E85 is a fuel blend that contains eighty-five percent ethanol fuel and fifteen percent gasoline. This volume mixture varies based on different countries and their fuel regulations. Today, we are going to discuss if e85 can be mixed with 87, 89, 91, 93 octanes, or regular gas.
Can you mix e85 with 87, 89, 91, 93 octanes, or regular gas?
One can certainly mix e85 with 87, 89, 91, 93 octanes, or regular gas. But the e85 mix can only be used in cars that have flex-fuel engines. E85 mix can not be put into cars that have regular gasoline engines. E85 mix changes the octane and ethanol level of the fuel tank.
Table of Contents
Let’s discuss in detail the possibility of mixing e85 with 87, 89, 91, 93 octanes, or regular gas.
E85 & Regular Gas/87 Octane:
In the USA, the gasoline that usually has an octane level of 87 is considered as regular gas. In order to mix E85 with regular gas, your car needs to be Flex-Fuel certified.
If your car is Flex-Fuel certified, then you can certainly mix E85 with regular gas containing an octane level of 87.
E85 & 89 Octane:
Gasoline that contains an octane level of 89 is known as 89 octane gas. 89 octane gas is called midgrade gas because of its midlevel octane compared to other types of octane. You can mix E85 and 89 octanes if your car possesses a Flex-Fuel certificate.
E85 & 91 Octane:
91 octane gas contains an octane level of 91. Gasoline containing a level of 91 is considered as premium gas. So 91 octane is a premium gas. Premium gas decreases the maintenance cost of your car.
E85 and 91 octane can be mixed if your car has the Flex-Fuel certificate.
E85 & 93 Octane:
93 octane is a premium-level gas. It contains an octane level of 93. Using 93 octane makes the performance of your car better and gives it better mileage. If you want to mix E85 with 93 octanes, you need to possess a vehicle that is certified as Flex-Fuel.
Is it bad to mix E85 with regular gas?
It is not bad to mix E85 with regular gas. You can easily mix E85 without causing any fuss. But mixing E85 with regular gas does not yield out any positive result. Before mixing E85 with regular, you need to possess a flex-fuel vehicle.
The vehicle that has the ability to run on any blend of gasoline and ethanol in the range of eighty-three percent is called a flex-fuel vehicle.
You can even put E85 and regular mixture in a gasoline car. Between E85 and regular gas, E85 is usually cheaper. So mixing E85 and regular gas can also decrease the fuel cost of your car. But before mixing E85 and regular gas, you need to take professional advice.
If you are not careful and expert enough at mixing different types of fuel, it can damage the internal health of your car and increase the maintenance cost.
What happens if you mix E85 with octane or regular gas?
Mixing E85 with octane or regular gas can bring mixed results. Let’s discuss below in detail.
E85 & Regular Gas/87 octane:
You can mix E85 and regular gas or 87 octanes in flex-fuel vehicles. When you mix E85 and regular gas/87 octane, the ethanol ratio of the mixed fuel will change slightly.
E85 is used in ethanol engine-based cars and regular gas or 87 octanes is used in gasoline engine-based cars.
But using a blend of E85 and regular gas or 87 octane gas will not improve the performance of your flex-fuel vehicle. In the long run, it will probably damage the engine of your car and increase the maintenance cost.
So you have to follow the manufacturer’s advice before using any blend in your flex-fuel engine.
E85 & 89 octane:
89 octane gas is considered a midlevel octane. It is used in gasoline engine-based cars. Before mixing E85 and 89 octanes, you have to make sure that your car has a flex-fuel engine and has the ability to burn the ethanol that comes with E85.
If you don’t have a flex-fuel vehicle and possess a regular fuel vehicle, mixing E85 with 89 octane gas will inevitably damage the internal condition of your car. It is better to listen to the manufacturer’s advice before mixing and applying any flex-fuel.
E85 & 91 octane:
91 octane is high-performance premium fuel. It gives your car better mileage. Before mixing E85 & 91 octane gas, you have to find out if your car engine supports flex-fuel. You should not put E85 and 91 octane mix in a regular gas engine.
Mixing three gallons of E85 with seven gallons of 91 octanes will get a new octane rating of 94 and that blend will be called E33. That means the new blend fuel will contain thirty-three percent ethanol.
E85 & 93 octane:
E85 and 93 octane can be mixed to create a flex-fuel blend. But it does not bring any additional benefit to the condition of your car. Nothing bad or good will happen after mixing E85 with premium fuel like 93 octanes.
How to calculate the e85 mix?
Calculating an E85 mix can be a tricky thing to do. Let’s discuss in detail the calculation process of the e85 mix.
Identify the engine:
First of all, you will need the type of engine your car possesses. If your car has a regular fuel engine, then you can not put E85 mix in it. Only flex-fuel vehicles can digest the e85 mix.
Putting e85 mix in a regular fuel engine will damage the car and cost you a fortune when it comes to repairing.
Know the elements:
E85 is known to possess eighty-five percent ethanol and fifteen percent gasoline. But in reality, E85 has fifty-one percent ethanol in it because of ASTM international standards.
Before making any E85 mix, you will need to know how much ethanol the new mixture will possess.
If your car is not designed to burn that amount of ethanol, you will have to readjust the mix according to your car’s needs. You will have to mix E85 with 87, 89, 91, or 93 octane gas after calculating the amount of ethanol the new mixture will produce.
Use ethanol gauge:
You can use an ethanol gauge to find out how much ethanol is present in your fuel tank. It will give you an exact idea about the mix you want to create for your car. Making an accurate E85 mix can be a great way to boost the performance of your car engine.
So before making any E85 mix, do not forget to use an ethanol gauge to find out the current ethanol level in your fuel tank.
Does e85 give you better gas mileage?
E85 is cheaper than regular gas. It means that a gallon of E85 will cost you less than a gallon of regular gas. But lower buying cost does not usually mean better gas mileage. In fact, E85 gives your car fifteen to twenty percent fewer miles per gallon than regular gas.
You might think E85 will give your better gas mileage because of its cheap price. But it is not the case. Miles per gallon and buying cost are two different things. So even though E85 is cheaper than regular gas, it does not give you better gas mileage.
Is E85 better for your engine?
E85 can be used in flex-fuel engines only. If you put E85 in your regular gasoline engine, it will absolutely damage your car engine and increase your car’s maintenance cost. E85 is not good at all for regular gasoline engines and should not be used.
But E85 is an excellent choice for flex-fuel engines. It also works as a capable cleaner for your car engine.
E85 is a mix of eighty-five percent ethanol and fifteen percent gasoline and ethanol can potently clean your car’s fuel lines, fuel injectors, combustion chamber, and engine.
Final thoughts
E85 can be mixed 87, 89, 91, 93 octanes, or regular gas. This mixture can only be used in flex-fuel vehicles. Before using the E85 mix in the car, one needs to calculate the ethanol and octane levels of the car. It is better to seek professional advice before putting the E85 mix in the fuel tank.