Tap the Power of E85 the Right Way with ProFlex from Advanced Fuel Dynamics

Anyone with a late model performance or off-road vehicle should want to run E85, a potent race grade fuel that makes more power than gasoline and is readily available at local pumps in nearly every corner of the US.

So why don’t more horsepower happy drivers run E85?  The simple answer is that most vehicles are not flex fuel ready from the factory, which means they are not equipped to properly manage fuel with a high percentage of ethanol in their gas tank.

Add to that the variations in fuel blend from one pump to another and not even an E85 tune can do the job right.  Pump E85 is actually a blend of gas and ethanol in varying concentrations from 51-83% ethanol by volume, meaning you will never find true E85 (85% ethanol) anywhere but in a barrel of E85 race fuel.

In short, if you run an E85 tune on your ride and get E52 at the pump you run the risk of messing up your air/fuel ratio and torching your engine.

The ProFlex Commander Module, fuel lines, and the fuel sensor.

So what’s a guy or gal to do if they want the extra horsepower and torque available from E85? Enter the ProFlex Commander from Advanced Fuel Dynamics. 

These guys are the experts on all things E85.  The ProFlex system utilizes a sensor that can tell exactly how much gas and ethanol is in your fuel.  This information is fed to Advanced Fuel Dynamics’ patented Commander control module which modifies fuel delivery to maximize power and protect your engine no matter what blend you are running.  From 100% gasoline to 100% ethanol, the Commander module utilizes their BlendSense™ infinitely variable fuel mapping technology to deliver the exact right amount of fuel to your injectors. 

Systems come complete and can be installed in about an hour right in your driveway or garage. It’s pretty simple stuff.  Just plug in their harness, replace a couple of quick connect fuel lines with provided lines and the sensor, throw a ground wire under an existing bolt and plug the Commander module into the harness. That’s it.  They even provide a smartphone app so you can hook up via Bluetooth and see the exact fuel blend as it passes through the sensor.  Once it’s all plugged in you are ready to head to the E85 pump in your area.  The installed system is practically invisible under the hood.

The ProFlex system not only allows you to run any blend of E85, it also makes it possible to switch from E85 to gas and back anytime you want.  The ProFlex system adapts to changes in fuel seamlessly making it the only true flexfuel retrofit system on the market.

Advanced Fuel Dynamics dyno tests every system they sell in their R&D lab to measure power gains and monitor engine parameters to ensure engine safety.  For example, their Hellcat gained a whopping 70 hp on the dyno with just the system installed and a few gallons of E85 in the tank. The JK Wrangler 6-banger gained 30 hp and, more importantly, 30 ft-lbs of ground pounding torque. 

But power is not the only upside to running E85.  A 50% gas/ethanol blend has the equivalent octane rating of 105 octane race gas, making it extremely stable and resistant to knock.  E85 race fuel, which is truly 85% ethanol and can be purchased by the barrel, has an untouchable equivalency of 114 octane.  In a nutshell, E85 doesn’t knock.

While high octane fuels allow you to run more timing, that is not where the power lies in ethanol-based fuels.  E85 has more energy availability than gasoline, with a faster flame front and a higher expansion rate.  This means more energy in the cylinder which translates to more power at all rpms, providing usable power from idle to redline.  Not many power upgrades give you significant gains over the entire power curve.

E85 also cleans your engine and lowers emissions and because it is a “cold fuel” it also reduces cylinder temperatures saving the engine wear and tear.  Marine racing engines that used to have to be rebuilt after every race can now run four full races without a rebuild after switching to E85. 

So, is there a downside to running E85?  Many people think that E85 will wreck their fuel lines, seals and gaskets but that’s not the case.  Since reformulated gas, like E10, hit the pumps in 1998 all cars have been built to be ethanol compatible, so late model owners have already got E85 ready fuel system components from the factory.  And if you are doing an engine swap to an LS, Coyote or Gen. 3 HEMI these ethanol compatible fuel system parts are readily available for use with AFD’s engine swap kits.

E85 also loves power adders and max power gas tunes, so you can expect even more power gains with less risk to your engine when you upgrade your ride with a tune, headers, forced induction or whatever you have in mind.

And here is the icing on the E85 cake.  Pump E85 is cheaper than 93 Octane gas, usually by about a buck a gallon, and way cheaper than race gas, so even though you will lose a little fuel mileage running E85 your fuel costs overall will generally be a wash or likely be even cheaper.

Advanced Fuel Dynamics has dyno tested plug and play applications for popular Hemi MOPARS, SRT and V6 Jeeps, V8 Chevys and Fords, BMWs and AMGs.  They even have a full line of UTV kits and systems for V8 trucks from the BIG 3 are in the works.  Imagine the towing power of an extra 30-40 ft-lbs at the wheels just by fueling up at the right pump.

The simple fact is, you’ve got race fuel available at your local gas station and with the proper management from the plug and play ProFlex system from Advanced Fuel Dynamics you can get more power at the pump.  And who wouldn’t want that?