Saddle up for bumpy commute

This week readers want to know whether it's OK to use E85 to fuel their car, when the commute to Blue Diamond Road and Jones Boulevard will ease up, and whether using cruise control saves gasoline.

Ed writes: Once and for all, what is E85 and in what vehicles can it be used?

E85 is an ethanol-gasoline blend that is being used in some vehicles today. Eighty-five percent of the blend is ethanol and the remaining 15 percent is gasoline.

Ethanol fuel vehicles are not new, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Automaker Henry Ford designed such a vehicle in the 1880s. He also built the first "flex fuel vehicle" -- a Model T that could use either ethanol or gasoline.

Today, flex-fuel vehicles are the only vehicles that should be using E85. If you are wondering if you are driving a flex-fuel vehicle, just check the inside of your fuel tank door or driver's manual.

There are fewer than 10 million flex-fuel vehicles on the road, so chances are you aren't.

E85 can cause severe damage to conventional vehicles. Ethanol, which is basically alcohol, can destroy a number of engine parts over time.

Flex-fuel vehicles have special parts that allow ethanol to be used.

But for the most part, this isn't a choice drivers will deal with at the pump on a daily basis. According to the Web site www.e85vehicles.com, fewer than 10 stations in the Las Vegas Valley offer E85.

Stephanie Reinwald writes: I am a teacher and I will be working at Ries Elementary School in the fall. Ries is located near Jones Boulevard and Blue Diamond Road. I live near Desert Inn and Fort Apache roads. I am thinking of any way possible to shorten my commute. Do you know when the bridge going over the train tracks at Jones and Desert Inn will be finished? Do you know when Blue Diamond will be widened?

Talk about a tough commute. I wonder how much dirt you have to drive over?

Well, there's some good news for you if you can hold off teaching for a year.

The Nevada Department of Transportation is hoping the Blue Diamond widening project, already under way at a cost of $52 million, will be finished sometime in the winter of 2009.

Until then, many commuters in the area will be discontent.

But when it's done, Blue Diamond Road will be an eight-lane roadway and have a bridge over the disruptive Union Pacific railroad crossing.

Unfortunately, the fall semester is going to be one bumpy commute.

I've looked at a map and I'm not sure there's a easy solution. The problem is that where you are going is where all the construction is, so there's no way around it.

Alf writes: Have you heard anything on cruise control versus foot-on-the-gasoline-pedal for saving gasoline? I drive five days a week in a small SUV up U.S. Highway 95 from Henderson to downtown and always use my cruise control set between 60 mph and 65 mph. Every time I fill up, it doesn't seem I'm saving gasoline.

Cruise control can save you gasoline because it maintains a steady speed, according to Edmunds.com, a Web site dedicated to automotive issues. However, Edmunds.com also points out that in hilly terrain, cruise control causes your vehicle to speed up to maintain the preset speed and might negate any savings as a result.

The general rule is that the slower you drive the more fuel you will save due to less wind resistance. You are more likely to see savings if you went from 75 mph down to 65 mph. But if you drive a somewhat fuel efficient SUV -- like the Toyota Rav4 or Honda CRV -- you may not see tremendous savings going from 65 mph to 60 mph, unless you drop down to 55 mph.

Of course, that might not lead to your winning any popularity contests during rush hour.

If you have a question, tip or tirade, call Francis McCabe at (702) 387-2904, or send an e-mail to roadwarrior@review journal.com. Please include your phone number.