looking at some new trucks and it looks CHEAP

What is a E85?

isnt it some type to fuel i thnk

E-85 is a 85%ethanol/15% gasoline mix. In sweden and other countries they have been using it for a while. I don't now much else about it BUT the price of the fuel better be less than 1/2 the price of gasoline other wise it will be actually costing you more. Gasoline in a modern engine usually is controlled by the computer/fuel injection to run at a air fuel ratio of 14.7-1,alcohol has to be ran at 6-1 so in a typical motor you would use 220% MORE (2.2 gallons for every gallon of gasoline) so a truck that gets 15 mpg would get 6.8 mpg. Now i'm sure they figured out how to stretch that a little but it still only has so much energy,Smitty

85% ethanol (biomass fuel made from corn)-15% 93 octane it's somewhere around 1.70 per gallon at the pump

new denali can burn it and they quote 17/23 with the new fuel management system ..

I'd have to see the mileage to believe it,like I said,alcohol usually has to have a afr of around 6-1 vs 14.7-1. In race cars you have to use MONSTER size jets to get enough fuel in. I'm sure they have figured out how to squeeze more mileage out of it but it has less than 1/2 the btu's of energy as gas. I wouldn't be surprized if its like the hybrid cars that claim 50 plus mpg but only get 30 ,Smitty

I did a search,it looks like the govt claims a typical suv that gets 15 mpg will get 11 with it,Smitty
https://www.fueleconomy.gov/mpg/MPG.do?action=garage

My math tells me that an 85% ethanol won't make 85% of the power a gasoline fuel will so I am kind of in agreement that fuel economy will suffer about the same but if its going to cost 1.70 per gallon now versus the current 3.00 plus per gallon for gasoline then it nets about a 40% savings without figuring in the added cost of equipping a like vehicle. You've got to factor the added cost in and extract a real rate of saving over you miles driven to get the real net benefit. Don't believe all the hype and sales pitches! Do your own simple math! Remember GM and Ford are looking for profits wherever they can find'em!

Ray @ Raylar

I did some "internet"research ,gasoline contains 114,132 btus per gallon,E-85 contains 83,263 btu's per gallon but the math being touted is "generous" towards the E-85. When it is compared to gasoline they AUTOMATICALLY compare it to gasoline with 10% ethanol which has less btu's then straight unleaded. But everything in print claims it contains 73% of the energy of gasoline and that it gets 30% worse mileage but if you aren't driving on the highway and are taking it easy it will be less of a drop when you factor in modern fuel injection/ignition "optimising" timing and such,Smitty