Need MORE octane? Who has made the switch to E85 fuel?

[Kern Dog]

I have been looking at ways to make my Charger more streetable. It handles well, brakes well and is reasonably comfortable. The high compression engine requires high octane fuel though. It is a 493 with a calculated compression ratio of 10.73 to 1. I have read of many things I can do to make it run right on pump 91 octane, but I am also looking at a few other options. One way is with a conversion to E 85 fuel. There are a few things that I know and many, many things that I do not.
The cost of E85 is currently around $3.50 per gallon here in the Northern CA area. This is for a fuel that has an octane rating of 105. I am aware that  this fuel has a lower energy content and must flow 30% more to equal the same power as gasoline. This can be interpreted as adding 30% to the cost of the $3.50 per gallon. This brings the real world gallon price of $4.55. Last week I bought a 5 gallon can of leaded 110 Sunoco for $60.
What is required besides carburetor mods? I have an 850 VS carb with 85/92 jetting as it sits. Some articles I have read mention that with E85, the engine needs more fuel and less air. Does this mean I could run a smaller 750 carb with an E85 kit? I have a Holley high volume mechanical pump and a 3/8" fuel line.

[Cooter]

Stainless Fuell ines is all but a requirement, as well as all new Seals/pumps/etc. to insure compatibility. Not a big fan of E85 yet. Needs to be more widespread, and figure out a way to help it burn closer to gas specs before I'm a believer.

I understand the appeal though.

[HPP]

I seriously thought about it. I've even set up my fuel system with ptfe lines and compatible pumps and regulators. When it came time to pull the trigger on a new carb, I sidestepped the E85 and with water injection instead.  While E85s appeal with 105 octane is very nice, like Cooter said, the lack of its widespread availability, especially in my area, means I would probably need to carry spare fuel on board should I drive too far out of any major population centers. If I ever get to a point that I take it to major regional meets, I fear I could get pinched and damage an engine.

[68CoronetRT]

You pretty much have to re do your entire fuel system from front to back. Electric pumps to push the proper amount of pressure etc... Not sure if you can run E85 with a carb, but in the fuel injection world it takes more line pressure than normal fuel as well(Or maybe I'm thinking volume?).

You can always run a "Duel" fuel system and have a carb AND injection rails and have it all on a switch to go from your stock fuel system with 91 out of the main tank to the E85 electric pumps and fuel lines to the injection rails.

A friend on mine did this on his Volvo stationwagon with a 2JZ swap, big turbo etc... Ran alot better on the E85 tuning wise and powerwise but it's not easy to come by here in SoCal. Just another idea! My opinion is I would try to get the compression down far enough to run pump 91 gas and there it is, E85 IMO is not worth the hassle for the little gains you will see.

[firefighter3931]

A lot of guys that race have switched over to E-85 due to the price increase in race fuel.   It does burn cooler due to the alcohol but you also need to burn 30% more to achieve the same results so efficiency is reduced. 

To me, the only real application for E-85 is a dedicated race car running 13:1 compression. After every race you really should drain and flush the fuel system. 

By far, the easier way would be a meth injection system. You can buy windshield washer fluid anywhere and there's no need to reconfigure the entire fuel system.


Ron

[maxwellwedge]

Meth injection system? Sounds like something the mayor of Toronto has.......

[firefighter3931]

Meth injection system? Sounds like something the mayor of Toronto has.......

I'm waiting for that video   

Somehow i can't imagine a character like that holed up in a drug house hitting the crack pipe....let alone having it caught on tape ! 

Sorry for the hi-jack....back to your regularly scheduled programming. 



Ron