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dbkindt · Joined: 26 Mar 2005 Posts: 3 Location: Nebraska

My 2000 S-10 manual states that "DO NOT USE THE FUEL IF THE MINIMUM ETHANOL CONTENT IS GREATER THAN 85%" I have varified on my VIN number on the pickup that I can use this "E85" fuel.

Question: With the above statement "DO NOT USE THE FUEL IF THE MINIMUM ETHANOL CONTENT IS GREATER THAN 85%" in mind I look at a pump with E85 on it but it also states "Octane =100+". The manual states that the engine can use octane 87 or higher, and that the fuel should meet ASTM D 5798 specifications. 100+ is quite a lot more than 87. Am I still OK with the E85 fuel at this pump Question

dbkindt[/b]

specialgreen · Posted: Sat Mar 26, 2005 8:43 pm Post subject:

It sounds like you've got an E-85-compatible truck there (congrats!). That means that Chevy took the increased octane into account when they programmed the engine's computer system (the "chip").

To be honest, for normal driving, that extra 13+ octane won't change things inside the engine too much. It will not put any extra stress on your engine. What it really means is that, under heavy load (such as when towing), your engine will not "ping" as easily as it did with gasoline. This means that you may be able to drive with the engine at a lower RPM while towing, than you could when using gasoline. So that would help boost your MPG when using E-85 and towing, or doing other hard work with the engine (like cruising up and down the hills in Omaha).

So go ahead and try E-85. The extra octane doesn't cause a problem for an E-85 certified truck like yours.

MazdaRangerSTL · Joined: 17 Aug 2005 Posts: 5

Just so you know, octane is just a rating, whereas ethanol content is a percentage, and they are two totally different things.

100+ octane does NOT mean you have more than 85% ethanol, it just means it burns cooler. The higher the octane rating, the less likely your engine is going to knock (trust me it WON'T knock at all with E85)

Congratulations on your flex-fuel truck... fill 'er up and enjoy the extra power!