BMWs do not require Premium fuel...Only recommended?

[BMW135iCA]

All I know is that the second day I had my one it cranked like the fuel pump was going. Then I think someone here told me it could have been the fuel my dealer gave me. After I got through the first batch, I have had no problems. I think the fuel at the dealer is no higher then what regular would be at a gas station.

Chris

[x97Melbourne]

Originally Posted by scs

40-50k turbo charged luxury car (recommended fuel premium)

debating whether or not to spend an extra buck fifty every fill up...is this really happening?

================
Point well taken. However, if you use 89 (mid grade -- not regular) you are still following the BMW recommended fuel for the 135i. Obviously anyone spending $48,000 for a BMW is not overly concerned about 2 bucks a fill-up. But if 89 doesn't hurt the engine and I am not concerned about loosing 5% performance, why wouldn't you use 89/mid grade?

Is anyone using 89? I'd be curious to hear some opinions from actual users. i am still using 93 because I'm in the break in period.
:thumbup:

[rocketpop]

What is the big deal running mid-grade instead of high-grade. 10 cents??? If you put $10 in, you saved yourself a $1. That like a $4 a month saving for me. Its not worth it in my case.. KInda like wife wanting to driving across town to save 3 cents.

[scs]

Originally Posted by x97Melbourne

================
Point well taken. However, if you use 89 (mid grade -- not regular) you are still following the BMW recommended fuel for the 135i. Obviously anyone spending $48,000 for a BMW is not overly concerned about 2 bucks a fill-up. But if 89 doesn't hurt the engine and I am not concerned about loosing 5% performance, why wouldn't you use 89/mid grade?

Is anyone using 89? I'd be curious to hear some opinions from actual users. i am still using 93 because I'm in the break in period.
:thumbup:

using the higher octane simply because this is a turbo charged motor. every a/f graph i've seen with any turbo application shows the a/f ratio go super rich in high boost (usually because that helps with cooling the fuel charge to avoid detonation), higher octane fuel will help fight the possibility of detonation because it's less volatile

now if i had a n/a motor, mid grade would probably fine.

high boost = higher engine temps, hotter air mixing with the fuel, higher load on the engine, higher cylinder pressure (which is when detonation happens)

larger intercoolers, richer fuel curve at high boost, and higher octane fuel all help with the fight against detonation (on a motor that doesn't allow you to control the boost levels on the fly)

[jbenington86]

Originally Posted by rocketpop

What is the big deal running mid-grade instead of high-grade. 10 cents??? If you put $10 in, you saved yourself a $1. That like a $4 a month saving for me. Its not worth it in my case.. KInda like wife wanting to driving across town to save 3 cents.

I believe you ment 10 gallons saves you $1

$10 would be little more than 2 gallons at .10 difference thats .20

but yes ur right im never putting anything less than premium in my car

[S54dan]

Originally Posted by BMW135iCA

All I know is that the second day I had my one it cranked like the fuel pump was going. Then I think someone here told me it could have been the fuel my dealer gave me. After I got through the first batch, I have had no problems. I think the fuel at the dealer is no higher then what regular would be at a gas station.

Chris

Dealerships use 91 octane. (At least here in Atlanta they do).

My .02:

I'd rather pay the extra money than to have a destroyed engine. Especially for a turbo vehicle, I would only recommend running premium gasoline. Since BMW has highly recommended 91 octane, it's likely they will not replace a blown engine for not using the correct fuel. I don't know that to be a fact, but I would imagine so.

[ryguy85]

I always stick with premium even in a 128i. The lowest i would consider is 89, 87 probably just for emergency type situations if they ever occur. Even the NA 128i has a decently high compression and with regular gas im quite sure you would notice the change in performance when accelerating under a decent load.

[Tom K.]

Since different octanes are "recommended" and "allowed", it would be nice if BMW published engine HP specs using each octane.

My BMW R1200RT cycle specifies 110 HP using 93 (U.S. pump) octane and 101 HP burning 87 - an 8% power loss with regular. If the loss in fuel mileage is similar (as a few riders have reported) then it would make economic sense to use regular only when the price differential is greater than 8%. In my area it usually is only 5~6%, so I'll continue to use premium and enjoy full engine power and efficiency.
Tom

[rocketpop]

Originally Posted by jbenington86

I believe you ment 10 gallons saves you $1

$10 would be little more than 2 gallons at .10 difference thats .20

but yes ur right im never putting anything less than premium in my car

Oh Yeah, thanks...

[jrc]

My dealer specifically told me that 89 octane was fine when the car was delivered -- so I assume that was what was in the complimentary first tank. Been 93 since then, but I highly doubt if 89 would do any damage, cause limp modes etc.

[corpsman]

Dude, You've invested $35,000+ in a kickass car. Why are you concerned about shelling out an extra $3-4$ per tank?

[backtoreality15]

Originally Posted by jbenington86

I believe you ment 10 gallons saves you $1

$10 would be little more than 2 gallons at .10 difference thats .20

but yes ur right im never putting anything less than premium in my car

Ditto. Spending the extra buck is worth having that extra performance/economy, let alone not possibly damaging your engine. What the SA said was, interesting, to the say the least however.

[jeremyc74]

I hate the way everyone just jumps on this and says "Use Premium you cheap bastard1"

This was a question about whether or not the car REQUIRED premium, not whether or not someone should use it.

The answer is NO it does not require premium fuel, and NO running something other than premium WILL NOT damage the engine. Running lower grade fuel won't even degrade the mileage, only the performace at WOT. There's a pretty serious amount of mis-information in every thread like this.

[scs]

Originally Posted by jeremyc74

I hate the way everyone just jumps on this and says "Use Premium you cheap bastard1"

This was a question about whether or not the car REQUIRED premium, not whether or not someone should use it.

The answer is NO it does not require premium fuel, and NO running something other than premium WILL NOT damage the engine. Running lower grade fuel won't even degrade the mileage, only the performace at WOT. There's a pretty serious amount of mis-information in every thread like this.

my statements are only in regard to the boosted motor. correct it may not be necessary to run premium, but added octane serves as a security blanket to avoid detonation.

to put it in perspective, how about running 87 octane and watching what happens in the long run? yeah it's only 2 octane lower then the "recommended" grade, but look what happens to your motor. 2 point higher octane is a safety net for this motor (imho)

but hey, if your leasing the car, run crappy gas, and screw the next owner, if that floats your boat. i purchased mine and am not in a position trash an already depreciating asset.

[Mad Dragon]

BMW recommends Top Tier gasoline with a minimum octane rating of AKI 91.

[imported_bmwautoxer]

Originally Posted by Nixon

Side note: Low quality gas and low octane gas are two different things. You can buy a high quality gas (Shell, etc) in different octanes, and it is still high quality gas at all octane levels. The inverse is true for low quality gas. Low quality gas of any octane level really can harm your car (cats, fuel pumps, valves, etc). That's an entirely different issue.

This is really the bigger issue here rather than the octane. Buying low quality gas, like a Costco or AM-PM, with high octane is still bad for your engine. In some places like CA there is a huge price difference between these gases and high quality gas like Chevron, Shell, or 76 (like 20 or 30 cents a gallon). If you live someplace that has a big discrepancy in price like that, spend the money on the type of gas first, then worry about the octane second.

In terms of octane differences. I think that it was Car and Driver that did a "study" a couple of years back and their conclusion was that there wasn't a difference in the impact on the engine based solely on octane. They did note performance differences though.

[dbtheo]

use premium.

matter of fact bmw recommends brands that are approved top tier brands: www.toptiergas.com

[dbtheo]

Originally Posted by Mad Dragon

BMW recommends Top Tier gasoline with a minimum octane rating of AKI 91.

lol, just realized you already posted that:smile:

[Tom K.]

Originally Posted by jeremyc74

. Running lower grade fuel won't even degrade the mileage.

Jeremy, do you have a source for this assertion? I ask as this is often a topic on BMW hexhead motorcycle forums (air/oil cooled engines with 12:1 compression) and some riders have reported poorer milage with 87 vs. 91 or 93.
Tom

[Uptown Bully]

I think some are misinterpreting the manual. By "required" they mean: you better at LEAST use this or you car will have issues. By "recommended" they mean: but we suggest you actually use this because it's better for your car in the long run.

Yes, you can scrape by using the lower octane, there is your answer...but why would you want to?

[AussieRacer]

Originally Posted by jeremyc74

The answer is NO it does not require premium fuel, and NO running something other than premium WILL NOT damage the engine. Running lower grade fuel won't even degrade the mileage, only the performace at WOT. There's a pretty serious amount of mis-information in every thread like this.

Have a think about the misinformation in that statement.......You've made some big claims, that don't apply to every situation.

[Steve135i]

Maybe adding water to your 87 octane fuel will make your car go further, NOT.

Shell 93 bro.