VP Racing Fuels Introduces C85 Alternative Ethanol Racing Fuel

E85 fuels, an ethanol fuel blend containing up to 85% denatured ethanol and gasoline or other hydrocarbons, have become increasingly more common on roadways as flex-fuel vehicles take advantage of the improved emissions, lower price-per-gallon, and an increase in octane rating that effectively reduces engine heat and wear and improves horsepower. The latter advantage has carried interest in that relatively new form of alternative fuel over to the racing world, where it’s used exclusively in the IndyCar Series and has even been utilized by a number of drag racers.

Recognizing the gradually growing demand for E85 in motorsports, VP Racing Fuels today introduced its new C85 racing fuel, offering significant performance gains over conventional E85 from the pump, according to Jim Kelly, VP’s Director of Racing Fuel Sales.

“Conventional E85 gained some popularity because it was cheap and made some power, but it has a significant downside,” said Kelly. “In addition to requiring a costly E85 carburetor and completely revamped and upgraded fuel system, E85 is corrosive and very inconsistent.”

“When you don’t know if you’re getting 60% ethanol, 80% ethanol or something else, it’s extremely difficult to tune,” Kelly continued. “Many engine builders have cited up to a two-jet swing in their tune from one batch of E85 to the next. By contrast, C85 is blended with the same degree of care and precision as every other VP fuel, with a consistent proportion of ethanol and every other component in every drum. It takes all the guesswork out of tuning.”

“With VP’s focus on power, we’ve engineered C85 to make up to 4% more power and torque than conventional E85,” Kelly added. “In addition to these performance gains, C85’s higher quality pure components make it superior to E85 in terms of cooling effect, resistance to detonation and we’ve added corrosion inhibitors to fight the issues presented by ethanol.”

VP’s new C85 fuel is suitable to drag racing, oval track, offroad, and a wide range of other auto racing applications. In specific, forced induction combinations have an even greater advantage due to lower vapor pressure. Tests of C85 indicate most applications will require richening by up to one jet size, or 2-3% over current jet setting.

“When you don’t know if you’re getting 60% ethanol, 80% ethanol or something else, it’s extremely difficult to tune,” Kelly continued. “Many engine builders have cited up to a two-jet swing in their tune from one batch of E85 to the next. By contrast, C85 is blended with the same degree of care and precision as every other VP fuel, with a consistent proportion of ethanol and every other component in every drum. It takes all the guesswork out of tuning.”

“With VP’s focus on power, we’ve engineered C85 to make up to 4% more power and torque than conventional E85,” Kelly added. “In addition to these performance gains, C85’s higher quality pure components make it superior to E85 in terms of cooling effect, resistance to detonation and we’ve added corrosion inhibitors to fight the issues presented by ethanol.”

Like all of VP Racing Fuels’ products, the new C85 is conveniently available through their extensive distribution network located throughout North American and around the world. Your nearest VP dealer can be located by contacting the VP distribution centers listed at www.vpracingfuels.com/vp-racing-dealers.html.

Questions regarding C85 ca be directed to VP’s tech support staff at the contacts listed below.

[email protected]; 812-878-2025
[email protected]; 302-521-1767
[email protected]; 812-878-2025 (General Tech Questions)

About the author

Andrew Wolf

Andrew has been involved in motorsports from a very young age. Over the years, he has photographed several major auto racing events, sports, news journalism, portraiture, and everything in between. After working with the Power Automedia staff for some time on a freelance basis, Andrew joined the team in 2010.
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