[Leezrrd]

Hi everyone.

2007 N54 335i E92
95,000 miles.

So I'm new to ethenol blend fueling and have a quick question. Currently I'm fbo mhd stage 2+ (ver 7.1) with stock lpfp and hpfp. I keep seeing multiple different things about whether it's safe to run e85 blends with stock lpfp. I'm only looking to try e20 for now until I get an upgraded pump. As far as I can tell up to e40 seems safe but I'm not going to push my luck. I did try looking but again I'm new to ethenol blends so something that's common knowledge to all I may be oblivious to.

1: do I have to do anything other than tune to e20, to switch?
2: is the power gain (however much it may be) worth it over 93 octane?
3: will the added ethenol cause accelerated wear and damage over time vs 93 octane?
4: does this effect cold morning starts at all? (Temps under 40f)

In the future if I run, say, e40 or e60 on upgraded lpfp is there anything I should plan on doing at that time?
Thanks everyone

[lookalikehuuh]

IMHO E20 is sort of pointless since most fuel nowadays in the states is around E10 right from the pump.. E30+ is where you will just begin to see the benefits of running E85 mixes.

You didn't mention how old your current LPFP is so I will assume its the original pump for the car. With that in mind I don't think I would personally feel too comfortable running anything E30+ on the stock pump. If its a newer pump then its probably okish. You can totally just keep an eye on fuel pump pressure with MHD or another app while driving to make sure you don't dip below 50ish PSI at any point. That being said the cost of a DIY Stage 2 with a walbro pump is so cheap that I wouldn't risk running too lean because of low fuel flow.


Just some REALLY ROUGH math (going to assume E85 is like ~80% ethanol and is ~104 octane):

Sounds like your E10 (premium fuel straight from pump) is 93 octane in your area

E20 would be: 94.6 Octane

E30 would be: 96.1 Octane

E40 would be: 97.7 Octane

E50 would be: 99.3 Octane

E60 would be: 100.9 Octane


Keep in mind that E85 can be anywhere from E51 to E83 in the united states depending on the time of year. This means that you should test your E85 regularly to measure the actual ethanol content in your area year round so you can ensure your mix is correct before filling up. Amazon and online sellers sell kits that make it fairly easy to test your ethanol content year round.

I have been running E50 mixes for a few years now without any noticeable negative effects that I have noticed so far. I also do 5K oil changes and send it off to Blackstone Labs for analysis on every change and they have yet to see anything to worry about. So for now, I will say it's probably just fine to run E85 longterm.

Since I live in SoCal i can't really speak to the hard starting in cold temps, but then again even in the coldest SoCal mornings (high 30s probably) I haven't had any issues starting my car on E50 mix.

[Leezrrd]

Thanks!

My current lpfp is stock, and i assume the original. I do have a brand new one in the garage from when I first bought the car and thought I had some fueling issues. Just turned out to be bad spark plugs causing misfires, which oddly enough is the last thing I checked haha.

I did get a rev-x tester bottle and tested out the e85 in my area and it read between 75 and 80 but I decided not to put any in before I learned more.

I believe I'll be getting a walbro sometime soon then. I'm gonna need new turbos at some point in the not too distant future and if I can learn about e85 now, I'll do better with pairing the 2 when that time comes.

Again thanks for the help

[lookalikehuuh]

My E85 experience has been quite good so far. Car makes great power and timing corrections are nearly non-existent on my car as compared to the shitty ACN91 octanes we have in California.

Not sure price will be as big of a thing for you but for us californian's premium currently sits at like $6.80ish and E85 is at like $3.29 so I actually end up saving money even with the lower MPGs that you will average with E85 mixes.

[R3dLeader]

Originally Posted by lookalikehuuh

My E85 experience has been quite good so far. Car makes great power and timing corrections are nearly non-existent on my car as compared to the shitty ACN91 octanes we have in California.

Not sure price will be as big of a thing for you but for us californian's premium currently sits at like $6.80ish and E85 is at like $3.29 so I actually end up saving money even with the lower MPGs that you will average with E85 mixes.

Which tune do you run and what blend do you use of our shitty ACN91 + E85?

I'm about to make the jump from ACN91 to an ethanol blend. Currently running MHD ACN91.

[lookalikehuuh]

Originally Posted by R3dLeader

Which tune do you run and what blend do you use of our shitty ACN91 + E85?

I'm about to make the jump from ACN91 to an ethanol blend. Currently running MHD ACN91.

I run the "MHD V10 E50 Stage 2+" tune and so far so good. I usually try to target E55-ish in my E85 calculator to help boost the octane a bit, since ACN91 is pretty low octane for a "premium" fuel.

[Leezrrd]

Originally Posted by lookalikehuuh

My E85 experience has been quite good so far. Car makes great power and timing corrections are nearly non-existent on my car as compared to the shitty ACN91 octanes we have in California.

Not sure price will be as big of a thing for you but for us californian's premium currently sits at like $6.80ish and E85 is at like $3.29 so I actually end up saving money even with the lower MPGs that you will average with E85 mixes.

Wow $6.80! I'm out in Pennsylvania and it's... I believe $4.20-$4.40 a gal for 93 octane. Can't remember what our e85/ "flex fuel" is. Only one gas station chain around that sells it actually.

I assume you use a walbro or an upgraded lpfp? I'm curious if I can just fit one into a stock bucket assembly since I have an extra one.

[lookalikehuuh]

Originally Posted by Leezrrd

Wow $6.80! I'm out in Pennsylvania and it's... I believe $4.20-$4.40 a gal for 93 octane. Can't remember what our e85/ "flex fuel" is. Only one gas station chain around that sells it actually.

I assume you use a walbro or an upgraded lpfp? I'm curious if I can just fit one into a stock bucket assembly since I have an extra one.

Yes I have a Walbro 450 "274" model. I installed it in the factory bucket but had to cut out the bottom for the new filter sock. I think I followed a youtube DIY when I did it.

Just FYI I started having codes for the EKPM high current, so I ended up having to actively cool my EKPM2 with a fan and some thermal pads to keep it cool. No issues once the active cooling was in place. Just making you aware because I had no idea what the heck was going on when the codes came up and I had to do a bunch of research and was about to replace the EKPM which are not cheap.

[Leezrrd]

Originally Posted by lookalikehuuh

Yes I have a Walbro 450 "274" model. I installed it in the factory bucket but had to cut out the bottom for the new filter sock. I think I followed a youtube DIY when I did it.

Just FYI I started having codes for the EKPM high current, so I ended up having to actively cool my EKPM2 with a fan and some thermal pads to keep it cool. No issues once the active cooling was in place. Just making you aware because I had no idea what the heck was going on when the codes came up and I had to do a bunch of research and was about to replace the EKPM which are not cheap.

I heard about the EKPM heat issue but didn't know if it would be a problem. I figured you had a little headroom and the guys with like a double pump set up or bigger single pump were the ones having problems. Thanks I'll definitely have to look into that.

ECS Tuning sells a walbro pump in bucket complete kit but it's like $525 or so for it. Seems a lot easier and cheaper to buy just the pump and retro fit it into the bucket I already have.

[lookalikehuuh]

Originally Posted by Leezrrd

ECS Tuning sells a walbro pump in bucket complete kit but it's like $525 or so for it. Seems a lot easier and cheaper to buy just the pump and retro fit it into the bucket I already have.

$525 is probably decent for a ready to go setup, but I spent like $120 from summit racing for the $99 pump and the 20ish dollar filter/hose kit. So a heck of a lot cheaper

[Technics_]

Originally Posted by lookalikehuuh

I run the "MHD V10 E50 Stage 2+" tune and so far so good. I usually try to target E55-ish in my E85 calculator to help boost the octane a bit, since ACN91 is pretty low octane for a "premium" fuel.

Have you dyno'd your car? I assume stock twins? I've upgraded my LPFP, still running JB but will be running MHD soon.

To the OP when I was back in NY I was running E30ish with just the JB set on auto-tune and the car ran like a champ. I wasn't even FBO back then. Im full FBO now and running a Walbro 450 at the moment.

[lookalikehuuh]

Originally Posted by Technics_

Have you dyno'd your car? I assume stock twins? I've upgraded my LPFP, still running JB but will be running MHD soon.

To the OP when I was back in NY I was running E30ish with just the JB set on auto-tune and the car ran like a champ. I wasn't even FBO back then. Im full FBO now and running a Walbro 450 at the moment.

Unfortunately I have not gotten a chance to dyno my car yet. There was a dyno event earlier in the year but we had a family event already planned. I do own a dragy though, I've only been able to get down to 4.55 sec 0-60 so far, but I think the 265 Michelins PS4S and lack of a true LSD are the limiting factor currently.

Yes im on stock twins currently, but I have the VSRF high flow catted DP, which probably cut power a bit, but I prefer the HF cats since they don't make the car smell bad like the catless tend to smell.