Jump to content
SAU Community

Recommended Posts

Hi guys,

I was thinking about upgrading my injectors to ID2000’s & switching to e85 but have since changed my mind after talking to the tuner who was responsible for the gtr which i now own.

He thinks that e85 is still not stable & even did a test on e85 recently from a Caltex servo which only had 71 ethanol (name disclosed)...imagine what this would do if your car was highly tuned for 85 ethanol?!?!

He also said that when buying this fuel, you should only buy from new servo’s which have poly tanks as the older concrete tanks are reacting to e85.

Anyway, i thought i’d share this with anyone else who is sitting on the fence as i have been for quite some time, now my mind is clear 

When e85 becomes more readily available in another 1-2yrs time, i ‘might’ then make the change...then again, do i really need more than 400awkw?

regards,

marko

Link to comment
https://www.sau.com.au/forums/topic/361686-i-was-going-to-switch-to-e85/
Share on other sites

  • Replies 139
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

Well its no secret that caltex ethanol varies from e70 to e85 they state it themselves, it then comes down to the tuner where they will make the tune have some headroom to account for the change in ethanol content. Im on the caltex ethanol and my tuner was very confident that hes tune would handle anything in between 70 and 85.

Well thats not very surprising considering on the info page for Caltex E-Flex it clearly states -

Bio E-Flex is specially formulated to meet your flex fuel car's requirements all year round. Different seasons can change the way fuel performs in your engine, so Caltex will adjust the blend of ethanol from 70 to 85% between seasons to ensure your engine performs correctly.

From here http://www.caltex.com.au/ProductsAndServices/Pages/BioFuels.aspx

It is something to be careful about for sure. Fineline found out a bit more about it and they just have 2 blends. It would be nice to know when they switch between them though.

If un-regulated E85 is troubling you...buy 200 liter drums from CSR and stress no more :thumbsup:

yes - that is what the tuner suggested for gauranteed quality (csr) but my car is registered & more so a weekend warrior...if it was a race car i wouldnt hesitate to run csr

I have always used the E85 from United Rozelle.

And in actual fact its E90. I test every batch i get and has always been consistent.

I have also tested our local Caltex and they had E77.

Caltex also charge more for their E85.

For me E85 is well worth it :)

Thanks for telling us something we already knew Marko :thumbsup:

not everyone knows this as it was news to me.

anyway...united servo sounds like the best option but wont be practical for me as i like driving out of sydney & getting away from the rat race

I know Haltech are adding support for an Ethenol sensor (same as the new e85 commo uses), so your tune can change the match the ethenol %. I'm sure other ECU makers are doing the same too. In reality the blend is never going to be 85% all the time, so these sensors will probably be the way forward for us.

But I live in tassie, so I can only buy E85 in 200l drums for the forseeable future

I know Haltech are adding support for an Ethenol sensor (same as the new e85 commo uses), so your tune can change the match the ethenol %. I'm sure other ECU makers are doing the same too. In reality the blend is never going to be 85% all the time, so these sensors will probably be the way forward for us.

But I live in tassie, so I can only buy E85 in 200l drums for the forseeable future

Just do an AFR over RPM table with a wideband then overlay that over a EGT over RPM table and have it pull timing out if it exceeds any parameter.

Oh wait, you said Haltech. NVM

Marko,

Mine has been tuned on the united stuff and has run both that and the Caltex stuff AFTER the tune. Both have copped a beating its just that my tune is not on the very edge of what can be had. Yes when I can I do make the effort to go to Rozelle.

How often do you drive it? Just take a jerry can. No big deal.

If your REALLY worried about it... get it tuned on United and if you have to fill up with Caltex just pull a few degrees of timing out of it.... Remember on the Caltex stuff you will be running a tad richer (as there is more petrol).

Man up... do it. You wont be going back. :cheers:

He thinks that e85 is still not stable & even did a test on e85 recently from a Caltex servo which only had 71 ethanol (name disclosed)...imagine what this would do if your car was highly tuned for 85 ethanol?!?!

It would...run richer...and you might have to clean/replace spark plugs after a while...not end of the world stuff here. Consensus a while back was to have two selectable tunes...one for E70, one for E85. Or a happy medium. Or throw in some unleaded petrol to balance things out if the ethanol content is too high.

From the real world stories I've heard of Caltex E-Flex, the difference between E70 and E85 blends wasn't enough to totally throw out your tune provided it was safe enough and not tuned on a knife edge. I'll be tuning to run on E-Flex soon, so I'll report back here :)

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now



  • Similar Content

  • Latest Posts

    • Hi from Canada, Both of my calipers are starting to fail. My car is a 2005 M35 Stagea ARX and I can't seem to find any parts or any cross reference caliper that would fit my car. Is there a company or a similar caliper that would fit and I could replace the OEM one. Or if anyone knows where I can find a new OEM. Any help is very appreciated. Let me know!
    • Maf is a question mark but TPS  I have set at 0.47, the fact that I’m getting proper voltage range out of it with the key on leads me to believe it’s functioning properly. I’m getting proper voltages on basically everything. I still need to look up voltage ranges for z32 maf and test that 
    • Honestly no not at all, but it’s a very basic tune, it’s stock injectors q45 tps and z32 maf. Other than that it’s a completely stock base map. The file is from nistune and from my understanding if it was tune related I would be able to unplug maf and tps and it would still start even if it was a really shitty start. I have tried starting it with coolant temp, maf, and tps unplugged none of those 3 togethor or individually changes anything 
    • 🏆 Skyline Supremacy Meets Mount Panorama Magic 🏆 Join SAU NSW as we take the long way to Bathurst, the home of GTR greatness. Saturday 30th August 2025 7:00AM Meeting Hanna Park North Richmond 7:30AM Departure Cruise Via Bells of Line Road 9:00AM Arrival to Stop 1: Golden Poplars Meadow Flat 9:45AM Arrival to Final Destination: Mount Panorama Motor Racing Circuit Meet Location: Hanna Park North Richmond Stop 1: Golden Poplars Meadow Flat Final Destination: Mount Panorama Motor Racing Circuit   *Disclaimer* There will be a lead and follow car so no one should get lost. If you would like to attend or bring others along please put your name down and a +1 as numbers will be needed prior! This is NOT a race and we will all be adhering to all road rules. If this is what you want please come to one of our many track days. This is an official SAU:NSW event and will be run under a CAMS permit. One of the things that really sets our club apart is our commitment to being true enthusiasts. When on normal roads we strive to maintain good relations with the authorities as well as the public in general. When attending one of Skylines Australia NSW events please try to: • Be aware of surrounding environment and act accordingly. • Drive courteously on the state’s roads as a true enthusiast should. • Understand how important it is to maintain the good name of SAU NSW and thus, treat others accordingly. • Any misbehavior will not be tolerated and you will be asked to leave.
    • What does it look like with highway driving? And yes, I had a similar thought as Duncan. It looks quite similar in my Stagea and I have made myself accept it as normal. Might have to look into it some day   Highway gets as low as 10l/100km on my end so I'm not as worried about it being a mechanical issue. More likely just the tune on the haltech.
×
×
  • Create New...