This may be a strange topic, but has anybody on this forum tuned thier STREET car using E85. I've been familiar with the fuel for awhile from drag racing in the past (in big blocks); but have just recentley thought of using for the street. The more I think about it, the better it sounds. I think Discovery channel finally pushed me over the edge with the future car series.
Anyway, I've never tried it in a rotary and have no idea how it will react.
P.S. If you don't know what E85 is, please do some research first before posting

 

My DSM buddy just was telling me about this, as he is considering doing it to his eclipse. I'm not sure, but doesn't this run more like race gas and suppress detonation (kind of like a replacement for water injection)? From what he said you must run closer to a 8:1 AFR as opposed to about 12:1. Should cost the same on gas, paying less per gallon and burining it 50% faster.

 

I think its actually 100% faster. And you would need to deliver twice as much fuel per injection cycle. So, for a 460cc stock injector, you'd need to replace it with a 900cc+injector. Other than that, I'm E85 retarded.... Oregon only has one fill station.... ONE... In the whole state... Lame.

 

Yes it's kinda like race gas. From what I know it's around a 115 octane rating. As for consumption of it in a rotary, I have no idea. Your right, it may take a gallon to get 8 miles. That would suck.
The other thing I just thought of was the oil metering system in the rotary (premix / OMP / whatever). Would dumping a butt-load of ethanol in kill the apex seals or render the lubrication cycle usless?

 

Hadn't thought of that. I premix, and i don't know if your average TCW3 two- stroke oil mixes or suspends the same in E85.

 

I can't imagine ethanol is much more harsh than gasoline... Also, you are injecting oil onto the rotorfaces during every stroke. So. whatever oil is stripped would be replenished each time.

It would be the oil-control o-rings and coolant o-rings I would worry about. Might need to upgrade to viton.. I *think* it has better chemical resistance than the normal OEM buna-n or whatever ones.

Other than that, there aren't many other things that CAN be chemically hurt inside the housings.... corner seal plugs, coolant o-rings and oil control o-rings are the only rubber parts.