<VV> Ethanol in Corvairs

FrankCB at aol.com FrankCB at aol.com
Tue Oct 16 15:00:22 EDT 2007


 
Ron and Eric,
    Since E-85 has only about 70% of the energy (per  gallon) as regular 
gasoline, it's hard to believe that "little modification to  the stock set-up is 
sufficient" and "good fuel mileage" results.  Also E-85  vehicles require 
considerable mods as far as materials are concerned.  That  high a % of ethanol 
will attack the coating on the stock LM Corvair fuel tank,  for example.  Flex 
fuel vehicles (from GM and others) now on the roads have  lots of changes from 
gasoline only vehicles.  One, of course, is a sensor  that analyzes the fuel 
flowing to the engine and adjusts the A/F ratio depending  on whether straight 
gasoline or E-85 is flowing or ANYTHING between those two  extremes.  This is 
necessary since it takes a LARGER flow of E-85 to make  the same power as 
gasoline.  So it's hard to understand how switching  to E-85 will NOT produce WORSE 
fuel mileage than regular  gasoline.  Of course, you could significantly 
raise the compression  ratio to take advantage of the much higher octane rating of 
the E-85.  Or,  you could allow your turbo to make higher boost pressure with 
the higher  octane E-85.
    But I don't see that these changes are  "minor" ones from stock.
    Frank "prefers to pay our farmers than terrorist  nations" Burkhard  
 
In a message dated 10/15/2007 9:18:29 PM Eastern Daylight Time,  ronh at owt.com 
writes:

Let's  see an article on what he did.  Do the stock hoses in the fuel system  
hold up OK?

RonH

----- Original Message ----- 
From:  "Eric Prosise" <eprosise at hotmail.com>
To:  <virtualvairs at corvair.org>
Sent: Monday, October 15, 2007 6:14  PM
Subject: <VV> Ethanol in Corvairs


>
>  All-
>
> Fran Schmitt in Minnesota (St. Louis Park) is running  E-85 (85% ethanol) 
> in both his '67 4-door (110hp, automatic), and '64  Convertible (95hp? 
> auto, with A/C).  I dont know about his 140hp  Rampside, but possibly.  He 
> reports good fuel mileage, and  little modification to the stock set-up.
>
> Eric Prosise
>  Corvair Minnesota







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