Background of E85
Why does E85 contain 15% gasoline? Because passenger cars will not start well in cold climates on 100% Ethanol. In fact, in cold weather E85 gets blended down to E70 as the gasoline content is increased for cold weather starting and drivability. Just like gasoline is seasonally blended for geographic areas, the percentage of gas in E85 fluctuates between as low as 15% to as high as 30%. Unfortunately, the 15% gasoline component may or may not be gasoline. Since the function of the 15% is to add vaporization, refiners often use a low-grade gasoline component, or what they call “refinery drippings” for the 15% content.
Renegade E85
Our racing Pro E85 does not contain pump gas or refinery drippings. It is blended with premium cut alkylate and is blended at 85% Ethanol regardless of season. Not only is it a much more consistent blend, but it also makes more power since the “gas” portion is a premium alkylate, not a low-grade pump gas.
Renegade produces two types of E85, an unleaded version and a leaded version. What is the difference? While alcohols are not rated/tested the same as gasolines, a good E85 will have a motor octane number of around 100+. This is usually more than enough for many racing applications due to the cooling benefits of the ethanol. An engine on E85 can withstand much higher cylinder pressure than that of the equivalent gasoline due to the effects of the alcohol. However, if an engine builder/tuner feels that more octane is needed, then our E85 leaded will be a great choice and provide an approximate octane level of 112.