Should I use E85 on my new Jeep Grand Cherokee 2007 Laredo?

Question

I just got a new Jeep with Flex Fuel and there is a gas station down the road that sells E85. Should I use that or Gasoline? Is E85 Harder on the engine? Is it more dangerous in a wreck? Will it save me money? To be honest, I don't really care about the environmental effects on either. I just want to know if it will save me money and if it will do damage to my Jeep? Thanks

Answer 1

As previously mentioned, the Jeep Grand Cherokee with the Flex Fuel engine is designed specifically to accomodate E85 fuel should you choose to use it, so it will not damage your Jeep at all.

Just keep in mind that E85 has only 77% the energy content of gasoline, so it won't give you as many miles as gas (and will cost you more money to go the same distance).

I don't know if it's true that by buying E85 more of your money is going to a domestic corn farmer rather than some Middle East sheik, but that's something you can do some research on and make your choice.

Either way, yes your Jeep can use E85 without any chance of causing damage, but it will cost you more per mile.

Answer 2

Gas mileage will suffer greatly with E85.  So you have to do the math and figure if the mileage difference is worth the price difference.  Sometimes, it is.

Answer 3

The E85 will not hurt your engine at all. E85 is more corrosive than gasoline therefore all seals and fuel lines in your Jeep have been modified from the factory. Chrysler would not recommend Flex Fuel if it couldn't run on it, especially seeing as how they have now put a Lifetime Powertrain Warranty on their vehicles. The gains you will get from E85 will not be shown in fuel mileage or price per gallon but rather environmental and economic benefits. The only thing to watch out for is to make sure your fuel tank is one quarter full, or above, before you switch between the two.