Greetings!

I'm getting a 2012 'Burban 2500, and I can't seem to find any info on line whether or not I can run E85 in it. Does anyone know? Do you have experience with E85? I know my mileage will go down a bit, but are there any other issues with it?

Thanks!

 

No, the 6.0 is not a FlexFuel motor and you cannot run E85. The 2500 trucks aren't subject to CAFE regulations (8600 GVWR), so GM has no incentive to make them even remotely fuel efficient. Enjoy your 12-13 city MPG!

And no, I didn't notice a difference when I ran a full tank of E85 in my Denali. Besides the abysmal mileage (like 8 MPG), I didn't notice any appreciable gain in power. I've read on various fora on the internet (so it must be true! ), that the engine would recognize the E85 and adjust the timing to make a little more power, since E85 is roughly 100 octane and is less prone to detonation. My seat of the pants dyno did not register any power increase. And it seemed to me to be a wash - the lower cost is canceled out by the lower gas mileage. And with a 26-gallon tank in the Denali, you barely get a 200-mile range. You really could see the needle moving as you drove it.

From page 5-7 of my Suburban owners manual:

Fuel E85 (85% Ethanol)
The 8th digit of the Vehicle Identification Number (VIN)
shows the code letter or number that identifies your
vehicle’s engine. The VIN is at the top left of the
instrument panel. See Vehicle Identification Number
(VIN) on page 5-115.

If your vehicle has the 5.3L V8 engine (Code 0) or the
5.3L V8 engine (Code 3), you can use either regular
unleaded gasoline or ethanol fuel containing up to 85%
ethanol (E85); also see Fuel on page 5-5. In all other
engines, use only the unleaded gasoline described
under Gasoline Octane on page 5-5.

Only vehicles that have the 5.3L V8 engine (Code 0) or
the 5.3L V8 engine (Code 3) can use 85% ethanol
fuel (E85). We encourage the use of E85 in vehicles that
are designed to use it. The ethanol in E85 is a
“renewable” fuel, meaning it is made from renewable
sources such as corn and other crops.

Many service stations will not have an 85% ethanol fuel
(E85) pump available. The U. S. Department of
Energy has an alternative fuels website
(www.eere.energy.gov/afdc/infrastructure/locator.html)
that can help you find E85 fuel. Those stations that
do have E85 should have a label indicating ethanol
content. Do not use the fuel if the ethanol content
is greater than 85%.

At a minimum, E85 should meet ASTM Specification
D 5798. By definition, this means that fuel labeled E85
will have an ethanol content between 70% and 85%.
Filling the fuel tank with fuel mixtures that do not meet
ASTM specifications can affect drivability and could
cause the malfunction indicator lamp to come on.

 

1. don't get me started on ethanol fuel.
2. don't use it. just don't... it's awful in every aspect for engines designed to run on gasoline. it's even awful for the planet, corn prices, beef prices, and land...

 

Hi, my neighbor loves E85 in his race car. https://www.holley.com/blog/post/drag_racing_with_e85/

 

All I can say are two things:

1. I agree that ethanol is not a good gasoline additve at all

2. At least it's not MTBE!! What a nightmare that crap was.

 

Ethanol is especially anathema to small engines like lawn mowers, weed eaters, snowblowers, chainsaws, etc.

 

Spot on. My Husky chan saw had the carb seals and fuel lines hardened by 10 percent ethanol gasoline. Had to overhual the whole system.

Now
I drain the fuel into the gas can and run the motor dry after I am done. Stuff ruins older motorcycle fuel systems too. More money for the corn corp. aggregates, no matter th a that it has half the BTU's
then gasoline. Go figure.