E85 Vs. Regular Gasoline Vs Premium?

[Jaggimann]

Hi guys I have a 2012 Camaro LFX V6 ... absolutely love the car but I have a question about E85 vs regular gas... whats the difference and does my car accept both? I realize E85 is a bit cheaper by maybe 60 cents around where I live.. but does using E85 damage our vehicles ? what gives better mpg/performance ... Also using premium on a V6? .. Any perks or just plain stupid.. sorry kinda new to this stuff ... Camaro is my first car and totally it lol

[JohnnyBfromPeoria]

Car is not certified for E85 use. It's 85% ethanol, 15% gas.

Use regular unleaded. If you hear lots of engine "ping" try premium.

John B.

[KMPrenger]

Although the LFX will accept E85 in some models, I do not believe the Camaro is advertised to run on it. That said, I believe there is someone who has but if I was you I'd stick with gasoline.

Now there is a flip side to E85. When the V6 is specifically tuned (aftermarket) to run on E85, it is proven to provide some very good performance gains because of E85's high octane and resistance to knock. Of course, your MPG will suffer though.

As far as regular versus premium gasoline, that has been debated over and over again. But the fact of the matter is the the ECM in the V6 is designed to increase timing until knock is detected. That is why the car will run fine on 87 and on 93 octane. It has been shown several times by monitoring the timing pulled, and on the dyno that premium fuel can help the car run a bit better and smoother. Less timing IS pulled when you run premium.

Some people say they notice a difference (car runs smoother, less hesitation) and some say they can't feel any difference.

I say there is a difference and a benefit to running premium, but its not a big difference by any means.

[MikeSVX]

The Camaros can't run E85, unless you have a custom tune done for it. I don't think premium in the V6 will provide you with a notable difference to make it worth using. On the V8 cars, running regular will cause a reduction in horse power. E85 may be cheaper, but in the long run you end up spending about the same as running mid grade gas. This is because you burn more E85 per mile traveled then you do standard fuel. However, E85 is the aquivalent of running 106 octane gas, by that I mean the potential for power is greater if you tune the car correctly.

The reason you need a special tune to run E85, is because your injectors need to put in more E85 then it would standard fuel for the volume of air that enters the cylinder. I hope I explained that ok.... Chevy puts that little green leaf emblem on the cars that can run E85.

[Juiced1]

I haven't heard of any E85 Camaros from the factory. If it was set up to run it you would have a big E85 decal somewhere on your car for sure. Dumping E85 or 100 octane won't add any performance to your car though unless it's tuned for it or you have a ton of nitrous/boost. Higher octane fuel is actually harder to burn so you won't preignite from high compression/boost/nitrous/to much timing.

[Tom]

Currently the gas that goes in our cars is up to 10% Ethanol... so I thought the E85 was 15% Ethanol... not 85%. I'm sure our cars could not run on 85% Ethanol. Thus when they start adding up to 15% Ethanol then the E85 vehicles are equipped from the factory to be able to run on that.

[Juiced1]

E85 is 85% ethonal for sure!

[RollaMo]

Originally Posted by Tom

Currently the gas that goes in our cars is up to 10% Ethanol... so I thought the E85 was 15% Ethanol... not 85%. I'm sure our cars could not run on 85% Ethanol. Thus when they start adding up to 15% Ethanol then the E85 vehicles are equipped from the factory to be able to run on that.

No, that is not correct.
E85 is 85% Ethanol.
Any vehicle from the factory certified to run on E85 will have the "Flex Fuel" badge on it.

Originally Posted by Juiced1

E85 is 85% ethonal for sure!

[Jeffm]

i thought one of the features of the LFX engine was its compatibility with E85 gas

[MS3DALE]

Originally Posted by Jeffm

i thought one of the features of the LFX engine was its compatibility with E85 gas

Not in the Camaro.

[RollaMo]

Originally Posted by Jeffm

i thought one of the features of the LFX engine was its compatibility with E85 gas

If it is not labeled "Flex Fuel", then it is not factory compatible.

As I mentioned above, all compatible vehicles will have a "Flex Fuel" badge on them from the factory.
It will also be mentioned in the owners manual under fuel requirements.

[webigon]

I've been running full tanks of 30% Nitro R/C Car fuel in my SS for over a year now... I'm getting over 1500+ RWHP with a stock engine and no mods! Friggin car does a wheelie all the way from 1st thru 6th!!!!

[5cents]

Originally Posted by Tom

Currently the gas that goes in our cars is up to 10% Ethanol... so I thought the E85 was 15% Ethanol... not 85%. I'm sure our cars could not run on 85% Ethanol. Thus when they start adding up to 15% Ethanol then the E85 vehicles are equipped from the factory to be able to run on that.

E85 gasoline may contain up to 85% (max.) ethanol. E85 is highly corrosive, it can damage fuel lines, fuel pumps, and other engine components if used in vehicles not designed for it's use.

Using E85 in an engine designed specifically for gasoline would likely result in catastrophic failure due to engine detonation, as the octane rating of gasoline is not high enough to withstand the greater compression ratios in use in an engine specifically designed to run on E85. Not only that, but using E85 in a gasoline only engine has the drawback of achieving lower fuel economy, as more fuel is needed to run the engine in comparison with gasoline.

[crateish]

Use 87. Anything higher is a waste. One of the perks of having a V6.