5.0 + E85 Fuel

[Graygoose2021]

Yes, on regular gas. The '23 is new and I tried one tank of E85 and it acted the same. About one block from our house is a stop sign then a slight hill. Both trucks hesitate slightly when I start up the hill then accelerate/shift normally. "Cold" start is a bit misleading when the outside temperature is near 100.

Mine did this morning, assuming because we had a colder morning than usual. bogged some. Warmed up fine after.

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[gagliano7]

Im in my late 60 and I remeber the GAS SHORTAGE, then Gasahol made from corn it sucked then IMO noy much better now.It also absorbs water.moisture from atmosphere not a fan

I have 2 trucks i run on E85 all the time with no problems except the extra power. Where i am E85 is about 1.50 cheaper than premium and a dollar cheaper than regular. I also ran it in my last truck for 25000 miles without any problem. If you let your truck sit for along time than you will have a problem with E85 and the moisture.

 

[JBMCEQY]

I don't put a ton of mileage on my truck currently, but I really love the extra power from E85. I also have a 36 gallon tank, so with my normal daily driving it could take up to 2-3 months to use an entire tank (though that long is pretty unlikely with occasional longer trips being taken). Does anyone know what would be the better strategy to avoid buildup of water in the fuel?

- Keep tank no more than 1/3 - 1/2 full to ensure that fuel doesn't sit too long
OR
- Keep tank full, topping off frequently, to minimize available air in the tank for E85 to pull moisture from

 

[gagliano7]

I get better mileage in Sport Mode than in regular mode. Eco gets same as Sport. I just fill up with e85. No idea what the actual percentage is. Driving it “sporty” I get 14 mpg. Keeping my foot out of it I average 21 on the highway provided I get it over 70 to get it in 10th gear.

How is that possible? I could see a loss of mpg once i went to sport mode for 2 trips to work.

 

[Stable68]

Recently ive been experiencing an issue with fuel milage after switching back to 93 from e85. First year or so i had my truck i ran 87 avg 16.5 in summer around 15 in winter. I wanted to test 93 so i started in winter and was averaging 16.5 in winter about 17.5 in summer. We have cheap e85 in my area so i decided to try it out, was getting about 12.5 mpg. Ive recently switched back to running 93 as i have to tow for a long distance in the future and am unsure of e85 along the way. Have run about 4/5 tanks of 93 so far and my fuel milage has only been 14.5/15 which is lower then what it was before.

Is it possible i hurt something running e85? Or does the computer still think there is e85 in the tank? Only had 5 gallons of e85 left when i switched back to 93

 

[ZX250]

How is that possible? I could see a loss of mpg once i went to sport mode for 2 trips to work.

I have no idea. I drive about 150 miles a day round trip. About 1/3 in hills, 1/3 in traffic, 1/3 on the hwy. Maybe that has something to do with it. Dunno.

I did inquire from the Ford mechanics if the whole “run one tank of regular at each oil change” still applies. They said no, on the older flex fuels yes but on these you can run it all you want. Only caveat is if you get in a bind run it as low as possible before you switch.

 

[JBMCEQY]

I did inquire from the Ford mechanics if the whole “run one tank of regular at each oil change” still applies. They said no, on the older flex fuels yes but on these you can run it all you want. Only caveat is if you get in a bind run it as low as possible before you switch.

I think I'd trust the owners manual on that one.

 

[huhner5]

Got an 06' f150.. almost 300k miles... maybe two tanks of regular.. always e85

 

[gagliano7]

My last truck ran E85 all the time and my 07 Silverado classic I run E85 all the time. Never had any problems.

 

[ZX250]

I know the CAI topic always gets beat to death, but does anybody who runs e85 on these newer 5.0s think it adds to performance without a tune?

Reason I ask, the same airbox has been universal for the last few years but the motor has obviously advanced. I put the whipple CAI on my last tuned ecoboost truck knowing full well it didn’t do a darn thing other than add to the “cool” factor of my rig. You could hear the turbos singing on that massive 213 cubic inch motor lol.

I am a fan of the paper filter at heart, but is there anything out there that justifies a CAI without a tune if all you run is e85?

I ran a couple tanks of 93 because the manual said so at my oil change interval and even after half a tank to adjust it still felt like somebody threw a handful of sand in the motor.

 

[Graygoose2021]

Im still running stock airbox, dont know if it will add any more HP. So far stock seems to run pretty good, and its been well over 100* here.

 

[ZX250]

Im still running stock airbox, dont know if it will add any more HP. So far stock seems to run pretty good, and its been well over 100* here.

Yep, 107 on the drive home AGAIN today here in central TX… More air is what I really meant by CAI.

A cool morning and a fresh paper filter makes for a different drive historically, haven’t had the opportunity for that yet since giving e85 a try.

Hell I guess I could rinse the oil out of a drop in filter and try that for a couple tanks just to see.

 

[robry]

It absolutely makes more power on e85. The difference on the stock tune from 87 to e85 it stunning, it felt like I had a tune flashed.

 

[SpaceWhiteF150]

It absolutely makes more power on e85. The difference on the stock tune from 87 to e85 it stunning, it felt like I had a tune flashed.

Very true!

 

[JExpedition07]

Difference between 87 octane and E-85 on the stock setup with no tune is 30 horsepower at the rear wheels according to Livernois. It is significant. About 420 horsepower at the crank on E-85 when adjusted for drivetrain losses.

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