Does running E85 fuel with up to 85% ethanol, actually lower your MPG? That was the question this week from Kirsten in Oregon. (You can hear her call right here -- it's second in the segment.) Her Flex-Fuel Chrysler Town and Country is getting lousy mileage and rough running rough-- but only …

Corn and ethanol are both subsidized directly. Oil and gasoline are subsidized in the cost of entanglements overseas. You win some, you lose some.

Hi Guys, I am something of a fuels geek (you guys are car geeks, you get the picture). You were partly correct in telling Kirsten that her lower mpg was because of the lower btu/lb of E85 - really it is the lower btu/gallon that matters. So for the consumer cost is everything. E85 needs to cost …

Cars designed to run E85 will achieve their EPA rated gas mileage figures. using E85 in a car not designed for E85,well that’s a whole new thread.

There is X amount of land available to grow food. If some of that X amount of land is used to grow corn for fuel, then that amount of land is not available to grow food. How does that not reduce the amount of available food? The real problem here is that it takes more fuel to produce and convert …

Yes, but they are rated for higher mileage when running off of E10 than E85.

What does the manufacture have to say about using E10 in a car designed for E85 and has the EPA tested E85 vehicles running E10?

AFAIK, all cars designed for E85 have fuel sensors and can run on any mix from E85 on down.

You mean “on up” as E85 is as far down as it gets from unaduletrated gasoline. Again has the EPA tested E85 cars on fuel other than what they were designed to run on? or have they left it to actual ownwr experience to see what happens? Why would someone buy a E85 car and then decide to run it on E1…

No, I meant on down, as in a lower E number such as E10. I think that some models are only made as flex-fuel models. That’s why someone would buy one, and then run normal gas.

Does E85 lower your MPG?

The Show

padresf November 21, 2009, 7:07pm 12

We’ve noticed that E85 does lower our mileage. We now avoid using it.
Steve in CO

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Does E85 lower your MPG?

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