i just read in another thread about one C300 using E85. can we have more information on this? I searched for E85 stations near me and one is set to open near my wife's office in December. If it makes sense to use E85, then I will.
1) anyone in California know if E85 will be cheaper than premium?
2) anyone using E85 have any feedback on fuel economy and performance/acceleration?
3) any other information that is relevant to making an informed decision to switch to E85 in December or not?
E-85 will increase your fuel consumption by 25-35%, due to less energy available in each gallon. So do the math. It rarely pays.
E-85 has been known to very slightly increase hp, for whatever that's worth.
To deal with some of the other questions, our C300 Lux averages 21-22 mpg in suburban driving, and 26-29 mpg on highway trips. I've never used anything lower than 91 octane, as per MB's current and long-time requirement for premium fuel.
thanks for the info. anybody know the procedure, if any, to switch from 91 to E85? I will at least try one or two tankfulls, just to stem my curiousity.
i called the station that will be openning in December and they had no pricing information yet, so I can't even do any theoretical calculations
I see absolutely no logical reason to use E85. I consider it a "feel good" product of well meaning but misinformed environmentalists.
If we taxpayers weren't paying enormous subsidies, E85 would be priced way out of the market. With it's poor fuel economy I'm not aware of any economic advantages in using E85.
I have read that it takes the equivalent of 1 gallon of fossile fuels to make about 1.3 gallons of E85. With the poor fuel economy, at best it is a wash. Nothing has been saved in the environment.
At the same time, the coast of many food products has significantly increased due to the demand for corn and other food products.. What a loser!
I have used E85 since we got the car, a month ago; here in chicagoland, I can get it for 2.50 per gallon, which is about a DOLLAR LESS than premium; I get about 21 mpg vs 25 mpg with premium, so the numbers are good for me here; 33% less for the gas, and a 20% reduction in mileage..Only issue will be when it goes below 14 degrees, they say it may not be good to use it, and it wont be long until thats the temperature here..
The procedure to change from premium to E85 is to wait until you have about 1/3 of a tank or less of premium; go to the E 85 station, TURN YOUR CAR OFF, then fill it up..
Your computer in the car needs to reset itself once you switch from gas to E 85, but once you do, its fine..Car runs like a bat out of hell!
If you decide to go back to "gas", just wait until you have a 1/3 tank of E85, or less, before you refill with premium..
And dont listen to the people who bash it..here in the midwest, we have so much corn that gets processed, that there is no more ecological damage using E 85 then regular gas, plus, you are putting $$$ back into the US economy DIRECTLY, insted of sending more $$$ to the mideast oil sheiks...Don't understand why more folks don't see this basic principle......
I see absolutely no logical reason to use E85. I consider it a "feel good" product of well meaning but misinformed environmentalists.
If we taxpayers weren't paying enormous subsidies, E85 would be priced way out of the market. With it's poor fuel economy I'm not aware of any economic advantages in using E85.
I have read that it takes the equivalent of 1 gallon of fossile fuels to make about 1.3 gallons of E85. With the poor fuel economy, at best it is a wash. Nothing has been saved in the environment.
At the same time, the coast of many food products has significantly increased due to the demand for corn and other food products.. What a loser!
The 1.3 to 1 theory is a debugged myth.
There is too much E85 on the market now, without pumps, so its cheap. The more you pump now, the more likely it is to get more E85 pumps going.
E85 isn't a total solution, but would be a good supplement to gas. If we could politically get E85 production to change from corn to better crops, it would be much more effective. The corn growers lobby are tough guys though. IMHO, we should get the infrastructure going with the corn, then push our politicians to switch to better crops.
Also, more E85 will either push farming to provide us with a healthier crop or mess up everything. Its risky. Hopefully we just take high fructose corn syrup off the market, since that is a terrible thing that makes you fat. It started as a cheap way to make sugar. Then use the carbs for gas, and different crops for consumption.
I have a buddy in Ohio that has a permit to make ethanol on his little 5 acre plot. He seems to know a lot about it. He says some sort of beat (maybe a Jurusilum beat) get 3x the production of corn. He figured he could earn $30 an hour making his own. He was bummed when I pointed out a math error and it was $3. Not a good income, but if this is time counted as excercise (maybe instead of the gym), then it would be cool. He ran out of $$ to build the still though. That stinks.
If I had one of these, and I saved .6 or more per gallon, I'd run e85. I couldn't bear the poor highways mileage though, so I picked a car with 30+ on the highways. But once you have one, what the heck - Benz already got their EPS credit whether you pump it or not. If there is a corn shortage, you can switch back the next tank.
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