schuhie

As someone that had dual maps and went to flex fuel there are a few reasons. The first is that you no longer have to plan the fuel stops, you simply fill and go with whatever. Another reason the flex fuel is nice is that it adjusts timing, boost, and fuel tables for the ethanol content therefore giving you good power from whatever mix is in the car. For me though, the big reason is safety. I don't have to worry about getting a bad tank of e85 due to leftover winter blend or something else and having my motor let go because of it.

The way I see it, if you are going to run e85, you should test it every time you fill or have a ethanol content gauge. The gauge setups are $3-400 and the flex fuel setup is $600. Seems like a no brainer when you look at the benefits vs the cost.

codgi

iTrader: (22)

^^ agree with the above. Folks should aim for simplicity and ease of mind if going this route and I believe ER also used to do the FiTronic stuff but maybe I remember it wrong now.

LetsGetThisDone

iTrader: (1)

Just a heads up, carefully add up what you're going to spend on a stock frame. It very quickly qets over $3k. An ETS turbo kit with a 5558 can be had for just a tick over $4k, with a vband .82 hot side, it'll still spool around 4500 like an FP red.


Just make sure you weight your options carefully. Don't "assume" a stock frame setup will be cheaper, it's a little misleading because you can piece everything together.

Ayoustin

iTrader: (2)

Testing it or having a gauge is a good idea, but you'll see an issue on your AFR gauge if you have a bad tank of fuel well before the engine lets go. IMO it's just a lot of money that doesn't need to be spent. I built my own content gauge for under $100, but before that the car ran on E85 blind for 5+ years without issue.

LetsGetThisDone

iTrader: (1)

With flex fuel, this is never a concern. Fill it up and send it. That's the point...


In some areas, ethanol content can vary from E50 to E83, so flex fuel is needed. It's no longer guaranteed E70 or better.

schuhie

This is the correct answer. By me, it varies quite a bit and I found that testing it every time is annoying. I debated building my own content gauge but the flex fuel is so much easier. I have also taken the car on a few 8+ hour road trips and let me tell you, not having to worry about the fuel you can find at a station 100s of miles from home is amazing.

Also letsgetthisdone had a very solid point about stock frame vs a t3 kit earlier. I know that when I am done with my stock frame setup, I'll be very close to what a t3 kit costs. Now I wanted the stock look under the hood and preferred to keep the setup internally gated but if that isn't a concern of yours, a t3 kit should certainly be something to look at. I know that if I wasn't planning on doing some mexico racing, I would have went t3.

Ayoustin

iTrader: (2)

Yea most pumps have labels that say between 51-83%. Still though, with how good the latent heat of ethanol is and how high its tolerance to knock is you've got plenty of time to see something is wrong before damage can be done. I've seen guys run E30 (really ****ty fuel that must've been sitting for some time) on an E85 tune without issue. Fuel trims add as much fuel as they can and by the time they're maxed there's enough fuel being sprayed to keep things from blowing up.

By no means am I saying to go pumping E85 all ***** nilly into your car thinking you're invincible. Flex fuel kits have their uses, if you desire them, but it's not a necessary piece to run a car on E85.

LetsGetThisDone

iTrader: (1)

It's not necessary, but the peace of mind is really nice.