That 3:1 mixture would give you about 96 octane, but there are two problems:

1) ~25% ethanol is a higher concentration than the seals, gaskets and plastic components in the MINI's fuel system is designed for, so you'll probably have long-term problems.

2) The energy content of E85 is significantly lower than gasoline, so you'd probably need a re-tune specifically for your 3:1 mixture. You might even need larger injectors to make up for the lower energy density of E85. This might make it hard to switch back and forth between using 100% gasoline and the 3:1 mixture.

 

Has anyone seen a fuel dragster that uses alcohol? Yes they produce tons of HP ( not Hewlet Packard ) but they use LOTS of alcohol. One reason they use so much is that alcohol burns hotter and they have to use more to help cool the internal parts like valves for instance.. Jacking up the amount of alcohol in gas can be dis-***-trous to your engine.

Besides don't you know that alcohol does not vaporize near as well as gasoline and if you used straight alky in a cold climate you would have to start it on gas and then switch to alky.

All in all, high alcohol amounts do not run on the street very well.

 

Another problem with Ethanol (general talk) is that it is quite hygroscopic (correct spelling). Meaning it has an affinity for water and cannot be stored for long periods of time or delivered through pipelines.

Oil (and it's derivative components) has unique properties for which there are no equivalent substitutes or alternatives.

 

Lots of info here about E85 so people don't have to wade through internet lore...

http://www.e85fuel.com/e85101/questions.php

 

If it's octane boosting your looking for, go here, read this:

see you guys at the paint supply store.....
http://www.gnttype.org/techarea/misc/octanebooster.html
http://forums.audiworld.com/s4/msgs/95187.phtml
http://www.mini2.com/forum/showthrea...ghlight=xylene
http://www.mini2.com/forum/showthrea...light=tolulene

Alcohol is not an efficient way to raise octane ratings, and has a number of undesirable qualities that your Mini won't like.

 

Thanks for your help. I will stick to my black gold for my cars track days, by the way has any one been to the market to buy corn or meat. wow corn is like 5 times the price it was 2 years ago. On top of that gas is still going up too, so not only did my food cost go up but my gas cost went up too . Happy about E85 not me why is there all this talk about it being so great by ford and gm?

 

3rd and 4th links above (the mini2 ones) are dead, but some good information in the other two.

In particular, the first link points out that the "octane booster in a can" products only raise the overall octane rating of your gasoline by a very small amount - as in, they'll turn a tankful of 92 into a tankful of 92.3.

The second link talks about adding *large* amounts of toulene to your gas in order to get a significant octane boost. Depending on how cheaply you can find toulene in your area, and whether or not you can get high-octane race gas in your area, it might be an attractive option. But, in the large concentrations required, you might run into compatibility problems with the rubber/plastic parts of your fuel system, similar to alcohol.

 

Thanks for the update, Scott.
Somewhere in one of those posts was the calculation for figuring out what measurements were needed to hit your desired octane. Somewhere. (so much information, so little time)

-skip-

 

Except that this is by NEVC (National Ethanol Vehicle Coalition).

I will say they cover many statistics I have seen elsewhere, but still lacks an independent viewpoint.

 

Forget E-85 and all the rest of the "bio-fuels", buy a Tesla.

http://www.teslamotors.com/

 

It should be noted that the US now imports more oil from Canada than from the Middle East.
That being said if you want the current crop of diesels you should write your congressman. The oil lobby is the only thing preventing those cars from entering the US.

As for a solution, thats the tough question. I firmly believe that the first step has to be making electricity clean. Wind and Solar power make using electric vehicles more realistic. Electric utility companies should be installing these items at homes and buisnesses and take the responsibility for maintaning them in exchange for the public continuing to pay for electricity.

 

I have a flex fuel vehicle and buy E85 every chance I get. Mostly because its like 50-60 cents a gallon less and because the car runs BETTER with it and gets almost as good mileage. I don't buy the propaganda that it takes more oil to produce E85. How much does it cost and how much oil does it take to ship all that oil from Saudi Arabia all the way here? That's just George Bush and his droogies pushing the oil establishment and trying to crush all other forms of energy production.

 

im in nj and only have 2 stations on e 85 if i had a station near me both of my vehicles would be e85. my 400hp honda is using e85 right now. ive been using it for about 6 months with zero issues. let me just get a few things out real quick. i never changed or converted to any type of special fuel filter or change any line.
with e85 you need almost double to cc injector then you currently have. so if your running 500cc injectors you need 1000cc because e85 needs extra fuel. yes the ecu needs to be remapped its a must. your car cannot start if you switch. one drop of reg. gas mixed with e85 can cause octane ratings to go down quickly. so its not like ohh maybe ill run gas today and tomorrow morning ill pump e85. cant do that. everything has to be out before you switch your maps. next i can add is that your car cannot sit for more then a month with e85 in it. the octane ratings will change and sometimes damage to lines can occur. my tuner said in winter morning starts the car may be harder to start. my car started perfectly everytime i turn the key. never had an issue. e85 is deff. a benifit if you have stations around you. its a pain to go extra 15 minutes to fillup. i gotta do it once every two weeks. it sucks. but i love the extra power. by switching i gained 50 whp on my honda.
so dont make assumptions on its gonna be a pain i have to switch all these things and on and on. its not that bad. i drove to my tuner on empty then ran the fuel pump to get most of the gas out and poured in 5 gallons of e85. it was enough to get my tune done and drive home 60 miles. e85 is awsome. now they have these special sensors to tell your ecu how much the octane ratings is so it can adjust the map. but my car dont have one, wish it did cause then i can just mix both fuels if i cant get to an e85 station in time.
oh and the smell is no where near nasty gas. e85 is very clean so you see white smoke most of the time out your muffler. im not saying its pure smell just not a instant head ace like gasoline smell when you start your car in the garage. lol

 

I don't think you're in a position to say one way or another how the stock seals, gaskets, lines and other plastic/rubber bits in your fuel system will react to a steady diet of E85, considering you've only been using it for six months.

 

Yes you are right but I'm saying on personal experience. Theirs other people that have been using it since it was available. Look into Brazil what fuel is manditory their. Sugar cane is capable to produce e85 not just corn. Its not that much corrosive as gas. Gas is corrosive too so idk. I I like it so far zero problems. I think 6 months is plenty of time to find problems to occur.