405 vs 465 LPH Pumps...The Real Comparison

Since TI Automotive (owner of Walbro) released the fabulous 405 lph DCSS fuel pump last year, many of us have long awaited the "465 lph" version.  The DCSS465 promised higher performance, complete E85 compatibility, same dimensions as the 405, and slightly higher pricing...it sounded almost too good to be true.  See for yourself:


E85 COMPATIBILITY
The 405 can expect a 15% shorter life expectancy in E85 compared to the 465.  Considering the 465 has an average life expectancy of 10,000 hours in E85, we can expect the 405 to live 8,500 hours in the "corn."  If you drive your car an average of 45mph, that is still 382,500 miles.  Let's face it, the 405 is absolutely fine in E85.


PERFORMANCE ADVANTAGE
The 465 barely outperforms the 405...to be accurate, the margin is only 5%.  Why you ask?  The 405's published performance is 405 lph in E85.  The 465's rating of 465 lph is rated for gasoline.  This is NOT a fair comparison.  Let's even the playing field:

In gasoline at 40psi and 13.5 volts:
"405" flows 440 lph
"465" flows 465 lph

In E85 at 40psi and 13.5 volts:
"405" flows 405 lph
"465" flows 430 lph

In the practical sense, the 465 outperforms the 405 by only 5% under most conditions.

FORM FACTOR:

The upper and lower diameters are the same at 39mm and 50mm, respectively.  The 465 comes with a worthless Delphi connector that you're going to snip off (leaving you with wire ends to splice) whereas the 405 comes with more convenient male quick disconnect terminals.  Both have a outlet barb for 3/8" hose.  The biggest difference between the two pumps is the inlet to outlet length.  The 465 is nearly 1/2 inch longer...not good in the tight confines of a fuel tank.

COST:

DCSS405:  $160

DCSS465:  $220

The 465 costs 37.5% more than the 405.  No need to say more.

BOTTOM LINE:

We pay almost 40% more for the 465 that gives us 5% more performance with no tangible pump life benefit.  It doesn't sound very promising...unless you really care about that 5% performance increase.  Considering our fuel hats with dual 405s match or outperform nearly every available electric external pump, then we can't see the benefit of offering this pump to our customers.

If you must, we do have both the 405 and 465 in stock:
DCSS465
DCSS405

E85 and Fuel Filters, The Truth

Paper (cellulose) filter elements is the most practical way to filter your fuel to 10 microns...which is required by fuel injector manufacturers.  Now, some companies are saying paper filter elements cannot be used in E85.

The truth is:  it's been done for many years.  We've been doing it for several years ourselves.

First of all, none of the "high performance automotive" companies that sell aftermarket fuel filters actual make their own filter elements.  Only a few companies in the U.S. make these filters...so, we are likely buying our filter elements from the same company as our competitor.  (that says "don't run E85.")

FUEL FILTER DESIGN
I started with a military spec aircraft fuel filter...the one that caught my eye is good for almost 1400 liters/hour, then I designed a housing around it.  I took the mil spec for the filter and improved it for E85, which included a Viton o-ring and alcohol compatible epoxy.  The company that manufactures our filter element for us even validated it for E85.  Voila, an E85 compatible fuel filter...wasn't that easy?

SO WHY WOULD A COMPANY PROPAGATE FALSE INFORMATION ON E85 FILTER COMPATIBILITY?
The truth is, their fuel pumps can't handle E85.  They even tell their customers to change fuel filter socks every 10 hours!!!  (because their pumps keep burning up)  Since their business relies on selling fuel pumps, they NEED you to run gasoline.  I think they are buying time to figure out how to make their pumps E85 compatible, then they will give the OK to filter E85 with cellulose.

In the meantime, it is okay to use paper filter elements in E85, provided the manufacturer says it is "E85 Compatible."  And my shameless plug, Fore Innovations fuel filters are definitely E85 compatible, if you add the Viton o-ring option.

So, in the meantime, here are some pics of the production of our 10 micron, cellulose element, E85 compatible filter.