Practicality of E30 fueling a daily driver

[MHW100]

Hopefully will be locally getting a more consistent E85 supply soon. The problem is that it is about 10 miles from where I get good 93 fuel. I think the e85 station only has 91 and I dont think the quality is great.

I have all of the bolt-ons other than the LPFP and sensor which comparatively speaking are inexpensive so would like to add the last 50 hp with e30 I can get out of the car. Questions;

1. When running a E30 tune can you first get the gas and then drive 10 mi to get E85 to complete the mixing process? My understanding is I have to reflash when going back to gas but will a short drive matter? Will the car even run with the e30 tune on gas? If not would it be better to just use 91 at the e85 station?

2. Does first filling with E85 change the above answer?

3. How much mixing wiggle room is there regarding the percentage? I plan on using a Bluetooth sensor so I hope to not have to keep testing the e85 content in a testing device etc.

4. Winter temperatures here vary anywhere from 30 to 50. Are there any starting issues at freezing temps?

5. I get the sense a lot of you guys use the SHO as a weekend car. I use my minw for business periodically having to meet clients outside the range of any E85 stations. Seems to be a hassle having to flash to a gas tune in these circumstances. Is it actually practical for a daily driver to be on E30?

Thank you for the help.

 

[SM105K]

Hopefully will be locally getting a more consistent E85 supply soon. The problem is that it is about 10 miles from where I get good 93 fuel. I think the e85 station only has 91 and I dont think the quality is great.

I have all of the bolt-ons other than the LPFP and sensor which comparatively speaking are inexpensive so would like to add the last 50 hp with e30 I can get out of the car. Questions;

1. When running a E30 tune can you first get the gas and then drive 10 mi to get E85 to complete the mixing process? My understanding is I have to reflash when going back to gas but will a short drive matter? Will the car even run with the e30 tune on gas? If not would it be better to just use 91 at the e85 station?

Yes you can. Just keep your foot out of it. Yes the car will run on the E30 tune on gas. Always try to put the best fuel in it.

2. Does first filling with E85 change the above answer?

It will all mix regardless.

3. How much mixing wiggle room is there regarding the percentage? I plan on using a Bluetooth sensor so I hope to not have to keep testing the e85 content in a testing device etc.

I have run E25 and E35 with no ill effects. Even getting the e85 reader for your car is cool. However, if you are only getting E70 out of the pump what then? I test it everytime.

4. Winter temperatures here vary anywhere from 30 to 50. Are there any starting issues at freezing temps?

We get into the 30's here and I have not had any issues.

5. I get the sense a lot of you guys use the SHO as a weekend car. I use my minw for business periodically having to meet clients outside the range of any E85 stations. Seems to be a hassle having to flash to a gas tune in these circumstances. Is it actually practical for a daily driver to be on E30?

Practical depends on your driving. If you are driving more 400 to 500 miles a week then no. If you only have to fill up once a week then yes.

Thank you for the help.

Answers in above in bold.

 

[MHW100]

Thank you. That puts mybmind at ease.

 

[SM105K]

Thank you. That puts mybmind at ease.

Personally I would speak to Matt about a hopped up AO tune for E30. My buddy runs E30 with is AO tune all the time and the logs look happy.

 

[MHW100]

I spoke to him several months ago and he said going back to gas required a reflash. I'll email him. Thanks again.

 

[High on Ethanol]

this is why I carried 5gallons of e85 in the trunk. I used my sho as my daily and ya just never know about gas stations.

 

[GotGrip?]

I've been on e30 for about 6 months now, been dailying it since I switched over, only takes an extra couple mins to mix. The nice things is the station by my house is pretty consistent with the E85, its always at 70 and I have yet to see it change. However I do keep a tester pre-filled with water in case I have to go to a station I've never been to.

Edit: Just noticed you said it gets 30-50 degrees in winter where you are, I ran e85 in my civic years ago in winters here in MN. We get below zero every year I've lived here and never had a starting issue with it.

 

[Ecoboost_xsport]

I've got the Innovate ethanol content gauge installed...doesn't integrate with the PCM, but is a good indicator of what you are truly running...no "testing" required.

 

[Ecoboost_xsport]

you could always get your hands on some Ignite e85 in a barrel or 5 gallon pale at home. Just gas up at your gas station with the gas, have your pale in the car and then mix with the verified e85 stuff, basically what *** was doing.

 

[ridered74]

As long as you have an ethanol sensor you should be fine. I've gone as high as 42 and not had any issues.

I have E85 stations all around me, so the only time I switch to the AO tune is the occasional long trip when I don't want the hassle of trying to find an E85 station somewhere I'm not familiar with. I have an app for locating them, but it is not always accurate.

Temps get down to 0 or slightly below here in the winter, never had a problem. Fires right up just like in the summer.

 

[MHW100]

Thank you for all of the replies and help. Gear on its way now.

 

[FiveLeeter918]

I've ran E30, E50, or E74 (pump E85 here) almost exclusively for the past 2 years, and up until COVID I consistently put 100+ miles a day on the car Monday-Friday every week. I can't remember the last time I ran straight 91 except to just verify the nGauge tune when we switched to HPTuners. Only cold start issues were with E85, which is to be expected.

All answers above are great advice. Get an ethanol sensor and let er rip.

 

[Zpak]

I believe your questions are answered but just wanted to add, maybe reassure. I started using e30 this summer. I installed a Fuel-It Bluetooth ethanol reader and sensor. It’s unnecessarily expensive but worth it to me piece for of mind. I was worried about mixing at first but after a couple times it’s no big deal. I use the E85 calculator app and test actual E content at the stations I frequent usually every third time. It’s always been between 70-72% for me. I average 300 miles of driving a week, the car rips, and I’m still in the high 19’s for MPG’s. So yeah, I have no beef running e30 on a daily.

 

[Wsho]

I started using e30 this summer. I installed a Fuel-It Bluetooth ethanol reader and sensor. It’s unnecessarily expensive but worth it to me piece for of mind

Where did you get yours from I see them all over the place but there's different styles do you have a link to where you purchase yours.

 

[FiveLeeter918]

Where did you get yours from I see them all over the place but there's different styles do you have a link to where you purchase yours.

I ordered this one

https://www.fuel-it.com/bluetooth-flex-fuel-analyzer/

Then ordered a 13577429 sensor off eBay.

Then I made my own hose using two 3/8" EFI specialty connectors and Starlite hose from Fore Innovationd.

 

[FiveLeeter918]

It just taps into the fuel line at the passenger strut tower then the new hose connects to the HPFP.

 

[Zpak]

Where did you get yours from I see them all over the place but there's different styles do you have a link to where you purchase yours.

Yep, Lee posted the same link where I got mine.

 

[Ecoboost_xsport]

Yeah, pretty straight forward. This is the Innovate Motorsports one...

 

[RonPorter]

Hopefully will be locally getting a more consistent E85 supply soon. The problem is that it is about 10 miles from where I get good 93 fuel. I think the e85 station only has 91 and I dont think the quality is great.

I have all of the bolt-ons other than the LPFP and sensor which comparatively speaking are inexpensive so would like to add the last 50 hp with e30 I can get out of the car. Questions;

1. When running a E30 tune can you first get the gas and then drive 10 mi to get E85 to complete the mixing process? My understanding is I have to reflash when going back to gas but will a short drive matter? Will the car even run with the e30 tune on gas? If not would it be better to just use 91 at the e85 station?

2. Does first filling with E85 change the above answer?

3. How much mixing wiggle room is there regarding the percentage? I plan on using a Bluetooth sensor so I hope to not have to keep testing the e85 content in a testing device etc.

4. Winter temperatures here vary anywhere from 30 to 50. Are there any starting issues at freezing temps?

5. I get the sense a lot of you guys use the SHO as a weekend car. I use my minw for business periodically having to meet clients outside the range of any E85 stations. Seems to be a hassle having to flash to a gas tune in these circumstances. Is it actually practical for a daily driver to be on E30?

Thank you for the help.

Question. Since you're from BC, when you say 30-50 in winter, is that 30C-50C or 30F-50F?

 

[MHW100]

Question. Since you're from BC, when you say 30-50 in winter, is that 30C-50C or 30F-50F?

30F-50F