Flexfuel? E85? E15?

[Rob Croson]

A gas station near my house recently installed some special pumps offering various new flavors of ethanol. First time I've ever seen this, or had to deal with it. Thing is, I'm not sure if my van can burn this stuff. We have a 2015 Dodge Grand Caravan. the gas caps says "Gasoline / E85". But the gas pumps don't identify anything as just "E85". They have "FlexFuel" and "E15". One pump has "E85 Ethanol" in small print, but then says "For FlexFuel Vehicles Only", and my van doesn't say anything about FlexFuel.

Anyone out there have any experience in using the various "Exx" stuff?

 

[Paul DeCrans]

If your gas cap says gasoline/ E85 your vehicle is a flex fuel car and can use it

 

[Rob Croson]

Thanks! My wife always drives the van, and I haven't had a chance to look through the owner's manual yet. I have seen quite a few vehicles with a "FlexFuel" logo on them, but that's not anywhere on mine. I get nervous when I see those warnings about damaging your engine.

The Flexfuel is quite a bit cheaper, and it is tempting. But I understand that you don't get as good mileage with it?

 

[acamara]

E85 means gas has 85% Ethanol.

Bewer engines are computerized so the timing is changed automatically depending on the emission Sensors, to burn the fuel tge best it can.

You nay lose perhaps 5% of your horse power but the lower price for the fuel I believe far out weights the slight loss in power.

 

[Paul DeCrans]

ethanol gets about 15-20% less fuel economy but since it burns cooler than gas it can get more power. so there are pros and cons. I usually am ok using higher ethanol mixes if I am pulling a boat or trailer but for commuting I wont unless I am saving at least 20% on the price otherwise it actually would be cheaper to pay more for regular.

 

[Jambe]

Apparently GasBuddy does not track E85. E85prices.com does, but shows very little for Utah, and mostly outdated. Next time I'm down to Hill AFB I will check the price at the station close by that sells E85. (Hill required FlexFuel vehicles to use E85.)

I have a printout from EPA/DOT titled Fuel Economy and Environment. (Picked up when shopping for a F150 pickup).
It shows the driving range for Gasoline (doesn't say if E0 or E10) and for E85.
Gasoline = 716 miles
Ethanol (E85) = 537 miles
So, if E85 is lower priced than E10,at what point does it make sense to buy E85?
Rob's picture above shows a difference in price of 40¢. Does that make up for the significantly lower mileage of using E85?
(I believe E85 in Utah is about the same price as E10, but I need to verify that.)
Personal opinion: (1) Ethanol is a scam. EROEI is negative.
(2) People who are disappointed that the Elio will not be E85 certified need to get educated 'about cost per mile'.

 

[Ty]

A gas station near my house recently installed some special pumps offering various new flavors of ethanol. First time I've ever seen this, or had to deal with it. Thing is, I'm not sure if my van can burn this stuff. We have a 2015 Dodge Grand Caravan. the gas caps says "Gasoline / E85". But the gas pumps don't identify anything as just "E85". They have "FlexFuel" and "E15". One pump has "E85 Ethanol" in small print, but then says "For FlexFuel Vehicles Only", and my van doesn't say anything about FlexFuel.

Anyone out there have any experience in using the various "Exx" stuff?

View attachment 11523

The pump on the left says it has between 51%-83% Ethanol which is the "E in flex fuel"... Your van, if it says it can burn E85, can burn anything with UP TO 85% Ethanol. It'll be fine to burn the 51%-83% stuff.

 

[Ian442]

We have some local stations that sell Ethanol free gas. It's not cheap but I get it for my pushmower

 

[Rob Croson]

I checked the owner's manual for the van (downloaded from the Dodge web site.) The yellow cap printed "Gasoline E85" means I can use Flexfuel, just like Paul says. Then it says I might lose up to 30% off of my gas mileage. (So 20% cheaper, but maybe 30% lower mileage...) And that it could be hard starting/rough when extremely cold (<32F). And that it shouldn't be used less than 0F. And that switching back and forth between gas and ethanol is not recommended. And that seasonal blends are best in colder temperatures... What a PITA just trying to fill the tank.

Thanks for the pointers. Maybe the next time the van gets really low, I'll try a tank of it and see what happens. The owner's manual says that when you're switching between fuel types, you should add at least 5 gallons of the new kind, then drive at least 5 miles.

 

[Rob Croson]

We have some local stations that sell Ethanol free gas. It's not cheap but I get it for my pushmower

When I was in PA over the summer, I did see quite a few gas stations selling ethanol free gas. And yeah, there was a significant price difference for that stuff.