ORIGINAL: PlaneKrazee
ORIGINAL: Ed Cregger N2ECW
E85 was $1.67 a few weeks ago in a small town named Dalton here in GA a few weeks ago.
I haven't priced the Klotz oil that Greg recommends for use with E85 as yet, but how expensive can it be? ($63.60 shipped)
Addressing another poster's comments about ignition system weight, as far as the weight of the ignition system goes, it will be negligible in my Great Planes Ultimate Biplane 1.60. The OS 1.60FX should really turn into a fuel miser with that setup, since it is already really good on fuel consumption as a glow engine. That and being able to use the stock OS carb with the ethanol/gasoline mix makes it sound like a real winner.
(Only 15% of the fuel is gas and that still needs to burn. You will get about 7%less fuel consumption compared glow.)
Ed Cregger
When using a spark ignition system, you can lean out the mixture without advancing the timing, unlike when using a glow plug. The result is better fuel consumption if the engine is tuned properly lean.
Unfortunately, we are still going to have to use 15% lube (or more) by volume when burning alcohol/gas mixture in our plain bearing connecting rod and ball bearing equipped engines (OS 1.60FX). That will drive the price of the fuel up quite a bit, but might still be worth it in the long run.
Of course, we're back to making a mess on the model again with the high oil content, as with glow fuel, but what the hey...
Ed Cregger