[335speed]

I live in california so our highest octane is 91 for the most part, im getting my jb4 today and had been reading about e85 mixtures a good amount and found only one station within a good distance of my house. Can I use E85 on and off or do I need to stick on a continuous basis of use and if someone could expand upon what exactly its all about that could be very helpful, thanks.

[shata]

Dont use E85, 91 octane is minimum for bmw's. Specially on 335's run good fuel like shell,bp,exxon, chevron if at all possible.

[flexinator]

Go read in the tuning section. E85 is amazing. I put some in whenever I am near a station that has it. You must tune to take advantage and it can cause some problems (mostly lpfp) read around

Lots of people using it. Going fast.

[Jdub679]

If you have a JB4, you can take advantage of E85 for improved timing/boost. Seeing as how you have an N54, I'd go to the N54 section for further advice.

On my N55 with JB4 stage 2 ISO, I started using 20% and it was great. I needed an additional flex fuel wire, but now I can run 40% and it's just amazing.

FYI, you're going to want to be able to log your results if you have any further questions.

[335speed]

Originally Posted by Jdub679

If you have a JB4, you can take advantage of E85 for improved timing/boost. Seeing as how you have an N54, I'd go to the N54 section for further advice.

On my N55 with JB4 stage 2 ISO, I started using 20% and it was great. I needed an additional flex fuel wire, but now I can run 40% and it's just amazing.

FYI, you're going to want to be able to log your results if you have any further questions.

Thanks, and can you trade off between a tank with E85 and straight 91 octane?

[ef11]

So if you have JB4 G5 ISO you just can sometimes put in some E85 and it will automatically detect it and the boost will be higher and performance much better? There is a station on the way home from work so I could probably consitently keep it in the tank.

What about warranty?? I purchased the extended warranty for my car. I do plan to do JB4 and DCI, but will take them out if any warranty work is needed. Should E85 not be used on a warrantied car?

Thanks

[AndreyT]

Originally Posted by shata

Dont use E85, 91 octane is minimum for bmw's.

Er... E85 typically has higher octane rating than 91. Apparently you misunderstood what E85 is. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E85

Originally Posted by shata

Specially on 335's run good fuel like shell,bp,exxon, chevron if at all possible.

There's normally no diference in quality of fuel itself in any given area, regadless of the brand under which it is sold. It is the same fuel anyway, delivered from the same tank. They only differ in additives.

[1chanc3]

Originally Posted by shata

Dont use E85, 91 octane is minimum for bmw's. Specially on 335's run good fuel like shell,bp,exxon, chevron if at all possible.

Why don't use e85 when e85 is rated higher? e85 is not 85 octane....

Originally Posted by AndreyT

Er... E85 typically has higher octane rating than 91. Apparently you misunderstood what E85 is. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E85

This.

[shata]

Originally Posted by AndreyT

Er... E85 typically has higher octane rating than 91. Apparently you misunderstood what E85 is. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E85



There's normally no diference in quality of fuel itself in any given area, regadless of the brand under which it is sold. It is the same fuel anyway, delivered from the same tank. They only differ in additives.

Ya with proper tuning E85 is ok in 335, but that hasnt been done. What im getting at is why would you run E85 in car thats not designed for it or even modded for it?
Bmw also recommends Top tier fuels like brands mentioned - And essentialy they are the same but with additives vs unbranded fuel is where advantage is.

[threethirtyfive]

It is tuned for it... Map 5 JB4, running 40% ethanol and 93. Car is a MONSTER on e85 (I always run it, station nearby and I only drive 100 miles a week) if I ever need just 93 I feel the car running rougher, not as responsive and lower power.

[ef11]

So is Map 5 always 40% ethanol or can you convert Map 5 to be 20% etc?

[Br0okLYnzSouLJa]

so I always use 93 octane... how much e85 from the pump must I put in the 335 to see results but also be safe? gallon wise? never done this yet.

[idrift4wd]

Originally Posted by Br0okLYnzSouLJa

so I always use 93 octane... how much e85 from the pump must I put in the 335 to see results but also be safe? gallon wise? never done this yet.

safe is 3-4 gallons to a full tank. (about e30)

just make sure you have more 93 then e85!

[Br0okLYnzSouLJa]

really wow... Thanks. do i need a kit for this or can I pump straight into my regular fuel tank?

[psmitty95]

Originally Posted by shata

Ya with proper tuning E85 is ok in 335, but that hasnt been done. What im getting at is why would you run E85 in car thats not designed for it or even modded for it?
Bmw also recommends Top tier fuels like brands mentioned - And essentialy they are the same but with additives vs unbranded fuel is where advantage is.

Tune for e85 already exists and the car can run up to a 50/50 mix with stock fuel pumps and whatnot

Here's one example of a recent dyno on e85:

http://www.n54tech.com/forums/showthread.php?t=19559

[avol3xo]

Originally Posted by psmitty95

Tune for e85 already exists and the car can run up to a 50/50 mix with stock fuel pumps and whatnot

Here's one example of a recent dyno on e85:

http://www.n54tech.com/forums/showthread.php?t=19559

I envy the N54 guys in the power aspect, that is really amazing.

[335speed]

hey one last thing, I have never put it in my car before... so does the station have to have a blender pump? or can i just put in e85 then my 91 to mix it up?

[avol3xo]

Originally Posted by 335speed

hey one last thing, I have never put it in my car before... so does the station have to have a blender pump? or can i just put in e85 then my 91 to mix it up?

To be safe, I put in my regular fuel first and calculated how many gallons of each I would need for my mix. There is no blender pump that I know of, they should be separate.

[E90Flossin]

It sucks living in Cali as there is no 93 octane around. So what I do is mix about 4 gallons of e85, and about 10 gallons of 91. Sometimes I would put 5 gallons, but I get an engine light on and it reads improper fuel mixture. So 4 is safe. The car runs like a beast with that stuff, but gas mileage is gonna suck! I run a cobb tune btw

[AWil335i]

If you're switching between E85 mixes and straight 91 or 93, I'd reset Map 5 so it can re-learn (especially when ditching the E85 mix). Just put it on Map 0 then back to 5.

[SharkBait]

Originally Posted by 335beast

It sucks living in Cali as there is no 93 octane around. So what I do is mix about 4 gallons of e85, and about 10 gallons of 91. Sometimes I would put 5 gallons, but I get an engine light on and it reads improper fuel mixture. So 4 is safe. The car runs like a beast with that stuff, but gas mileage is gonna suck! I run a cobb tune btw

Where in LA do you find E85? I haven't looked that hard but it seems to be as rare as 100 octane. Both 100 stations I know of are in Santa Monica near the 405. I think the only E85 I've seen is in the same area so I might as well hit up the 100 instead when I get my Cobb going.

[335speed]

Originally Posted by SharkBait

Where in LA do you find E85? I haven't looked that hard but it seems to be as rare as 100 octane. Both 100 stations I know of are in Santa Monica near the 405. I think the only E85 I've seen is in the same area so I might as well hit up the 100 instead when I get my Cobb going.

Just google E85 stations in california, will give you all of them, well E85 is cheaper then premium gas... Let alone 100 octane sooo thats nice. And it has the equivalent affect as 100 octane with better cooling properties for your engine, so just some stuff to think about!