I no very little about flex fuel. what I have found is mixed info. SO my main question to those of you that have a F150 with flex fuel is, DOes it really save money at the pump?
It is cheaper to buy but it burns faster than regular gas from what i have heard. please feel free to comment. I would love to hear from first hand owners.

 

Sometimes yes, sometimes no. It all depends on the price spread between regular and E85, and the difference in mileage your truck gets.

 

E85 has a lower BTU value than regular unleaded. So you'll burn more of it.

But it does burn cleaner.

Whether or not it is environmentally more friendly is beyond me... especially with all the extra processing that is required to make it.

 

E85 cost less at the pump. You are paying a subsidized price which is lower than the pump price of regular gasoline. Price at the pump will factor into your price per mile cost. Pricing fluctuates, so there is never a fixed cost per mile with any type of fuel. E85 is approximately 107 octane, but gets less miles per gallon. E85 is cleaner, and will burn cleaner. Tailpipe emissions will be greatly reduced. The environmental impact and footprint of E85, from production to delivery, is hotly debated. You can read all that you want online, with a Google search.

The Ford E250 at work are all Flex Fuel. With the vehicle assigned to me, I only use E85. I know from first hand experience that the emissions testing equipment detects zero or near zero emissions when I brought it into an inspection station. I believe that the engine sounds quieter, feels a little more "peppy", and the spark plugs come out nice & clean when they are changed annually.

The real drawback is availability of E85. You just can't buy it everywhere. That's why these vehicles are "flex". So that you can use regular gasoline or E85. You have to really search for E85, and plan your refueling around the availability.

Same problem with "bio-diesel". Locally, I use Propel fuel stations for E85 & what they sell as "Diesel HPR". I know that with our diesel trucks, every time I take out a box truck or flat bed from the yard, and fill it from empty with Propel Diesel HPR, the engine is smooth & quiet, possibly a little more power because it's cleaner burning, and there is no black smoke coming out of the tail pipe. Same controversy with the environmental impact and footprint of sourcing, production, and distribution. No arguments what-so-ever that the tailpipe is cleaner; but at what cost? Do you cause more pollution using the fuel?