[AWSAWS]

I'm going to try some of this fuel this week and see how much boost map 5 allows me to run. I normally use Shell's Nito+ but it seems thanks to the EU mandates all fuels are up to 5% ethanol these days.

I do read that many people think that Shells Vpower (and I suppose Nitro+) is formulated better than momentum etc but now a few M3 owners are concerned about rev hunting with nitro+ on cold starts thanks to suspected ethanol. My 335 is unhappy for about the first 2 mins of driving from a cold start. Very jerky when moving off, sometimes rev hunts for a while when idling on the drive. I tried some Esso premium unleaded but that's 97 ron. I believe Nitro+ is also around 99 ron.

What kind of experiences have you guys had?

I want to add some ethanol myself (to a tank of petrol) to boost the octane rating but I haven't been brave enough to do it yet. I'm happy running a fuel with ethanol in it so I figure I'll try the momentum. I was using shell because I didn't think it had ethanol in (more energy per litre and better mileage) and most people seemed to rate it the best fuel.

[marknjayne]

i used to get less knock counts with tesco 99 with the skylines,i owned eight skylines and tried all the decent fuels while monitoring knock ,i averaged 10 counts less on tesco ,think its due to v-power having a lot of additives,if you only run v-power you will notice your spark plugs are orange at the tip too

[gaza01]

Interested in yr findings op

[AWSAWS]

A bit chilly tonight. Went to do a first WOT run in 3rd gear on map 5 from 2000 rpm and the wheels just spun like crazy. Traction control kicked in even in DTC mode. Staying on map 2 until I can do a few WOT runs. I'm going to log them as well. Looks promising.

[AWSAWS]

Originally Posted by marknjayne

i used to get less knock counts with tesco 99 with the skylines,i owned eight skylines and tried all the decent fuels while monitoring knock ,i averaged 10 counts less on tesco ,think its due to v-power having a lot of additives,if you only run v-power you will notice your spark plugs are orange at the tip too

Thanks, I thought the Momentum may allow a little extra boost. Interested to see if I get similar MPGs as well. Suspect I may get a little less.

[russjonesr]

I run both with no issue, i think v-power now also contains 5% ethanol? I would also like to add some more ethanol to see how it goes on a e20 mix, the guys in the US seem to love the stuff. Bonnymans sell a denatured ethanol with a low water content that should work just fine but its still expensive, £95 for 20 litres delivered!

[AWSAWS]

Originally Posted by russjonesr

I run both with no issue, i think v-power now also contains 5% ethanol? I would also like to add some more ethanol to see how it goes on a e20 mix, the guys in the US seem to love the stuff. Bonnymans sell a denatured ethanol with a low water content that should work just fine but its still expensive, £95 for 20 litres delivered!

I got some of this not knowing about the potential water content issue.

http://www.ekofuel.org/bioethanol-fu...ireplaces.html

I haven't been brave enough to go for it yet. I'm still a little bit worried about damaging seals etc in the system but if the car can handle E10 then E20 would probably just mean more rapid degradation. BMW say that service intervals don't need to change when using E10. I read ethanol increases the rate at which water can mix with engine oil.

I believe Shell are required to add ethanol to meet the EU biofuel mandate with a max 5% upper limit, set to become 10% soon. I may be wrong.

BMW Thailand already officially launched (in 2010) an E20 compatible car. Their fuel has been mandatory 10% ethanol for some time.

http://www.bmw.co.th/th/en/general/b...ead.php?id=467

[Hibbyfor]

Morrisons used to actually sell it at the pumps a couple of years ago, they discontinued it due to lack of interest I believe. Think it was around 94p a litre IIRC

[russjonesr]

I think we have both been down the same route

I queried water content with Bonnymans and they said it was 99% pure ethanol so basically dehydrated ethanol which is what we need for a mix.

There is no concern over seals...all cars since around 1994 have had to had the ability to run on ethanol.

I have just purchased a BT cable and was planning on loading up the BMS back end race flash before giving it a try. ( Already have meth)

I will keep you guys posted...

[AWSAWS]

Originally Posted by russjonesr

I think we have both been down the same route

I queried water content with Bonnymans and they said it was 99% pure ethanol so basically dehydrated ethanol which is what we need for a mix.

There is no concern over seals...all cars since around 1994 have had to had the ability to run on ethanol.

I have just purchased a BT cable and was planning on loading up the BMS back end race flash before giving it a try. ( Already have meth)

I will keep you guys posted...

Sounds good!

The American's often add a Walbro fuel pump don't they, to help with the extra load demanded by ethanol.

It would be great to see E85 come back so this could be done from a pump at a reasonable price and knowing water content wasn't a concern.

[AWSAWS]

The momentum today felt a little bit more jerky for a little bit longer on a cold start. Performance when driving with a warm engine feels very good.

[windymissile]

You will need to do 3 wot pulls in 3rd for map 5 to adapt.
I have been down the same road and found that my 335i ran better, with more boost on Momentum.
To be honest tho, it's a negligible improvement in these conditions.
An extra few bhp won't make any difference if you can't put it on the road.
WM

[AWSAWS]

Originally Posted by windymissile

You will need to do 3 wot pulls in 3rd for map 5 to adapt.
I have been down the same road and found that my 335i ran better, with more boost on Momentum.
To be honest tho, it's a negligible improvement in these conditions.
An extra few bhp won't make any difference if you can't put it on the road.
WM

Yes I reset the map and then went back to 5. Had a clear run for the first WOT. Car was all over the place so I decided to wait for better conditions.
I wonder how much difference 16psi might make to say 15psi over a quarter mile.

[Waspo]

My Take on this....

I am no Expert on Ron's, Maps etc etc, i know when i use Tesco Shite i have to stand there longer as it foams up like soapy water. this cause the auto shut off on the nozzle to operate, taking longer for me to brim the tank.

When i use Shell (All the time now) it does not foam up and takes me much shorter time to fill up?????

Do these discount supermarkets add a detergent substance??

For Me it has to be Shell Nitro+ and i will go out of my way to find a shell station. I even have the shell pp which guides me to the nearest Shell!!

[russjonesr]

Okay bought 10L from Eko Fuel will try it this weekend and log providing the weather is reasonable

[AWSAWS]

I did a calc in Excel like this:

Assuming you have 2 nice 5L bottles.

E5 fuel

Petrol in tank = 27 litres
Actual petrol @95% = 25.65
Ethanol @5% = 1.35

Ethanol to add for 20% = 5.06

Tank volume after addition = 32.06
Total Ethanol after = 6.4125

[AWSAWS]

For 10 litres.

54 litres total
51.3l = petrol, 2.7l = ethanol
Ethanol to add 10.125

After 12.825l Ethanol total

Tank volume after = 64.125 -> Full capacity of a 335i is supposed to be 63 litres.

[windymissile]

Thanks for the calcs. Those are handy numbers to have.

WM

[Greg330]

Originally Posted by Waspo

My Take on this....

I am no Expert on Ron's, Maps etc etc, i know when i use Tesco Shite i have to stand there longer as it foams up like soapy water. this cause the auto shut off on the nozzle to operate, taking longer for me to brim the tank.

When i use Shell (All the time now) it does not foam up and takes me much shorter time to fill up?????

Do these discount supermarkets add a detergent substance??

For Me it has to be Shell Nitro+ and i will go out of my way to find a shell station. I even have the shell pp which guides me to the nearest Shell!!

Interesting, never realised it was a result of foaming!

Unfortunately limited when it comes to Shell stations...

[russjonesr]

Will probably start off with a e15 mix just to see how it performs, then bump up to e20 and then e25 which from reading is getting to the top end of the fuel pumps

[windymissile]

I've ran on European e10 with no noticeable difference at all.
E35 is regarded as a safe place to start. Anything below that will be a waste of expensive Ethanol I think.
Interested to see your findings either way.

Wm

[russjonesr]

I think e35 maybe top end for our motors, see the thread below max recommendation is 45/55 e85 to petrol....so you are ending up with e38....that said it looks like some of the guys run e40 on map 7!


http://www.n54tech.com/forums/showthread.php?t=15674