So on this forum (and other sled forums), ethanol mixed fuel is frowned upon/not desirable. There seems to be a lot of mixed information on this subject, and maybe we can get some better answers (I don't have them, unfortunately). It seems that many people jumped on the anti-ethanol bandwagon, but I'm not sure if they understand how ethanol blends are performing in the non-sled world. Actually not sure - not being facetious. Hopefully some members have more info on this to share.
In many other high-performance internal combustion applications, ethanol fuels have been embraced. E-85, for example, (51-83% ethanol, remainder gasoline) has changed the game for small displacement/high compression/forced induction 4-stroke auto motors. Makes torque earlier on than race fuel (such as C12 or C16), and you can throw compression, timing, and boost at it all day. Usually, the only restriction is getting enough of it. Example here - 1400 to the wheels from a 3.0L....42psi, nitrous, blah, blah :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZNbgS0VmYo0&feature=youtu.be
Now, this is E85, as opposed to the E10 or E15 you would likely use. However, this is good evidence than adding ethanol to gasoline should not be viewed as a performance detractor IMO. Yes, it is more prone to water absorption, but that should be taken care of with fresh fuel and the filters both at the station, and in your machine. But it definitely does not hurt the octane rating and ability to handle compression/boost/timing. SO:
- What exactly does the ethanol mode on the Pro do (perhaps MH can clarify). Usually on here, it is stated that it richens the mixture, and possibly also decreases the timing....but there seems to be confusion. If accurate, the richer mixture makes sense (need more ethanol than gasoline), but the timing doesn't. If anything, the ethanol fuel should handle MORE timing, and the ethanol mode should not have a performance decrease (perhaps the opposite).
- Am I missing something fundamentally different in 2-stroke and 4-stroke performance?
An article on ethanold blends vs octane:
http://www.resourcesandenergy.nsw.g...le-energy/office-of-biofuels/e10-fuel-economy
In many other high-performance internal combustion applications, ethanol fuels have been embraced. E-85, for example, (51-83% ethanol, remainder gasoline) has changed the game for small displacement/high compression/forced induction 4-stroke auto motors. Makes torque earlier on than race fuel (such as C12 or C16), and you can throw compression, timing, and boost at it all day. Usually, the only restriction is getting enough of it. Example here - 1400 to the wheels from a 3.0L....42psi, nitrous, blah, blah :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZNbgS0VmYo0&feature=youtu.be
Now, this is E85, as opposed to the E10 or E15 you would likely use. However, this is good evidence than adding ethanol to gasoline should not be viewed as a performance detractor IMO. Yes, it is more prone to water absorption, but that should be taken care of with fresh fuel and the filters both at the station, and in your machine. But it definitely does not hurt the octane rating and ability to handle compression/boost/timing. SO:
- What exactly does the ethanol mode on the Pro do (perhaps MH can clarify). Usually on here, it is stated that it richens the mixture, and possibly also decreases the timing....but there seems to be confusion. If accurate, the richer mixture makes sense (need more ethanol than gasoline), but the timing doesn't. If anything, the ethanol fuel should handle MORE timing, and the ethanol mode should not have a performance decrease (perhaps the opposite).
- Am I missing something fundamentally different in 2-stroke and 4-stroke performance?
An article on ethanold blends vs octane:
http://www.resourcesandenergy.nsw.g...le-energy/office-of-biofuels/e10-fuel-economy
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