KaiserJeep wrote:Last January I rented a Flex Fuel Vehicle in Wisconsin - a V8 powered Chevy Suburban (I know, I had reserved a more economical V6-powered Jeep Grand Cherokee, but this vehicle got substituted in a free upgrade when the Jeep was unavailable). E85 was widely available there, and advertised on signage. The remaining fuel was virtually all E10, and an occasional station advertised 100% gasoline - IOW there was choice available.
Pricing was significantly different - the typical ratio was $1.799/g for E85 vs. $2.399/g for E10. That is enough price spread to make it worthwhile to burn the E85 and had it been Summer, I would have done so. The mileage and range would have been reduced by approximately 25% but the E85 (called "corn fuel" by the natives ) was consistently about 30-33% cheaper, and the vehicle's tank was large (we were adding 28-30 gallons per fuel stop).
However, the rental car agency warned us that if we parked outside in below zero weather, the Suburban might not start the next morning if it had E85 in it. Therefore we used E10 for the entire 2380 miles. The Suburban was the heavier 4WD model, and the engine was the 5.3L Eco-Tec V8, but it actually averaged 24.3 mpg in mixed highway/city usage, with EPA figures 15 mpg city and 21 mpg highway. I was surprised, the lighter V6 Jeep Cherokee would have had similar figures.
The E-85 sold in Michigan and Ohio and presumably Wisconsin all has pump labels stating (this fuel contains at least 70% ethanol) because in winter months they up the gasoline portion in the fuel to prevent cold starting problems. Not having a flex fuel vehicle I don't have any direct experience but I don't know anyone who has had winter problems using it and I am sure it would have made a media splash if it did happen around the Toledo area.