Gas verses E85 in trucks

[Grapelape]

I bought a used F150 FX4 to pull our camper and it has the flex fuel option. Which fuel do you recommend to use on a regular basis and when pulling a camper?

[timfromma]

Originally Posted by Grapelape

I bought a used F150 FX4 to pull our camper and it has the flex fuel option. Which fuel do you recommend to use on a regular basis and when pulling a camper?

Diesel.

[Grapelape]

Originally Posted by timfromma

Diesel.

Ok, I’m sure it is, but diesel is not an option for me. Maybe on my next truck

[Chief T]

In the search box enter E85 and there will be a bunch of existing threads on the topic.

If memory serves me right, E85 is cheaper, but MPG is less.

[Grapelape]

Originally Posted by Chief T

In the search box enter E85 and there will be a bunch of existing threads on the topic.



If memory serves me right, E85 is cheaper, but MPG is less.

Thanks I’ll check it out.

[Jmkjr72]

E85 is cheaper and takes more fuel
The advantage of e85 is its like running 110 octane if you get a pinging when towing with e85 you have major issues
But in many cases the price difference and the mpg difference doesn’t add up any more
Back when I ran it in my explorer it needed to be a buck a gallon cheaper to come close to breaking even

The fuel I would consider if available in your area is u88 or e15 depends upon how it’s labeled
Normally about 10 cents a gallon cheaper and when I was operating the Chevy express service van I gained 1.5 mpg over e10 87 octane

[Grapelape]

Originally Posted by Jmkjr72

E85 is cheaper and takes more fuel
The advantage of e85 is its like running 110 octane if you get a pinging when towing with e85 you have major issues
But in many cases the price difference and the mpg difference doesn’t add up any more
Back when I ran it in my explorer it needed to be a buck a gallon cheaper to come close to breaking even

The fuel I would consider if available in your area is u88 or e15 depends upon how it’s labeled
Normally about 10 cents a gallon cheaper and when I was operating the Chevy express service van I gained 1.5 mpg over e10 87 octane

I’m not familiar with u88 or e15. Can you explain more?

[clr]

Edmonds and other studies has shown that your MPG drops by about 26% when you are burning e85 vs regular. If it were me I would burn regular when towing unless you and your wife really like to stop for gas very often. A drop in mpg also is a drop in the range of a tank of fuel.

[Jmkjr72]

Originally Posted by Grapelape

I’m not familiar with u88 or e15. Can you explain more?

It’s fairley new to market and approved tor 2002 and newer I believe
It’s 15% ethonal instead of 10% u88 is what some brands call it others just label it as e15
Being it has a higher octane rating and a bit much re ethonal it allows the computers to advance the timing a bit more and make more power on the same amount or less fuel thus giving you more mpg
We run it in our Subaru and our dodge nitro I haven’t noticed as large large of a % gain in mpg in them as the express van

Now as I finish my research we may try it in our suburban but it’s a bit older then the recommended age range but this is where if we only picked up a 1 to 2 mpg it would be noticed as we get 8 to 10 towing with it. But then again that truck sits a lot we had an issue this spring when i put it into service with bad gas and a higher % of ethonal would make that worse if we didn’t keep it treated before storage

[Grapelape]

Originally Posted by Jmkjr72

It’s fairley new to market and approved tor 2002 and newer I believe

It’s 15% ethonal instead of 10% u88 is what some brands call it others just label it as e15

Being it has a higher octane rating and a bit much re ethonal it allows the computers to advance the timing a bit more and make more power on the same amount or less fuel thus giving you more mpg

We run it in our Subaru and our dodge nitro I haven’t noticed as large large of a % gain in mpg in them as the express van



Now as I finish my research we may try it in our suburban but it’s a bit older then the recommended age range but this is where if we only picked up a 1 to 2 mpg it would be noticed as we get 8 to 10 towing with it. But then again that truck sits a lot we had an issue this spring when i put it into service with bad gas and a higher % of ethonal would make that worse if we didn’t keep it treated before storage

Thanks, much clearer now!

[Grapelape]

Originally Posted by clr

Edmonds and other studies has shown that your MPG drops by about 26% when you are burning e85 vs regular. If it were me I would burn regular when towing unless you and your wife really like to stop for gas very often. A drop in mpg also is a drop in the range of a tank of fuel.

Good info, thanks!

[Iwannacamp]

My minor research at an earlier point in my life told me that ethanol was only 60% as efficient as gasoline(BTU capable) and therefore you lose XX amount of energy as it is consumed...somewhere if the process there is an answer.

Problem is we cannot use grain as a replacement for gasoline... as there isn't enough arid land to make enough grain to fix it. The "political" answer is without subsidies there would be minimal grain to fuel production. YMMV

[Mainframe]

OK, so I have just jumped into the E85 scene on my 2011 Tahoe, I have owned it for 5 years and have never even thought about putting E85 in it, Yes I saw the tag on there saying I can use flex fuel and finally I saw the yellow handle pump at The gas station, still I am old school, not trying it LOL

Then, I started my search on the Tahoe's replacement about 2 months ago, I am going to get a pick up but would like to get a Chev 2500 for hauling the camper over the Mountains in WV etc sooo

I could go with a 1500 with my camper but like the bigger engine in the 2500 trucks, (I like the Ford f250 and the Dodge also, any of the big 3 will be fine)

Anyway, I stumbled on a chev truck post mentioning E85, I come to find out you pick up a lot of power by using the fuel, I personally don't care about gas mileage, I just fill the tank and go, LOL, so I ran the fuel down until the light came on and filled with E85

WOW what a performance difference!!

Out of nowhere the Tahoe has snapped to life! I have basically 120k trouble free miles on this car so it always seemed to run fair, it towed ok but I would have liked to have a little more low end sometimes.

Well all I can say from my experience is I can't wait to tow with the E85.
My car feels like a whole different vehicle, I can't speak for other vehicles, just mine all I can do is pass on my experience, I think it's worth a try if your vehicle can run it.

I guess there is a sensor built into the fuel system that senses E85 and advances the timing up to 20 more degrees and that is where you get a lot of the power boost, I do notice the gas gauge goes down faster but quite honestly I can't keep my foot out of this thing, it zips along like it never did, I wish I would have tried it long ago.

I would be interested to know if you have the same experience.

I have a couple apps on my phone now and it tells me where I can get E85, when I travel I will plan to stop at those places and fill if I can

[cmysstailights]

I had a 14 1500 silverado only ran e85, this is all with nyc traffic
City 14mpg
Hwy 20 -22mpg

My 15 suburban
15 city
22 hwy

My 15 2500
8 city
14-15 hwy

No issues. Gas 87 2.59 , 93 2.99 e85 1.79

My calculation when i ran 87 for 2 weeks, saw a difference of 2mpg.

[Grapelape]

Originally Posted by cmysstailights

I had a 14 1500 silverado only ran e85, this is all with nyc traffic
City 14mpg
Hwy 20 -22mpg

My 15 suburban
15 city
22 hwy

My 15 2500
8 city
14-15 hwy

No issues. Gas 87 2.59 , 93 2.99 e85 1.79

My calculation when i ran 87 for 2 weeks, saw a difference of 2mpg.

Thanks for the info. I’ll just have to give it a try and see.

[JohnD10]

I have a 2015 Chevy Silverado 2500HD with the 4.10 rear axle and have experimented with the E85 and found that it gained nothing.

I got about four MPG less than regular gas, plus I found that it had less power, so I never towed with it.

And if I thought I was saving a little money, that was balanced out by more frequent gas station stops!

Of course, this was at high altitude (Denver and the Rocky Mountains), so maybe the altitude was the problem.

[Tabasco]

As my dealer told me, if I use E85 I will need to change my oil every 3,000 miles vs. 5,000 and if towing it will need to be changed at 2,000...with synthetic oil and 8 quarts at a minimum of $55 with coupon...well do the math, not anywhere near worth it...I only use regular gas!

[Grapelape]

Originally Posted by Tabasco

As my dealer told me, if I use E85 I will need to change my oil every 3,000 miles vs. 5,000 and if towing it will need to be changed at 2,000...with synthetic oil and 8 quarts at a minimum of $55 with coupon...well do the math, not anywhere near worth it...I only use regular gas!

Good to know. Thanks.

[Mainframe]

Well, that actually isn’t the case.

http://www.tundraheadquarters.com/bl...-running-e-85/

[Mad Cow]

It is all about cost per mile. So one has to look at availability and pump cost spread between the fuels and the mpg you get from each.

On my 2015 Chevy 2500, I get about 13-14 average mpg on regular. On E85, about 10-11 mpg. Regular is going for about $2.52 in my area. So cost per mile using it is around 18 cents a mile. E85 is hitting around $1.70 in my area. Using it costs me about 15.5 cents a mile, so my 2500 has been on an E85 diet since last fall when the prices between fuels got wider.

Each area of the country, the pricing may or may not make it worthwhile. I do know that the 6.0L L96 motor in that 2500 runs truly great on E85. Hope price spreads stay in place.