E85

In Southern California, our source of E85 comes from a company called Propel. While other “E85” pumps around the country suffer from inconsistency in ethanol content (some of it done purposely for better starting in cold climates), our pumps in Huntington Beach, California consistently deliver E85 with an ethanol content of 85 percent according to our Zeitronix ethanol content analyzer.

From the pump, Propel-branded E85 hit 85 percent on the ZEITRONIX ethanol content analyzer. In So Cal, Propel E85 hits 85 percent year round.

WHAT ABOUT PUMP AND UNLEADED RACE GASOLINE?

On Shell V-power 91-octane gasoline, we could only extract about 510 wheel horsepower with what we considered a safe tune. When we previously used VP Streetblaze 100 and VP Racing MS109 unleaded racing fuels, we realized peak power of 545 and 552 respectively. Peak torque was just over 580 lb-ft.

C85

VP Racing Fuels C85 was formulated to provide significant and consistent power gains over pump E85. VP Racing Fuels claims that C85 will make up to 4.0-percent more power and torque than the best conventional E85. VP Racing Fuels also claims that C85 is superior to E85 in terms of cooling effect, resistance to detonation and corrosion. C85’s formulation includes inhibitors to fight the issues associated with ethanol-based fuels. As mentioned before, C85 does use MTBE in its formulation, so it is not compatible with some aftermarket performance injectors.

VP Racing Fuels C85 actually checks in at 80 percent on the ethanol content analyzer, so don’t worry if you get this value instead of 85 percent.

VP Racing Fuels states that C85’s highly-oxygenated formulation will generally require a 2.0-to-3.0-percent increase in fuel delivery to achieve the same air fuel ratios or lambda values. As for cost,it’s generally available at or under $15 per gallon when purchased in a 5-gallon container.

The Test

We contracted MoTeC specialist Nathan Tasukon of Forward Motion Technology to fine tune the calibration of the MoTeC M1. After making a number of passes on the dyno and checking the library of kick-ass data recorded by the M1, Nathan’s determination got us to the best performance possible on the pump E85. The ethanol content of the Propel-brand pump E85 was verified at 85 percent during the entire test.

We then pumped out all of the Propel E85 from the fuel system, and filled the tank with VP Racing C85. By filling the tank, any dilution from the fewounces of pump E85 that we couldn’t get extracted from the system would be minimized. With the tank full, we were stunned to see the ethanol content analyzer recording a value of 80 percent. While this value was unexpected, it didn’t stop us from forging ahead. Nathan made some partial passes, before verifying that everything was set for some full power passes to make the “A” to “B” comparison.