[CA2013ECE]

Wow, time flies. I joined back in 08-17-2016 when I bought a used 2013 Coupe and 15,000 miles later, I guess I never got around to introduce myself. This forum has been immensely valuable to a newbie Smart owner like myself. I installed a ScanGauge, changed the oil, air filter, and cabin filter by searching the forum for howtos. I have yet to tackle spark plugs, V-Belts, and transmission fluids, but those are all on the list : )

I've always like the Smart Car concept. I love the brand DNA that combines the quirkiness of Swatch with MB's safety focused engineering prowess. I also like the clean design aesthetics with a deceptively large utilitarian interior. I remember reading about the Fortwo in the late 90's and being excited to rent a 450 in 04' for a quick day trip from Firenze to Pisa. That experience left me pleasantly surprised and ever since I've always thought of Smart Fortwo not as a small car, but as a cool car with a capacious interior.

In some way I treat my Smart like small cargo hauler and I am constantly amazed by how much stuff I can pack into the car; everything from folding tables, ice chest, cartons, luggage, small ovens and projector screen.

Having changed my fair share of spare tires, sometimes in remote locations, I was a bit hesitant to take my Smart from Los Angeles to Oregon to see the 2017 solar eclipse. Yet, I made it there and back, including short stretches of alternate gravel roads in post eclipse exodus traffic.

The only downside to driving a ICE Smart is that my regular daily commute is ~2 miles (one way) of (sub)urban driving. If I am lucky, I get almost 30mpg and the engine barely reaches operating temperature, which doesn't happen during winter, even in SoCal. So, to remedy that situation, I recently acquired a 2013 Smart ED : )

Having zero experience with EV, I again have to thank the forum for its collective knowledge on the Smart ED. Searching and reading the forum on the Smart ED gave me the peace of mind to purchase an almost 6 year old EV. I still get ~85 miles of max range, and ~60 miles of usable range before charging (No A/C, mostly local streets).

thanks everyone,

John

 

[jwight]

Welcome (back) to SCoA!

 

[twcom]

Cool the local ED and the gas extended version. Over time would love to here your favorite issues and comparisons concerning your use of the pair.

 

[Johannesl]

Welcome to the fun of EV ownership. I’ve also got one of each. A 2013 gas and a 2014 ED smart.

Until recently I’ve been solely driving my ED daily. Just put on new exhaust so for the last few weeks ED has been sitting while I enjoy my gas smart.

 

[paulbob]

That's a great photo. Tried this in my garage with my Fiat 500 and my smart but the garage is just a few inches short. I believe that the Smart is 106" long and the Fiat 139".

PB

 

[CA2013ECE]

Cool the local ED and the gas extended version. Over time would love to here your favorite issues and comparisons concerning your use of the pair.

My ICE and ED 451 have the same exterior color, and both have the instrument pods and highline radio so operationally and visually they are very similar. After a week of driving the ED, I noticed ED has a significantly smoother driving experience. I love both Smart cars, but must admit that low speed driving with the ICE 451, ie parking lots or bumper to bumper traffic, is a bit challenging. On a few occasions, I had to slightly pull on the hand brake to manually disengage the clutch because the ICE 451 was bucking and jerking way too much.

Another thing I noticed with the ED 451 is that I had to modify my driving style and pattern. Since ED's city and highway MPGe is inverse to that of the ICE 451, when driving the ED, instead of heading for the freeway, I'll choose local highway to limit my speed and maximize range. Unlike ICE version, ED waste very little energy in city traffic. Range anxiety went away once I realized that at an average speed of 20mph, even if the ED range shows 30 miles till empty, that is still one and a half hour of driving.

Overall I still love my ICE 451 for the range, but I am very impressed with the ED 451. I don't view my Smart 451 as a solely "city car", but Smart ED does make for an excellent city car.

On a side note, when driving the ED, I kept glancing at the power gauge for time, since that's the location for the analog clock pod on the ICE 451. I guess I am still partial to analog clocks : )

 

[twcom]

That makes a great comparison because of no visual, therefore no mental difference walking up to them and sitting inside. Then you start them and the two reveal their personalities. I use the one click up in bumper to bumper mostly so that the car will not move forward with out intentional gas pedal input. Does the ED creep forward when you take your for off the brake. and are you a paddle shifter in the gas.

I keep reading the "Range anxiety went away once I realized that at an average speed of 20mph, even if the ED range shows 30 miles till empty, that is still one and a half hour of driving." over and over lol. I'm happy for you I just don't get it lol.

 

[Johannesl]

Great comparison and I agree. The ED is much smoother, quicker off the line and quicker to top speed (78mph ED and 92mph gas).

Stop and go is jerkier in the gas, but on one or 2 occasions I had same experience with ED creeping and bucking a little. Only twice in the year I’ve owned it.

Also range anxiety is pretty much nil. I know where it can go and when. If I want to go further I either schedule a charge stop or take the gasser or Prius.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[twcom]

Does the one notch up on the brake lever apply to disable creep mode in the ED also.

 

[CA2013ECE]

That makes a great comparison because of no visual, therefore no mental difference walking up to them and sitting inside. Then you start them and the two reveal their personalities. I use the one click up in bumper to bumper mostly so that the car will not move forward with out intentional gas pedal input. Does the ED creep forward when you take your for off the brake. and are you a paddle shifter in the gas.

I keep reading the "Range anxiety went away once I realized that at an average speed of 20mph, even if the ED range shows 30 miles till empty, that is still one and a half hour of driving." over and over lol. I'm happy for you I just don't get it lol.

ED 451 does creep forward when in D, however, ED creeps forward at probably half the ICE 451's speed. ED 451 also has an artificial pedestrian warning hum when it's creeping along at low speeds, unlike the i3 or Leaf.

The fuel gauge on the ICE 451 is non-linear, even with an attached scanguage, my best guess estimate only has a confidence level of +/- half gallon. When the fuel reserve is low, I'm never quite sure how much range I have left on the ICE 451, especially in congested city traffic with wildly fluctuating MPG. On the ED, I find the mile remaining tends to be quite accurate. Unlike ICE 451, when fuel reserve is low, I don't have to mentally subtract miles to account for traffic idling time because city traffic doesn't affect the range that much.

Of course, this is during the nice 70F SoCal fall weather. I'll probably have to worry about ED's low battery range during the summer when A/C is on.

 

[twcom]

I went Back and re read some of my threads and found that some clutch actuator post. In reference to some info on the smoothness of the clutch possibly related to lack of lubrication I watched some Youtube and went ahead and sprayed some lube inside.

https://youtu.be/I9BMBF5tF2c

I do not have a lot of bucking and jerking anymore after doing all these things my Smart settled down a great deal.

I have driven my smart on purpose until the low fuel light came on I was able to drive a good while on the last fuel square. So now I ride it down to the last square and head to the gas pump at that point.

 

[Jo e Lefors]

I went Back and re read some of my threads and found that some clutch actuator post. In reference to some info on the smoothness of the clutch possibly related to lack of lubrication I watched some Youtube and went ahead and sprayed some lube inside.

https://youtu.be/I9BMBF5tF2c

I do not have a lot of bucking and jerking anymore after doing all these things my Smart settled down a great deal.

I have driven my smart on purpose until the low fuel light came on I was able to drive a good while on the last fuel square. So now I ride it down to the last square and head to the gas pump at that point.

Remember that the Fuel pump is sitting at the bottom of the fuel tank and is cooled with what fuel is in the tank. I guess I don't understand the reasoning behind "Running on Fumes". :shrug:
https://www.bellperformance.com/blo...-Your-Car-Low-On-Gas-Bad-for-Your-Fuel-System
Wearing Out The Fuel Pump
The fuel pump has the function of pumping fuel. I know, revolutionary, right? It's a precise piece of machinery that gets its lubrication from the gasoline fuel. When there's not enough gas in the tank, the fuel pump doesn't get the same level of protection as it would otherwise. If you run the car low on fuel consistently, you can wear out the fuel pump prematurely, over-stressing it and making it hotter. The caveat here is that it's more likely to happen if you do this over a longer period of time.
Plus
Auto Maintenance: Why You Can't Ignore the Fuel Pump.
Taking care of your fuel pump
If properly cared for, several highly rated auto mechanics say fuel pumps should last the entire life of a car.

To extend the life of your fuel pump, never let you car’s fuel level fall below a quarter of a tank, says David Schneider, co-owner of highly rated Dare Automotive in Dayton, Ohio.

“The fuel pump should last as long as you own the car, but people tend to run the fuel tank too low, which causes them to wear out,” Schneider says. “The fuel in the tank cools the pump. But when the gas runs down to empty, the pump will overheat.” If the tank is empty and new gasoline is pumped in, it can cause thermal shock to the pump, Schneider says.

 

[MB DNA]

Remember that the Fuel pump is sitting at the bottom of the fuel tank and is cooled with what fuel is in the tank. I guess I don't understand the reasoning for "Running on Fume's". :shrug:

AND, this is a common tank/pump design for many marquees not just smart.

Personally, I'd prefer to have a full tank as the additional weight can improve the ride???

 

[InjuredAgain]

Does the one notch up on the brake lever apply to disable creep mode in the ED also.

I tested this, and it does not disable creep. You get a message on the console warning the handbrake is engaged but even at two clicks, the creep still exists.

 

[Jo e Lefors]

I tested this, and it does not disable creep. You get a message on the console warning the handbrake is engaged but even at two clicks, the creep still exists.

On my 2009 smart 1 or 2 clicks up on the handbrake does disable the creep mode on my car.
Pulling up on the handbrake is not the same as the car being in neutral. the car will still move forward using the gas pedal. When I pull into my garage I park my smart in the same spot I had my motorcycle's, kind of a small area, and cannot trust the creep mode for smooth movement into the space, therefore I disable creep by using the handbrake and use the gas pedal for forward movement.
Pulling up on the handbrake also disables the hill hold feature.