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swamp2

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With sharply rising fuel costs (obviously no politics here, less Admin wrath...) I'm seriously enjoying the stable and low E85 ethanol prices. Here in San Diego, Top Tier 91 octane is often over $6/gal. I don't think the E85 price has budged and for my last fill was around $2.92/gal. Anyway, you can save money and have more power. Let's get down to brass tacks.
  1. Ethanol does not harm (clog, "gum up", etc.) any modern engine made in the last 25 years or so. Prior to that some fuel system seals could be degraded by high ethanol (EtOH) content.
  2. EtOH adds octane, increases knock resistance, and cools more (than gosoline) through evaporation in the combustion chamber and your rig will run more timing to develop more power when it senses higher octane fuel. In fact, at least in the Raptor, 93 octane is required to make the factory specified hp. I think it is the same in the 2.3 and/or 2.7.
  3. EtOH does contain less energy per volume so mpg is less, offsetting some of the cost advantage of it.
  4. What your engine, especially a tuned engine needs, is a specific octane level, NOT a specific %EtOH. Unfortunately, most tuners specify %EtOH (when above 93 octane) since there has never (until just recently) been a way to accurately blend to a desired octane level.
That brings us to my App - It's entirely novel and offers unmatched accuracy. It allows blending of any fuels and to either an ethanol % goal or an octane goal (the latter is again far more important and a MUCH harder problem). So to be clear, you can have any octane and EtOH blend in your tank, use any pump gas and any EtOH blend in the app.

Through original algorithms, based on published, peer reviewed, test data from large fuel suppliers, OEMs and Universities, I've cracked the octane blending problem.

Most calculators out there only provide a blend to a EtOH % goal (that is a straightforward mathematical problem). There are a few esoteric web sites and even a couple of calculators out there that claim to calculate blends to an octane goal and they are all fundamentally flawed and incorrect. Often times they are really flawed/incorrect. What you engine actually senses and needs for a given tune is actually an octane specification. More info and the Google Play link: (sorry, no Apple/iOS version)

https://www.octanecalc.com

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.EOS.octanecalculator

For me personally, I run 91, 93 and 98 octane tunes. I have switched to a blend of E85, again still less than $3/gal here, with 87 octane. Previously, I was blending E85 with 91. But now with price changes, I have switched to 87.

Before the current price hikes, my 91 + E85 blend, getting me to 98 octane, was very close to a wash in the critical $/mile characteristic (lower cost per fill up but again worse mpg). Now however, there is definitely $$ to be saved. The calculator plays an important role here because it allows you many different approaches (costs) to get to a desired octane.

This is a paid App. I bet with current prices, you could pay for is easily in a month of blending with some EtOH.
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PWillette

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Well done sir...very well done!
 

Bigave33

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When you say blend, are you saying mixing the 2 at the pump?
 

52hurtz

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Curious about this as well - are you getting to 93 with the 87 + E85 blend?

Also, any plans for Apple Store?
 

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23OBX2.7

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If have Bronco fuel effeciency best gained by driving half way and cycling the rest where ever possible.

I know at the pumps 93 enthnol blends ruin economy with up 10% drop and perfoemance.....
 
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swamp2

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I just wish we could run straight E85. 😞
Me too, around E60 is fine in the 3.0 [EDIT - E60 with a tune], maybe higher, but I have heard E85 is a no go.

When you say blend, are you saying mixing the 2 at the pump?
Yes. In your tank of course and it doesn't matter what order you add your fuels. It only takes a couple minutes for the new mixture to both fully mix and arrive at your engine. If you are extremely conservative you then switch to (a more aggressive) tune after that point.

Curious about this as well - are you getting to 93 with the 87 + E85 blend?

Also, any plans for Apple Store?
This is absolutely standard/easy to get 87 to 93. Again, the App is completely flexible. You could mix 85 octane to 98 with E100 or any other combination. When you can't do a mixture, because it's physically impossible, like down blending (which the App does in general) 93 to 91 with E85 the app simply reports such. Of course it reports it in a truthful and nerdy way "Not possible - negative volumes required" 🤣.

No plans now for iOS. Sorry.
 
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swamp2

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I know at the pumps 93 enthnol blends ruin economy with up 10% drop and perfoemance.....
Not sure what you are claiming and if I guess, regardless of my guess, I disagree.
 

PWillette

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i see that some of the inputs require guessing about what's actually in your current tank.

from observations of my current vehicles, the fuel gauges are non-linear especially below the half mark (probably due to the odd tank geometries)

how does your app calculation deal with that issue?
 

EvilJim1971

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As a fuel hauler I stay away from ethanol heavy fuels. Performance definitely drops with ethanol. But do what you want with your vehicles.
So you aren't a fan of the Common Man's race fuel?
 
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swamp2

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As a fuel hauler I stay away from ethanol heavy fuels. Performance definitely drops with ethanol. But do what you want with your vehicles.
Patently false. Ethanol increases power period. Time for you to do some actual research.
 

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Patently false. Ethanol increases power period. Time for you to do some actual research.
Ethanol contains roughly 30–33% less energy per unit volume than gasoline, meaning it is less potent as a fuel, although it has a higher octane rating., it's less combustible!
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