Which makes more sense, E85 or Cam Upgrade?

[Ernesto R]

Let's say the goal is 345-350 whp on an MR and sticking with the stock turbo.

To date, I have the AMS FMIC, AEM intake, HFC, RRE Stealth. Current tune on 91 from RRE is at 315 whp, 320 wtq.

My thoughts:

Pros of E85:

Keeping the stock camshaft, can switch back to 91 with ease..
Good power, same rpm range, same drivability


Cons of E85:

No E85 stations nearby (irvine)
Quality of the E85, ethanol content
Less than 200 mile range on a full tank


Pros of Cam upgrade:

Not having to fill up every 150 miles


Con of Cam upgrade:

Valvetrain may be more stressed (valve springs)
Warranty may be gone, lol

[jebus27]

i would do cams, no stations nearby would kill it for me

[Ernesto R]

i would do cams, no stations nearby would kill it for me

Are there any stations coming our way?

I know any more than 10 miles out of my way would be a hassle..

I can bring 5 gal jugs around, lol

[kambodianboi]

i would do cams, no stations nearby would kill it for me

Are there any stations coming our way?

I know any more than 10 miles out of my way would be a hassle..

I can bring 5 gal jugs around, lol

There is one in Huntington Beach, approx 10 miles from Irvine.

[jebus27]

16990 Beach Blvd
Huntington Beach, CA 92647

how far is that from you?

[Ernesto R]

16990 Beach Blvd
Huntington Beach, CA 92647

how far is that from you?

exactly 9.7 mi.. it could work, I would be 3/4 tank when I get back home, lol

[nechronius]

If our gas tanks weren't so tiny an E85 mod would be more reasonable.

If your target is 345-350, then I'd say get a downpipe, IC pipes, cams, and call it good. Or better valve springs too if you're worried. You should be very close to that target hp and not have to look for special gas. Run E85 and you start worrying about keeping a charged laptop handy. A lot of "what if..." questions that you don't need to ask if you don't run ethanol.

Besides, if you run E85, you would probably be wasting its potential, and also have to start thinking about the transmission and not getting the most out of it. With 350hp max on 91, your tranny should be fine.


But that's just me. It's your car, your money, your vehicular thrills. Do what you like, right?

[Ernesto R]

If our gas tanks weren't so tiny an E85 mod would be more reasonable.

If your target is 345-350, then I'd say get a downpipe, IC pipes, cams, and call it good. Or better valve springs too if you're worried. You should be very close to that target hp and not have to look for special gas. Run E85 and you start worrying about keeping a charged laptop handy. A lot of "what if..." questions that you don't need to ask if you don't run ethanol.

Besides, if you run E85, you would probably be wasting its potential, and also have to start thinking about the transmission and not getting the most out of it. With 350hp max on 91, your tranny should be fine.


But that's just me. It's your car, your money, your vehicular thrills. Do what you like, right?

You have some good points there nechronius.. After hearing your input I am definitely leaning toward the camshaft upgrade..

Thanks for chiming in..

[05-EVO-GSR]

E-85 is my vote. Easier to go back to stock if the transmission starts acting goofy.

[nechronius]

Going back to stock from E85 seems easier, yes. Pull the injectors and replace with stock. But I think as long as you respect the 350/350 power and torque and not drive like a baller everywhere you go it should be fine, especially if you get the tranny oil cooler mod. There's even one prominent independent tuner (no names, but he's active on evoxforums) who seems to think that most people are worry warts about what the MR transmission can sustain.

Naturally it is up to the owner in the end to make the decision, but it just seems that in this case going E85 is a lot more inconvenient.

[Ernesto R]

I don't believe the MR transmission is as frail as what some people think.. I really doubt I will be going back in for warranty from this point forward.. I also have an upgraded trans cooler and some home made fog light deletes to help avoid any temp issues this coming weekend at buttonwillow.

At this time I'm still leaning toward the cam upgrade, the fuel range of less that 200 miles is the killer for me..

[evobros]

E-85 is my vote. Easier to go back to stock if the transmission starts acting goofy.

+1!
Also 9.7 away isn't far.. I use travel 14miles one way to get E85. Like u said take a couple 5gal jugs and ull be fine for at least 2 weeks depending on how u drive.

[Ernesto R]

Yea, it's a tough call when I hear input like this:) ill just flip a coin, lol

[evobros]

The money u spend on cams/install could be ur tune money

[evodriver49]

i love e85. i'm in irvine as well and the 10 mile drive to hb is nothing! i have 8 5 gallon jugs haha they do come in handy i keep 3 filled up so i visit the station about once every other week so its really not a big deal :) when i had basic mods (intake exhaust) i got kelford 272s and made like 10whp and 10wtq. when i did e85 i gained like 90whp 60wtq on stock 9 turbo so yeah it was worth it PLUS 91 smells like shit with a testpipe which is a burden esp in irvine whereas e85 smells awesome and doesn't burn your eyes at the light haha.

p.s. i now fill up at the fullerton station its like $3.39 vs $4.40 for shell in irvine! (the ~$1 difference in the end equates to same mileage in the for 91 vs e85! dont forget the power gains difference!!)

[mmcdmd]

I put a cam and did not go with E85. No slippage of the tranny. I have all the bolt ons, RRE Tune. Track a lot and enjoy it. Cam is a milder HP upgrade then E85. 330HP now only.
See you at the track, May 5 ACS.

[HMatt]

I have an VIII MR. I ran about 330 of hp and tq for a while with no issues. Been on a little under 400hp and tq for a little bit now with no issues... With the occasional 420 with the meth on... It would be 460, but I'm still on my stock clutch... I even have a new clutch... I'm just lazy...

The main issue anybody has with the 6-speed is when they do a lot of drag or hardcore track days or they drive like hell all the time. A little auto cross or drag a few times a year is fine.

Just reread my post... I have 420 and meth in the same sentence... hehe...

[antz]

not a lot of people know this or do this but if you go the cam route you need new shim buckets that cover the valve springs and retainers. You gotta measure each cam lobe to each of the valves to get the correct fitment of the camshaft. On top of that you gotta call mitsubishi and order the shim buckets because they won't have the correct sizes in stock. I believe they are 16 bucks a shim bucket. Otherwise you run the risk of semi open valves or valves being open longer, which in the worse case scenario, cause detonation and blow the motor.

[rdevox]

not a lot of people know this or do this but if you go the cam route you need new shim buckets that cover the valve springs and retainers. You gotta measure each cam lobe to each of the valves to get the correct fitment of the camshaft. On top of that you gotta call mitsubishi and order the shim buckets because they won't have the correct sizes in stock. I believe they are 16 bucks a shim bucket. Otherwise you run the risk of semi open valves or valves being open longer, which in the worse case scenario, cause detonation and blow the motor.

True, you could get lucky and move some buckets around a bit and limit what you have to buy. +1 on e85, you'll hit your target and some.

[Ernesto R]

Thanks for the input everyone.