[Boxster986S]

Has anyone tried E85 fuel in their GLA? I've only run premium gasoline in mine so far. Living in a "corn state" E85 sells right now for $1.75/gallon while premium gasoline is going for $2.75. Not that fuel cost is an issue for we that are paying >$40K for a car.

If any of you have, I'm curious to know if:
1. How much fuel economy do you lose with E85 in a GLA?
2. Any noticeable difference in performance or driveability with E85?

 

[HSCDUDE]

I've had this discussion with the service department at the local MB dealership. They always have said that we should use premium.. I asked my friend who works in the shop and he said I could alternate between mid-grade and premium, but nothing below mid. The regular price here is 2.05 and I've been jealous of those who can purchase it. It's the downside of running a high-end car.

 

[SSBGLA45]

Unless the engine is a 'Flex Fuel' type I would NOT use E85. The GLA250 and 45 (US spec) are designed for higher octane rated fuel with a max of 10% ethanol.

Use E85 as long as the vehicle is flex-fuel capable and engineered to operate on E85 (a mix of 85 percent ethanol and 15 percent gasoline). All vehicles sold in the U.S. are equipped and guaranteed to run safely on gasoline blended with up to 10 percent ethanol, but your vehicle should be flex-fuel capable to use a higher percentage of ethanol.

Flex-fuel vehicles can operate on pure gasoline or up to 85 percent ethanol — and switch between the two — with no loss of performance, according to the EPA. Engine computers on flex-fuel vehicles are programmed to adjust to the ethanol content; however, because ethanol has less energy content than gasoline, the EPA says vehicles running on E85 typically get 25 percent to 30 percent fewer mpg.

Using a blend that’s more than 10 percent ethanol in a non-flex-fuel vehicle will damage the engine and fuel system because ethanol is more corrosive and will damage O rings, seals and injectors (to name a few parts). E85 vehicles have different components installed at the factory to prevent such damage.

 

[Boxster986S]

Found this on EPA site for GLA250 4Matic. 30% drop in MPG for combined mileage versus 37% lower cost for E85 versus premium unleaded in my area. Minimal gain, so doubt I'll risk it.

 

[jones11]

I usually spend $ 39K but it is uncertain

​

 

[RevItUp]

Sorry to bump an old thread but as a new owner and enthusiast I may do this more than once.

Tuning these motors, and supporting mods (often injectors and sometimes fuel pump), to run on E85 would be awesome. I self-tuned my Subaru to run on E85 and my current Shelby has an E85 that I'm currently not running because it makes too much power (for my stock short block). E85 is very high octane gas.. I want to say 103 octane or so but google might know better. Compared to gasoline, at the ragged edge of performance there is less detonation and it runs cooler. On the Subaru platform and on the same custom-tuned car, an E85 tune will make 10-12% more torque and 5-10% more hp with no changes other than the fuel and tune.

As for just filling up on a stock car with a stock tune, unless these things are flex-fuel it would just be a horrible idea. However, splashing in some E85 in moderation (to not exceed say 15% ethanol in the tank) could result in some minimal power gains.. really not worth it but if you did it right I bet you could see a 2-3% improvement in torque and around 1% gain in hp on a dyno.

Anyhow... hot-running turbo 4's LOVE E85 so this platform could a sweet platform for an E85 tune down the road..

 

[GLAowner]

To the OP: E85?!? Are you prepared for a high repair bill, because warranty will deny it?

 

[caug]

Sorry to bump an old thread but as a new owner and enthusiast I may do this more than once.

Tuning these motors, and supporting mods (often injectors and sometimes fuel pump), to run on E85 would be awesome. I self-tuned my Subaru to run on E85 and my current Shelby has an E85 that I'm currently not running because it makes too much power (for my stock short block). E85 is very high octane gas.. I want to say 103 octane or so but google might know better. Compared to gasoline, at the ragged edge of performance there is less detonation and it runs cooler. On the Subaru platform and on the same custom-tuned car, an E85 tune will make 10-12% more torque and 5-10% more hp with no changes other than the fuel and tune.

As for just filling up on a stock car with a stock tune, unless these things are flex-fuel it would just be a horrible idea. However, splashing in some E85 in moderation (to not exceed say 15% ethanol in the tank) could result in some minimal power gains.. really not worth it but if you did it right I bet you could see a 2-3% improvement in torque and around 1% gain in hp on a dyno.

Anyhow... hot-running turbo 4's LOVE E85 so this platform could a sweet platform for an E85 tune down the road..

Sold, sing me in.
i like it cooler.more hp always welcome!
how to begin?
C

 

[Wayne]

A bit more information on the amount of rework required ...

http://www.hotrod.com/articles/hrdp-0801-e85-ethanol-alternative-fuel/

 

[RevItUp]

I know I've steered this thread away from the OP's original questions, sorry about that.

That above link is pretty good.

I've personally worked with E85 almost 10 years now. I had it on my DD Subaru that I tuned and converted myself and ran it for around 30k miles. The smell is just awesome, slightly sweet, not gas-like or chemically... so fun.

Anyhow, all you need is:
- a tune... and a tuner that is comfortable with it (this is the most important part).. if your tuner has doubts or hasn't worked with it, move on... on this car you'd be changing the stoich, then running a little more boost and timing to take advantage of the fuel... maybe tweak a few other settings like tip-in and fuel trim parameters.
- fuel system upgrades (depends on how much head-room the stock system has... most applications require injectors and or a fuel pump (boost-a-pump works fine).

There are some drawbacks. The biggest is cold-starting. On my Subaru, on a dead cold motor at 50F or more you would never know what fuel I was running or that anything was different. From 20F-50F, the car starts, but it requires a few extra cranks, especially under 30F. At temps of 20F or less, it will not start with E85. On my Ford, my tuner kinda sucks, and it was a bit worse... The other drawbacks are availability (you have to plan ahead to fuel up) and fuel inconsistency. E85 is actually anywhere between E70 and E85... my Subaru could handle fuel variations beautifully but my Ford didn't do as well. On the Ford I actually tested E85 fuel at the pump... that's certainly not for everyone... but I blame that more on my tuner than anything....

 

[caug]

I know I've steered this thread away from the OP's original questions, sorry about that.

That above link is pretty good.

I've personally worked with E85 almost 10 years now. I had it on my DD Subaru that I tuned and converted myself and ran it for around 30k miles. The smell is just awesome, slightly sweet, not gas-like or chemically... so fun.

Anyhow, all you need is:
- a tune... and a tuner that is comfortable with it (this is the most important part).. if your tuner has doubts or hasn't worked with it, move on... on this car you'd be changing the stoich, then running a little more boost and timing to take advantage of the fuel... maybe tweak a few other settings like tip-in and fuel trim parameters.
- fuel system upgrades (depends on how much head-room the stock system has... most applications require injectors and or a fuel pump (boost-a-pump works fine).

There are some drawbacks. The biggest is cold-starting. On my Subaru, on a dead cold motor at 50F or more you would never know what fuel I was running or that anything was different. From 20F-50F, the car starts, but it requires a few extra cranks, especially under 30F. At temps of 20F or less, it will not start with E85. On my Ford, my tuner kinda sucks, and it was a bit worse... The other drawbacks are availability (you have to plan ahead to fuel up) and fuel inconsistency. E85 is actually anywhere between E70 and E85... my Subaru could handle fuel variations beautifully but my Ford didn't do as well. On the Ford I actually tested E85 fuel at the pump... that's certainly not for everyone... but I blame that more on my tuner than anything....

I am in New England and its a daily driver so cold will be a problem, plus too many mods.
i ll stick with 93 only.
Thanks,
C

 

[Ned]

Unless the engine is a 'Flex Fuel' type I would NOT use E85. The GLA250 and 45 (US spec) are designed for higher octane rated fuel with a max of 10% ethanol.

E-85 has an octane rating of 108. That's about as high as you can get short of the higher-rated Avgas.