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Is e85 really worth it ???

Discussion in 'General Tundra Discussion' started by Avila enri, Aug 4, 2017.

  1. Aug 4, 2017 at 6:34 AM
    #1
    Avila enri

    Avila enri [OP] New Member

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    I have a 2016 CM 5.7 flex fuel 4x4 ive been wanting to fill up my fuel tank with 85 octane gasoline but i been reading a lot of comments where poeole said e85 is not really good for those engines so i want to know whats your opinion????
     
  2. Aug 4, 2017 at 6:37 AM
    #2
    Redbeard321

    Redbeard321 ballin' on a budget

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    E85 is not the same as 85 octane gasoline. E85 is ethanol fuel.
     
    Avila enri[OP] likes this.
  3. Aug 4, 2017 at 6:39 AM
    #3
    Avila enri

    Avila enri [OP] New Member

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    Sorry for my lack of knowledge. Ive been wanting to use e85
     
  4. Aug 4, 2017 at 6:41 AM
    #4
    Redbeard321

    Redbeard321 ballin' on a budget

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    Why do you want to use E85? It's corn syrup, stick with real gasoline.
     
  5. Aug 4, 2017 at 7:00 AM
    #5
    Randy Morton

    Randy Morton Life takes its toll, please have exact change.

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    If your truck isn't designed for E85, you could have a pretty expensive bill in your future if you fill up with it. E85 is 85% ethanol and can damage a lot of components in a non flex fuel vehicle. Check the owner's manual to make sure your truck is flex fuel. If it is, you can run an occasional tank to clean the injectors, but you'll notice lower mileage, lower horsepower, and poor performance in general. There also may be emissions issues. Some vehicles won't reset the readiness monitors when running E85. That means that if you run E85, change the battery, and take it in for emissions testing, it'll automatically fail. That may not be the case on the Tundra, but it is on many other flex fuel vehicles.
     
    Last edited: Aug 4, 2017
    NewImprovedRon likes this.
  6. Aug 4, 2017 at 7:02 AM
    #6
    boardude

    boardude I am Batman

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    I think the biggest issue is that it has water in it so there's a concern for rust and corrosion. I think it burns quicker too so mpgs suck but you can get better performance from true E85
     
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  7. Aug 4, 2017 at 7:05 AM
    #7
    Avila enri

    Avila enri [OP] New Member

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    I just want to see how much improvement on performance can i get
     
  8. Aug 4, 2017 at 7:05 AM
    #8
    kurtwp

    kurtwp What

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    Don't forget once you use E85 you will need to change you oil within 2500 miles. In the long run it will not save you any money as you have to change your oil more often then using regular gas.

    Kurt
     
  9. Aug 4, 2017 at 7:06 AM
    #9
    Avila enri

    Avila enri [OP] New Member

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    My truck is flex fuel
     
  10. Aug 4, 2017 at 7:06 AM
    #10
    Avila enri

    Avila enri [OP] New Member

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    Thats even if i only use it once ????
     
  11. Aug 4, 2017 at 7:06 AM
    #11
    boardude

    boardude I am Batman

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    Only real benefit is cost. But in AZ gas is 2 bucks a gal so def not worth it IMO
     
    Avila enri[OP] likes this.
  12. Aug 4, 2017 at 7:10 AM
    #12
    Avila enri

    Avila enri [OP] New Member

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    Thank you so much for the info i guess ima keep using regular gasoline and stay out of trouble
     
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  13. Aug 4, 2017 at 7:10 AM
    #13
    kurtwp

    kurtwp What

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    That what my service rep said. Once you fill up with E85, change the oil within 2500 miles. If you have the owner manual handy, check it. I believe it will say 2500 miles between oil changes when using E85 fuel.
     
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  14. Aug 4, 2017 at 7:24 AM
    #14
    Randy Morton

    Randy Morton Life takes its toll, please have exact change.

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    There's some debate about the oil changes, but it's not worth the risk in my opinion. One of the issues with E85 is the formation of formic acid. Ethanol sucks up water like crazy. It absorbs it during transport, storage, and delivery. Gasoline and water don't mix, so it's easy to separate in a filter at the station. Ethanol bonds with water and you can't filter it out. When E85 is burned, it creates formic acid and starts neutralizing the detergent in the oil, along with other needed additives. That's why the engine parts in an E85 vehicle are nitride coated. There should be enough detergent in modern oil to handle this, but it's still an unproven item. How much water does it take to create too much formic acid? I've never seen anything more than a guess. If you can get pure E85, you can avoid much of this. Where you'd find it is anyone's guess.
     
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  15. Aug 4, 2017 at 7:30 AM
    #15
    boardude

    boardude I am Batman

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    I don't think you can find it that easily anymore. AZ uses an E54 blend even though the pumps say E85. I wouldn't touch that $hit with a 10' pole lol
     
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  16. Aug 4, 2017 at 8:57 AM
    #16
    bobeast

    bobeast really old member

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    - Bull Bar - LED Bunny Burners - AMP retractable running boards - Headlight leveling retrofit - P3 Brake Controller - 60% rear seat delete - relocation of Sub to rear wall - Bilstein 5100 x4, top setting with 2 shims per side - Coach builder +2 rear shackles w/carrier bearing drop - Firestone Air bags - on-board compressor with auto-leveling - Dual Undercover Swing Boxes. - P285/65/R20 (34.6") BFG TA KO2's - TRD Front skid plate - Pop & Lock Tailgate lock - Remote Tailgate mod - LED Headlights - Nav Bypass - iPhone integration - Serius/XM retrofit - 25% front tint - Bizon electric tonneau cover - Power folding tow mirror upgrade - 2010+ leveling Headlight mod - Auto-fold mirror mod. - one-touch lane changer mod - Flash to open garage opener mod - Rigid H/L fog light upgrade - Pushbutton / Remote start mod.
    Have to change the oil more often. That right there's what we call a clue.
     
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  17. Aug 4, 2017 at 9:21 AM
    #17
    Tundra_mike89

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    Ok don't get ethanol and methanol confused. Ethanol is water soluble, if you live in an area with high humidity there will be water. Second, it burns extremely dirty. Third, if your going to be putting your engine under load, you will lose power. I refine crude oil so I know how clean gasoline is. Do yourself a favor and run 87 octane gasoline.
     
  18. Aug 4, 2017 at 9:47 AM
    #18
    Avila enri

    Avila enri [OP] New Member

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    I really appreciate all of you for all the info ya gave me, i think im gonna stick with 87 octane gasoline and save my money and at the same time keeping my truck save
     
    edwin729 likes this.
  19. Aug 4, 2017 at 10:37 AM
    #19
    Tundra_mike89

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    The savings isn't worth the damage it can do to your motor and rubber gaskets over time. Almost all gas is mixed with ethanol at around 10%. That little bit ain't gonna do much. I like running ethanol free fuel but it's so hard to find and it's usually .50¢ more/ gal. Keep the corn out of your gas tank
     
  20. Aug 4, 2017 at 10:44 AM
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    Metro14536

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    DO NOT USE IT! its not worth the trouble.
     
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  21. Aug 4, 2017 at 3:14 PM
    #21
    Avila enri

    Avila enri [OP] New Member

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    Yeahhh im just gonna keep it rolling with regular gas
     
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  22. Aug 4, 2017 at 4:31 PM
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    Tundra_mike89

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    Yeah don't let the liberal tree huggers tell you any different
     
  23. Aug 4, 2017 at 4:50 PM
    #23
    540 Big Block

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    Does anyone personally know of a flex fuel vehicle that was ruined by using E85 ? I have a 540 BBC ,12.5 comp. ratio which runs on E85. E85 105 octane. $2.00 a gallon racing fuel. Check race with E85 websites there you will get the truth ,not from oil companies. That is like asking a Ford Dealer should I buy a Tundra.
     
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  24. Aug 4, 2017 at 7:36 PM
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    Randy Morton

    Randy Morton Life takes its toll, please have exact change.

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    The engine wasn't ruined, but I spent a fortune on repairs because E85 confused the system. The manufacturer and the EPA didn't want the deficiencies known, so the documentation on the problem was buried. That document is now missing from the EPA website. If E85 were the panacea it's purported to be, these problems would have led to a recall. Instead, the problems are denied and the propaganda about the wonders of E85 are extolled. I'll stick with a proven system. I can't afford to be a guinea pig.
     
  25. Aug 4, 2017 at 9:35 PM
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    Jadoti

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    Beyond all the damage claims, E85 is less efficient and therefore not really "cheaper" than gasoline. You'll see a reduction of roughly 25% in your MPGs due to the lower energy content of E85. 25% less MPGs means you'd need to get E85 at 25% less than gasoline at the pump... so $1.50/e85 gallon vs $2/gallon of regular gas just to be equal in the $/mpg value.

    Then you'll still have to fill up more often.

    I had read an article a while back about the only time that E85 might be worth it, and that's if you rent a flex-fuel vehicle and have to fill up to return it. Fill it up with the cheaper E85 because you don't care what the fuel efficiency is after you return it. Of course, the people before you might have done that as well hampering your fuel mileage during the time you're driving the rental. So probably just better to get a non-flex-fuel vehicle when you rent anyways.
     
  26. Aug 5, 2017 at 8:08 AM
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    Festerw

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    We ran 3 tank fulls through my wifes 2011 Durango. We get a solid 22-23mpg on 87 octane, the 3 e85 tanks dropped it to 16mpg. The $9 savings per tank wasn't worth the mileage hit.
     
  27. Aug 5, 2017 at 11:16 AM
    #27
    Toro1210

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    Ran a tank of it through my truck. I have a 16 crew max Flex Fuel. I experienced no mechanical issues as all. The biggest drawback was the MPG. I Lost 4/gal. After factoring loss in mpg and cost, the e85 was not cost effective
     
  28. Aug 30, 2017 at 5:43 AM
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    OBXTundra

    OBXTundra Member

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    I recently filled up with a full tank of E85 on a road trip from NC to PA. PA has it all over the place and it was .48 less per gallon. I averaged 15.7 on the way to PA on 87 octane and I averaged 14.2 on the return trip to NC running on E85. This was all highway miles.

    This is my first vehicle that I have had the option to run E85. I am in no way a proponent of E85, but I was curious. Since this trip I have run a full tank of 87 and my mileage is creeping back up into the 15's. If given the option I will run it again. I saw an 11% reduction in MPG for a 20% reduction in price.
     
  29. Aug 30, 2017 at 6:45 AM
    #29
    Nit2wn

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    We have the stuff here in Bama, and I bought a used 2013 flex fuel before realizing there were two different versions of the 5.7. I can't say what was run through the truck before I bought it, but it will never get the stuff. I can't remotely see any savings if your changing the oil every 2500/3000 miles just to run it. Even the service adviser recommended avoiding it.
     
  30. Aug 30, 2017 at 3:59 PM
    #30
    540 Big Block

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    E85 ethanol is the same as moonshine or corn liquor . E85 has 15% gasoline in to help with ignition. Ethanol is hard to ignite in cold weather , winter blend has about 30% gasoline. I understand when it is distilled they put a poison in it to keep people from drinking it. Do you think Toyota would have you burn E 85 if it was going to ruin your engine. Down fall is the milage. No carbon build up in your engine is a plus.
     
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