Any Starlets running E85?

[DudFunk]

Hey guys and girls just curious as to whether there are many starlets mapped on E85 about the place and how does the car feel after the change id be very interested in hearing people pro's and cons on this as a petrol station near me sells it and I was considering going for it!

I have had a search around the net about the benefits on E85 and seems like a really good alternative to the standard crap we get over here especially when running more power the main disadvantage I can see is the fact it takes more E85 to make the same power as a smaller amount of petrol however I have heard people say there mileage per tank increased after the change anybody have any first hand experience or opinons on this?

Is it true I would require larger injectors, rrfpr and a fuel pump for the reason stated above? (more methanol is needed to be pumped to make the same power)

Id appreciate any help you could give me to swing my decision one way or another!

[Xpect]

E85 has more Octane and burns colder than normal gas.

Only thing to do to use it afaik is changing the timing a but.

Edited October 19, 2013 by Xpect

[DudFunk]

I was under the impression that the air/fuel ratio would be completely different and seeing as it would require more E85 per injection to get the same amount of combustion a high flow fuel pump and larger injectors would be a necessity along with a fuel pressure regulator but I have never used it so I could be completely wrong would like to hear some more thoughts on this

I does seem quite expensive almost twice the price of standard petrol so would be curious to know how MPG etc is affected before I bite the bullet so to speak

[Jamie1st]

I could be wrong but I think you can run a lot leaner AFR on e85??

[DevonGT]

Will lower your fuel economy and you will need to replace rubber seals in the fuel system.

[DudFunk]

Will lower your fuel economy and you will need to replace rubber seals in the fuel system.

Ever run it?How much of a hit on economy are we talking?Any idea how many rubber seals in the system?would it require the fuel tank to be dropped?

[JayJ]

I made a thread about this some time ago, but didn't get a lot answers. Check out for more info, but here's some major points:

You will get a poor mpg with E85, I think stock pump won't be suitable for ethanol, stock injectors will max out(you need ~30% richer mixture) and mappable ecu needed to get it run perfectly.

[AdamB]

I done a search on this and over here in the UK chains have stopped supplying it. I would personally take a leaf out of their book and not bother using it, you would be better off getting some race fuel like VP or Methanol as its less likely to go out of fashion. You would still need to upgrade your fueling system though especially with meth which runs AFR's as rich as like 4:1.

[yaristurbo]

Vp is a very popular, even Santa pod have a stall for it

[maddox710]

Mate uses it on his dog leon cupra r works really well On that as is still running stock cooler, makes higher boost levels a little safer

[Xpect]

I made a thread about this some time ago, but didn't get a lot answers. Check out for more info, but here's some major points:

You will get a poor mpg with E85, I think stock pump won't be suitable for ethanol, stock injectors will max out(you need ~30% richer mixture) and mappable ecu needed to get it run perfectly.

I'll quote myself from your topic

Well, here in Germany the Starlet guys even say E10 is not suitable for the NA Starlet. They say for the Glanza even German "Super Plus" (98 Octane as opposed to the 95 of normal Super) is barely enough as in Japan the Octane rating is mostly at 100 Octane.

Well, after a short Wikipedia search I think this is bullshit, as E85 is colder burning and giving a higher octane rating. So in a turbocharged car with a bit of ignition timing change it should give a power advantage and properly tuned should even have the same MPG (with the drawback of not being able to use normal gasoline).

But if you are able to switch between at least two maps (I think they include ignition timing) you could have one for gasoline and one for E85. (I for myself would want to have 4 maps, high boost and low boost and both for each fuel type, for fuel economy and power)

[JayJ]

You are right that it has higher octane rating and it burns colder, but ethanol(E85) also has less energy. So you will need 30% more ethanol(E85) to get the same amount of energy as with gasoline ->your mpg will decrease.

Also these motors are designed for gasoline, so compression ratios aren't high enough to get the full advantage of E85.

[DudFunk]

I made a thread about this some time ago, but didn't get a lot answers. Check out for more info, but here's some major points:

You will get a poor mpg with E85, I think stock pump won't be suitable for ethanol, stock injectors will max out(you need ~30% richer mixture) and mappable ecu needed to get it run perfectly.

Thanks for the info it seems to be quite unpopular/not widely used I wonder is it the initial cost or the lack of places to buy reliably?

I done a search on this and over here in the UK chains have stopped supplying it. I would personally take a leaf out of their book and not bother using it, you would be better off getting some race fuel like VP or Methanol as its less likely to go out of fashion. You would still need to upgrade your fueling system though especially with meth which runs AFR's as rich as like 4:1.

This is very interesting Adam I will most definitely be keeping my eye on the market over here and see if sellers here are doing the same.

How practical is it to run methanol?Im not sure how easy or prohibitively expensive it is to find and run on daily basis same goes for race fuel.

Plans are moving forward and fuelling is most definitely an area I wont be disregarding and have every intention of dropping the fuel tank in the spring to be professionally cleaned then the usual upgrades will follow, it will be capable of running just about any fuel with some minor modifications!

You are right that it has higher octane rating and it burns colder, but ethanol(E85) also has less energy. So you will need 30% more ethanol(E85) to get the same amount of energy as with gasoline ->your mpg will decrease.

Also these motors are designed for gasoline, so compression ratios aren't high enough to get the full advantage of E85.

Thanks for that clarification Jay and your help!

I found this on the web and it has helped me understand it allot better

http://hioctaneracing.com/blog/2011/7/3/the-truth-about-e85-fuel.html

I definitely think the pro's outweigh the cons in my case as I was planning on upgrading/renewing the fuel system anyway but only if it continues to stay on the market, the only major negative is the corrosive element due to the moisture but I have been told by a specialist this can be almost completely eliminated by the use of catch tanks to draw the moisture and silicone hoses seem to be preferred for obvious reasons (he explained all of this allot better )

Any more input be greatly appreciated lads if im being a complete idiot please dont hesitate to tell me

Edited October 22, 2013 by DudFunk

[JayJ]

I definitely think the pro's outweigh the cons in my case as I was planning on upgrading/renewing the fuel system anyway but only if it continues to stay on the market, the only major negative is the corrosive element due to the moisture but I have been told by a specialist this can be almost completely eliminated by the use of catch tanks to draw the moisture and silicone hoses seem to be preferred for obvious reasons (he explained all of this allot better )

Any more input be greatly appreciated lads if im being a complete idiot please dont hesitate to tell me

If you are running all year round you should read about the cold start issues with E85 too. Mappable ecu will take care of this, but might be trial and error first couple of times until you get the map right ;-)

[DudFunk]

If you are running all year round you should read about the cold start issues with E85 too. Mappable ecu will take care of this, but might be trial and error first couple of times until you get the map right ;-)

Will most definitely have a look at this thanks for the head up!

[AdamB]

I wouldn't even bother considering changing the blend of fuel if used daily tbh, its too much hassle. Methanol is also illegal to use on the road over here as it gives off poisonous gas when burnt, I dare say its different anywhere else.

You also have to start measuring fuels by weight rather than volume because the volume of fuel changes with temperature, hence if you go fill up early in the morning you will actually get more fuel in your tank than if you filled up at 1pm.

I would stick with regular pump fuel, if you do wish to try something, check out water or meth injection kits but the gain for road use is very minimal.