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Thread: e85 fuel in a BMW

  1. #1
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    e85 fuel in a BMW

    anyone running e85 on a NA built up car/engine?
    coming soon, S54's for everything....

  2. #2
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    yes, it gave me 1000hp to the wheels
    m50 mani/s52 cams/TRM tune with 3.5 intake and MAF/asc delete/3.15lsd/ECIS intake/tse exhaust/bilsteins with H&R springs

  3. #3
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    Quote Originally Posted by Arctic328is View Post
    yes, it gave me 1000hp to the wheels
    great, thanks for all the info. hope i can return the favor some day.
    coming soon, S54's for everything....

  4. #4
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    E85

    I have heard some autocrossers using E85 are impressed they run cooler with less knock due to 105 octane fuel. The downside is that you have to pump 32% more fuel into the engine to get the same energy from combustion. I have considered using it in my autocross car and need to increase the richness in my E36 M3 Dinan. I would love to here if there is anyone experienced with this fuel.

  5. #5
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    i dont think a bmw will run e85 with out some modifications.
    o-rings on the injectors, bigger fuel pump, and a tune for the e85 at a minimum

    from what i'm reading it is way more involved than just swapping a few parts out.

    anyone else have any NA e85 experience?
    coming soon, S54's for everything....

  6. #6
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    nah.. I don't have any e85 experience. But I am interested in it.. if it helps me lower my expenses on fuel.







    ____________
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  7. #7
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    I'm running e85 in my 95 330i stock bmw injectors, stock fuel pump, stock filter, and untuned for e85.

  8. #8
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    Hater, I didn't know you were running a stock fuel system AND untuned...and you still think you feel more power? I'm running 30#ers with a pretty aggressive tune, but there are like three gas stations in Mass. who carry it at the moment.

  9. #9
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    I have an aggressive tune for 17lb green tops on 93, so I put in 24 lbers from the 330i and threw e85 at it and immediately noticed a difference, a few weeks ago I started messing with it and put 21.5 pink tops in my car, lost low end tq and a little up top but I've been getting 300 miles to the tank with the roof rack on my car.

  10. #10
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    Interesting. I need to test it. Seems like it is still fairly uncharted territory for NA BMW motors.

  11. #11
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    I have been thinking about running it in my S50'd E30. Tuned of course. But would the fuel lines support it? And would 21.5# pink top injectors be sufficient, or would I need 30# injectors?

  12. #12
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    24's would be sufficient

  13. #13
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    e36 m3 coupe
    how's that going to work out in cali? (i.e. the smog nazis)
    '97 M3

  14. #14
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    Wao thats great..i don't much about cars but i am gonna get my first car..
    BMW.. can you please help me out which model of bmw is best for mileage and its features?? and also should i purchase a new one or used? which would be best for me. However, i don't have any budget problem but just wanna know.

  15. #15
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    Ive run e85 on a quite a few different motors( turbo and n/a), motorcycles also. With a factory fuel system, your waisting your time, being you'll need about 30% more of ethonal to compare to conventional gas. With upgraded fuel pump and injectors you can see some minor gains, but very benificial. e85 is basically 105 octane, though you get lower engine temps and low chances of detonation.
    Last edited by lowoctane; 08-02-2012 at 09:20 PM.

  16. #16
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    what would you call minor gains on a 220whp car before the e85 conversion?

  17. #17
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    Well that all depends on a lot of factors. Ive seen average gains of 20-50whp on mildly built n/a motors. Though if we were talking about F/I motors, they can double that with proper tuning.
    Last edited by lowoctane; 08-03-2012 at 04:59 PM.

  18. #18
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    Quote Originally Posted by lowoctane View Post
    Ive run e85 on a quite a few different motors( turbo and n/a), motorcycles also. With a factory fuel system, your waisting your time, being you'll need about 30% more of ethonal to compare to conventional gas. With upgraded fuel pump and injectors you can see some minor gains, but very benificial. e85 is basically 105 octane, though you get lower engine temps and low chances of detonation.

    Factory fuel pump can supply 350whp on pump gas. And e36 hater swapped injectors for larger ones...
    RK tunes

  19. #19
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    Quote Originally Posted by RK-Tunes View Post
    Factory fuel pump can supply 350whp on pump gas. And e36 hater swapped injectors for larger ones...
    No argument there. Factory fuel pumps can handle quite a lot. I guess you can call it a personal preference on swapping fuel pumps.

  20. #20
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    Quote Originally Posted by stefanom3 View Post
    how's that going to work out in cali? (i.e. the smog nazis)
    Should be fine. I know tons of people that run E85 in Evo's etc and DD them, no problem. They just switch to 91 for smog/whatever. I can pass smog no problem.

    I am thinking about getting an RMS supercharger kit, grabbing maybe some 60# injectors, running about 7-10 psi... I think with 3" exhaust and Raceland headers on an S50 I could make 400+ whp on E85 with 7-8ish psi?

    Fuck I wish there was more info out there for E85 boosted S50/S52's.

  21. #21
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    Hey does anybody know how fp a 93,318is has or 318, if so pls let me know

    Or does anybody have a idea when i start my car and try to give it gas it dies everytime
    Last edited by bimmier36; 08-16-2012 at 08:45 PM. Reason: Automerged Doublepost

  22. #22
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    Running e85 fuel

    Drivers jumping on the latest gas-saving bandwagon may be in for a shock when they see fuel-economy estimates for the newest darlings of Detroit: E85 ethanol flex-fuel vehicles. Run a new V6 Chevrolet Impala on good-old gasoline, and it'll get 21 miles per gallon in the city, 31 on the highway, according to Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates. Burn E85 -- a blend of 85 percent of the alcohol-based fuel ethanol and 15 percent gasoline, which American automakers flaunt as their latest alternative-energy idea -- and the Impala's EPA numbers shrivel to 16 mpg city, 23 highway.

  23. #23
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    again, that is not the topic at hand buddy the title of the thread is e85 in a bmw, I went from long island, to bimmerfest east doing 75mph the whole time with the roof racks on the car and the windows open, managed to get 29mpg with e85

    in an m54b30

  24. #24
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    I am running 100% E85 in my car right now. Here's what had to be done:

    There is a Siemens alcohol sensor that is now running in line with the fuel lines, which changes engine timing and fuel trims based on the content of E85. The main issue is that E85 can have a wide variance in actual ethanol content (I've heard anywhere from 60% to 95% based on chemical analysis from the pump). This siemens sensor feeds data into a reflashed DME and a piggyback.

    Since E85 burns cooler, you can really crank up the power. My car was originally dynoing at 260 horsepower at the wheels (335xi), and now it's dynoing at 400+ hp at the wheels. Now, I need a new clutch, because the stock clutch cannot handle this kind of torque without slipping, if it hasn't *really* warmed up.

    I also needed to get a new fuel pump. The low pressure fuel pump (LPFP) was about to go, and E85 demands about 30% more fuel flow (it's less efficient in energy density). Anything full load about 4500 RPM resulted in cavitation between the low pressure fuel pump, which couldn't pump fast enough, and the high pressure fuel pump, which was running just fine. I now have a new LPFP. So far, everything is running just fine, though there are some interesting other problems that are slowly being fleshed out with gradual changes in the engine maps. It's mainly things like a rough idle if the engine is cold. I'll keep you updated.

    It's a big experiment, but it is certainly fun accelerating through 1st and 2nd gear as hard as a 996 turbo. Right now, with this sensor, I can run any mixture of 91 octane and E85. It's worked out great

  25. #25
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    It's all about the corn!

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