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Thoughts on E15 Fuel

obx_rick

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So I know the Bronco can take E15 fuel, which right now is about 12.5% cheaper ($3.49 vs. $3.99) than regular 87.

My Bronco is my daily drive, though I will also be taking it out on the sandy beaches and towing a jet ski. So 90% of the time, I don't really care about horsepower or torque.

Has anyone done any fuel economy comparisons of E15 vs. regular 87 (E10)?

Back when ethanol first started coming to the market in the 90s, I would drive from Michigan to Iowa to visit my girlfriend on regular unleaded, and would fill up in Iowa with E10 because it was cheaper. I'd save 10% on gas, but my experience was that I also lost about 10% in fuel economy, so it was kind of a wash.
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GaryB2220

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I don't recall Ford posting fuel mileage numbers with E15. Only regular and super test. And I'm afraid I don't know enough about the effects e15 has on the system. I definitely am not putting in anything that is more corrosive or dirty, anything that would wear the engine down faster
 

Dayton1984

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So I know the Bronco can take E15 fuel, which right now is about 12.5% cheaper ($3.49 vs. $3.99) than regular 87.

My Bronco is my daily drive, though I will also be taking it out on the sandy beaches and towing a jet ski. So 90% of the time, I don't really care about horsepower or torque.

Has anyone done any fuel economy comparisons of E15 vs. regular 87 (E10)?

Back when ethanol first started coming to the market in the 90s, I would drive from Michigan to Iowa to visit my girlfriend on regular unleaded, and would fill up in Iowa with E10 because it was cheaper. I'd save 10% on gas, but my experience was that I also lost about 10% in fuel economy, so it was kind of a wash.
According to this page, e85 will damage the engine and to only use at a minimum e87

https://thedriveradviser.com/types-of-gas-a-ford-bronco-takes-explained/
 
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obx_rick

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According to this page, e85 will damage the engine and to only use at a minimum e87
I'm not referring to E85. I'm aware of that. The manual also says anything with 15% ethanol or less.

E85 != E15.
 

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okbob

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6500 miles of nothing but E15. 2d Badlands with Sasq 2.7l and it’s sitting on 19.1 mpg. Most of the time it's in ecomode. From other's observations early on, and since I don't need the extra hp for anything, there was no way any small increase in mpg was going outweigh the price per gallon difference of non ethanol gas. We can buy E15 and three octanes of real gas here at nearly every station still.
 

Murfman

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So I saw the minimum octane requirements of 87 with no more than E85. Costco doesn't sell 87, in Colorado. Just 85 and 91. I have been running 85, At E85 exclusively from them and seen no issues. I am taking a long road trip so I will use 87 in the future. Am I voiding my warranty using 85 from Costco? It is supposed to be a "high tier" gasoline and exceeds the US Govt standards.
 

P52Ranch

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I only purchase regular unleaded (E0) for my car when the price is within 3 or 4% of E10 unleaded with 10% ethanol. That is equal to the energy density difference between the fuels and real world fuel economy difference.

I would expect E15 to get about 5% poorer fuel economy than regular unleaded. A 12.5% price difference between the two drives the economic preference towards the E15. Personally I would be more comfortable with E10 rather than E15 but either should function just fine.
 

P52Ranch

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So I saw the minimum octane requirements of 87 with no more than E85. Costco doesn't sell 87, in Colorado. Just 85 and 91. I have been running 85, At E85 exclusively from them and seen no issues. I am taking a long road trip so I will use 87 in the future. Am I voiding my warranty using 85 from Costco? It is supposed to be a "high tier" gasoline and exceeds the US Govt standards.
85 octane gasoline is different from E85. I guess because both contain the number 85 folks can get confused

E85 is 85% ethanol and 15% gasoline. Only "Flex fuel" vehicles should run ethanol blended fuels higher than E15 (15% ethanol and 85% gasoline).

The reason you can run 85 octane gasoline (regardless of the ethanol percentage) at high altitude is because the air is thinner and consequently the compressed pressure inside the combustion chamber is lower. The lower compression pressure reduces the chance of pre ignition (knock) which is what a higher octane fuel helps prevent.

Running Colorado 85 octane gasoline is perfectly fine. When you drive to lower altitudes then purchase the 87 that is offered.
 

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Murfman

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85 octane gasoline is different from E85. I guess because both contain the number 85 folks can get confused

E85 is 85% ethanol and 15% gasoline. Only "Flex fuel" vehicles should run ethanol blended fuels higher than E15 (15% ethanol and 85% gasoline).

The reason you can run 85 octane gasoline (regardless of the ethanol percentage) at high altitude is because the air is thinner and consequently the compressed pressure inside the combustion chamber is lower. The lower compression pressure reduces the chance of pre ignition (knock) which is what a higher octane fuel helps prevent.

Running Colorado 85 octane gasoline is perfectly fine. When you drive to lower altitudes then purchase the 87 that is offered.
That makes total sense! Thank you!
 

okbob

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Ethanol vs Non-ethanol would cost me $8.25 per fill up more to get an extra 30 miles per tank. In the end I'm saving $2.80 per fill up to buy ethanol even if non-ethanol gives me 2mpg better fuel milage.
 

greenmachine343

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isnt ethanol extremely bad for your engine
 

JT58Bronc

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People tend to shy away from Ethanol- even on flex fuel vehicles. My wife has run only E85 on her flex fuel Silverado since it was almost new up to the 72K it has now. It has the 4.8 V8 engine and the only mod is MBRP CAT back dual exhaust. It's about 1.00 a gallon cheaper than regular grade. And the truck runs real good on it- the thing really moves running the higher octane E85. Definite performance difference over 87 octane. It's not too heavy as it is a short bed, 2WD and regular cab. It's definitely quicker than my 2 door Basesquatch with the 2.7. And it sounds terrific too. I wish the Bronco was flex fuel.
 

okbob

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isnt ethanol extremely bad for your engine
Terrible on carbs, and has a shelf life.i run real gas in anything with a carb and/or any engine that will sit for long periods between use. My mowers, small engines and two 66' and 71' broncos get real gas.
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