flex fuel

Mike in Louisiana

Mike in Louisiana

501 Club
How about some feed back on 85% ethnol. This new truck can use it. I have heard you loose a little MPG with it. Here in louisiana it is 2.99
and regular gas is 3.49. Can you switch back and forth? Should I use 85% to run around and then if pulling camper use regular gas?
 
Mike,

I did a little looking around on the internet to find some mileage information and confirm my ethanol suspicions. I didn't find the EPA mileage for your particular engine but I did find it for the 5.0 Ford F-150 2WD. Regular gas 15 MPG City/ 21 MPG Highway. E-85 11 MPG City/15 MPG Highway. These figures represent a 26.7% reduction in mileage for city driving and a 28.6% reduction in mileage for highway by using E-85 as the fuel. Therefore for E-85 to be cost effective it needs to be reduced in price at least the same as the fuel economy. It isn't, it is only 14.7% cheaper than regular gas. Using the EPA figures and your fuel price figures your fuel cost per mile for city driving goes UP $.073. For highway driving the cost goes up $.067 per mile. The fuel efficiency numbers will be different for your truck, however, the mathematical results will be similar.

Ethanol normally reduces fuel mileage ~25%. If E-85 is not >25% cheaper, don't use it, it is costing you money.

All of the above ignores other considerations concerning ethanol. All those other considerations are not positive, but some are.

Politics is an interesting game. Nuff said.

Bill

Bill
 
I won't run ethanol in my 2000 nor in any of my tractors if I can help it. Course when I go to Maine, I don't have much choice as the gas from what I have seen all has ethanol added. After a trip to Maine where the van stalls/hesitates/has lousy mileage and I come back into Canada my van runs like a ......... and my gas mileage is meager to say the least until I could get the ethanol out of the system. Now we almost have no choice here in NB - the government has added 10% ethanol to our gas but hasn't cut the price so we are getting it from both ends. I used to only by Irving products cause they have added ethanol to their fuel. Now I will only use Shell as Shell is not adding ethanol at all. My van hasn't run this good in years :{_}:

Seeing Bill's mileage figures has pretty well confirmed what I had already decided to do. I am going to stick with Shell even when we get the new van/vehicle whether it is Flex Fuel or not. I l like regular gas and I am going to stay with it as long as I possible can.

Oh yeah, gas here is $1.317/litre or $5.057/US gallon.
 
Thanks Bill,Rudi, that's what i thought I had heard but never paid too much attention because I didn't have a vehicle that could use it. Bill they don't have EPA fuel rating on the ford f250. I got 14.777 mpg coming home from McComb but i was varying my speed, I don't care what they say about just get in and drive it.
 
Mike don't worry about switching between regular, E10 or E85. The flex fuel vehicles have a sensor to determine the ethanol mixture and automatically compensate. You can use either E85 or regular to tow with.

I would make it a point to fill up at gas stations that have a large turnover of fuel to prevent excess moisture problems in the fuel. Also be religious in changing your fuel filter at or before scheduled times.

I also wouldn't worry about the 6.2 not having enough power to pull. It is rated at 385 HP and 405 LBS torque. The last year of the 460 made 245 HP and 395LBS torque. My 2000 7.3 power stroke makes 250 HP and 500 LBS torque.

Your truck has a 6 speed automatic,and considering how well the ones here at work hold up, it won't let you down. I can show you 3 in F550's with almost a million miles combined, and 100% of that time is near full GVWR, 18,000 pounds and NOT babied at all, complete abuse is more like it. Just be sure to click tow haul, and remember that the 6.2 likes to rev, and you'll be happy and pleased.

Later

Hank
 
I cannot speak to your particular situation, but in Mo. our esteemed state legislature decided to help the big corn growers out and passed a law mandating all regular gasoline have 10% ethanol in it. It costs me approximately 1 mpg in each of the vehicles I had at the time.

As to changing fuel, the Flex-Fuel vehicle computers automatically adjust for the different fuel types.
 
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