E85 Tunes from Torrie

[SLP LS]

So I live in the midwest and i have available e85 for cheap cheap. With its pros i wanted to know if anyone has run it on there ls v8. I emailed Torrie and he says he can make a custom tune to run e85. Has anyone ran an e85 tune from torrie or someone else? I think itd be even better than an agressive tune on 91 because of it cooling ability and knock suppresion. Any input?

 

[Bullschmidt]

The E85 craze is currently most used with the FI crowd (They can see big gains). On a NA LS engine you are going to have to do more then just a tune to see any real gains and keep it running properly. You would want to upgrade the fuel system and do the injectors, pump, lines etc if you really were considering it

 

[JoshMcMadMac]

So I live in the midwest and i have available e85 for cheap cheap. With its pros i wanted to know if anyone has run it on there ls v8. I emailed Torrie and he says he can make a custom tune to run e85. Has anyone ran an e85 tune from torrie or someone else? I think itd be even better than an agressive tune on 91 because of it cooling ability and knock suppresion. Any input?

E85 is good for 100+ octane rating, so if properly tuned it could do quite well. I am not sure that the stock fueling system can fulfill the needed capacity to utilize E85, though. It could be quite a "cheap" power increase.

 

[SLP LS]

Yes, but you would see gain to were you can add timing and really open it up, i asked torrie about fuel system upgrades and he said it would be compatible stock as he has done tunes for explorers and rangers onn e85 with no mods. I know the fuel demand spikes 30% so my question with little knowledge about these cars, is the stock fuel injectors, and pump able to run 30% more or will it be maxed out?

 

[Kumba]

The rubber and seals used in the fuel system also have to be compatible with E85 in addition to the larger delivery needs. It's not just about pump and injectors. I do not know if the LS was equipped with neoprene lines and seals or not. Probably is, but it's worth verifying.

 

[blwnbyu]

Unless you bumped the compression above 11:1, there would be nothing to gain..

You would also most likely need larger injectors and fuel pump.

Us forced induction guys like it because we can run near race fuel amount of boost and timing..

You also have to remember you will get ALOT worse fuel mileage out of E-85 as you would Gasoline, because it only has about 1/2 the BTU

 

[Kumba]

I know there are a lot of boosted guys around here that wish E85 would pop up somewhere locally.

 

[SLP LS]

yes but even the benefits of having a octane rating around 103 and being available for 2.15 a gallon i still think itd be worth it. does anyone know the limits of the stock pump and injectors? i still see the pro of being able to run more aggressive timing even if it takes more fuel.. forced induction utilizes obviously more of the traits for boost. how would you not be able to see gains from it? ive heard na guys that gain almost 30 hp from timing and cooler intake temps. i am not a guru on the corn but have done some research and even seen it be used. just kinda want to use its benefits seeing that its octane rating is in the hundreds. and its cheaper to run even with the 30% increase in fuel demand

 

[SLP LS]

either way i might be able to open a door for more people. ill be getting three custom tunes for 91 octane and three for e85 from torrie. he said he hasnt ran e85 or made a tune for our platform but he has enough experience to make them. looks like ill be the guinea pig but he says itd be worth it and it should gain nicely!

 

[jrand]

hmm theres gotta be a way to get around having to go thru him for everything. can you tweak whatever tune he gives you and then easily undo your changes& revert back to the tune as he provided it?

sorry for dumb questions, i dont have one. i probably wouldnt buy one for this car (my branded titled, v6, daily driver) but this thread makes me think i may be able make up the cost in fuel savings if i play my cards right...?

 

[SLP LS]

i just love the corn... 2.15 a gallon + an extra 30% for consumtion and your still looking at 2.74 a gallon to my 3.91 a gallon for 91 octane.. Fill up more often but hey its cleaner emissions and can run more timing? Why not unless im missing something about these cars and shouldnt run it for some reason. If i can run it safely without having to spend alot of time replace seals, and or fuel componets i will do it. I just have been wondering since its been in the midwest a while and all this flex fuel stuff has been released. Maybe i just might toy around with the idea of coming up with a flex fuel setup for the ls, Pretty easy to do with the right components from ford. My friend ran his 3000gt vr4 onn e85 and saw 20 horses just from timing alone, then he turned up the boost and he loved it. He says hes never going back, except the winters when its hard to start in the iowa cold but hey thats just where the 91 tunes come back in. or that flex setup!

 

[FASTLLS]

Where are you finding it for under 2.85 in Iowa.. That's the cheapest price I could find. And on the way back home, it's 3.33 and regular is 3.75

 

[Kumba]

Why not unless im missing something about these cars and shouldnt run it for some reason.

Just don't travel outside of the corn belt and you'll be set. E85 doesn't exist in a lot of places still. That's the #1 reason to not do an E85 only tune and what make a Flex Fuel vehicle "Flex Fuel". It can switch from an E85 tune back to an E15 one.

My second argument, which you seem to not have, is that E85 is not more then 30% cheaper then E15. For you this seems to be true, but in the few places I have seen E85 it wasn't. It was maybe 40-50 cents less, but not around $2 less.