E85

[Jed]

Originally Posted by tpunx99GSX

Someone should do a quick test. Grab a bunch of rubber o rings and aluminum and some e-85. Drop the pieces in a Beaker (yeah i said beaker) and let them sit there. see how much damage it actually does to rubber o rings and aluminum over time.

I did do this back in the day actually. I filled a pan with E85 and put a piece of stock DSM (91 era) rubber fuel hose, brass fittings, aluminum, DSM bolt, AN fitting and probably a couple other things I can't think of now and sealed it up with a cover on it. It sat for 2 years until I opened it back up and nothing in there was significantly damaged. Not a very scientific test but it was enough to convince me that it wasn't going to annihilate anything in my fuel system as the internet would have you believe.

[Tachyon]

Originally Posted by goodhart

And yet people can still run it in their 20 year old DSM's without their rubber fuel lines and aluminum fuel rails falling apart. Must not be that bad.

Going on 6 years of continuous use in my 21 year old car.

Contextual truth perhaps, but there are many types of synthetic rubber compounds and aluminum alloys and ethanol blends. Modern pump ethanol has drying agents to keep an actually 100% neutral substance (read, non-caustic) from interacting with impurities of gas (cheifly water) and starting a corrosive reaction.

Can ethanol cause minor oxidation on raw aluminum under certain conditions, sure. Does this really apply to the context of our common hobby? Well, the proof is in the pudding.

[Kracka]

I'm just stating fact, nothing more, nothing less. There is too much misinformation about ethanol floating around the internet.

[polishmafia]

LOL @ 5 year old thread and backtracking on old posts

[Shane@DBPerformance]

I wouldn't call ethanol very caustic, maybe slightly corrosive. Methanol is very corrosive. Real "rubber" has problems with any petroleum products like oil and gasoline. Ethanol is just a different name for plain old alcohol, the same exact kind found in the booze you drink.

[tpunx99GSX]

Originally Posted by Shane@DBPerformance

I wouldn't call ethanol very caustic, maybe slightly corrosive. Methanol is very corrosive. Real "rubber" has problems with any petroleum products like oil and gasoline. Ethanol is just a different name for plain old alcohol, the same exact kind found in the booze you drink.

MOONSHINE!

[bramagedained]

I almost put shine in my car as a bet while I was at my buddy's house in Kentucky.

Which makes you wonder. Could you run one of our cars on a bottle of 190 proof Everclear? Is the 95% Ethanol and 5% Water workable?

[Tachyon]

I am betting you could... I am half tempted to dredge up the whole prohibition conspiracy around this, tongue-in-cheek of course.

Oh what the hell,

Linky