Comments on: Two tales: E85 racing at Sebring and the E85 Tahoe we can’t test

By: SS4LIFE

SS4LIFE — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 14:36:31 +0000

Thanks for the info GMBiofuelsGuy! That was crazy because I just thought of it like “Hey that’d be cool if GM did this…” I didn’t think they were actually doing it. Good for them though. I’ve seen a couple gas stations in the Metro Detroit area that actually have signs saying “No Ethanol here”. I think GM as well as Ford and Chrysler do literally need to start having pumps at their own dealerships, if they really want to start increasing the availability of Ethanol. I think for them it’s a win win situation for both the company and its customers.

Hey I have a ? and part suggestion for you. Is GM going to eventually offer Ethanol compatible engines on more of it’s vehicles? Only GM Brand vehicles that are Flexfuel vehicles seem to only be the larger ones. Will this eventually find it’s way being compatible with any of GM’s turbo 4cyl such as the LNF?

By: melias

melias — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 13:47:01 +0000

To The359:

Just off the phone with Rick Voegelin from GM Motorsports Communications. He said we are both partially correct. The C6.R did have issues with the E85 causing corrosion in the fuel tank (actually involving glues that held parts in place) and as a result ran the race on E10 (10% ethanol). They hope to have the corrosion issues sorted out by the race in St. Petersburg, where they will go back to “pure” (notice the quotes) E85.

As for the #3 cars finishing position, I stand corrected. First in class, eighth overall.

Mark Elias

By: The359

The359 — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 07:20:59 +0000

Also, I don’t know why this article says the C6.R finished 1st in GT1 and 2nd overall. The C6.R finished 1st in GT1 and 8th overall.

By: The359

The359 — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 07:19:14 +0000

There was no street version of the C5.R for sale. There was a “street version” of the C5-R built, to meet homologation requirements, but it was just an old test mule redone with C5-R bodywork. Pratt & Miller kept it until 2002, then it ended up in the Corvette Museum. Never sold or even offered to the public.

The C6.R should be louder than LMP2s, it’s a 7.0 liter V8. LMP2s are limited to 3.4 liters; 2.0 liters if they’re turbocharged.

By: GMBiofuelsGuy

GMBiofuelsGuy — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 03:57:27 +0000

I work in Biofuels at GM and what hateful83 and SS4LIFE are referring to is a partnership between GM and a company called Coskata out of Warrenville, IL. Their three-step process for making cellulosic ethanol lets them use any carbon-containing source — even old tires — to make ethanol. They have some anarobic microbes (bugs) that eat the synthesis gas created by gassifying the feedstock – agricultural waste, landfill waste… almost anything — and excrete only ethanol and a little water. You can read more on their website at coskata.com. Oh, and on SS4LIFE’s comment about selling e85 at dealerships, the first one in the country opens late this week near DFW Airport in Grapevine, Texas. It is an offshoot of Classic Chevrolet, which sold more GM trucks than any other dealer in 2007. They say their customers are up for it and there are a lot of fleets in the area that can use it, too.

By: F3INT))AP3X

F3INT))AP3X — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 22:31:41 +0000

I saw the Corvette shown in this article running at the ALMS at Laguna Seca a little while back, and the sound coming out of that monster was enough to make you want to run back inside like a little girl. If you will notice the 3 green lights (1 lit, 2 unlit) built into the passenger door, they are for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place and they update constantly depending on the racer’s position. The light system allows the ALMS to run all 4 classes (GT1, GT2, LMP1, LMP2) at the same time on the track! And one of my most vivid memories of the day was when a whole squad of LMP2 cars maybe 5 or 6 flew by with this GT1 Vette right in the middle of them; and although deafening, I could hear the Vette screaming louder than all of them, truly badass.

By: C6Racer

C6Racer — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 20:13:53 +0000

PRODRIVE SUCKS! C6-R RULES!
davebo, Pratt&Miller used to sell street versions of the C5-R for about $450K. I’m not sure if they still do that, tho.

By: SS4LIFE

SS4LIFE — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 18:40:13 +0000

Because Ethanol has a much higher combustion rate and therefore burns better and provides superior performance to regular gasoline and diesel. Thus the 105 octane levels mentioned in the article above,. Cars that run on ethanol and also get more horsepower and are slightly quicker, plus it’s supposed to cost less then gasoline and definitely less then diesel. Fuel that is more renewable, cheaper, and better performing. Makes sense to me.

By: A True Gear Head

A True Gear Head — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 18:34:40 +0000

Ethanol sucks. Its raising the price of our food ( corn syrup ), on top of that it pollutes more than gasoline. What would make more sense is to get methane from our trash.

By: The359

The359 — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 18:22:12 +0000

The Corvette C6.Rs actually did not run Sebring on E85. Pratt & Miller found that the E85 was eating through the seals on their custom-built fuel cells, and so they announced that they’d delay their use of E85 until they could correct the problem.

Intersport Racing’s Lola-AER, B-K Motorsport’s Lola-Mazda, and Drayson-Barwell’s Aston Martin DBRS9 did all run E85, however.

By: SS4LIFE

SS4LIFE — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 17:57:33 +0000

i read something like that too hateful83. Although from what I understood and read it sounded like the domestics, I heard Ford was doing this too, is that GM and Ford are going to be “taking measures to increase the availability of E85″ I don’t know if that means that the Domestics are going to invest in gas stations or try and offer incentives to gas companies or gas station owners.

Heck I have an easy solution to that. With the number of GM brand dealerships and Ford dealerships that I drive by everyday I say just have the dealerships offer E85 pumps. They can put them right next to the Suburbans, Tahoes, Silverados, and Avalanches we all know that they’ll be needing them.

By: Htay9500

Htay9500 — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 15:30:23 +0000

I guess we’ll be getting more food off the table and raising our food supply correct?

By: hateful83

hateful83 — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 15:25:26 +0000

I just read an article in motortend about how GM hooked up with a company that makes E85. It’s a crazy nontraditional way too. I have to read it again to get a full understanding. At any rate, E85 should be plentiful in the near future.

By: davebo

davebo — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 14:27:14 +0000

I don’t care if it runs on dead babies, I want that C6R please.