Hello everyone! Today we will be doing an overview of ethanol mixes for the Explorer ST. Enjoy!
What is Ethanol?
Ethonal is a liquid made from different fermented plant sugars, mainly corn. This means ethanol is considered a renewable fuel source. For use with automotive fuel, ethanol is mixed with regular gasoline to create an Ethanol Mix.
What is Ethanol Content and What Do the Numbers mean?
Ethanol Content is what the amount of ethanol in regular gasoline. Most gasoline that is sold in the United States has ethanol already blended in, usually 10% of it being ethanol and the other 90% being gasoline. This would be denoted E10. The numbers after the “E” (meaning ethanol) denote what maximum percentage of the gasoline is supposed to be ethanol. E85 means a maximum of 85% of ethanol is in the fuel.
When I say maximum amount of ethanol, I say that because the fuel company aims for 85% ethanol in their E85, but the actual amount of ethanol varies. Fuel quality and seasonal factors (E85 in the winter usually has a lot less ethanol due to the companies lowering the content to help the cold starts in cold temperatures) determine the actual ethanol content.
The Benefits
Here are a few benefits of E85:
- Improved Knock Resistance which means tuner can increase timing and boost therefore increasing power
- Cooler Combustion
- Rumored to run cleaner (less carbon buildup)
- Cheaper Cost
The Downsides
Here are the downsides to E85, there is not that many:
- Takes a hit on MPG (although the cheaper gas price offsets this)
- Limited availability
- Has a harder time starting in very cold climates
- Sometimes may smell
- Takes more fuel system capability
Stock Fuel System Capabilities
The higher ethanol content there is, the harder the fuel system has to work. Dispensing ethanol fuel takes more effort by the fuel system then regular pump gas takes. E85 usually required 30- 40% more fuel system flow then regular pump gas (depending on power level and other factors). Looking specifically at the Explorer 3.0L stock fuel system, the max ethanol content you should run is E50, as any higher ethanol content the stock fuel system can not dispense enough of for maximum performance. The stock system can handle up to E85, but tuners have to dial down boost and timing due to the stock fuel systems limitations. So if you want maximum performance, you need to mix E85 and pump gas to get down to E50, which is what we’ll cover soon.
What is Needed to Run Higher Ethanol Mixes?
So the stock tune can accomodate up to E30 fuel, any higher then that risks engine damage. If you want to run higher ethanol content up to E50, all you need is a tune (although I’d also highly recommend an intercooler with a tune as usual).
If you’re wanting to upgrade your fuel system to run full E85, there are two different companies that make upgraded fuel systems for the Explorer ST, Nostrum and XDI. Nostrum is the better of the two. Nostrum offers different stages of upgrades, contact I would your tuner to see what fuel system best fits your needs, as there is a couple variables. Upgraded fuel systems do command a fairly high cost, so that’s why mixing to E50 and retaining stock fuel system is the best for most applications.
Measuring and Mixing Ethanol
So like I mentioned earlier, most gas sold in the US already has around 10% ethanol in it, and E85 has a maximum of 85% ethanol. So if you want to get to as close to E50 as possible for optimal performance, you need to measure the true ethanol content of the E85 your local gas station has. The easiest way to do so is to get an ethanol testing kit. The video above does a great job explaining how to do this.
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1FdY49JMCN/?mibextid=wwXIfr
Another thing that helps with mixing ethanol is an ethanol sensor and a gauge. It gives you real time ethanol content readings, and helps with your calculations. Rick Chioffe on Facebook is making a great kit that includes the sensor and fittings, all you need is a gauge to finish off the kit or you can use your phone to connect to the sensor. I’d highly recommend his kit, it looks really good! The link is included above.
Now that you know what true ethanol content you’re E85 is you are going to go to a ethanol calculator (I will be using ZFG’s) and input the numbers you want.
- For “Desired Ethanol Content” we are going to put 50 because we want E50
- For “Total Fuel” input how much gas you think you are going to fill up in total. Try to guesstimate on this, doesn’t have to be exact, but try to get as close as possible. For this example I am going to input 10 gallons. For the record, the fuel tank size on the 3.0L Explorer’s is 20.2 gallons.
- For “E85 blend” input the ethanol content number you calculated with the tester kit, for this example I am going to use 85
- For “gas blend” input the ethanol content number that your fuel station uses for their regular pump gas, usually their is a sign on the pump and usually it’s 10% ethanol
- For “gas octane” input enter the octane of pump gas you are going to use to mix with E85, for this example I am using 93
- And now calculate!
- For this example, you can see we would need to fill up the car with 4.7 gallons of 93 octane pump gas, and 5.3 gallons of E85
- After filling up, give the car a minute or two before starting it in order to allow the fuel to mix in the tank
Is E50 Worth the Hassle Over Premium Pump Gas?
Is E50 worth the hassle over just premium (91+ octane) pump gas? Absolutely, it makes a HUGE difference. Here’s the average number breakdown between E50 and 93 octane Premium fuel:
| 93 Octane | E50 Fuel | |
| HP Range | 460-490 HP | 500-540 AWHP |
| 1/4 Mile Times | Low 12-second 1/4 mile times | High 11-second times |
*All of these numbers are average numbers and depend on many different variables like DA, fuel quality, dyno type, etc..
As you can see, there is a large difference between the two, and more importantly, E50 has a lot more room to grow. E50 can be pushed to a lot faster times and build upon a lot more supporting mods then regular pump gas can. Regular pump gas is pretty much capped out with the basic bolt ons (downpipes, tune, intercooler), while E50 can continue to grow with more aggresive bolt on parts (fuel system, turbos, more aggresive tuning).
Where Do I Get E85?
E85 is sometimes not the easiest to find, I found that the best locater is the website located above.
As you can see the biggest concentration of gas stations that offer E85 are in the Central to Eastern United States, as well as the western coast of California. This is because of the close proximity to refineries as well as plentiful corn fields.
Hope you found this article informative! Thanks for reading and be sure to subscribe to keep up with all our latest content!
Explorer ST Enthusiasts 