There is a lot of hype over E85 fuel. Is it any good? - Ralph
Not necessarily. E85 fuel is pretty much a move by politicians and others to get away from our dependence on oil - or at least be seen to be doing something.
The problem is that E85 is not as efficient as straight gasoline - in fact you'll burn as much as 20 per cent more fuel when using E85 than straight gasoline.
You don't have to take my word for it - look at the government-mandated fuel economy ratings and you'll see that flexible-fuel engines, which have been developed with the changes necessary to burn the less combustible E85, have different mileage estimates for "real" and E85 fuels, generally 20 to 25 per cent lower.
The ethanol used to create E85 is good for a few farmers but provides 27 per cent less energy per gallon than regular octane gasoline. If the E85 fuel was 27 per cent less expensive it would make sense for us motorists - but it isn't!