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Welcome to RaceonE85.com
Where we are racing through the recession as your
Parts and Information
Source for Running your Carbureted Hot Rod on this Inexpensive, Renewable,
Clean Burning, High Octane Fuel.
If you’re at this site, chances are you have heard of E85 that is becoming more and
more available at gas stations around the country. This high
octane ethanol based mixture cost the same or less than regular
unleaded and makes a GREAT alternative to both high
priced race gas and extremely corrosive methanol.
The reason I know this is because we have been burning it in our blown carbureted small-block Chevy powered 1952
Henry J (right) for the past three years with OUTSTANDING results. This site is dedicated to those who are already
running or are seriously considering switching to this renewable fuel source to power their hot rods now and into
the future. Special thanks go out to Mark Thomas and the Ethanol Performs Funny Car team for the inspiration and
Car Craft magazine for the technical information to get us started.
Q & A About E85:
Q: Why should I switch to E85?
A: E85 is a renewable fuel source that is also environmentally friendly. Its performance is comparable to race gas at a fraction of the cost. Your engine will run cooler and your ETs will be less affected by atmospheric changes. E85 is not corrosive like methanol and does not leave carbon deposits like gas so maintenance is reduced across the board. Your oil stays looking like new.
Q: What is the difference in ethanol and methanol?
A: Both fuels have an excellent intake air charge cooling effect. Ethanol (grain or ethyl alcohol) is a biofuel made through the distillation of renewable resources like corn, sugar cane and switch grass. Yes, this is the same process they use to make alcoholic beverages like liquor. Fuel ethanol is 180 proof when produced. 15% regular 87 octane gasoline is added to E100 to add a little lubricant as well as ease the initial cold startup. Methanol (wood alcohol) is produced through a chemical process. By its nature methanol is more corrosive and provides 35% less energy then E85 so you have to burn 35% more of it to make comparable power. E85 cost the same or less then regular unleaded gasoline, methanol cost $4.00 - $5.00 a gallon.
Q: What type of performance can I expect from making the switch to E85?
A: It has been our experience that E85 with its 105 octane rating and high tolerance to detonation is superior to premium pump gas and equal to and in most cases better than 110 octane race gas. We picked up a tenth of a second and 2 to 3 miles per hour in the eighth mile after switching to E85 from 110 race gas and our engine runs 20 degrees cooler.
Q: What will I be saving from running E85 over racing gas?
A: 110 race gas sells for $7.00 a gallon at the track; E85 is around $1.50 a gallon at the pump. The cost of a Race on E85 conversion kit for a 4150 style carb is $225.00 let’s see: You burn roughly 1/2 gallon of fuel on a run so you would save $2.75 on fuel per run. Your commitment to racing on E85 will pay for itself even if you don’t win a round in about 80 trips down the drag strip. You will be going green both environmentally and financially every time you fire your race car.
Q: Don’t I have to replace all the “rubber” in my fuel system so it want be eaten up by the alcohol in E85?
A: NO!!! We started out on this journey with a complete gasoline system. We upped the flow 30% to compensate for the lower heat energy output of ethanol and left everything else the same just to see the effects. We switched to E85 at the end of the 2006 racing season and to date we have found zero deterioration or corrosion anywhere in our fuel system. We leave it in the system all the time. We don’t drain anything between races or use any type of fuel lube.
Q: How much compression can I run with E85 fuel just the way it comes out of the pump at my local station?
A: This is one question I don't have a concrete answer for. We are running it in engines up to 14.5:1 naturally aspirated and some fairly high boost forced induction applications with great results. I have seen charts that draw the line at 16:1 but there again I just don’t have the data yet of a failure directly due to the compression limit of pump grade E85 being reached.
Q: Where can I find E85 in this area?
A: You can find E85 in any area by logging onto www.e85fuel.com and just click on your state for a list of stations that carry it.
| Justus Daniel's '52 Henry J in action on E85 |
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| Joe Michael's Super Gas Plymouth Arrow on E85 |
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"Basic" E85 Tuning Tips:
1. No matter what type of fuel system
you are running you must increase flow (volume) by roughly 30% over a (gas) setup. This is more than just increasing the main
jets (in a carburetor) by 30%. Flow must be increased throughout the whole system and fuel curve.
2. Start out with
your total timing the same as on gas then adjust for best mph.
3. Water temp. needs to be 140 - 150 degrees when
you pull into the water box and at least 160 degrees when you stage. Your jetting is close when you gain about
10 degrees in the 1/8th and about 20 degrees in the quarter.
4. If you have the luxury of tuning with a wide band air/fuel
ratio meter we have found that it is very easy to use the lambda scale. We tune for 1 at idle and .85 @ WOT for
best (safe) power. If you use an EGT meter to tune with you know that ideal temps. will vary greatly from one combination
to another. It has been our finding that if you keep it below 1500 degrees while you are sorting out your tune up you don't
have to worry about hurting anything in the process. We have found that most naturally aspirated combinations end up
making best power between 1150 and 1250 degrees on E85. Forced induction applications usually run 100 to 200 degrees
hotter. If you need a good "inexpensive" EGT meter check out http://www.ifamilysoftware.com/8307.html
5. E85 has a high resistance to knock but lights off easy so it is susceptible to pre-ignition. A non
protruding tip plug is recommended. Autolite Racing plugs with the cut back strap work well for us. We run AR-133 with the
blower, this is a little cooler then you would need for natural aspiration. When reading your plugs look for them to
be real clean with a little tan color down inside the threads on the porcelain. If no color appears after the
first couple of runs, jet up until some starts to show then adjust jetting for best mph from there.
*Click here to go to the Race on E85 Message Board*
RaceonE85.com is racing through the recession with stimulus packages for your race car and your wallet. Convert today and save on the high price and ozone damaging pollutants that come from burning leaded racing gasoline. This is our chance as racers to do something that reduces our racing costs without compromising performance and benefits the future generations of racers and non racers alike by doing our part for the environment.
Option #1: 4150-E85 D.I.Y. Kit:
Stage I: Designed for those who already have a Holley HP, Barry Grant Demon, Proform or Quick Fuel Technologies main bodied carburetor.
Includes: Billet Aluminum E85 Calibrated Metering Blocks (Anodized Green)
Hi-Flow Stainless Steel Needle and Seats
Properly Sized Screw-in Air Bleeds
GFLT Accelerator Pump Diaphragms
Accelerator Pump Nozzles Sized for E85
Properly Sized Hi-Flow Power Valve/s
All Necessary Gaskets and Easy to Follow Instructions with Tuning Tips
Only $250 Plus Shipping
Stage II: Designed for non HP Holley Double Pumpers where you reuse just your float bowls and base plate. Includes everything in the Stage I kit PLUS the E85 specific, all new, all aluminum main body.
650-750 cfm Only: $450
850 $475
950 $525
1050 $550
4500-E85 D.I.Y Kit:
Designed to COMPLETELY convert the popular Holley Dominator Style Carburetor.
Includes: Billet Aluminum E85 Calibrated Metering Blocks (Anodized Green) with Bolts
All Properly Sized Air Bleeds and Main Jets
E85 Specific Boosters with Pins
Stainless Steel Needle and Seats
GFLT Accelerator Pump Diaphragms
Accelerator Pump Nozzles with Hollow Stainless Steel Screws
Floats and Gaskets
Easy to Follow Instructions
Only $300 Plus Shipping
We can convert and test run your carburetor for you for just $100 more with purchase of any kit.
Option #2: You pack up your Holley style 4150 or 4500 carburetor with pre-paid return shipping inside and send it to us and we will convert and test it by modifying your existing hardware for only $300. If any additional cost is required you will be contacted and notified before any work is done. Shipping address: 4437 Hounds Run Dr. Matthews, NC 28105
We now sell an E85 Ethanol Content Tester for only $15 plus shipping.
Hey Heath-
All I can say is WOW! I am an 8 time track points champion, 3 time VP Fuels Race of Champions Qualifier, National Dragster Challenge Wally Winner, and this years Ohio Crankshaft No Box Nationals Winner. I decided with the price of gas I needed a more economical way to go racing and save a little money, I researched E85 and came across the raceone85.com website. There are lots of websites that offer some good information but for some reason these guys just sounded like they knew what they were talking about. I decided to shoot Heath an email and he talked his way through the conversation like he has really tested this stuff, any question I asked he had an answer for. He asked me for my phone number and we had about an hour long conversation, and it was then that I knew I would give it a shot. Last weekend was my first time out with the E85 and again all I can say is WOW! Friday night I entered the Pro and Super Pro classes at a local track hoping to get enough passes in to get the car tuned right. The car ran 7.50’s in the 1/8th mile before converting, here is the first 6 passes I made on the E85, Off the trailer the car went 7.395, 2nd round 7.397, 3rd round 7.399, 4th round 7.391, 5th round 7.395, 6th round 7.399. I went on to win both classes that night. This stuff is amazing when you get it tuned right! It is an honor for me to add RaceonE85.com as one of my sponsors. Thanks Heath!!
Eric Bowling
2008 Ohio Crankshaft No Box Nationals Winner
Just a note (and pic.) to let you and Joe know that the Dominator E-85 kit performed perfectly. The only change I made was to jet up one size square to 98's. I put it on my 64 Dodge (full exhaust system with cut-outs), and went last Saturday, 7-19-08, to Woodburn Dragstrip (Oregon) for the VP Racing Fuel Series to try out the E-85 modified carb.
The results were incredible. From fastest to slowest 1/4 mile run, the car varied only .04 when most others were off by .1 or more in the heat of the day. The weather was 55-60 deg. in the morning and 85-90 in the afternoon. The 'Tuna Boat' was the picture of consistancy and beat the best in Pro Bracket. This was the 2nd time to the drag strip this year for the car and the 1st time on E-85, so we were quite pleased with the results. The tech inspector said he had not heard of any other cars running on E-85 before today. 7 rounds later they gave me a 1st Place Pro Bracket wall hanger and $240 cash. YOU GUYS ROCK!
This first time out on E-85, the car was equal to race gas with times in the 10.90's @ 122 mph. I'm betting I can get quicker with some minor adjustments. The throttle response is what I noticed the most. It was instant! Great performance @ 1/3 the cost of race gas, $3.59 per gallon at the Shell Truck Stop on I-5.
Thanks Again for the E-85 Dominator kit and the tune-up advice. It was 'Spot On!'
Thanks,
Thompson Brothers Racing
Click here to see video of this conversion making passes.
Ladies and gentleman I am proud to introduce you to the Brown County Dragway 2008 Sportsman Bracket Points Champion for 2008 - Brad Davis. Brad is a dedicated racer that was brave enough to try something new after the half way point of the season while locked in a favorable position in points to become the track champion at Brown County Dragway in Indiana. That something new was to switch the fuel he raced on to E85. Brad called me up and we talked a little about his combinations. He bought a conversion kit and some E85 from a local station and headed to the track not knowing exactly what would transpire. After some minor tuning the wins started rolling in. Make no mistake about it Brad is an accomplished racer in his own right but now he had a car he could count on to run the number time and time again. All Brad had to worry about now was cutting the light which he had already mastered. I would get updates from Brad each week and each week he would tell me how he would just go up there and do his job because he knew the car would do it's job. I am very proud to say Brad Davis was running a RaceonE85.com conversion kit to close out his championship season and even prouder to call Brad a new friend. GREAT JOB Brad and good luck defending your title in 2009. Race on E85 will be behind you every step of the way.
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This is Tommy Lumley in his "Old Skool Outlaw" - 1940 Chevy. This thing is a full size, straight axle, period correct 60s gasser. Tommy converted to E85 toward the end of the 2007 season with a kit from RaceonE85.com and had very good results at the last few races of the year. The pictures are of Tommy at Moorseville Dragway in Moorseville NC taken this December. Tommy was there for a magazine shoot of his and several other period correct Gassers. After the still photo shoot Tommy asked the photographer if he wanted some action shots. Of course he did so Tommy let her rip. The track only had one lane open at the time. Tommy made 5 attempts and only got down the tricky track twice but those two good hits produced a 5.98 and 5.99 at 113 mph! Ladies and Gentleman if you could see this car with your own eyes you would never believe it could run like that! It's big and it's BAD!!! Thanks for hanging it out Tommy, I know you can't hardly wait for the 2009 season.
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I've had the Stage 1 kit installed and everything ready to go for several days. It was a piece of cake to install. Total time spent was less than an hour. Hadn’t planned on going to the first test and tune yesterday because I’ve been sick for several days. Hadn’t even fired the car on E85. My brother-in-law was over yesterday and kept bugging me to go ahead and fire it up. We finally went out and put in 5 gallons of E85, double checked all connections, and went ahead and tried to start it. Gave it a couple of pumps of fuel, hit the starter, and it fired up immediately. First thing I noticed was how quiet it ran compared to racing gas. Second thing I noticed was how much smoother it seemed to run and how well it idled. My car has never idled great, but after just a little warm-up, I had it idling much lower than it ever did on gas. My wife even came out to the shop saying as soon as I started it she could tell it sounded a lot different than it did before. Test & Tune had already started by now, but we are only about 10-15 minutes from the track. Since the car seemed to run so well the very first try, we decided to load up and go play.
The track crew always do a top notch job of prepping the track, but this was the first time cars had gone down the track in about three months. Lets just say it was not so great. Air temp was about 70° though.
First pass was an eighth mile pass just to make sure everything was in good working order. The engine ran perfect and seemed to pull VERY strong. When I got to the ET shack, I blipped the throttle a few times and it seemed to have a small stumble. Back at the trailer I checked my float levels again and they were both quite a bit low. Car was on jack stands when I set them before. Maybe that’s why they changed. After resetting them I went to make another eighth mile pass. Car picked up about .04 the second pass and no more stumble.
First quarter mile pass… Car ran perfect all the way down the track and seemed to pull very hard all the way through the traps. When I got my ET slip, it was the quickest and fastest pass my car has ever made. The car’s best pass EVER was 10.25@131, and on a normal 70° day(like today) my car would probably run around 10.35-40 at 129-130MPH. First quarter mile pass on E85 was 10.21@132. This was a pure footbrake pass. I'm sure it would have gone a bit quicker using the trans-brake. Seemed to be running plenty rich and water temp was not gaining much more than about 15° during a pass. Just to be safe, I decided to next try jetting up 2 jet sizes to see how it ran. Expected it to slow down slightly and that’s exactly what it did. Ran a 10.25@132. It was getting fairly late but I decided go back to what it had in it the first time, make another pass, and see if I got my .04 back. As soon as I left that time, the car made a hard right and headed toward the guard rail. I tried to stay in it and steer it back into the center of the track but it just got too far out of control. I could lift or crash… I went with lift. At that point we decided to call it a day and load up.
All in all I’d say it was a complete success. I’d feel comfortable going racing just as it sits, but hopefully we’ll have a couple more good days to test. I'm fairly certain that with a little more tuning and a better track surface it will break into the 10.teens. I plan on leaning it out the next time to see what happens. I got a hold of an EGT monitor but the probe is not all there so I’m not sure if I’m going to be able to use it or not. I think I’m close, but if you have ANY suggestions on things that I might try next time out PLEASE let me know.
There are guys at the track still trying to get their cars to run right on E85 after more than a season. With your Stage 1 kit and all your answers to all my questions, mine ran perfect the very first pass. I’m glad I decided to make the switch. And even happier that I found your website before I did.
Thanks for everything.
David Nivens
The weather was good today so we were able to get the track manger lets us have a couple of hours on the track today while they were doing some work in the pit area, my timing controller was my missing issue. I made a few passes with the meth carb to set some base lines running 6.89, 6.90, 6.89. Put the 750 on drained the cell and put in the E85 went 6.871, 6.872, 6.871 and a 6.860. I noticed a big difference in my 60 foot times seems to be the biggest time difference. My sixty foot on the meth was 1.483, 1.501, and 1.47 when I changed to the E85 1.433, 1.444, 1.440, 1.399 and I gained 4 MPH down track not to mention I was just getting against my top end chip when I crossed the stripe. I will probably take the 4.88 out and put in the 4.56. I haven't changed the plugs and did not change the timing, did not have to time to try any of those changes. One of the math wizards of the group did some figuring and we put 86 jets in it, engine temps were running where you suggested. I believe there is room for improvement yet. When I get all my meth run out I will go full time on the E85 and I do think that the others will follow in do time. Once again thanks for your site and the input. I printed off a poster and posted at the tower about you guys.
Thanks
Gary
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Monday, May 11, 2009 Eric Bowling wins two straight on E85.Eric Bowling check in to let me know he had won two races already this year. His
numbers hardly moved all day and his driving was GREAT as usually. Great job Eric and keep it up man. RaceonE85.com was well
represented at Pinks All Out at ZMax Dragway. We were a bit to quick for the field they picked but fun was had by all. The
Henry J (on it's usually 6.00 1/8th mile tune-up) ran a perfect 6.00 to the 1/8 @ 116 then ran 9.36 @ 146 out the quarter.
Since we hardly ever run 1/4 mile we felt picking up 30 mph from the 1/8th to the 1/4 mile was decent. In other news
we recently completed a dyno test comparison of E85 and race gasoline head to head with the same car and carb on the same
day with us on hand to do the conversion after the gasoline runs were made. The results are being written up by David Vizard
who was there and will be published in an up-coming issue of Popular Hot Rodding magazine. Let's just say you won't be disappointed.
Pay particular attention to the torque numbers. We are off to run the Nostalgia Little Guy Nationals at Virginia Motorsports
Park this weekend (May 16th &17th). Hope you all are getting some good weather and have been able to get out and race,
if not hope you do soon. Until next time, keep it running clean and mean on E85.
3:27 pm est Wednesday, February 4, 2009 2009 Kick OffHello everyone and welcome to the 2009 racing season! We here at RaceonE85.com have been fortunate enough to have been able to get out already and do some testing. I just wanted to jump on here and share a couple things we have learned so far this year. First of all it has been thought and written in several places that I know of that ethanol burns slower so you should be able to take advantage of that by advancing your timing a couple degrees from your gasoline setup. We have proven that this is NOT the case with E85. We have a boost timing retard box on our blown motor which as you know pulls timing out as we go down track in relation to boost. Our car slowed unexplainable last year and we traced it back to the initial total timing slipping to 34 degrees so we bumped it back to 38 and we picked right back up where we left off. So far every naturally aspirated car we have tested this year has benefitted from reducing the total timing from the gasoline setup. The car we tested just this past Sunday was a pretty stout big block Chevy that had been dynoed on racing gasoline at a best power total timing number of 41 degrees so naturally this is where we started with our test runs after we converted the carb (Quick Fuels 4150-1050cfm) to E85. It ran well and even beat the race gas numbers on every pass. When we felt like we had the jetting where we wanted it we were still looking for a little more. We decided to try playing with the timing. We made a big jump backwards from 41 to 36 degrees of total timing so we could really see what difference it made. The car picked up 7 hundredths of a second with just that one change. WOW!!! What does that mean to you? It tells me E85 as a combination of ethanol and gasoline and only being 105 octane compared to higher octane race gasolines burns quicker so less timing is needed to put it’s ignition in the sweet spot during combustion. I know many people much more learned than I have spoke to the contrary of this but I just call it like I see it and what I saw was a fast car get much faster by reducing ignition lead time which means the motor was happier. Thanks for checking in and check back soon because things are happening fast now and I’m going to keep you updated as best I can throughout the season. Thanks and let’s make 2009 the year of the corn fuel. What do you say? |
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2009.05.01 |
2009.02.01 |
2007.10.01
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| Mark Thomas 7 time IHRA Funny Car Champion |
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Click here to see Nick from the Broken Bolt Garage demonstrate his RaceonE85.com conversion
Click here to find out were to buy E85 near you.
PTRA-Pro Tree Racers Association
Racing With Ethanol Information from IQ Learning Systems
Drag Racer Magazine: Carburetor Class Presented by Quick Fuel Technology Q&A
Nitrous Express - These guys really know there stuff about running E85 with nitrous
E85Forum.com - This is the place to go to talk E85.
Ethanol from Algae? Check this out and you decide.
O2-Technology.com (great site, especially for those who run nitrous)
Check out Bruce's carbureted blow through supercharged E85 Thunder Bird!
GREAT E85 and carb conversion information WITH PICTURES - courtesy of Bruce with the Bad Bird.
Drag Racing Computers and Software
Can you run your non flex fuel vehicle on E85? Watch this and you decide.
One option to convert EFI vehicles to flex fuel.
Looking for t-shirts and other apparel? Check this site out.
E85 makes over 900 horsepower in Super Comp trim.
Daniel Drag Racing and RaceonE85.com in Action at Rockingham Dragway.