Quote from: Blackhawk on March 02, 2018, 11:20:20 AM
Even with full e85 it would be helpful to have this gauge instead of having to constantly test the mix. It can vary greatly between stations.
Quote from: DerricksSho on March 03, 2018, 04:20:41 AM
I think this gauge was a good investment because stations do vary. I have had mine on my car well over a year now Ive done lots of data logs so It HELPS to be able to tell your tuner what is in the tank not what you think is in the tank.
A flex fuel setup uses an ethanol content sensor (probably similar to what is there for the gauge) but actually translates that info to something that the ECU/tune reads, IN REAL TIME. $400 to be able to tell my tuner after the fact, oh btw, were at E75 on this tank, instead of E80 or something like that, not really worth it IMO. It would only help when looking to retune, unless you guys have a plethora of tune files with slightly tweaked stoich targets depending if your blend it +/- a few points of Ethanol concentration.
With regards to a true flex fuel setup however, the stoic target would get modified in real time, and you could even go from the extreme of full E85 to straight 93, or hell maybe even 91, and the tune would adjust to compensate, meaning you would be able to run whatever fuel was available without ever worrying. Cant find E85 on a long road trip, no worries, E85 concentration changed due to season/station, no worries. No need to go back and get a new tune etc.
On a fixed fuel setup in the car, you are limited to changes after the fact, and doing a complete re-tune in terms of download, to account for fuel changes. In that case, IMO the gauge is a paperweight, since you can do the same with a cheap tester at the pump, and you need to be as close to, if not exact, to your previous mix. I guess it helps with keeping a perfect E20/E30/ etc. blend but not worth the cost for something that does not dynamically change the tune.