What kind of compression do you guys think I need to run E-85? I think it's 110 octane, give or take, and it probably will run cooler because it's ethanal.

 

We had a post about E85 a few months ago. I don't think you will need a different compression ratio. Holley makes a bolt on E85 carburetor; however, it is very expensive. I have heard that after doing an E85 conversion you also have to run synthetic oil and tinker with the timing and carburetor settings to get it to run and start correctly.

 

You're actually half right. I don't HAVE to have higher comp but then you don't get as much power as you do with gas. And the milage will suffer quite a bit due to lower BTU rating of Ethanal. However, if I bring the compression up to race gas standards (since E-85 is 110 oct.), I gain back the lost power and then some. Milage will still suffer a little but due to this the government has mandated that E-85 be around 20% cheaper. As far as the carb goes, there are kits to convert a Holley for higher fuel flow and correct metering. There are a couple of carb manufacturers that sell complete carbs ready to go for ethanal. They are more expensive than a plain Holley, but think of the benefits. As far as synthetic oil, I think that might be a myth. But if it's not, I don't mind synthetic oil. You're right about the timing and they sell the advance weights and springs for ethanal use.

 

The timing and carb tinkering you refer to is probably due to the whether and the ethanal to gasoline ratio in E-85. In the summer (warmer) months they put as much as 90% ethanal in where as in colder months it may be cut down to 75% ethanal. They put more gasoline in it in the winter months for easier starting.

 

I know someone who is using it in his drag car. I am pretty sure he just re jetted the carb or something like that to make it run richer. I do know that the oil has to be changed more often because it gets contaminated faster.