ShaiMalka

My friends dad actually has a mercedes c300 and he says that he runs the car on 135 octane ethanol.. He said that only the c300 not the 350 can consume this kind of fuel. Has anyone heard about this? I am really interested in it he says he drove my 300 and compared to his, his is much quicker. Does anyone know whatup with this?

Thanks,
Shai

ldtCapitan

I have a C300 and I ran it on E85 Ethanol for a bit, ethanol burns faster but I didn't notice any performance change.

RLE

Those who have read their owner's manuals (now THERE is a concept) know which model can use E85.

There is a thread someplace where this was discussed long ago. No one has claimed that E85 produces more power.

ldtCapitan

I ran it on E85 because it's real cheap but it also burns a lot faster so it's about the same price as petrol. ALSO, although I have read the whole manual, even if you don't, when you open your gas door at the tank, it says "ONLY PREMIUM OR E85 ETHANOL", at least for my vehicle.

JimPap

I've found that 93 octane gasoline that doesn't contain ethenol seems to run better in the C300.

chilledbenz

Only C300 REAR wheel drive vehicles can run on E85. Not too familiar with 2010 models, it may have changed.

RLE

I think I read someplace recently that MB has eliminated E85 usage from their model lineup. Likely because E85 is so hard to find. My closest source is about 25 miles away.

AkaSigFreak

E85 capable vehicles usually have a yellow gas cap and it is clearly indicated on the cap and the door. If you run E85- the manual states that after you fill up (and you should be on near empty to fill up) you should start the car and let it sit at idle for 5 minutes. It definitely burns faster and the exhaust smells different. It almost has a sweet smell.

boostin500

My 2010 300 says E85 on fuel door.

telefonino

My 2008 C300 runs on E85 due to its flex fuel capability. It seems to have more speed but much less torque. So it makes more fun to drive but fuel consumptions is about 15-35% higher than with 95 octane gasoline.

mac911

Yeah I tried it for one tank once.

Only try it out, IF your fuel filler door says the car can take E85.

Even then, ethanol is very corrosive. The car supposedly has lines and things to protect it from this, but I prefer not to do it for the long haul. I just wanted to try it one time.

The mileage does go down. If they engineered an engine just for ethanol, supposedly the mileage wouldn't go down so bad.

It is a few cents cheaper per gallon often though.

Derspeed

6MTs can't use E85 either.

telefonino

Indeed it is! Here in Germany E85 costs 45% less than premium unleaded!

Peabody

You should definitely be able to notice a change in performance (for the worse) using E85, as burning ethanol only contains 2/3rds the energy of an equivalent volume of gasoline.

Peabody

Just keep in mind it takes 1.53 liters of ethanol to equal 1 liter of gasoline.

1sik_c300

Filled up with my first tank today and I can definitely see a sufferance in performance!

Glyn M Ruck

Only run on ethanol or E85 if you have a "Flex fuel" car as indicated on the gas flap. Alcohols can damage fuel system components & elastomers that were not designed to use them.

DonjuanOriginal

It's the biggest joke of a sales pitch (e85). Here in Ontario Canada. Many Domestics Chev, Ford, Chyrs. offer Flex Fuel. Google E85 fuel stations in ontario canada. How many do you find.? Maybe 2. My C300 has flex fuel and i will never use it. 91 octane and higher runs just fine.

itsLoonie

It does give it a little performance boost but it's not a big difference. There is one station I know of which is 5mi or so. The price difference isn't enough to make me want to use it versus 91 octane. As people say, wastes a lot more gas since it needs more of it to burn. I average 320Mi before I fill up (before light goes on) with 91 octane vs 260Mi with E85.

Glyn M Ruck

It can only give a small performance increase if it allows the engine to run more advanced timing so it is dependent on ECU tune/set-up.

will_w204

Google "non-ethanol gas" and pull up a list of stations by state that sell REAL gasoline. I started running my 92 SL and the c300 on 93 octane "pure" gasoline, maybe 15 cents more a gallon, and I absolutely notice a difference in mileage. In a year I'd never gotten over 30.2 on an interstate trip, and I got 31.9 my first interstate trip after switching.

MBRedux

Completely agree. The performance increase is slight, and as Glyn rightfully stated, when E85 fuel is detected, the ECU advances the timing, giving the impression of better performance, but it is marginal and way less efficient. But E85 has a number of advantages over conventional gasolines. One key advantage is a reduction in tailpipe emissions. Another advantage is a high effective octane rating which reduces engine heat and thus wear. Because the ethanol component effectively displaces fossil fuels with energy harvested from renewable sources, in theory E85 is less carbon intensive than petroleum. Additionally, there is a greater potential for localized production of ethanol in agriculturally rich areas utilizing what would normally be considered waste materials. Also, a diversification of fuel sources reduces dependence on a particular type of fuel and may increase stability of supply. However, E85 also has disadvantages, and the potential benefits of E85 are contested by some experts. In a liter-to-liter comparison, E85 has 33% less energy content than "pure" gasoline (and 30% less than the E10 gasohol blend that is sold by almost all retailers in the US). Depending on the vehicle, this can result in a notable reduction in fuel economy and while E85 is cheaper than gasoline per gallon, per mile it may be more expensive to run! Additionally, due the chemical differences between E85 and gasoline, fuel systems and engines not designed or modified to use E85 will most certainly suffer increased wear and may fail prematurely, resulting in very expensive repairs! Moreover, some of the environmental and social benefits of ethanol, and therefore E85, are highly dependent on raw materials used to produce the fuel. Production of ethanol from corn drives up world food prices and may not reduce carbon emissions at all, due to the petroleum and natural gas used in raising corn and refining it into ethanol. Ethanol produced from waste materials or fast growing non-food crops such as switchgrass is much more beneficial, but not yet economically practical at large scale. (Thanks Wikipedia)

dgghostkilla

I run my 2010 C300 4matic on premium only. I never even gave it a thought of ever putting anything bellow 91. Its usually about 93 octane around here.
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MBRedux

Remember, in the USA, we do not use the RON, or MON method of octane rating. Instead our pumps average the two... R+M/2...

alanedinger

Not true.