W W W . K A R S O N R A C I N G . C O M

" E-85 "

E85 is an alcohol fuel mixture that typically contains a mixture of up to 85% denatured fuel ethanol and gasoline or other hydrocarbon by volume.

Why I Switched to E-85

Cost was my primary thought. With the rising cost of fuel I looked for a way to reduce my racing expenses. E-85 was my answer.

Our experience

Our set up was a big block chevy which was supercharged and had 2 950 cfm carberators. We were using 110 octane fuel. After a few years of struggling with the carb linkages and the inconsistency in performance, I was looking to switch to mechanical injection. It was at this time when I figured would be the best time to convert to E85.

Comparisons to regular gasoline

Depending on composition and source, E85 has an octane rating of 100 - 105 [3] compared to regular gasoline's typical rating of 87 - 93. This allows it to be used in higher compression engines which tend to produce more horsepower per cubic inch than their gasoline counterparts. Since the reciprocating mass of the engine increases in proportion to the cubic inch displacement of the engine E-85 has a higher potential efficiency for an engine of equal horsepower. Currently E85 is about 5-10% less expensive in most areas. More than 20 fueling stations across the Midwest are selling E85 25%-40% cheaper than gasoline.

Changes needed.

The primary differences from gasoline fuel systems is the elimination of bare magnesium, aluminum, and rubber parts in the fuel system, the use of fuel pumps capable of operating with electrically conductive (ethanol) instead of non-conducting dielectric (gasoline) fuel, specially-coated wear-resistant engine parts, fuel injection control systems having a wider range of pulse widths (for injecting approximately 40% more fuel), the selection of stainless steel fuel lines (sometimes lined with plastic), the selection of stainless steel fuel tanks in place of terne fuel tanks, and, in some cases, the use of acid-neutralizing motor oil.

While our past experience with E85 is with injection, we are currently working with Mark Sullens Racing to convert a supercharged small block.

KEEP CHECKING BACK TO FOR UPDATES ! ! !
IF YOU HAD YOUR OWN EXPERIENCE TOO ADD, EMAIL ME YOUR EXPERIENCE.

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Disclaimer: This information is to be used as a guideline and is not intended for street cars and or flex fueled vehicles. Karson Racing assumes no responsibility for misuse or damage resulting from above information.

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