KGP
09-26-2008, 06:32 AM
With E85 becoming more available and people using E85 as a race gas alternative, I have been getting more and more people asking if they can run E85 with their KGParts rails so I decided to take the time to do a little write up for people to refer to with some explanations. The simple answer is yes. The longer answer is Not without anodizing them first.
As I am sure you have read or heard from a friend, E85 is more corrosive than gasoline. This is true. With the rails being made of aluminum, you have to consider that aluminum is a highly conductive material that relies on an oxide to protect it from corrosion. When running a low level of ethanol (such as 10% in your pump gas) this is usually not an issue. When running a more concentrated amount of ethanol (85% in summer blends and 70% in winter blends) the hydroscopic properties of ethanol rears it ugly head. This basically means that ethanol "absorbs" water and with a higher level (such as found in E85) there will be a higher amount of water in your tank and in your fuel system. Normal gasoline provides the protective coating needed to stop the corrosion effects of air and water on aluminum, where E85 will not and will actually accelerate the corrosion rate. The long term effect is that it will actually perforate the aluminum.
How do you stop this? Simple. Have us anodize the rails for you. To keep the costs down for the end user, we offer the rails in "plain" aluminum as opposed to anodized as most users are going to be running gasoline. Anodizing will coat the rail and provide the corrosive protection it needs to be run with E85.
The corrosive effects will also be sped up if other low level contaminants are picked up (like copper) from the use of brass fittings in the lines. The corrosion particles will clog fuel filters as well as the filters found in the injectors. These filters are very small and can clog easier than you may think. These filters can be purchased individually for maintenance here:
Injector-Rehab - Fuel injector cleaning, flow testing, and complete blueprinting service. (http://injector-rehab.com/outpatient/injectorparts.htm)
http://injector-rehab.com/images/filters/2-109.jpg
We see it every day when performing service on customer's injectors. Poor flow rate (volume) and spray pattern will ultimately cause the loss of a motor, especially if this change in the injector's performance was not (tried to be) compensated for through pulse width correction in tuning.
So.... YES, you CAN use the KGParts rails with E85, BUT... be sure to chose to have them anodized and specify when ordering that you will be running E85.
Hope that helps.
As I am sure you have read or heard from a friend, E85 is more corrosive than gasoline. This is true. With the rails being made of aluminum, you have to consider that aluminum is a highly conductive material that relies on an oxide to protect it from corrosion. When running a low level of ethanol (such as 10% in your pump gas) this is usually not an issue. When running a more concentrated amount of ethanol (85% in summer blends and 70% in winter blends) the hydroscopic properties of ethanol rears it ugly head. This basically means that ethanol "absorbs" water and with a higher level (such as found in E85) there will be a higher amount of water in your tank and in your fuel system. Normal gasoline provides the protective coating needed to stop the corrosion effects of air and water on aluminum, where E85 will not and will actually accelerate the corrosion rate. The long term effect is that it will actually perforate the aluminum.
How do you stop this? Simple. Have us anodize the rails for you. To keep the costs down for the end user, we offer the rails in "plain" aluminum as opposed to anodized as most users are going to be running gasoline. Anodizing will coat the rail and provide the corrosive protection it needs to be run with E85.
The corrosive effects will also be sped up if other low level contaminants are picked up (like copper) from the use of brass fittings in the lines. The corrosion particles will clog fuel filters as well as the filters found in the injectors. These filters are very small and can clog easier than you may think. These filters can be purchased individually for maintenance here:
Injector-Rehab - Fuel injector cleaning, flow testing, and complete blueprinting service. (http://injector-rehab.com/outpatient/injectorparts.htm)
http://injector-rehab.com/images/filters/2-109.jpg
We see it every day when performing service on customer's injectors. Poor flow rate (volume) and spray pattern will ultimately cause the loss of a motor, especially if this change in the injector's performance was not (tried to be) compensated for through pulse width correction in tuning.
So.... YES, you CAN use the KGParts rails with E85, BUT... be sure to chose to have them anodized and specify when ordering that you will be running E85.
Hope that helps.