Gas prices VS converting to e85 flex fuel

Hey guys just wanted some insight on the subject .
I understand that some tundras came flex fuel and had fuel pump and cold start issues that have been fixed I'm guessing.
I have a 2021 crewmax. My dilemma is I love driving my truck but I'm damn near paying 200 bucks to fill it up.
I'm wondering what it would take to properly run flex fuel setup on my truck.
We already have flex fuel vehicles in the family with zero issues .
We run a few tanks of regular gasoline every now and then and use fuel system cleaners to keep the fuel system from clogging.
I'm thinking I would need to switch injectors, fuel pump, add flex fuel sensor , and some kind of tuner/tune

Thanks In advance for any input

 

I was under the assumption that E85 gets worse gas mileage in the FFV's so the lower cost per gallon is negligible. I could be incorrect though.

 

definitely not worth the cost and effort in my option, if it is even possible.

You would probably be spending a bunch of money to get 1 MPG improvement, if that. I am not sure the flex engines get any better MPG in a Tundram, both estimated at 13/17. Then there is the fact that those changes could, probably would, impact the warranty on your 2021. V8 trucks like gas. You knew the 13-17MPG EPA rating on your 2021 when you purchased.

Want to save gas? Don't lift the truck, keep stock size, SL load tires, never let the truck idle for more than a minute and drive smoother and slower. Even then, it is still a big v8 in a heavy truck, so maybe you can squeak out 15/19 mpg. I saw 19MPG on trips when my truck was stock and I drove like grandma.

 

Depends on how much do you drive a year and how high gas prices go. Probably not viable as a cost saving measure since you wont realize the savings for several tens of thousands of miles.

 

Im not looking to make the truck more fuel efficient. I bought the truck fully aware of the MPG.
Gas in my area is reaching $7 a gallon, while e85 is at $2.99.
I was hoping to pay less at the pump. , And yes e85 will slightly decrease MPG by a mile or 2.

 

Check your owners manual. Your truck will likely run E85 as is.

Paying less at the pump but having to back to the pump more frequently makes no sense whatsoever.

 

OUCH $7.00!! We are not there as of this date so I see why the E85 route is def being considered. We are still around the $4/gal range in South Louisiana currently and the E85 is only about a $1 cheaper.

 

I'll definitely look into that thanks , I mean $7 vs $2.99. is less than half the price. I'd be saving over 100 bucks every fill up. You guys are making me feel crazy lol.

Again thank you all for the responses

 

No, it will not. Toyota dropped the FF setup in either 2020 or 2021 model year. They were streamlining production end of life and were only producing non FF Tundras.

 

Again depends on how much you drive. Given those number and assuming you get 17 MPG now you can expect a little over 2X travel distance for the same price (accounting for -2MPG on E85). Your break even point depends on how much you drive with the big delta on what the gas prices will do moving forward.

 

Also, it will say on the fuel cap if you can use E-85.

 

I was running through a full tank a week before the prices of gas shot up, now I'm driving a Corolla to save a bit.
I've heard prices might continue to rise ? which would suck

 

Time to break out the horse and buggy

 

Hahaha

 

Run a tank of E85 and document mileage. Run a tank of regular and document mileage. Before prices shot up normally a break even point was around 50 to 60 cents a gallon less for E85 to justify the loss of MPG.

If 7 bucks vs 3 is your dilemma you should have no problem saving money even with reduced MPGs

 

Yeah I was thinking the same thing, I just don't know what it takes to mod my truck to make it flex fuel

 

You highlighted all the key upgrades in your OP you can probably get a general ballpark for OEM parts, labor will vary per shop. If half of what you currently spend on gas is higher than your estimate it will be worth it after a year.

 

Quick bit o' google. It's worth what you paid for it, but it might give you an idea of the can of worms you might open.



https://itstillruns.com/differences-fuel-engines-gas-engines-5780695.html

 

ECU, injectors, fuel pump… I’m in the not worth it crowd if it’s possible. Probably much more economical to find a beater / EV for commute.

 

I had a 2013 F-150 5.0L V8 that was FF friendly. It got about 13 MPG on E85, and about 15 MPG on 87 octane pump gas. When I did the math, I figured that at $0.40/gallon difference I was breaking even. If I could find E85 for $0.50/gallon less expensive or greater, I could save money with it.

Here lately, the pricing has been very close between E85 and gasoline and I don't understand why, so on my Tundra I haven't used E85 yet.

Yes, I did also notice on the Ford that temps below 40F made morning starts more difficult on E85. But, I also did notice a significant increase in power. Ford officially only rated it 15 horsepower gain on E85 but it sure felt like more.

 

My 2015 is FFV and I was wondering this same thing recently. Thanks for posting.

Any truth that running e85 causes a bit more wear and tear? I remember hearing that when they came out.

 

It is more corrosive than normal gasoline. I don't know to what degree, or how long it would take for it to be a noticeable factor for additional wear.

 

Ethanol is harder on plastics/rubber. Not good to let it sit for a long time.

 

I've read that non-FF Tundras are supposed to get oil changes every 10k miles.
FF engines every 5K miles.

 

From my understanding it can wear fuel lines not meant for ethanol, as far as wearing your engine I don't think so , it's a cleaner burn with less carbon buildup and less detonation . They use it alot on sports cars / race cars

 

And 2.5k or every 3 months if using E85…

 

Damn, I didn't know that..

 

There's a big obstacle here for you, OP. Sure, fuel lines, fuel pump, etc are all going to be expensive, but I don't think 2020+ ECUs have even been cracked yet to allow for a tune to run E85. So even if you were to get the hardware at a good price, you'll also have to beat the pro-tuners to market with a custom E85 tune on your 2021 ECU.

@ViktorG is a very reputable tuner on here. Maybe he would like to chime in with thoughts or suggestions.

 

Yes the ecu is the biggest hurdle. I want it to be like OEM . No engine light or issues .

 

"FFVs operating on E85 get roughly 15% to 27% fewer miles per gallon than when operating on regular gasoline"