Back to all

E-85 Fuel Safety Advice from Spartan Tire Brighton

March 20, 2020


 

Today at Spartan Tire Brighton we want to talk with you about a very important safety issue. This automotive safety warning is coming from a very unusual source: fire fighting experts. You've probably heard of E-85 gasoline being offered in the Brighton area. Some newer vehicle models are specifically built to run on E-85 – the rest are not.

Does your vehicle use E-85 gasoline? Bring it down to Spartan Tire Brighton at 4880 Old U.S. 23 in Brighton, Michigan 48114, to find out, or give us a call to make an appointment by calling 810-355-4388 .

E-85 gasoline has been developed to fight air pollution and reduce oil consumption. E-85 fuel is a mix of 85% ethanol, a grain-base alcohol, and 15% gasoline. So-called Flex-Fuel vehicles are designed to use either normal gasoline or E-85 gas. The result is lower exhaust emissions to our local Brighton community.

All gas engines can run with up to 10% ethanol, and in fact a lot of gasoline sold in the Brighton, Michigan, area does contain some ethanol. The problem comes when well-meaning residents without Flex Fuel certified vehicles put E-85 into the tank.

At a 15% concentration, the potential for problems arises. Because of the chemical differences between ethanol and gasoline, special seals and gaskets are needed for Flex Fuel vehicles. In a normal engine, the ethanol in E-85 gas will eat away seals and gaskets. This leads to gas and oil leaks.

You Brighton auto owners can imagine the fire hazard caused by leaking gasoline. Michigan fire fighting experts caution drivers to only use E-85 if they know their vehicle is certified to handle it. They expect vehicle fires to increase because of using the wrong fuel in non-Flex Fuel vehicles.

Spartan Tire Brighton
4880 Old U.S. 23
Brighton, Michigan 48114
810-355-4388

 

Need Service?

Request a Quote

More articles from Spartan Tire Brighton

That Vexing Vapor Venting (Vapor Coming out of Vents)

April 27, 2025

You may have noticed sometimes on a hot and humid day, vapor will come out of your vehicle's vents when you have the air conditioning on. Is that something to be concerned about? Well, it depends. Sometimes that steam or vapor can be caused by water accumulating in the vent system after it has c... More

How Cool is That! (Coolant level sensor replacement)

April 20, 2025

Your vehicles engine runs hot. It should, since its a series of little explosions that create the power that gets you going where you want to go. To keep the engine cool, engineers have designed wonderful cooling systems that use liquid coolant, hoses, and a radiator to transfer the heat from t... More

U and your U-Joints (Lubricate U-Joints)

April 13, 2025

If your vehicles power goes to the rear wheels, then you have something called U-joints in the drivetrain. U-joints are connectors that allow the rotating power from your vehicles engine to deliver its power through a driveshaft to make the rear wheels rotate. You need U-joints because the surfa... More