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Alright, we all know it’s cool to put regular gas or premium gas in a flex-fuel vehicle, but can you mix E85 and premium gas to run in the same engine?
Well, when you decide to mix different fuels, it is important to first check the owner’s manual of the vehicle to ascertain the recommendations by the manufacturer.
Mixing E85 gas with premium gas, which has around 91% – 94% Octane levels should be fine for your car’s engine, depending on the type of engine. E85 gas is specified for Flex-Fuel engines, while regular/premium gas is often specified for regular Internal Combustion Engines.
What is E85 Gas?
The simplest definition of E85 gas is this: It is a type of fuel with 85% Ethanol and 15% Unleaded gasoline. So, E85 is a blended fuel; the increased level of ethanol is to help reduce carbon emissions, which are harmful to the environment.
So to say, E85 gas is more environmentally friendly than regular or premium gasoline. However, the problem with E85 is that you won’t find it in many fuel stations. E85 is not sold, at all, in some regions.
Thus, if you’re driving a flex-fuel vehicle in regions where E85 is scarce, you have no other option than to seek an alternative way to always have enough fuel in the tank.
See Also: What is the Difference Between E85 and Regular Gas?
What is Premium Gas?
Premium gas is just like other regular gas; however, unlike the others, premium gas has higher octane levels. In the United States, the most common octane level in premium gas is 91 – 94. Well, some people refer to gas with 93/94 octane ratings as “Premium Plus” or “Superior” gas.
There is basically no difference – in performance – between regular gas and premium gas. The high octane level only helps to reduce the chances of “Engine Knocking.” Both regular gas and premium gas offer the same performance; your car won’t run faster because you just topped premium gas.
Now, talking of blending premium gas and E85 gas, what result should you expect from the engine?
Can You Mix E85 and Premium Gas?
The simple answer is YES. You can mix E85 with 87 gas – commonly called Premium Gas. However, it is important to note that your car won’t experience any noticeable improvements as a result of blending fuels. Also, for you to mix E85 and 91 gas, you need a car with a flex-fuel engine.
Don’t mix E65 with 91 to drive it in a regular ICE vehicle – the engine may get totaled as a result of such actions. Flex-fuel engines are designed to run with either ethanol-only gas or regular gas; notwithstanding, they are designed to also run with any fuel blend.
Hence, if you mix fuels on an FFV, you won’t have any issues – your car would drive well, but of course, there’d be no improvement.
Driving with E85 would do your flex-fuel engine vehicle much good than blending in 91 (premium gas). More so, the name premium gas doesn’t mean the gas is any better than regular 87 gas in performance.
See Also: Can You Use Regular Gas in E85 Dodge Caravan?
What More?
E85 gas has its individual benefits; premium gas (91) has its individual benefits too. One may think that blending the two would do a car engine more good, but no, doing such won’t improve engine performance.
Can you mix E85 and premium gas? Yes, you can, but there won’t be any improved results on the side of the engine.
Thus, it is advisable to stick with a particular gas type for your flex-fuel engine. Yeah, only flex-fuel engines can run smoothly with blended fuels; if you try such with regular ICEs, you may be in the market for a new engine.