E15 now to save money?

[chas0218]

Saw a post recently on social media that they are releasing E15 at the pumps to try and alleviate the higher gas prices. Apparently it is illegal according to federal law to run it in marine vehicles (not that I would) but what about running it in the 6.4L Hemi? I know it's legal for cars and trucks but I wasn't sure if the newer 6.4L fuel system was designed to run E85 or E15? I could see running it during the summer but back to the E10 for winter. I haven't seen much of a mention of E85 or E15 in the forums yet, I'm not even sure you can run E85 in the 6.4L Hemi.

 

[WisHawk]

I don't know what E15 cost in your part of the county. But here it is 3 cents less and not worth the reduction in fuel mileage that E15 will bring.
I tried a couple tanks of it in my work auto and my overall fuel mileage dropped 3.4 mpg compared to what I was averaging.
Guess you would have to try a couple tanks and see how it goes.

 

[TinGoatTravelers]

Saw a post recently on social media that they are releasing E15 at the pumps to try and alleviate the higher gas prices. Apparently it is illegal according to federal law to run it in marine vehicles (not that I would) but what about running it in the 6.4L Hemi? I know it's legal for cars and trucks but I wasn't sure if the newer 6.4L fuel system was designed to run E85 or E15? I could see running it during the summer but back to the E10 for winter. I haven't seen much of a mention of E85 or E15 in the forums yet, I'm not even sure you can run E85 in the 6.4L Hemi.

Per the manual:

 

[ACEd]

In general you cant run E85 in anything unless specifically stated on vehicle (think Flex Fuel or other annotation most likely on filler area). As for E15 in your fuel system, that may vary by vehicle - check your owner's manual. But in general, any materials incompatible with alcohol have probably been done away with if you can run E10 - think rubber parts, diaphragms, gaskets in carbs of older vehicles. So the question comes down to fuel system calibration - so check your owner's manual.
As to E15 or for that matter any of the E-anything, your fuel mileage will suffer - Alcohol in gas reduces mileage - the question is how much and what is price difference - I have seen numbers like 3 to 5% loss for E10 vs non-alcoholic gas, so a wild ass guess would be maybe another 1-2% with E15 vs E10 - so at roughly $5 per gallon, the 1-2% effective difference would be 5 to 10 cents. Last place I saw E15 was Illinois and it was $4.59/gallon vs E10 $4.69/gallon so I don't see much benefit other than "appearance" of benefit. (By the way 3 miles further across Missouri state line E10 was $3.99 the same day)

 

[jdefoe0424]

In general you cant run E85 in anything unless specifically stated on vehicle (think Flex Fuel or other annotation most likely on filler area). As for E15 in your fuel system, that may vary by vehicle - check your owner's manual. But in general, any materials incompatible with alcohol have probably been done away with if you can run E10 - think rubber parts, diaphragms, gaskets in carbs of older vehicles. So the question comes down to fuel system calibration - so check your owner's manual.
As to E15 or for that matter any of the E-anything, your fuel mileage will suffer - Alcohol in gas reduces mileage - the question is how much and what is price difference - I have seen numbers like 3 to 5% loss for E10 vs non-alcoholic gas, so a wild ass guess would be maybe another 1-2% with E15 vs E10 - so at roughly $5 per gallon, the 1-2% effective difference would be 5 to 10 cents. Last place I saw E15 was Illinois and it was $4.59/gallon vs E10 $4.69/gallon so I don't see much benefit other than "appearance" of benefit. (By the way 3 miles further across Missouri state line E10 was $3.99 the same day)

Yup...Illinois gas prices are ridiculous compared to surrounding states.
The big thing is that the target AFR changes as more alcohol is added, which is why vehicles that can run e85 are also equipped with a sensor which measures the percentage of alcohol in the fuel. I don't know how they can account for up to 15% with just measuring O2 in the exhaust.
Energy density of alcohol is lower compared to gasoline, about 30% lower. Which is why you burn more fuel to make the same power when alcohol is substituted in place of gasoline.

 

[DevilDodge]

I have been running E15 88 Oct in my 6.4l HEMI exclusively the last 2 years and mostly the last 3.

Here it is anywhere from 30 cents to 80 cents cheaper than 87 E10.

I have to watch my mileage for every tank...my fuel lever sensor failed at 110000. It gets better mileage than 87 E10 and is comparable to 89.(the angle of my right foot affects mileage more than any fuel rating)

I tow my camper every weekend and haul wood etc. And performance is fine.

You can not use E85.

I started using E15 88 oct in my Jeep with the same results.

 

[Riddick]

I don't think you will see a tremendous drop in mileage by going from E10 to E15, .5-1 MPG. Important thing is you will have no issues running E-15, try it out and post your results. I'm a big fan of Ethanol based fuels in terms of making power, E-85 is around 102 octane, burns cleaner than gasoline, and has a pleasant smell .