Flexing Ford Mustang Muscle with an E85 Performance Car

These days, alternative fuels are getting a boost in more places than just the environmental arena. The reason is simple: We're far too dependent on imported oil, and in the minds of many, that's becoming an increasingly urgent energy-security concern. Add in all the obvious reasons why petroleum alternatives just make sense - from emissions reductions and decreased greenhouse gases to a strategic change in buying habits that finds us spending more on fuel at home than abroad - and it's easy to see why there's so much interest out there.

The effort to bring renewable fuels into the mainstream is taking many forms. One of the most high profile is their inclusion in motorsports. Last year, IndyCar racing made its move to ethanol fuel. Now, General Motors has proposed that NASCAR do the same. With the millions of fans watching these high-profile race venues exposed to the obvious and transparent use of renewable fuels, a growing use by auto enthusiasts is a certainty.

One performance-oriented driver who has taken the leap is North Carolina resident Steve Shrader, a Mustang enthusiast who prides himself on thinking outside the box. In his quest to do something proactive to embrace an alternative fuel, he found that ethanol is not only renewable, produced in America, and better for the environment, but happily it's also 105 octane. Being a self-professed performance buff interested in getting a few more horsepower out of anything with an engine, Steve decided to explore whether ethanol was a viable option for his '99 Mustang. The result is his "Brightmare"-project car.

"Cars after the late 1980s were built to withstand some amount of ethanol content in the fuel lines," says Shrader, "and ethanol can be used in an internal-combustion engine with some modifications to the computer. I also knew that an increased fuel volume of 20 percent to 40 percent more would be required for a performance machine such as mine." He upgraded to larger fuel injectors and fuel pumps after crunching numbers for injector size and fuel pumps, with the aim of keeping as many factory parts in the car as possible.

With no fuel sensor like a factory-produced FFV, he had to improvise. He uses a tool made by SCT that allows him to re-tune the car for gasoline and either summer E85 or winter E85, since the blends change by season. After nearly a year of driving his Vortech supercharged, E85 flexible-fuel Mustang, Sharder reports no negative effects, an engine that runs better than ever, and fuel lines free of corrosion. The car is also running 11.20s in the quarter-mile at 124 mph on ethanol fuel.
Converting to E85 is great for shaving off tenths of seconds when trips are measured in quarter-mile lengths, but how about vehicles used on the road? Those modifying cars for track duty are probably not concerned with passing smog tests or voiding vehicle warranties.