Anybody ever thought of doing a conversion to E85??  Does anybody know what would be needed??  Just watched an episode of OCC where they built a bike to run on E85.  I know you get more power with it and it runs cleaner.  Just a thought.

someone here was working on it. Try Search.

Rubber and ethanol don't mix...you would have to change all fuel lines etc to neoprene to avoid the drying and cracking...and you have to really increase your jetting to accomodate the extra fuel needed...the engine runs cooler and cleaner, but you burn more fuel...kind of a trade off...is E85 available down there? 

Canada doesn't have many stations...most are in eastern Canada...I don't know if there are any in Alberta...some Canadian fuel is a light blend (E5-E15) that doesn't require any changes to the engine, but that is all I know.

Later.

+1.

The jetting is a massive increase- can't remember an exact number but it's somewhere around a 100% increase. The rubber in the carbs will be eaten away over time and ethanol needs higher combustion pressures to work effectively.

Quote from: Big Rich on February 02, 2011, 03:44:07 PM
+1.

The jetting is a massive increase- can't remember an exact number but it's somewhere around a 100% increase. The rubber in the carbs will be eaten away over time and ethanol needs higher combustion pressures to work effectively.

Yes, engines can be (highly) modified to run on alcohol, (add nitro methane too) but mostly used for drag racing purposes.  I had plans to convert my old 1968 Triumph Spitfire.  Pretty much impractical for "normal" use.  Oh yeah, good for  model airplane engines too....I has some little ones that would run good on alcohol with 40%~60% nitro methane.

E85 is nothing about performance and everything about politics.  (Just MHO)

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Yes, it's about politics...but politics that are trying to do the right thing...renewable resources are a good thing, but if they take away from the food supply...not so good...rather go without gasoline than food...once they figure out how to use the leftover food supply waste or byproduct to make the ethanol (or any alocohol base) then they will be onto something worth chasing...for now it is mostly political posturing...

Later.

It is a very high octane fuel so you can run higher compression and/or more ignition advance to get more power.  In Iowa it is just over half the cost of 87 so it can be cheaper or at least about even with the higher consumption.  The modifications are pretty extensive though.  Compression can only be increased through machine work and the rejetting will not work with regular fuel anymore.  Could be better on a high end FE bike with high compression already, but would need bigger fuel injectors and a lot of computer work.

Quote from: ChemDog on February 02, 2011, 12:06:17 PM
Anybody ever thought of doing a conversion to E85??  Does anybody know what would be needed??  Just watched an episode of OCC where they built a bike to run on E85.  I know you get more power with it and it runs cleaner.  Just a thought.

How do you know you get more power?

Maybe it runs Cleaner from the bike - BUT - what about the Dirty Running to manufacture it and transport the Biomass to the Ethanol Facility and then disposal of the Biomass - trucks still use diesel. What about the Electricity used to operate the ethanol plant? There is a tremendous amount of Dirty emissions so you can maybe have a cleaner emission from your bike.

Michael

The "more power" comes from the ability to build an engine that has a higher compression ratio...higher octane rating makes that possible, but you won't get the extra power if you don't build it into the engine...then you are just burning the ethanol fuel to get better emissions...

Later.

Thanks, Mad. I'd still like to know why the OP thinks you get more power.

Michael

Its in the way it burns. I have a few friends who run E85 in their turbo cars (one EVO, one WRX and a honda with a built K24 and huge GT60R turbo) and they make about 100-200 HP more on E85 vs 100 octane, however their cars are built to run on E85, so that would mean on 100 octane they are spitting way too much fuel so its not really efficient there...

You are able to make more power for less money in fuel, in theory. I don't know how true this is.

Quote from: jeffdodge on February 04, 2011, 10:25:36 PM
Its in the way it burns. I have a few friends who run E85 in their turbo cars (one EVO, one WRX and a honda with a built K24 and huge GT60R turbo) and they make about 100-200 HP more on E85 vs 100 octane, however their cars are built to run on E85, so that would mean on 100 octane they are spitting way too much fuel so its not really efficient there...

You are able to make more power for less money in fuel, in theory. I don't know how true this is.

"100-200hp more" just from a fuel?

Quote from: Twisted on February 04, 2011, 11:15:33 PM

"100-200hp more" just from a fuel?

230hp GS, here we go . .  .

It's not the fuel...no magic in a bottle...if you build an all out engine specifically for E85, you can get away with higher stress levels due to the high octane rating and the cooling effect of the fuel...similar to top fuel engines...

It's how the engine is built, not the fuel itself...

jeffdodge may know what he is talking about, but he didn't explain it properly...

Benefit of the doubt...

Later.

Quote from: jeffdodge on February 04, 2011, 10:25:36 PM
Its in the way it burns. I have a few friends who run E85 in their turbo cars (one EVO, one WRX and a honda with a built K24 and huge GT60R turbo) and they make about 100-200 HP more on E85 vs 100 octane, however their cars are built to run on E85, so that would mean on 100 octane they are spitting way too much fuel so its not really efficient there...

You are able to make more power for less money in fuel, in theory. I don't know how true this is.

Yeah, but it's NOT less money!

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Quote from: jeffdodge on February 04, 2011, 10:25:36 PM
Its in the way it burns. I have a few friends who run E85 in their turbo cars (one EVO, one WRX and a honda with a built K24 and huge GT60R turbo) and they make about 100-200 HP more on E85 vs 100 octane, however their cars are built to run on E85, so that would mean on 100 octane they are spitting way too much fuel so its not really efficient there...

You are able to make more power for less money in fuel, in theory. I don't know how true this is.

Searching the Internet does not bring up any power increase at all like that!   I see power increase anywhere from ZERO, to about 8%.  8% is with a modified engine to take advantage of the properties of alchy.

The fuel air mixture is way different for alchy, so you are gonna get  40% or worse miles per gallon.

The real "magic" in power comes for turbo, supercharge, and nitrous oxide.........but what does that cost?


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So if I put E85 in my push lawnmower will that increase the horsepower enough to make it a hovercraft?

No, the blades don't face the right direction.

Quote from: paulc86 on February 05, 2011, 11:18:09 AM
No, the blades don't face the right direction.

Already been done...".Flymo"......they were popular in England.

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Quote from: twocool on February 05, 2011, 11:40:40 AM

Quote from: paulc86 on February 05, 2011, 11:18:09 AM
No, the blades don't face the right direction.

Already been done...".Flymo"......they were popular in England.

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwdPBggIv9I&feature=related

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