Speaking of rockets, this little AMG will love some rocket fuel. Highest octane or e85 if available will really juice it up, especially after the remap.
New Baby AMG
- Thread starter Bruce B
- Start date
For the past year or so I've been using Ethanol free gas in all my vehicles. Maybe it's expectation bias, but I think they run better.
There are not many gas station in BKK with 100% petro now. I have to use premium gasohol 95. The power is definitely down comparing to the normal 95. Even my exhaust note changed.
Tang
Ethanol contains less energy per volume vs gas but E85's effective octane is ~104.
So if the car is tuned for it, you can run more timing/boost on E85 and get much more power vs gas and the motor will run better, it will be safer and smoother. However, it will use about 25% more fuel vs gas, and often you'll see even more loss because you're making a lot more power too.
If the car isn't tuned for it the reduction in energy/volume will reduce performance a bit.
E85 is GREAT for turbocharged cars especially, and also for the US where the quality of standard gas is not as good as the rest of the world. It's strange to me that more motors do not come with "flex-fuel" abilities as standard. With FF there is a sensor so the motor will tune it's self to whatever percentage of ethanol is in the tank.
So if the car is tuned for it, you can run more timing/boost on E85 and get much more power vs gas and the motor will run better, it will be safer and smoother. However, it will use about 25% more fuel vs gas, and often you'll see even more loss because you're making a lot more power too.
If the car isn't tuned for it the reduction in energy/volume will reduce performance a bit.
E85 is GREAT for turbocharged cars especially, and also for the US where the quality of standard gas is not as good as the rest of the world. It's strange to me that more motors do not come with "flex-fuel" abilities as standard. With FF there is a sensor so the motor will tune it's self to whatever percentage of ethanol is in the tank.
It is better. Ethanol gas blows and is bad for the car. Doesn't store well either. I have ethanol free 91 where I live too. All cars happy.
Motorcycles are what really don't ethanol. One of the problems with ethanol is it evaporates fast... lowering the octane all the time.
I use it in all of my motorcycles too. Had a friend with a plastic tank on an Aprilla and it deformed with the Ethanol!
Spent the better part of yesterday/today prepping for ceramic coating. Works great on the SL. This one was a PITA with the "Night Package".....
I paid for a pro to polish and prep my new car, then applied a bunch of 3M PRO paint protective film, including a precut kit for the front bumper/hood/fenders.
I can't recommend anyone do this, the front bumper was more than a little difficult. I was told it was one of the hardest bumpers to get right and I can see that now, lol. There are some small bubbles and a little surface marring but I've been told it will all go away within a few weeks, and if there are any bubbles left a needle can be used to puncture the ppf to release the air/water and it'll self-heal. I did save about $1500 in labor over 2 days but it's difficult with no guarantee you won't waste a few hundred bucks on materials...
I'm debating using a ceramic or sticking to the paint sealer I already have after the ppf is cured and ready for a protective coating. Ceramic coating is another expensive product you can screw up pretty easily and it needs to be machine polished to remove.
I had some of that film on a couple of my last vehicles. I don't like it. The ceramic coating turned out much better. Materials cost me about $200. Think they quoted me about $2500 for the new AMG.
I'd rather not use ppf but here in CO it's necessary if you drive in the mountains, especially in the winter.
Folsom, ceramic is a hard coating that will resist damage to paint but it doesn't have nearly as much impact protection vs ppf. It generally lasts about a year vs 5 years for ppf, but it can last longer if it's a garage queen. Ceramic coating is extremely hydrophobic, more than anything else I've seen. Some ceramic over ppf but ppf is self-healing these days so not sure it matters. You can scratch it badly and hit it with a heat gun and it'll repair it's self.
Bruce, has your Mercedes-Benz dealer ever flagged your ECU-upgraded car with a “Status 8”?
No... or at least not yet. My AMG service writer told me "just" an ECU flash will not do this. He said that if I were to start replacing parts such as exhaust/turbos/engine parts, then I would need special permission from the regional rep for any warranty work.
I have read conflicting things on the Internet. Several posters report that their regular service visit to the dealer revealed the re-flashed ECU and afforded the dealer the opportunity to reject warranty service for engine and transmission components.
I was all excited about getting a Renntech ECU re-flash but it is more important to me not to have to worry about losing warranty service at the dealer.
I can ask my AMG service technician at my dealer this question. But even if it is not an issue now, nothing prevents Mercedes from in the future denying further warranty service to any power-train in a car which has ever had a non-standard ECU.
I was all excited about getting a Renntech ECU re-flash but it is more important to me not to have to worry about losing warranty service at the dealer.
I can ask my AMG service technician at my dealer this question. But even if it is not an issue now, nothing prevents Mercedes from in the future denying further warranty service to any power-train in a car which has ever had a non-standard ECU.
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