Yes E85 is more than half the HP of gasoline -- because it is part gasoline. Pure Ethanol would be closer to half. In any case the fuel economy goes down with E85.

The chevy boys say you can generally only run 13.5:1 ratio with E85. Pump petrol can do 12:1 already.

But the turbo boys say it compares favorably with 110 gasoline, which suggests the cooling factor might be the key.

The e85 here in Australia have all been tested with a RON anywhere between 100-110. It's burn rate is around 30% more then 98ron fuel. So your fuel system needs to be upgraded to suit. There have been performance gains on turbo charged vehicles of up to 30% on the same boost! It absorbs moisture from the air so must be kept air tight when in storage. Steel fuel lines would be fine, there have been some myths about the rubber lines eating out, while it works out on paper, I know a few ppl that gave been running rubber lines with no problem. You also need to consider a fuel pump that is compatible with alcohol.

Due to the higher Ron rating, it has a lot higher resistance to detonation. I'll be running my car on e85, Im using -6an Teflon coated braided hose, 2x feeds and 1x return.

Not trying to split hairs but E85 is closer to 70% the energy per volume.
Wikki has some equivalency tables so take them with a grain of salt.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gasoline_gallon_equivalent

Given that you have rated E85 by it's average RON and MON numbers I wonder what the equiv would be for 98 Oct give it is usually reference by its RON only (and MON is always lower). I believe that E85 (or was it pure Ethanol) has a RON of around 100 but am not sure where I got the info from.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Octane_rating has some ratings

Either way, watch rubber components as E85 loves to eat them.

BTW always be carefull when welding old petrol tanks, I wouldn't recommend it unless you know what you are doing, better of getting a pro to do it, then have it blow up on you.

Yer, E85 is not a performance fuel. It's a mixture of 15% gasoline and 85% alchohol, so basically it's alcohol which is half the HP of gasoline. That's why it's important to bump up the compression, to regain some of the lost power.

Octane rating of E85 is 94-96 (R+M)/2, though it is commonly marketed as 100.

I've read e85 has an octane rating of 100+, cools the intake charge more (higher latent heat and twice as much of it) and I think burns a bit slower. I like the idea of a turbo otherwise I'd go higher comp but I'll build everything else first with that in mind once efi etc. is working.

how fast does e85 burn up compared to normal 91 petrol?

I dont think Nissan were old school enough to terne-plate the fuel tanks (though they did lead wipe roof seams and braze on drip rails on the 120Y...)

I'm also after information regarding converting the system in my sedan to use the E85 dellorto's im going to be running with the SSS spec A12 i'm building for my replica.

I'll have to ask my mate tomorrow. He had an A12 running E85 in his 1200 coupe that he uses for sprints.

Get youself some flat top pistons and a lumpy cam if you haven't already. You need to lift your compression ratio to make better use of E85.

Hi all,

I have a few questions in this.

The first one is I've read all vehicles 1990 or so and newer were built to be compatible with high ethanol content fuel (components at least, not necessarily tuning). So, if I were to go to the shop (please suggest which one) and ask for some 8mm steel fuel line would it be plastic lined/ compatible with e85.

The second one is around modding the coupe tank to fit baffles and an efi pump. I've read that the tanks of this era are coated in terne (basically lead-tin solder). I know others have modded the tanks before and I guess I want to know if they've had any corrosion problems after welding it back up. Or, was some kind of tank sealant used?

Also, how hard was welding up the tank again with a lap join? I'm thinking while I'm at it I may as well add a bit to increase the capacity so two full length lap welds. Before I cut it up it would be nice to know the guage (thickness) and how likely it is to burn up.

Not entirely sure whether I'll go e85 yet but I'd like to make it compatible.

Cheers