E85 questions

[GlahdoSI]

Hey guys I would like to run e85 but I have a few noob questions. Right now I have a Prl long ram with street maf intake, plm downpipe/frontpipe, Ktuner v.1. From what I’ve been told for you to see your ethanol content you have to either have Honda hack or Ktuner v2 with screen and to run 30-40%. I also am going to probably get a tune from Drob but if there is a cheaper route that is just as safe please list below. I’m a little nervous doing e85 never have delt with it before. Also is it recommended I get a intercooler before doing e85?

Thank you!

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[shibles]

For Si I recommend don't, at least not until there's aftermarket fuel delivery options. OEM injectors have failed on people running completely stock and babying their cars, they're just not good injectors. And every mechanic, tuner, and motorhead I've met and talked to have said ethanol is risky especially on stock fuel delivery. Personally I say you have a good setup that has definitely freed up some of the restrictions put on the engine stock to meet emissions, and a custom tune would compliment it well. Side note, intercooler would be a good route, heat soak is an issue with this car, especially on extended hard driving.

If you do go ethanol, keep a keen eye on your engine parameters and don't let the car sit with ethanol for extended periods of time. And like I said soon as there's aftermarket fuel delivery options, get them and you should be a lot safer running it. Don't go over E40 either, you can read horror stories in these forums of people pushing that limit and blowing up their engines.

For getting the right mixture, I'd get one of these, it'll help a lot because ethanol contents at the pump tend to differ from what their rating says and can make getting the right blend difficult: https://www.amazon.com/Etched-Ethanol-Content-Tester-Gasoline/dp/B07NMV8WGP

Finally I do have a kit I made I'm willing to sell cheaper than premade kits, been running it for quite a while now and it still works great. DM me if interested or if you have any other questions.

Okay rant over lol, happy modding!

 

[10GenPearlSi]

I have the Ktuner 1.2 with TSP stage 2 tune and a TSP ethanol kit. The kit is quality, but the PRL kit is killer! It wasn't available at the time I got my TSP kit. I run E35-E40. I love it! I like the Ktuner 1.2 over the 2.0 as I can run the Tunerview app on my head unit and it talks to the Ktuner dongle, that I leave plugged in, via bluetooth. That way I don't need to have an extra display.

 

[GlahdoSI]

I have the Ktuner 1.2 with TSP stage 2 tune and a TSP ethanol kit. The kit is quality, but the PRL kit is killer! It wasn't available at the time I got my TSP kit. I run E35-E40. I love it! I like the Ktuner 1.2 over the 2.0 as I can run the Tunerview app on my head unit and it talks to the Ktuner dongle, that I leave plugged in, via bluetooth. That way I don't need to have an extra display.

Few questions tunerview is through hondahack correct and if I have a 19 Si am I able to do that also if I run Ethanol I’m most likely going to do about e35-40 max I’m also not going to be running e every day going to be an occasional thing

 

[GlahdoSI]

For Si I recommend don't, at least not until there's aftermarket fuel delivery options. OEM injectors have failed on people running completely stock and babying their cars, they're just not good injectors. And every mechanic, tuner, and motorhead I've met and talked to have said ethanol is risky especially on stock fuel delivery. Personally I say you have a good setup that has definitely freed up some of the restrictions put on the engine stock to meet emissions, and a custom tune would compliment it well. Side note, intercooler would be a good route, heat soak is an issue with this car, especially on extended hard driving.

If you do go ethanol, keep a keen eye on your engine parameters and don't let the car sit with ethanol for extended periods of time. And like I said soon as there's aftermarket fuel delivery options, get them and you should be a lot safer running it. Don't go over E40 either, you can read horror stories in these forums of people pushing that limit and blowing up their engines.

For getting the right mixture, I'd get one of these, it'll help a lot because ethanol contents at the pump tend to differ from what their rating says and can make getting the right blend difficult: https://www.amazon.com/Etched-Ethanol-Content-Tester-Gasoline/dp/B07NMV8WGP

Finally I do have a kit I made I'm willing to sell cheaper than premade kits, been running it for quite a while now and it still works great. DM me if interested or if you have any other questions.

Okay rant over lol, happy modding!

I agree with you to a point if I go ethanol I’m not going to daily it with E85 e30-40 blend but the way I look at it is if I’m going to spend 500-1000$ on a custom tune I’d rather just have it for the occasional sh*tin on people talkin shit ? also for an intercooler I’m thinking of going greddy what are your thoughts on this

 

[shibles]

I agree with you to a point if I go ethanol I’m not going to daily it with E85 e30-40 blend but the way I look at it is if I’m going to spend 500-1000$ on a custom tune I’d rather just have it for the occasional sh*tin on people talkin shit ? also for an intercooler I’m thinking of going greddy what are your thoughts on this

Lol yeah I get your point. I mean just with running premium with essentially a stage 1 tune (stage 2 without E85) I still match or outrun many people that like to talk shit, aka V6 or lower muscle car and BMW or Subie owners.

IC couldn't tell you, I want to get one but I've been focusing on getting a Race MAF PRL cobra CAI and stage 1 tune, so haven't started researching ICs yet.

Also forgot to mention keep an eye on the clutch. Some people's slip, some don't with that tune. Mine can, but if I make sure I'm not lugging the engine, flooring it below 4k rpms, and staying gentle on the clutch it hasn't been an issue.

 

[10GenPearlSi]

Few questions tunerview is through hondahack correct and if I have a 19 Si am I able to do that also if I run Ethanol I’m most likely going to do about e35-40 max I’m also not going to be running e every day going to be an occasional thing

Looking at the Ktuner help file on the Ktuner website under Tunerview Lite, it says it supports 2019 cars. Yes you need to install hondahack. The ethanol sensor in the E85 kit you buy will send a signal to the car's ECU to the tune you install with ktuner. That will adjust your timing and other parameters automatically for whatever ethanol mix you have in the tank. That is, of course, if you have a flex fuel tune loaded in the ECU.

 

[GlahdoSI]

Looking at the Ktuner help file on the Ktuner website under Tunerview Lite, it says it supports 2019 cars. Yes you need to install hondahack. The ethanol sensor in the E85 kit you buy will send a signal to the car's ECU to the tune you install with ktuner. That will adjust your timing and other parameters automatically for whatever ethanol mix you have in the tank. That is, of course, if you have a flex fuel tune loaded in the ECU.

Does the tunerview use wifi or is it just Bluetooth?

 

[ebatr24]

You don't need to hack your headunit, you don't need to monitor your ethanol content all the time. If you have Tunerview on your phone, you can simply connect via bluetooth when you fill up, check your content after driving the car a few minutes to make sure you got the right mixture and then you're good to go until the next fill up. Your ethanol content isn't going to change while in between fill ups. You didn't mention it in your post but I assume you are going to run a flex fuel kit as you should to ensure the car adjusts if your mix is slightly off. For longevity I suggest you find a good source of fuel with a consistent ethanol content or check it whenever you're filling up. I ran E98 from Thunderbolt Racing mixed with 92 premium (E10) on my Si, never had a problem with my injectors after 31k miles, I've seen people go longer too.

 

[10GenPearlSi]

Does the tunerview use wifi or is it just Bluetooth?

I am sorry to take so long to answer. Tunerview lite just connects via Bluetooth to Ktuner. Tunerview app on phone may have more connections via the phone's internet connections. I am not certain about that. It is just that some versions of Tunerview may be able to connect to google maps. I don't see a google map layout in my latest phone version. Maybe that is just a feature in Beta?!

 

[GlahdoSI]

I am sorry to take so long to answer. Tunerview lite just connects via Bluetooth to Ktuner. Tunerview app on phone may have more connections via the phone's internet connections. I am not certain about that. It is just that some versions of Tunerview may be able to connect to google maps. I don't see a google map layout in my latest phone version. Maybe that is just a feature in Beta?!

All good ? I actually did some research myself and got it to work

 

[Pur3MotioN770]

You can get a cheap android tablet, or if you have a Droid phone, run tunerview on that via bluetooth, and leave your headunit untouched.

I ran an ethanol blend via custom tune (by Vitviper) for 2 and a half years and 25-30k miles without an issue, and that's with no flex fuel kit whatsoever. I'm currently in the process of re-tuning on E30 with Drob, again, without a flexfuel kit. Flex fuel kits while convenient, aren't a necessity. Vitviper made this apparent when he was asked about this very subject. Pretty sure his word holds more water than the opinions of random folks on these forums, Facebook, IG, or wherever.

Intercooler is gonna depend on how you use the car. Any kind of racing, whether autocross, drag, Mexico (rolls and digs), or if you're running the car hard on the regular, an intercooler is definitely recommended. If you're just driving the car normally for the most part, and might randomly race someone at a stoplight, every blue moon, you could probably get away without the intercooler.

 

[GlahdoSI]

You can get a cheap android tablet, or if you have a Droid phone, run tunerview on that via bluetooth, and leave your headunit untouched.

I ran an ethanol blend via custom tune (by Vitviper) for 2 and a half years and 25-30k miles without an issue, and that's with no flex fuel kit whatsoever. I'm currently in the process of re-tuning on E30 with Drob, again, without a flexfuel kit. Flex fuel kits while convenient, aren't a necessity. Vitviper made this apparent when he was asked about this very subject. Pretty sure his word holds more water than the opinions of random folks on these forums, Facebook, IG, or wherever.

Intercooler is gonna depend on how you use the car. Any kind of racing, whether autocross, drag, Mexico (rolls and digs), or if you're running the car hard on the regular, an intercooler is definitely recommended. If you're just driving the car normally for the most part, and might randomly race someone at a stoplight, every blue moon, you could probably get away without the intercooler.

Awesome! Well thank you for the information, I’m a pretty spirited driver on the daily ? so my plan right now is to get a Greddy intercooler (staying stock turbo) get a Prl flex fuel kit and custom tuned. Idk when with covid going on but hopefully when things get back to normal

 

[Nickthewaffler]

I've been running e40 on my hatch for a year now. Going over it e40 isn't so bad either, maybe I'm just lucky, but what happens usually is that when you gas it, the fuel system can't keep up and the engine hesitates for a second then needs to be restarted. Either way, you can run it just fine without a cooler or anything and then upgrade the fuel system at a shop or when some company starts to sell a kit to get more gains. A custom tune isn't also necessary if you can just read your logs and adjust for more or less fuel based on your altitude and air Temps in general. I drive extremely aggressive so I've put the system to the test as far as I'm concerned. Yes there is still risk, but it's not big enough for me personally to be concerned. I use ktuner 1.2 without issue to tune it. You don't need a display the ecu automatically sets the AFR.

Edit: I'm on 45k miles, don't know how many tuned by like more than half

Thanks

Nick

 

[EkSean]

It’s kind of hit or miss. Some have issues, some don’t. I haven’t experienced any, yet. I do monitor everything and am in the process of e tuning with DRob. I am full bolt on with W1 turbo though. If you do it properly, it can be reliable.

By all means go with DRob custom tune. I’ve used all the Ktuner base maps (including W1, flexfuel, race maf), tsp1, tsp2 (both street and race). DRobs is by far the best. Can’t even compare, and we’re not even done yet.

Also, Honda has known issues with their direct injection injectors. Certain part numbers have extended warranties. Newer pilots and odyssey’s along with 16+ civics and 18+ accords. Not all of them though.

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