Next on my list of upgrades was the intake, and E85 Flex Fuel upgrade. For the intake, I went with the K&N Typhoon. I know they actually test and develop their products, so it was a pretty easy choice for me. The only thing I didn’t like about it was the silver tube. Since everything under the hood was black, I just sanded it down and painted it a satin black.
The installation was pretty easy and straightforward. It came with everything needed and took less than 30 minutes. Instructions were included and easy to follow. I purchased the Drycharger filter wrap as well, which helps extend the life of the filter. Since the filter is no longer in an enclosure, you can hear the air being sucked in, so be prepared for that if you haven’t owned an aftermarket intake before.
The E85 Flex Fuel upgrade was one that I was excited to install. E85 has a higher octane rating than regular gasoline, similar to race gas, but at a fraction of the cost. It provides increased power, and because of the cooling properties of ethanol, it helps reduce temperatures as well. Oh, and it’s good for the environment.
I purchased the package from Vermont Tuning. It comes with the ethanol sensor, Flex-fuel hose, wiring harness, 4 flow-matched/balanced injectors, and a custom tune for the ECM. Once installed, the sensor detects the amount of ethanol in the fuel, and the ECM automatically re-calibrates to maximize performance. That means you can run regular gasoline, E85, or any combination of the two.
The installation took a little time. One of the harnesses connected to the ECM needed disconnecting, and the connector was disassembled to add a signal and ground wire. A fuse splice in the under-hood fuse box provided the power. The fuel rail needed removing, the injectors replaced with the new ones, and then the fuel lines connected to the sensor. Not a complicated process, just time-consuming. I’m a little anal about how things look, so instead of using the supplied hose; I bought -6 AN fuel line and quick-connect fittings to clean up the look a little.
The downside of using E85 is that your city MPG drops into the toilet. Highway MPG is excellent, at about 35-38, but city MPG is about 19-20. I drive a combination of highway and city. E85 is about $1.00 per gallon cheaper where I live, so I imagine the cost works out to be about the same for a given mileage. If I’m feeling frisky enough one day, maybe I’ll run the numbers.
DS
