For more octane without special mods, try an ethanol mix

The science says that E85 produces more power than straight gasoline. And then reality reminds us that not every car is tailored for that highly oxygenated fuel. Does a middle ground exist? 

Maybe. Zachary J. Santner, manager of Product Engineering and Business Optimization at Sunoco Performance Products, offers a possible solution: E30, meaning a fuel mixture containing 30% ethanol. That mix adds oxygen for power and cooling yet doesn’t require the same increased fuel loads–meaning larger-capacity pumps and injectors–demanded by E85.  

He reports that some tuners have found that 30% number to work well on cars not tuned or configured to run on E85. Call it a hack of sorts but, he adds, always check with your tuner to make sure it’s safe for your engine.  

How to get E30? Two options. The first, Santner explains, involves mixing your own–which he personally did just to show us the data below. He mixed Sunoco 93–already containing up to 10% ethanol–with the brand’s E85-R, a race fuel always containing exactly 85% ethanol. The ethanol mixture of pump E85, he adds, can range between 51% and 83%. The octane of each mixture was determined with the standard test for octane recognized by the American Petroleum Institute and used by Sunoco for its retail products. 

Another approach: Sunoco now offers a consistent, turnkey solution with its E30-R, a highly oxygenated, high-octane race fuel that always contains 30% ethanol. Either way, that additional headroom can now allow for extra tuning.

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