E85 is a fuel that helps increase power and torque
E85 is made up of 15% gasoline and 85% bioethanol.
Finding such fuel in Germany is very difficult due to high taxes. But in France you can buy it at almost every gas station and a liter of ethanol costs only 90 cents.
Disadvantages:
- Approximately 30% higher fuel consumption.
- Firmware must be optimized to use E85.
- Cold starts are worse, so starting a car at -20C is not an easy task.
- Sometimes at gas stations it’s not really E85, but E70 or even E60. But it’s very easy to check. All you need is a small container/bottle and water.
- Hard to get it in Germany and many other countries.
Advantages:
- Up to 20% more power and torque.
- Intake Air Temperature (IAT) and Exhaust Gas Temperature (EGT) are much cooler = much better for the engine.
- Lower price even with high fuel consumption
- Way lower CO2 emissions
E85 firmware?
Since the AFR with E85 is too lean, it needs to be enriched with approx. 30% more fuel. After that, the engine will have optimal AFR.
Next step is ignition angle. E85 makes it possible to move ignition angle much earlier. The earlier it is, more power/torque and nicer exhaust sound is delivered.
But what if i need to refill with gasoline?
No problem. With the MULTIMAP you can easily switch from E85 to gasoline and vice versa in seconds.
How to check E85?
You need to fill a bottle with around 30% of water and 70% of E85. Shake it and let it rest for a couple of minutes. The ethanol will mix with water and settle to the bottom while gasoline will float to the top, and you will be able to clearly see the border between ethanol and gasoline.
