Alcohol contains 25% less energy than gasoline. My truck is E85 and I do not use E85 because of the tradeoff in power/energy. I think the feds did a number on the public about methanol. Besides less energy, it is highly subsidized by the government...therefore, we are still paying for the difference and taking corn out of the world's food and animal feed stock, raising food costs and causing shortages. Seems like wasted money to me.

 

Hi.

Leaving alone all your other statements ( not going there ) and concerning only power ...

Direct from Ford for a 5.4L 3V FF-capable engine:

300hp-365tq - 87 octane
320hp-390tq - E85

The tradeoff is the 7-35% hit on mileage.

MGD

 

mr. MGD, Is it worth it? ask far as you put it there the numbers sounds good for the hp aspect. but in the long run do you see it worth it?

 

the govt subsidized to get ethanol started. there is very little money being given now. alot less than the money being thrown at foreign countries and the crack head down the streets food stamps. there is zero to no waste left from making ethanol every by product is reused or sold for profit. the leftover corn product and syrup is used as feed for animals. the corn oil is extracted to make plastics and bio diesel the water is all recycled back into the plant and the plant is run off of natural gas and utilizes heat exchangers for maximum efficiency. oil refineries have holding ponds with millions of gallons of tainted water that can never be used again. all the water from ethanol is recycled harmlessly into our ecosystem.

 

Gasoline vs. Ethanol
Check out these websites
http://www.ehow.com/facts_5611281_ga...-gasoline.html

Quoting from the above website:
• Ethanol is ethyl alcohol, which is made from plant matter such as grain, corn, or plant and gardening waste. The ethanol is produced by fermenting the plant matter. Gasoline is a fossil fuel refined from petroleum, which is used to power most motor vehicles.
• According to a 2008 study by the University of Minnesota, ethanol only produces 25 percent more energy than the fossil fuels it takes to process biofuel into ethanol.
• According to "Ethanol Explained," when using ethanol to fuel an ethanol-ready vehicle in place of gasoline, fuel economy drops 20 to 30 percent.
• The prices of gas and ethanol vary. Ethanol is usually slightly cheaper per gallon than gasoline, but gasoline gets up to 30 percent more mileage per gallon, so ethanol ends up costing more per mile than gasoline.

Here is another site to visit: http://alternativefuels.about.com/od...conomydrop.htm
Quoting from this website:
“Thus, it can't take advantage of alcohol's efficient high pressure, high octane power when it's fueled with ethanol. In essence, ethanol's superior octane rating is "wasted" in a flex-fuel engine.”

“Ethanol's lower energy content (76,100 BTUs/Gal.) is a big contributor to its reduced fuel economy compared to gasoline (114,100 BTUs/Gal). Even though FFVs burn E85 (81,800 BTUs/Gal) and the energy penalty isn't as severe, it still requires more fuel to do the same work. On paper, according to our GGE chart, it takes 1.39 gallons of E85 to move a flex-fuel vehicle the same distance as 1 gallon of gasoline. “

 

Here in Morris mn as of today 87 octane gas is 3.45 a gallon. E85 is still 2.45 a gallon as it has been for the last year. It's more stabile fuel price and for a dollar less a gallon it's defiantly worth the economy lost

 

I stand behind my statement until someone puts some actual dyno info forward (not ford propaganda but from a street ready vehicle)

 

Here ya go - from one of the pre-eminent Ford custom tuning shops:

http://www.vmptuning.com/forum/showthread.php?t=833

MGD