How to Tell if My Truck is Flex Fuel

How to Tell if My Truck is Flex Fuel

One question we commonly get from our Logan customers is, “Can you tell me how to tell if my truck is a flex fuel vehicle?” Yes, we can tell you, and it’s fairly easy. In fact, we have several flex fuel trucks for sale at our dealerships. But you may have other questions: What does “flex fuel” mean? Are flex fuel trucks good? We take all the mystery out of this designation below by answering all of those questions.

What is a Flex Fuel Vehicle?

Flex fuel vehicles are able to run on a combination of gasoline and up to 83% ethanol. This mixture is called E85. What enables these vehicles to run on this mixture is the second-generation on-board diagnostics computer system (OBD-II), which detects which type of fuel is being used and adjusts the engine accordingly. These vehicles are becoming more popular in Logan.

How to Tell if My Truck is Flex Fuel

So, how do you know if your truck can run on flex fuel? Certainly, you wouldn’t want to fill up with E85 without knowing for sure that your truck is designed to handle it. Your pickup would not run on our Hillsboro roads for very long in that case. But determining whether your truck runs on flex fuel is very simple:

• There is badging that says “flex fuel” on the rear of your truck.
• The gas cap is yellow and the words “flex-fuel vehicle” or “E85” appear on the inside of the fuel door.
• Your truck’s owner’s manual indicates it is a flex fuel vehicle.

Are Flex Fuel Trucks Good?

So, are flex fuel trucks good? Should you get one? Like anything else, flex fuel has its upsides and downsides. Here are the pros and cons:

Pros of Flex Fuel

• Ethanol burns cleaner than gasoline, and thus is better for the environment.
• Wide-spread use of flex fuel vehicles would decrease America’s dependence on foreign oil.
• You may be eligible for tax incentives if you drive a flex fuel vehicle.

Cons of Flex Fuel

• Ethanol absorbs dirt easily and can thus damage an engine.
• E85 is more expensive than gasoline.
• The use of Ethanol as a fuel could drive up the cost of groceries, as its main ingredients are grain and sugarcane.

Check Out the Flex Fuel Trucks at Truck Ranch

Do you think you might be interested in buying a flex fuel truck? Come down and take one for a test drive. And, if you found this guide to be helpful, you may also enjoy our posts on what the numbers on tires mean and whether diesel trucks have catalytic converters. We have several conveniently locations, like our ones near American Fork. So, drop by or contact us today.