SmokeyGatto

back in 06 i was one of the first guys to run e85. after 3 years i pulled my injectors and they were all rusted. given 3 years of e85, and non e85 rated simens injectors, but still! So, imo, if possible, stay away from the e85.

Its ok on the rubber, i think all lines are rated for e15 from 03 up. safety reg. but its the metal that you need to be worried about. ie hard lines. I wouldn't be surprised to see cars with hard lines disintegrating in 10 years time. plus crap getting sprayed in to the cylinders. ugh. stay away from e85 unless you have new lines and e85 rated fuel pumps, and injectors.

my 044 failed after 5 years. normal? maybe. but somehow i think its due to the e85.

yamahaSHO

I may be wrong, but I'm pretty sure unless you've correctly modified your fuel system (injectors + pump) running straight E85 on a stock car can be dangerous.

But like I said, I may be wrong... We don't have a single E85 station where I live, and the closest ONE is an hour drive away, and it's the only one in that city.
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Going on two years now and all I swapped were the injectors from an STi for $100. I already had a tuning device and 15 minutes later, I've been beating on this setup on the track since. Modern systems handle E85 just fine. My STi runs E85 and I converted my 1995 SHO to E85 with mostly stock lines (upgraded to a bigger feed lines year before).

The BIG thing with E85 is making sure your fuel system is sealed to keep it from absorbing water. Ethanol is really no more corrosive than gasoline and fuel systems have been designed to hand some ethanol content for decades. It's the water that will really get in a shut things down. I also store my E85 cars for 5-6 months a year with E85 in the tank.

My buddy CJ has been running E85 in his 2006 STi for something like 7 years. Still on the stock lines and filter. With 60k miles on the stock long block and full weight car and a GT35R, he ran a 10.3 @ 133 at Suby Fest (or whatever it was) this past weekend. Had the clutch not given up (only 500 miles on it, but he drag race A LOT), he thought he had a 10.1 in the car. This car sits with E85 in it just as much as my cars do... and on ID2000's, which are known to have issues with E85 sitting for long periods of time.

Eluded

Its 4HP!!! wooohoooo. Some people would pay thousands of dollars for an extra horsepower but I'm not one of them. Out here in California you don't have a choice and we give you 91 octane.

yamahaSHO

You're not going to get more horsepower from ethanol free gas... You'll just be able to go a little bit further on a tank of it.

Gbcrebel13

I put ethanol free in my S from time to time (only on an empty tank) and not only do i get close to 30MPG instead of 24-25MGP the engine just runs so much smoother. Once you put ethanol free in the tank and go back to 10% ethanol you will tell a difference. I just like it from time to time, I personally feel like it cleans out the engine a bit.

cosmomiller

From Honda:

WHAT KIND OF FUEL SHOULD I USE IN MY HONDA ENGINE?
Look Before You Pump
Honda engines are certified and designed to run on regular unleaded gasoline.

Gasoline is allowed, by regulation, to contain a variety of additives. The same regulation limits how much of some additives, such as alcohol, can be included in the fuel and still be sold as gasoline. Honda engines are designed for good performance and efficient operation using gasoline containing from 0 to 10% ethanol.

E85 is an alternative fuel. It is not gasoline. It is made by combining 85% ethanol with 15% gasoline. Honda engines are not currently certified or designed to run on E85 or any other alternative fuel.

Always refer to your Honda owner’s manual for a list of recommended fuel and the current approved additives.

CAN I USE E85 IN MY HONDA?
E85 contains 85% ethanol and must not be used in Honda engines.

Using fuels with percentages of ethanol or methanol higher than 10% (E10) will cause starting and/or performance problems. It can also damage metal, rubber, and plastic fuel system components that are not covered under the Limited Warranty.

OTHER INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT ETHANOL
Ethanol is produced from corn, soybeans, sugar cane, or other organic material. It is blended with gasoline (10% ethanol, 90% gasoline) to produce E10.

Ethanol has 28% less energy density than gasoline, so it reduces fuel efficiency.

Ethanol is an excellent solvent, drying agent and cleanser. It will clean or dissolve some parts of, and deposits in, fuel storage and fuel delivery systems, including some fuel tank materials. The dissolved material can clog filters or pass through and leave deposits on fuel injectors, fuel pumps, fuel pressure regulators, carburetor jets, intake tracts, valves, and valve guides.

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Its up to you. Folks I know that are into airplanes and cars put avgas in their cars.

Higher octane does not increase horsepower. It reduces the chance of premature ignition especially for high compression engines. That is why avgas has historically been very high octane such as 100, 115/145.

yamahaSHO

"Feel" all you want, but ethanol will clean the engine FAR better than gasoline.

Jorden

Come to canada - Shell v-power 91 with no ethanol - 100% gas

jkelley

From everything I've read (when I was considering switching to ethanol-free gas, since there was one on the corner of my street at the time) the only benefit is you get higher MPGs off of it. After doing the energy balance and looking at some data, the price difference made it about 5% LESS economical to go with ethanol-free. However, if you consider your time valuable and having to stop at the gas station less times per year (like... less than a handful of times...) then maybe it's dead even? Who knows.

Shaney

I'm not sure if it's related, but right when I switched to 100% gasoline, my car stumbles every time I start it while it's cold. It idles at about 600 RPM for a couple seconds and then catches up to 2k and does its usual warm up.