HWhat!!!
$4/gal? that is insane! i just filled up for the first time this past year for under $50...E85 at $2.95
not that its any cheaper since its harder to keep my foot from burying the pedal every chance i get.
you don't need any "extra parts" for the ethanol tune, assuming you're already running Vince's tune and have the cables, its only $100 for the E85 tune. run your gas almost dry, add a couple gallons of E85 and put 5-10 miles on it. then load the E85 tune, burn that down to get the residual gas/ethanol mixture out, and then fill up with E85. its a little bit of work at first, but worth it.
not to mention, like previously stated, your engine will run hotter using a higher octane gas. some of the benefits include 1. engine runs cooler avoiding possible damage caused by pre-detonation. 2. great for higher compression engines where more power is able to be produced in comparison to gas...enter FI! but you'll see a drop in your MPG's as more fuel is needed to so there are some drawbacks to it also.
here is a blurb i pulled from the almighty WIKIpedia referencing E85 in comparison to its octane rating...take it for what it is...its wikipedia for godsake:
"If a retailer chooses to post octane, they should be aware that the often cited 105 octane is incorrect. This number was derived by using ethanol’s blending octane value in gasoline. This is not the proper way to calculate the octane of E85. Ethanol’s true octane value should be used to calculate E85’s octane value. This results in an octane range of 94-96 (R+M)/2. These calculations have been confirmed by actual-octane engine tests." [7]
Examples of this mis-citation can be found at the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association titled "E85 Facts"[8] which cites a range of 100-105, and a document at the Texas State Energy Conservation Office titled "Ethanol"[9], which cites a 113 rating."
thanks to jay, i've learned the importance of monitoring what is going on with your engine once you've strayed from your stock settings. just because you put a tune on it doesn't mean your good to go. two camaro's with the same mileage, same mods, same tune, aren't gonna run the exact same tune.
with that said, im currently awaiting an updated tune from vince for E85. my LTFT's were climbing into the 20-30's...highest i've seen it climb is 35
, triggering a CEL. once i get those numbers back to normal, marilyn will be back on the dyno.