Running Solaras on ethanol (e85) works!

[RDKamikaze]

Howdy! It's been a while since I've been on the forums, and I thought I would share my thoughts on ethanol (e85) fuel. This stuff is amazing, and if you have a station nearby, I honestly suggest you buy a kit! Here are a few questions that I have found while doing TONS of research involving ethanol use.

What do I need? -Just a conversion kit for most cars! I bought one for $250 from www.change2e85.com and it's amazing! It has no problems with aftermarket mods because my Solara has a new header, intake, and exhaust.

Do I NEED a kit? -Yes and no. Your car will run fine on 1/3 ethanol and 2/3 gasoline. Believe me, I've tried! And it is REALLy good for your car. But if you want to be able to run a full tank on ethanol, then yes, you need a kit. And the best part is that you can run on e85, gasoline, or any mixture without a hassle (depending on kit).

What's the difference? Gas is gas, right? -NO WAY!! First, it's cheaper. That's a reason in itself to convert. Second, it's wayy better for your car (I have done my homework on this). It's cleaner for the environment, too (for all the tree huggers). And did I mention it is 105 octane so you will gain some horses? I know I've noticed a difference! And your keeping money domestic and not sending it to foreign countries.

Why would I help the food shortage and buy ethanol? -HA!! Ethanol, assist food shortage, wtf?! People who say ethanol is raising corn prices are completely wrong. Ethanol can be made out of ANYTHING, and now it is being transitioned into mainly sugar cane, NOT corn. It can also be made of old fruit, veggies, and even trash. All it takes is heat, sugar and yeast to make.


Now that that's over with, here's my review on the kit! I have a Flex Fuel Gold e85 kit that I purchased online ( www.change2e85.com ) for only $250 because it was on sale. I also tried the White Lightning kit from www.whitelightning.net for $250 as well. Here's what I have to say about each one:

White Lightning kit - TOTAL CRAP!!! It NEVER worked for me and threw codes all the time. The owner of the company couldn't even help me fix any problems. I ended up returning it with my 30-day guarantee. DO NOT BUY THIS KIT!! WASTE OF TIME AND MONEY!! (They also have dirty little secrets)

Flex Fuel Gold kit - WOW!! I love this kit! Totally opposite results from the P.O.S. WL kit. This thing is a beauty! Not only does it automatically detect polarization, but it also looks to be a better quality. This is one of the first kits on the market as far as I remember and ever since then they have sold thousands! I believe that everyone who wishes to convert to ethanol should buy THIS kit. I'm sorry if that sounds biased, but it's the truth. And you can run any mixture of e85 and gasoline including just gas or ethanol without any changes!


Here's where you can find e85 stations in your area, if any:
www.e85refueling.com

And to check (or submit) the most recent prices the stations are charging (really helpful):
www.e85prices.com

[PXLpainter]

Damn - that's a great report! Thanks for sharing!

Unfortunately I haven't seen much ethanol for sale here in CA tho' - wish I could grow/make my own.

[RDKamikaze]

Yeah, no problem. I even wrote a research paper on alternative fuels, and I've learned a lot! I'm starting to do what I'm learning.

Next project for kicking back at gas companies: hydrogen fuel! It sounds harder than it really is, though. I'm waiting for my kit to come in on Thursday and I'll let you all know how that goes. I'll be on a cruise from Mother's Day until the next week, so be sure to check back in a few weeks for testing results!

[Garrryyunit]

Damn - that's a great report! Thanks for sharing!

Unfortunately I haven't seen much ethanol for sale here in CA tho' - wish I could grow/make my own.

what he said. lol i would love to spend 250 to save money on gas. in the long run, you earn it all back.

[RDKamikaze]

The long run is right! Calculating it at $.80 cheaper than gas right now means I'll have it all paid for and then some by 400 gallons, that's only 28 fills!

Be sure to look for my review on hydrogen conversion kits next week! This method is supposed to give at LEAST 20% mpg increase but reported normally around 40+%. The kit I purchased and am waiting for only cost $60 and it's also REALLY easy to install! This is supposed to be even more promising and WAYY cheaper to maintain. And it's 150 octane, so I'm excited to see the bump in horses after installing it.

[Dawgz]

that may all be good and true, but higher octane doesnt mean ur just gonna get extra horses.

[Jakecallun20]

Thats badass! Will this kit work for Gen 1, 1MZs? I may consider this if it works out in the long run! sweet find man, sweet find.

[RDKamikaze]

That is true, BUT there have been reports (and my witness) that ethanol does increase HP a bit on many cars. It's averaged to be around 10HP aparently. And Hydrogren is around 15HP increase as far as I've heard.

[RDKamikaze]

Yes, they make kits for any car. The only downside to getting an ethanol conversion kit is that it doesn't work on any other car that doesn't have the same connector types. But you can always sell it later to help pay for the next one, so all's well. All you need to know is your car's make, model, year, and what the female connector to the fuel injector looks like. If it's a 96 or newer, it will probably be the "Toyota" connector. Cheers!

[Jakecallun20]

with this kit, you have to change your injectors right? So does this mean that you can only run E85 or can you run either, mixed or straight?

[Dawgz]

That is true, BUT there have been reports (and my witness) that ethanol does increase HP a bit on many cars. It's averaged to be around 10HP aparently. And Hydrogren is around 15HP increase as far as I've heard.

lol, okay.

[RDKamikaze]

Oh yeah, I forgot to touch on that! No, it does not require new injectors or any new hardware other than the module. All the kit does it add time to the injector pulse so that it puts a little more fuel in there. Ethanol burns cooler so it takes a shade more to get it to spark at the right time or something. The kits are literally plug-and-play! I installed it in about ten minutes and I can uninstall it just as fast.

And the answer for ethanol only: NO!! I can run on gas or ethanol any time I would like without having to do anything other than fill with the fuel. It also calibrates any mixture so there are no worries. This kit from www.change2e85.com is literally the cream of the crop.

[lemmez]

So if you really convert to this e85 kit, can you still use regular gas too?

[Jakecallun20]

^ Wow man, you've really inspired me to look into this. I checked out that site, and aren't sure which injector fitting my car has, but I can check. I'm not going to get the kit right now....since there are no FlexFuel retailers in my area. (Cedar park/Leander/Georgetown) I did some research and found out that the local HEB might start to carry ethanol, so I'll be exited to do this when we have it out here. I aint drivin to parmer to get it.

[Jakecallun20]

Oh and one more question. Did you get a free "flexfuel" emblem with your kit? If so....ya put it on your lara?