What would it take to convert a SVX? - Page 2

Earthworm · #16 05-01-2006, 04:55 PM

This is the gas I use exclusively:

http://www.myhusky.ca/ethanol/index.php

I'm not sure the percentage of ethanol but I have no issues and my mileage is fine. I use 94 octane and pay the same price as regular (87).

Suby Fan · #17 05-01-2006, 05:31 PM

its a 10% blend they have the same thing in Iowa but only with 89 octane... just dont put it in your old caddilac!

Nemesis Destiny · #18 05-01-2006, 06:28 PM

I use Sunoco Ultra94 exclusively. It's not cheap, but it's the highest octane around. I believe it is a 10% ethanol blend.

SVX-FF · #19 05-01-2006, 07:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nemesis Destiny

I use Sunoco Ultra94 exclusively. It's not cheap, but it's the highest octane around. I believe it is a 10% ethanol blend.

You don't need to rub it in. The highest we have in this state is 92. WTF?
I am so glad to be getting back to 93/94 octane when I move back East.

Steve

Nemesis Destiny · #20 05-01-2006, 07:53 PM

If I recall corectly, the amount of base octane in the fuel has something to do with the elevation in your region. Differing octane for areas at sea level, compared to those in mountainous regions... or something.

I couldn't get 93 or 94 Octane when I lived in Northern Ontario; usually the best I could do was 91, sometimes 92, but rarely. Oh, except a few kms outside of the town where I lived, there is a station called "The Pit Stop" which is en route to the local racetrack, and they sell 110 octane race gas... never been brave enough to try it though.

oab_au · #21 05-01-2006, 08:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by curly2k3

"...yes maybe but what about performance effective???"

NO, not at all, thats one of the things I hate most about the govt. they lie,
E85 burns MUCH hotter than traditional petroleum based gasoline, it distroys the motor, honestly. Cars and motors running on E85 burn up rings and cylinder walls so fast its not even funny, and forget about any kind of performance, those motors running on it run like crap, the stuff is worthless, I am in super millage car programs and this is one of the medians we can use, and it sucks, the millage is worse on average and they burn so damn hot you distroy motors very rapidly, we burned out two Briggs that were mad for E85.
JUNK, thats why most cars arent E85 friendly.

Gee I guess you don't like Ethanol

It does not burn hotter, it has a higher Latent heat of evaporation, takes more heat to turn it into a vapor. Can run compression ratios to 15:1, Has about half the Calorific value of petrol, so has to run richer air/fuel ratios around 7:1. Doesn't flow through small holes as easly as petrol. Does attack nylons and such in Pumps, injectors.
10% mix is OK in most cars. I have run 10% OK.

Harvey.

Nemesis Destiny · #22 05-01-2006, 08:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by oab_au

10% mix is OK in most cars. I have run 10% OK.

I believe the Owner's Manual states as much, that the max you can go is 10%...

alltrac · #23 05-01-2006, 08:39 PM

I found this while searching seems to good to be true.
http://xcelplus.com/e85/e85informationcenter.htm

Pure_Insanity8 · #24 05-02-2006, 04:14 AM

I'm glad Harvey piped in with a bit of valid info. here. I've actually had to learn about alternative fuels all-too-much due to me being an auto. engineering student, and the fact that my school is one of the primary research facilities for ethanol/alternative fuels. Here in MN we have been E10 for I think, at least a decade +/-. We should be transitioning to E20 sometime in the next couple years.

Harvey is right that it doesn't burn hotter, if anything... it would be cooler. The amount of energy contained in standard petrol is around 110,000 BTU's per pound whereas E85 (or was it E100

) has around 92,000 BTU's per pound... I'm not getting the figures exactly right since I'm going off memory. This is the reason that gas mileage is worse when running an ethanol mix... more needs to be burned in order to get the same amount of energy you would from petrol. This is really the only issue that comes into play when trying to run a vehicle on E85 that isn't intented for it. The only thing that it really needs is the ability to inject more fuel for the same load that would normally take less when using standard petrol. Hence, most vehicles, especially newer vehicles, have the ability to run E85. The ECM just has to be able to adapt to the different fuel and the fuel system has to have the ability to pump out a bit more. Some non-metal bits MAY be susceptible to drying out... but most materials used nowadays don't have issues with this, at least not over a period of a couple years or so.

Also, Harvey is right that it will allow for higher compression ratios, since it does have an innate higher octane rating... I think E100 was somewhere around 102 or 106. Even though logic would point to this creating a cold start issue... research has shown that it is actually a bit easier to start (higher RVP) until you start going over a 20% mix.

Now, as for the cost effectivenes issue. There really isn't a point right now since ethanol is still expensive. This is due to the enormous demand for ethanol in the midwest and the fact that there are only 2 or 3 processing plants... hence driving the price up. This will change, though, and ethanol mixes will become cheaper and eventually (probably) country wide. For now, I would just not bother with going out of your way to use E85... especially in a car that is more than 5/6 years old and/or not "intented" for E85.

BTW, Steve, haven't you ever gone to a Holiday? Almost all of them have 93 octane, and you should know there is nothing beneficial to running higher octance than is recommended for your engine (unless you're boostin')... silly.

SVX-FF · #25 05-02-2006, 05:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nemesis Destiny

If I recall correctly, the amount of base octane in the fuel has something to do with the elevation in your region. Differing octane for areas at sea level, compared to those in mountainous regions... or something.

I thought that at fist but than I asked .The Holiday gas station was the only one that had 93 octane last year. They stopped due to the cost. I saw some stations that had 93 sticker on their pumps but the regional manager said that they just hadn't changed the signage. I have gotten 93 octane in the mountains of western Maryland before and they have an elevation of about 2600 - 3200 feet. The Twin Cities area is only about 800 to 900 feet.

Steve