Quote:
Originally Posted by ChibbMD
I honestly need a refresher on the whole E85 thing. I know you install a sensor. I know you get a tune, but can you easily go back and forth from regular to E85 gas? Or are you fully committed to E85? If switching is possible, how does a tune account for switching back and forth?
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Continuing Ventmaster's point, the way flex fuel works on the Camaro is that the sensor a flex fuel kit contains continuously monitor alcohol content in the fuel, and the flex fuel tune is not a simple "switch" but the definition of every possible percentage of an alcohol along a continuous "spectrum" from 0% to 85% (theoretically, even 100%, although I haven't heard of anyone going past 85%).
This means you can blend any mixture of 93 and E85, and the engine control module will automatically adapt to it, based on the output of the new sensor. You can fill any amount from each fuel: the more 93 you put in, the better your fuel economy, while the more ethanol you put in, the more power you'll have and the cooler and cleaner combustion will be.
Note that ethanol has ~30% lower energy density than gasoline, so depending on the E percentage, the car will need more and more fuel (this is why your fuel economy is that much worse with ethanol), and wherever your fuel system hits its delivery ceiling, that's how much ethanol you can safely use. This typically only affects cars with power adders, for example, my fuel system only allows 60-65% ethanol despite my upgrades, so I can't just blindly put E85 in, I have to mix it wih a bit of 93. To me this is worth the tradeoff for 735 rear wheel hp.