E85 or premium gasoline 2015 Q5 2.0T Premium Plus
05-14-2018, 06:39 PM
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E85 or premium gasoline 2015 Q5 2.0T Premium Plus
First time driver on audi. Notice this is a ffv which means it can be fed with E85 or below. Has anyone had problems using E85 for Q5? I heard a rumor that E85 will corrode the engine quickly like in two years? Should I just pick premium gasoline over the E85 then? Any suggestion is appreciated.
05-14-2018, 08:49 PM
#2
AudiWorld Member
First time driver on audi. Notice this is a ffv which means it can be fed with E85 or below. Has anyone had problems using E85 for Q5? I heard a rumor that E85 will corrode the engine quickly like in two years? Should I just pick premium gasoline over the E85 then? Any suggestion is appreciated.
05-15-2018, 06:06 AM
#3
AudiWorld Super User
First time driver on audi. Notice this is a ffv which means it can be fed with E85 or below. Has anyone had problems using E85 for Q5? I heard a rumor that E85 will corrode the engine quickly like in two years? Should I just pick premium gasoline over the E85 then? Any suggestion is appreciated.
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Audi Junkie (10-11-2022)
05-16-2018, 12:35 PM
#5
AudiWorld Super User
peng-
You can just burn regular gasoline in the car. Last year AAA did dynamometer testing of six very different vehicles that "suggested" using premium, and only one got a 2% gain by using it. Some actually lost, because "premium" is actually less powerful (slower burning) in order to accommodate higher compression and different timing. The tests are on YouTube somewhere.
More important is to burn *clean* gasoline, with better detergents in it. The "TopTier" marketing program certifies members as having high additive loads in their gasoline, that's easy to find. But E85, even in flexfuel engines, may not be a bargain. All depending on local prices, and having to refuel perhaps 1/3 more often because of the range/power loss. Ethanol's ability to hold water makes it more likely it may have water contamination, and even in the flexfuel engines, it is harder on some of the components.
I don't think anyone has done extensive real-world testing with E85 yet. E85 makes sense in Brazil, where crop waste is the alcohol source. But in most of the world, especially the US, where agricultural corn is diverted to create ethanol? It is robbing Peter to pay Paul. Unless you have it available very cheaply, there's just no reason to use it.
You can just burn regular gasoline in the car. Last year AAA did dynamometer testing of six very different vehicles that "suggested" using premium, and only one got a 2% gain by using it. Some actually lost, because "premium" is actually less powerful (slower burning) in order to accommodate higher compression and different timing. The tests are on YouTube somewhere.
More important is to burn *clean* gasoline, with better detergents in it. The "TopTier" marketing program certifies members as having high additive loads in their gasoline, that's easy to find. But E85, even in flexfuel engines, may not be a bargain. All depending on local prices, and having to refuel perhaps 1/3 more often because of the range/power loss. Ethanol's ability to hold water makes it more likely it may have water contamination, and even in the flexfuel engines, it is harder on some of the components.
I don't think anyone has done extensive real-world testing with E85 yet. E85 makes sense in Brazil, where crop waste is the alcohol source. But in most of the world, especially the US, where agricultural corn is diverted to create ethanol? It is robbing Peter to pay Paul. Unless you have it available very cheaply, there's just no reason to use it.
05-16-2018, 12:48 PM
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peng-
You can just burn regular gasoline in the car. Last year AAA did dynamometer testing of six very different vehicles that "suggested" using premium, and only one got a 2% gain by using it. Some actually lost, because "premium" is actually less powerful (slower burning) in order to accommodate higher compression and different timing. The tests are on YouTube somewhere.
More important is to burn *clean* gasoline, with better detergents in it. The "TopTier" marketing program certifies members as having high additive loads in their gasoline, that's easy to find. But E85, even in flexfuel engines, may not be a bargain. All depending on local prices, and having to refuel perhaps 1/3 more often because of the range/power loss. Ethanol's ability to hold water makes it more likely it may have water contamination, and even in the flexfuel engines, it is harder on some of the components.
I don't think anyone has done extensive real-world testing with E85 yet. E85 makes sense in Brazil, where crop waste is the alcohol source. But in most of the world, especially the US, where agricultural corn is diverted to create ethanol? It is robbing Peter to pay Paul. Unless you have it available very cheaply, there's just no reason to use it.
You can just burn regular gasoline in the car. Last year AAA did dynamometer testing of six very different vehicles that "suggested" using premium, and only one got a 2% gain by using it. Some actually lost, because "premium" is actually less powerful (slower burning) in order to accommodate higher compression and different timing. The tests are on YouTube somewhere.
More important is to burn *clean* gasoline, with better detergents in it. The "TopTier" marketing program certifies members as having high additive loads in their gasoline, that's easy to find. But E85, even in flexfuel engines, may not be a bargain. All depending on local prices, and having to refuel perhaps 1/3 more often because of the range/power loss. Ethanol's ability to hold water makes it more likely it may have water contamination, and even in the flexfuel engines, it is harder on some of the components.
I don't think anyone has done extensive real-world testing with E85 yet. E85 makes sense in Brazil, where crop waste is the alcohol source. But in most of the world, especially the US, where agricultural corn is diverted to create ethanol? It is robbing Peter to pay Paul. Unless you have it available very cheaply, there's just no reason to use it.
05-16-2018, 01:12 PM
#7
AudiWorld Super User
"However, it is recommended by the manufacture to fill gasoline with 91 minimum,"
Read your manual very very carefully. It is SUGGESTED that you use premium gasoline, but it is nowhere recommended that you must use it for any reason of performance, reliability, durability etc.
I'm not the only one who has been using US regular grade gasoline for years with no issues. If you are a very aggressive driver who demands getting the greatest performance all of the time, and a 1-2% performance increase is something you cannot stand missing out on, then premium is for you. Mainly this is a marketing tactic, a way of saying you must have a really special car because it "should" have only the finest special gasoline. Utter nonsense for most of us, most of the time. Audi are not the only folks who do this, but as the AAA tests proved, five out of six makers' products saw NO GAIN with premium fuel.
In fact, considering the wide range of mixture and spark timing that a modern engine computer has, your best bet may be to find the lowest octane gasoline you can find. In the US that may be 87 RON or 85 RON. The reason is that low octane fuel explodes at higher speed, which provides more power in the engine--as long as the timing and compression allow for that much power. And with our engine computers, it does.
Gasoline companies have spent decades telling customers to buy "filet minon" because "steak" isn't good enough. There was some benefit to buying some of the higher grades, for some cars and some users, long ago. These days? It is mainly marketing, to make the buyer fell better about their "special" car. As long as the gasoline is a good quality, with a good additive load and reasonably fresh, that's all the car needs. Pump gasoline is intended to be used up within 90 days of manufacture, preferably 60 days, as it contains volatile compounds like heptane and butane that literally boil off while your car is parked.
If you have ever gone looking for bed sheets, the same game is played. A fabric mill literally cannot weave fabric with anything finer than a 300-thread count. The threads are just too thin to work with. So they found a new way to count: If a thread is made with two fiber strands, they call it "600 count". Four strands, and they call it 1200-count. Except, it is still 300-count because that's how many threads there are, no matter how many strands are in each thread. All smoke and mirrors, all marketing.
Read your manual very very carefully. It is SUGGESTED that you use premium gasoline, but it is nowhere recommended that you must use it for any reason of performance, reliability, durability etc.
I'm not the only one who has been using US regular grade gasoline for years with no issues. If you are a very aggressive driver who demands getting the greatest performance all of the time, and a 1-2% performance increase is something you cannot stand missing out on, then premium is for you. Mainly this is a marketing tactic, a way of saying you must have a really special car because it "should" have only the finest special gasoline. Utter nonsense for most of us, most of the time. Audi are not the only folks who do this, but as the AAA tests proved, five out of six makers' products saw NO GAIN with premium fuel.
In fact, considering the wide range of mixture and spark timing that a modern engine computer has, your best bet may be to find the lowest octane gasoline you can find. In the US that may be 87 RON or 85 RON. The reason is that low octane fuel explodes at higher speed, which provides more power in the engine--as long as the timing and compression allow for that much power. And with our engine computers, it does.
Gasoline companies have spent decades telling customers to buy "filet minon" because "steak" isn't good enough. There was some benefit to buying some of the higher grades, for some cars and some users, long ago. These days? It is mainly marketing, to make the buyer fell better about their "special" car. As long as the gasoline is a good quality, with a good additive load and reasonably fresh, that's all the car needs. Pump gasoline is intended to be used up within 90 days of manufacture, preferably 60 days, as it contains volatile compounds like heptane and butane that literally boil off while your car is parked.
If you have ever gone looking for bed sheets, the same game is played. A fabric mill literally cannot weave fabric with anything finer than a 300-thread count. The threads are just too thin to work with. So they found a new way to count: If a thread is made with two fiber strands, they call it "600 count". Four strands, and they call it 1200-count. Except, it is still 300-count because that's how many threads there are, no matter how many strands are in each thread. All smoke and mirrors, all marketing.
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macb00kemdanno (10-13-2019)
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05-16-2018, 03:49 PM
#8
AudiWorld Senior Member
Redd I must admit your apparent knowledge of the bed sheet business makes me a little nervous, Nevertheless when I built my Alfa 2.5L V6 for the track I also built the Ecu - Megasquirt and I set everything up for "regular gas. I run 11.5:1 C ratio and it's very effective on "low" Octane.
Unless you get up above 12:1 and have the ignition control to deal with it, you're wasting your money.
Unless you get up above 12:1 and have the ignition control to deal with it, you're wasting your money.
05-16-2018, 04:28 PM
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"However, it is recommended by the manufacture to fill gasoline with 91 minimum,"
Read your manual very very carefully. It is SUGGESTED that you use premium gasoline, but it is nowhere recommended that you must use it for any reason of performance, reliability, durability etc.
I'm not the only one who has been using US regular grade gasoline for years with no issues. If you are a very aggressive driver who demands getting the greatest performance all of the time, and a 1-2% performance increase is something you cannot stand missing out on, then premium is for you. Mainly this is a marketing tactic, a way of saying you must have a really special car because it "should" have only the finest special gasoline. Utter nonsense for most of us, most of the time. Audi are not the only folks who do this, but as the AAA tests proved, five out of six makers' products saw NO GAIN with premium fuel.
In fact, considering the wide range of mixture and spark timing that a modern engine computer has, your best bet may be to find the lowest octane gasoline you can find. In the US that may be 87 RON or 85 RON. The reason is that low octane fuel explodes at higher speed, which provides more power in the engine--as long as the timing and compression allow for that much power. And with our engine computers, it does.
Gasoline companies have spent decades telling customers to buy "filet minon" because "steak" isn't good enough. There was some benefit to buying some of the higher grades, for some cars and some users, long ago. These days? It is mainly marketing, to make the buyer fell better about their "special" car. As long as the gasoline is a good quality, with a good additive load and reasonably fresh, that's all the car needs. Pump gasoline is intended to be used up within 90 days of manufacture, preferably 60 days, as it contains volatile compounds like heptane and butane that literally boil off while your car is parked.
If you have ever gone looking for bed sheets, the same game is played. A fabric mill literally cannot weave fabric with anything finer than a 300-thread count. The threads are just too thin to work with. So they found a new way to count: If a thread is made with two fiber strands, they call it "600 count". Four strands, and they call it 1200-count. Except, it is still 300-count because that's how many threads there are, no matter how many strands are in each thread. All smoke and mirrors, all marketing.
Read your manual very very carefully. It is SUGGESTED that you use premium gasoline, but it is nowhere recommended that you must use it for any reason of performance, reliability, durability etc.
I'm not the only one who has been using US regular grade gasoline for years with no issues. If you are a very aggressive driver who demands getting the greatest performance all of the time, and a 1-2% performance increase is something you cannot stand missing out on, then premium is for you. Mainly this is a marketing tactic, a way of saying you must have a really special car because it "should" have only the finest special gasoline. Utter nonsense for most of us, most of the time. Audi are not the only folks who do this, but as the AAA tests proved, five out of six makers' products saw NO GAIN with premium fuel.
In fact, considering the wide range of mixture and spark timing that a modern engine computer has, your best bet may be to find the lowest octane gasoline you can find. In the US that may be 87 RON or 85 RON. The reason is that low octane fuel explodes at higher speed, which provides more power in the engine--as long as the timing and compression allow for that much power. And with our engine computers, it does.
Gasoline companies have spent decades telling customers to buy "filet minon" because "steak" isn't good enough. There was some benefit to buying some of the higher grades, for some cars and some users, long ago. These days? It is mainly marketing, to make the buyer fell better about their "special" car. As long as the gasoline is a good quality, with a good additive load and reasonably fresh, that's all the car needs. Pump gasoline is intended to be used up within 90 days of manufacture, preferably 60 days, as it contains volatile compounds like heptane and butane that literally boil off while your car is parked.
If you have ever gone looking for bed sheets, the same game is played. A fabric mill literally cannot weave fabric with anything finer than a 300-thread count. The threads are just too thin to work with. So they found a new way to count: If a thread is made with two fiber strands, they call it "600 count". Four strands, and they call it 1200-count. Except, it is still 300-count because that's how many threads there are, no matter how many strands are in each thread. All smoke and mirrors, all marketing.
05-18-2018, 03:14 PM
#10
AudiWorld Super User
Glad to. I'm lucky, a highly esteemed combustion engineer taught me about octane a long time ago. Engines have gotten better (or more expensive) since then, but in the days before engine computers and dynamic timing changes, I actually found that using one brand instead of another could make a definite highway mpg difference. And lower octane wasn't an issue.
If you are not an aggressive driver, and do not make heavy use of the turbocharger, the car gets incredibly good mileage considering the size and weight. Even at highway speed, on regular.
If you are not an aggressive driver, and do not make heavy use of the turbocharger, the car gets incredibly good mileage considering the size and weight. Even at highway speed, on regular.