Fuel & Fuel Additives - Page 3 - Smart Car of America Forums : Smart Car Forum

The Rigger · 01-31-2009, 06:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by racer

I know its just me... but do folks really bother with additives and detergents anymore?

Depends on what you mean... I have a tankful of Stabil fuel stabilizer-treated gas in the Cabrio right now, because the car's now in cold storage and it'll be about three months before I get to drive it again.

*Shouldn't* affect anything in the fuel injection system, but y'never know...

jetfuel · 01-31-2009, 06:28 PM

..hey rigger...on the road again ah?

did you put a battery tender on the beast..?

jetfuel

The Rigger · 01-31-2009, 06:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jetfuel

..hey rigger...on the road again ah?

Ayup... it's the nature of the job. T'was nice to be home (or close enough, anyway) for the past three weeks after ten months away, but it's time to move on once again.

Quote:

Originally Posted by jetfuel

did you put a battery tender on the beast..?

Oh yeah... That's the yellow drop cord running up behind the car; BT Plus hooked up to the battery, still in place in the car. I didn't want to pull the battery for however-many months and risk having the car's computers taking a giant dump - I want the car to remember it's a car, and not start thinking it's a paperweight or something.

jetfuel · 01-31-2009, 07:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Rigger

That's the yellow drop cord running up behind the car;

..oh man...I thought the little guy peed knowing it was going to stay outside and it froze on contact.....

...good luck..have fun...be safe...

...check in from time to time and let us know how you're doing...

jetfuel

The Rigger · 01-31-2009, 07:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jetfuel

...check in from time to time and let us know how you're doing...

Oh, I'll still be here, reading the forums... Gotta feed the Smart monkey on my back 'til I get home again somehow.

Old smart · 03-16-2009, 12:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Old smart

Page 307 of the U.S. Operators Manual has some pretty specific language concerning fuel and fuel additives. I am using Shell V-Power intake valve and fuel injector detergent (6oz at 2,500 mile intervals) but I decided to ask my smart center for the official recommendation on products and application. Though it is published in the OpMan, the smart centers have not been provided with such information. The smart center passed my inquiry on to smart USA. smart USA has no such recommendation to return. sUSA sent the question on to Germany.

One wonders if M-B will pull out some existing piece of paper pertaining to M-B engines (ala M-B Sheet 229.5) or pass the buck to Mitsu in Japan (neither of whom are involved with U.S. EPA spec fuel or additives). One also wonders how long it will take for the official word to filter back.

Out of interest, I checked the Euro BR451 Operators Instructions, and they do not mention fuel quality or additives at all (just the required octane).

It has been a while coming, but the answer has come back. Email at scVAB indicates that there is one additive recognized by M-B - P/N # A000 989 25 45 10, identified as BASF "Keropur®." But....

According to smart (USA, GmbH?), Keropur or any other gasoline additive is not recommended for use in the U.S., notwithstanding what it says in the '08 OpMan pg. 307 or the '09 Op-Man pg. 317 (best thing to do is to write "Not for U.S. use." on those pages). The wording in the manual is intended for international use, and is not even smart specific - it was lifted directly from the general M-B Cars division service fluid guidance with "smart" replacing "M-B" where appearing. The reason the guidance is in there in the first place is to cover parts of the world where M-Bs are sold and where sub-standard gasoline is the norm. The info returned from Germany specifically cites Russia and China.

Now, do I have 100% confidence in that guidance? Considering pg.13 of the smartUSA “Introduction (sic) into Service Manual” - well, no.

chieftmc · 03-16-2009, 12:32 PM

Thanks for the update

DFDureiko · 11-08-2009, 05:15 PM

great questions. I'm in Brooksville, FL. the gas flap says 95 Octane? Now where do I get that? the last Sunoco station I was at had "ULTRA94" and had a 93 rating????
been using Shell lately.
Was at autozone and saw octane boosters....."FOR OFFROAD USE ONLY"
I know 93 will most likely not hurt my engine as would, say, 86........
but would a super octane booster hurt the engine? woud it make it better on acceleration?
Thanks
Dan

jetfuel · 11-08-2009, 05:29 PM

...since you're in FL...where the telephone pole is considered the state tree you will be fine with mid grade fuel..it will NOT harm the engine...

jetfuel...just me...YMMV

Brabus007 · 11-10-2009, 11:25 AM

Shell Nitrogen Enriched, picked as the TOP of "Top Tier Gasoline's"
Top Tier program requires that its members sell gasoline—"in all grades", not just the highest octane—that provides a much higher level of deposit control than the EPA-mandated levels. Quality is important. Fuels that do not control deposits effectively will eventually lead to such conditions as clogged fuel injectors, along with dirty valves and other intake parts, a recipe for poor fuel delivery. Poor fuel delivery can result in misfires, which are essentially combustion cycles that don’t combust properly—if at all. This means a loss of power and a decrease in fuel efficency, as well as greater exhaust-gas emissions as the unburned fuel mixture passes directly through the engine.”
~Why Top Tier Gas~
http://www.toptiergas.com/why.html

~~~~~~5,000 Miles~~~~~~~~~~~5,000 Miles~~~~~~
How Shell V-Power Works