as no one has responded I will add my 2 cents and be prepared to be corrected by a real expert...
Most people use E85 which is a mixture of 85% Ethanol and 15% petrol rather than neat Ethanol.
In this country pure Ethanol seems to be taxed as if you are going to drink it and is very expensive, though I have seen some Ethanol sold to use in house heaters which I think has additives added so you can't drink it. It is cheaper but I'm not sure what affect the additives have on injectors / hoses / tanks etc.
To run Ethanol or E85 you would have to richen your motor up, (I have a figure of 40% more fuel than petrol in my head but not 100% sure).
Just switching to Ethanol would probably only give you a marginal power increase (if any), but what it would allow you to do is increase boost and / or compression to give you more power.
Ethanol is supposed to be corrosive and so you may have issues with rubber parts in your fuel system.
You may also need to increase the size of your injectors / fuel pump to cope with the required extra fuel flow.
Oh, and if you find a supply of E85 in this country be sure to let me know !
Most people use E85 which is a mixture of 85% Ethanol and 15% petrol rather than neat Ethanol.
In this country pure Ethanol seems to be taxed as if you are going to drink it and is very expensive, though I have seen some Ethanol sold to use in house heaters which I think has additives added so you can't drink it. It is cheaper but I'm not sure what affect the additives have on injectors / hoses / tanks etc.
To run Ethanol or E85 you would have to richen your motor up, (I have a figure of 40% more fuel than petrol in my head but not 100% sure).
Just switching to Ethanol would probably only give you a marginal power increase (if any), but what it would allow you to do is increase boost and / or compression to give you more power.
Ethanol is supposed to be corrosive and so you may have issues with rubber parts in your fuel system.
You may also need to increase the size of your injectors / fuel pump to cope with the required extra fuel flow.
Oh, and if you find a supply of E85 in this country be sure to let me know !
I'm not sure if this is a drag racing question but here's some info based on my experience/knowledge:
E85 is good for a boosted engine's potential performance
Octane rating higher than pump gas
Charge cooling effect higher than gasoline
... but you need to alter the fuel system to take into account ...
Hygroscopic
Corrosive
These two means you often need different pipes etc.
It Conducts electricity
Can be a problem with in-tank fuel pumps etc.
Calorific value 30 odd pct lower than gasoline
Stoichiometric ratio lower than gasoline - about 9.7:1
These two mean you need a lot more fuel flow
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