Has any one tried running e85 gasoline in a cooper or cooper s???

 

The MINI isn't a FFV, so it's probably a bad idea to try it.

 

Could we use regular gasoline (wich is 87 octane) instead of the supreme (91 octane like it is recommanded by Mini ?

Gasoline is very expensive here in Quebec !

 

Here is an excerpt from the Engineering Paper written by BMW engineers.

Remember that they are reffering to the RON number, and here in North America we use (MON+RON) /2. So our 95 fuel is probably equivalent to their 98.

It appears you can "safely" burn anything you could buy, but the engine will give higher output with fuels up to 95 Octane.

The Mini Cooper S

Thomas Bruener,

Claus-Otto Griebel,

Uwe Hoyer,

Andreas Mueller and

Rahim Pour

 

if you are not concerned with overall performance and long term effect ( if any ) you can run 87. Its not recomended though.

I ran 87 in mine for a while and even dynoed the car with 87 you could definitly see there was detonation up top running 87 and the hp suffered from it.

 

You could get away with it in a pinch, but I would not advise you to regularly run your MINI on anything less than Premium. Using a lower grade of fuel throws off engine timing, retards the engine, causes you to lose power, and in general you will get worse fuel economy for it. Numerous threads around this forum on the subject, but they all lead to the same conclusion: BMW says "Premium fuel required", give it Premium fuel.

Here's a good article at CanadianDriver.com on whether or not you should use Premium. http://www.canadiandriver.com/articles/jk/040728.htm

 

What is E85?

E85 is the term for motor fuel blends of 85 percent ethanol and just 15 percent gasoline. E85 is an alternative fuel as defined by the U.S. Department of Energy. Besides its superior performance characteristics, ethanol burns cleaner than gasoline; it is a completely renewable, domestic, environmentally friendly fuel that enhances the nation's economy and energy independence.

Today, the U. S. imports more than half of its oil, and overall consumption continues to increase. By supporting ethanol production and use, U.S. drivers can help reverse that trend. 85% ethanol can reduce pollution. Government tests have shown that E85 vehicles reduce harmful hydrocarbon and benzene emissions when compared to vehicles running on gasoline. E85 can also reduce carbon dioxide (CO[size=1]2[/size]), a harmful greenhouse gas and a major contributor to global warming.