E85 (Ethanol) gasoline

[Nonnymus]

Can E85 be used in the Smart Passion here in the USA?

[DragonEye]

Originally Posted by Nonnymus

Can E85 be used in the Smart Passion here in the USA?

sure, any vehicle would run with it... but i honestly wouldn't because the motor isn't built to handle how corrosive that fuel is. you will go through lots of things like rubber hoses, gaskets, and so on. this is why there are only a few vehicles designed to exclusively use it.

so i would say NO!

[Wdhitch]

It's kind of crappy on your MPG too isn't it???

[jefferios]

Well it would make your MPG from:

Average 40mpg

E85 Average: 25-30mpg

Now if you averaged 35mpg with your Smart now, you'd get: ~22-27mpg

Why would you want this?

[aviddk]

In Oregon we are being force fed E90. The state claims it reduces fuel economy only 2-3%. I would like to see them prove it. Just another reason I want a CDI Smart.

aviddk
Ashland, OR

[jwight]

From pg. 306 of the Operators Manual:

Unleaded gasoline containing oxygenates
such as ethanol, IPA, IBA and TBA can be used
provided the ratio of any one of these
oxygenates to gasoline does not exceed 10%;
MTBE must not exceed 15%.
The ratio of methanol to gasoline must not
exceed 3% plus additional cosolvents.
Using mixtures of ethanol and methanol is not
allowed. Gasohol, which contains 10% ethanol
and 90% unleaded gasoline, can be used.
These blends must also meet all other fuel
requirements, such as resistance to spark
knock, boiling range, vapor pressure, etc.

[Big Panda]

Originally Posted by DragonEye

sure, any vehicle would run with it... but i honestly wouldn't because the motor isn't built to handle how corrosive that fuel is. you will go through lots of things like rubber hoses, gaskets, and so on. this is why there are only a few vehicles designed to exclusively use it.

so i would say NO!

sorry, i'm confused...which is it; SURE, it will or NO, it won't? are you in politics?

Originally Posted by aviddk

In Oregon we are being force fed E90. The state claims it reduces fuel economy only 2-3%. I would like to see them prove it. Just another reason I want a CDI Smart.

aviddk
Ashland, OR

i've stated my opinion of diesels many times (I DON'T LIKE THEM!), but ya know what? if i lived in Oregon i would DEFINITELY own a smart CDI if it were available.....

[MPrice2984]

The smarts CPU is not set up to deal with E85, much less the hoses and other items needed for Flex Fuel vehicles. Don't even try it.

[John_H]

Originally Posted by aviddk

In Oregon we are being force fed E90.

As a fellow Oregonian, I'm happy we're only being force-fed E10 (that's 10% ethanol, not 90%). E85 is a far cry from E10 but I'd love to have E0 in my tank. I don't see how the Ethanol helps us out because the cost/benefit proposition for such a low energy density fuel eats at more than my hoses.

- John
Clackamas, OR

[SuperGeek]

Originally Posted by aviddk

In Oregon we are being force fed E90. The state claims it reduces fuel economy only 2-3%. I would like to see them prove it. Just another reason I want a CDI Smart.

aviddk
Ashland, OR

Just a point of technicality...

I'm pretty sure you meant E10 (10% ethanol, 90% gasoline). Forcing 90% ethanol would corrode about two thirds of the cars on their roads and they just wouldn't do that.

And yes, ethanol has about 30% less energy than gasoline, and replacing only 10% of your gasoline yields a net loss of about 3% power, so you'll often use 3% or so more to compensate.


Plus, anything above 10% ethanol makes a measurable difference in ignition timing and a car's engine computer needs to be programmed to handle it, or it may just give up and go into open loop, bypassing emissions and efficiency management.