Gasoline Poll

gaijin · 03-20-2015, 08:20 AM

93 on all the cars and and the bike. Premium brand gasoline retailers only. And as someone else had pointed out, Chevron Techron fuel additive quarterly.

mmmmm235i · 03-20-2015, 09:26 AM

Gotta go with 93 and if you don't have it 91. It does matter especially in forced induction cars like our 2s. Back when I had the e90 328, it wouldn't hurt to mix in some 89 here and there, but not with the new turbo 4/6. I would be concerned about going below 91 in these cars and saving that kind of money is not worth even the slightest risk of damage to something as important to the car as say the fuel delivery system.

335BOY · 03-20-2015, 10:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by configt

It makes a huge difference especially in hot climates.

How much difference? HP? TQ?

configt · 03-20-2015, 12:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 335BOY

How much difference? HP? TQ?

I have never tested the different octane ratings on a dyno but the seat of pants feeling is significant. The car will retard timing and likely limit boost if ideal target values are not being seen in the internal logging. This is to save the engine from detonation.

335BOY · 03-20-2015, 01:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by configt

I have never tested the different octane ratings on a dyno but the seat of pants feeling is significant. The car will retard timing and likely limit boost if ideal target values are not being seen in the internal logging. This is to save the engine from detonation.

Sort of. Best case is you will get about 10 hp .....you can feel that?

configt · 03-20-2015, 01:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 335BOY

Sort of. Best case is you will get about 10 hp .....you can feel that?

In the M235i I have never tried to put lower octane, and I probably won't, the cost difference really isn't that much over time of ownership. In my GTR it was painfully obvious and a lot more than 10HP, especially when summer hit.

335BOY · 03-20-2015, 01:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by configt

In the M235i I have never tried to put lower octane, and I probably won't, the cost difference really isn't that much over time of ownership. In my GTR it was painfully obvious and a lot more than 10HP, especially when summer hit.

Sorry, your post said that you noticed a significant difference. GTR makes a little more hp than your 235.

configt · 03-20-2015, 02:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 335BOY

Sorry, your post said that you noticed a significant difference. GTR makes a little more hp than your 235.

The GTR was very sensitive to gas quality, this is well known in the R35 community. Low boost mode/pulling of timing occurred often during summer even on 91 octane. This pissed off a lot of owners who live in Cali, AZ, Nevada. Simple fix was to get a tune for 91. I didn't want to tune my GTR at the time and instead mixed 100 octane that I would store in my garage. Another fix that some of my buddies in Vancouver would do would be to mix a little e85 with 91.

Haha yea the GTR does make quite a bit more. Surprisingly I am not missing it as much as I thought I would. The M235i seems to be a lot more fun to drive on the city streets than the GTR was just because of where the power band is down low. The 330 lb-ft @ 1300 rpm feels so much nicer and obvious than the GTR's 463 lb-ft of torque @ 3200–5800 rpm. I have yet to take the M235i to the track but the GTR off the streets was ridiculous and scary at times.

Untdrums · 03-20-2015, 04:26 PM

93 octane here in Dallas. I either hit up Kroger gas or QT. I figure $.30 /gallon more than 87 octane at ~12.5 gal fill ups is worth it.

I'm averaging 24.7 mpg combined at about 2700 miles on my M235i.

I run the same fuel in my wife's X1 sDrive 28i and were averaging 25 mpg at around 22,000 miles.

rich8566 · 03-21-2015, 06:52 PM

This debate over using regular vs premium fuel is silly. Why? Here are the facts: the average vehicle is driven about 12,000 miles per year. Premium fuel in my area cost 30 cents per gallon more than regular. At a 25mpg average I use 480 gallons per year. That means premium fuel costs me $144 more per year than regular (480 gallons X $0.30). That's $12 per month and about $3 per week. Not a huge savings given the fact that you probably get worse fuel mileage using regular fuel.

Boneman · 03-21-2015, 09:03 PM

Nothing less than 93. I agree Costco 93 top tier

Anderw · 03-22-2015, 02:17 AM

M235i

Hess/Exxon 93oct premium

I like those two stations but try to stay with Hess since it seems to have the best priced premium by my house.

I feel sorry for you guys stuck with 91 oct as your premium , I won't even put 92oct from wawa in my car since that 1oct might kill me hahaha seriously tho I wouldn't be happy about being stuck with 91oct only

scrape1 · 03-22-2015, 10:17 AM

BP or Exxon 93

Killramos · 03-22-2015, 10:25 AM

For those of you running 93 ( on my cell phone so I can't see your locations, I will assume all are USA/Canada) how many of you check to see if your 93 octane is full of ethanol. Not 100% familiar with U.S. fuel regulations but is it even possible to buy high octane fuel without ethanol?

Ethanol is a cheap way of receiving credits from the government (support corn producers lol), ethanol has an octane rating of 100 but a much lower heating value than 100 octane petroleum gas which leads to much higher fuel consumption as well as all the negatives that come from ethanol in your engine.

335BOY · 03-22-2015, 01:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Killramos

For those of you running 93 ( on my cell phone so I can't see your locations, I will assume all are USA/Canada) how many of you check to see if your 93 octane is full of ethanol. Not 100% familiar with U.S. fuel regulations but is it even possible to buy high octane fuel without ethanol?

Ethanol is a cheap way of receiving credits from the government (support corn producers lol), ethanol has an octane rating of 100 but a much lower heating value than 100 octane petroleum gas which leads to much higher fuel consumption as well as all the negatives that come from ethanol in your engine.

Much higher? What negatives?

overcoil · 03-22-2015, 01:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 335BOY

Much higher? What negatives?

Google "Jay Leno writes about Ethanol fuel"
Negatives: primarily to older cars, also it's calorific or thermal energy is lacking.

drexplode · 03-22-2015, 03:54 PM

93 shell

Zooks527 · 03-22-2015, 04:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Killramos

For those of you running 93 ( on my cell phone so I can't see your locations, I will assume all are USA/Canada) how many of you check to see if your 93 octane is full of ethanol. Not 100% familiar with U.S. fuel regulations but is it even possible to buy high octane fuel without ethanol?

Just about all US fuel is running 10% ethanol, regardless of octane number, and the government is pushing to go to 15%. Thank pandering to the Iowa caucuses. You can find ethanol free gas, typically at boat centers, but it's getting harder to find and more pricey.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Killramos

Ethanol is a cheap way of receiving credits from the government (support corn producers lol), ethanol has an octane rating of 100 but a much lower heating value than 100 octane petroleum gas which leads to much higher fuel consumption as well as all the negatives that come from ethanol in your engine.

Yup. Ethanol in US fuel decreases MPG rating by perhaps 15%. It has a much lower heating value. In fact, from an overall energy balance, using ethanol as fuel uses more petroleum than not using it, once you factor in transport et al.

Regarding the initial poll,

If you're asking what octane rating to use:
Use what BMW suggests: open your gas cap cover and read what's there.

If you don't like that idea, use Google and find many discussions on the subject.

If you don't like those ideas, use whatever you like, as it's your car.

If you're asking about what brands to use:
Use what BMW suggests: Go to http://www.toptiergas.com/ and read what's there.

If you don't like that idea, use Google and find many discussions on the subject.

If you don't like those ideas, use whatever you like, as it's your car.

jskrilla · 03-23-2015, 08:23 AM

Main reason why i started the poll was because someone randomly at the gas pump with a 535 was pumping regular in his gas tank. He initially started the conversation cause he's never seen an M235 on the road so we got to talking and he goes "It's a lease I'm putting regular the hell i give a damn about who has this after me". Was in shock. No matter if it's a buy and lease you should respect your car but the fact that he said that really ticked me off.

335BOY · 03-23-2015, 08:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ScottSinger

Google "Jay Leno writes about Ethanol fuel"
Negatives: primarily to older cars, also it's calorific or thermal energy is lacking.

Exactly. Has no effect on any BMW. I believe it says as much in the owners manual.

335BOY · 03-23-2015, 08:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kwsw

M235i

Hess/Exxon 93oct premium

I like those two stations but try to stay with Hess since it seems to have the best priced premium by my house.

I feel sorry for you guys stuck with 91 oct as your premium , I won't even put 92oct from wawa in my car since that 1oct might kill me hahaha seriously tho I wouldn't be happy about being stuck with 91oct only

Why? Thats exactly what BMW reccomends.

Killramos · 03-23-2015, 09:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 335BOY

Exactly. Has no effect on any BMW. I believe it says as much in the owners manual.

Here is the way i see it.

Gasoline is priced competitively, ie all of the gas stations in town that advertise 91 octane or even 93 are all within a cent or 2 of each other (in Canada we price per litre).

So when I got to Shell and get my 91 octane of 100% petroleum, no ethanol, as well as shells industry leading V-Power additives, i am paying the same price as if i went to petro canada (as an example) and filled up with 91 that is 5-10% ethanol.

Now the ethanol in the gas decreases fuel economy ( i burn more gas by driving the same distance) which costs me money.

To me that isn't "No effect on a BMW".

Ethanol in gas also increases its ability to absorb moisture in the tank, which leads to sludging in the tank and fuel lines. Can lead to injector malfunctions and other expensive repairs.

Again that isn't "No effect on a BMW".

Fuel up with what you want. There are more than enough reasons to avoid ethanol gas for me.

03-20-2015, 08:20 AM	#45
gaijin Mess Deck Commando 244 Rep 807 Posts Drives: F30 Join Date: Feb 2013 Location: Florida iTrader: (4)	93 on all the cars and and the bike. Premium brand gasoline retailers only. And as someone else had pointed out, Chevron Techron fuel additive quarterly. __________________ ///Sursum Ab Ordine
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03-20-2015, 09:26 AM	#46
mmmmm235i Captain 104 Rep 835 Posts Drives: 440xi GC Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: NY -> CO iTrader: (12)	Gotta go with 93 and if you don't have it 91. It does matter especially in forced induction cars like our 2s. Back when I had the e90 328, it wouldn't hurt to mix in some 89 here and there, but not with the new turbo 4/6. I would be concerned about going below 91 in these cars and saving that kind of money is not worth even the slightest risk of damage to something as important to the car as say the fuel delivery system. __________________ 2020 X3M Comp., Alpine White on Black/Beige RETIRED: 2018 440xi GC, Carbon Black on Black/Blue 2014 M235i Black on Black, DINAN Stage 2
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03-20-2015, 04:26 PM	#53
Untdrums Private First Class 76 Rep 132 Posts Drives: '18 440i GC, '15 i3 REX Join Date: Jul 2012 Location: DFW iTrader: (1)	93 octane here in Dallas. I either hit up Kroger gas or QT. I figure $.30 /gallon more than 87 octane at ~12.5 gal fill ups is worth it. I'm averaging 24.7 mpg combined at about 2700 miles on my M235i. I run the same fuel in my wife's X1 sDrive 28i and were averaging 25 mpg at around 22,000 miles. __________________ 2019 CW i3s BEV 2018 EB 440i Gran Coupe 2015 SO i3 REX lease return 2015 EB M235i Euro Delivery 11/26/2014 lease return 2014 MG X1 sDrive 28i MSport lease return 2011 BS 335d sold
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03-21-2015, 06:52 PM	#54
rich8566 Major 609 Rep 1,124 Posts Drives: M2 + Z-4 Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: FL iTrader: (0) Garage List 2014 BMW M235i [0.00]	This debate over using regular vs premium fuel is silly. Why? Here are the facts: the average vehicle is driven about 12,000 miles per year. Premium fuel in my area cost 30 cents per gallon more than regular. At a 25mpg average I use 480 gallons per year. That means premium fuel costs me $144 more per year than regular (480 gallons X $0.30). That's $12 per month and about $3 per week. Not a huge savings given the fact that you probably get worse fuel mileage using regular fuel. __________________ Current: 2017 ///M2 manual 2004 E85 Z-4 manual
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03-21-2015, 09:03 PM	#55
Boneman Private First Class 64 Rep 199 Posts Drives: M235i alpine white on black Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Raleigh, North Carolina iTrader: (0) Garage List 2014 m235i [9.00] 2014 m235i [0.00]	Nothing less than 93. I agree Costco 93 top tier
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03-22-2015, 02:17 AM	#56
Anderw Brigadier General 659 Rep 3,320 Posts Drives: F80 m3 Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: FL iTrader: (12)	M235i Hess/Exxon 93oct premium I like those two stations but try to stay with Hess since it seems to have the best priced premium by my house. I feel sorry for you guys stuck with 91 oct as your premium , I won't even put 92oct from wawa in my car since that 1oct might kill me hahaha seriously tho I wouldn't be happy about being stuck with 91oct only
	Appreciate 2 Quote

03-22-2015, 10:17 AM	#57
scrape1 Second Lieutenant 70 Rep 229 Posts Drives: '14 228i M Sport, '04 X3 3.0i Join Date: Apr 2014 Location: Northeast iTrader: (0)	BP or Exxon 93
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03-22-2015, 10:25 AM	#58
Killramos Captain 312 Rep 862 Posts Drives: '19 M2 '21 X5 Join Date: Mar 2014 Location: Calgary iTrader: (1) Garage List 2021 BMW X5 40i [0.00] 2019 BMW M2 Competi ... [0.00]	For those of you running 93 ( on my cell phone so I can't see your locations, I will assume all are USA/Canada) how many of you check to see if your 93 octane is full of ethanol. Not 100% familiar with U.S. fuel regulations but is it even possible to buy high octane fuel without ethanol? Ethanol is a cheap way of receiving credits from the government (support corn producers lol), ethanol has an octane rating of 100 but a much lower heating value than 100 octane petroleum gas which leads to much higher fuel consumption as well as all the negatives that come from ethanol in your engine.
	Appreciate 1 Quote

03-22-2015, 03:54 PM	#61
drexplode Brigadier General 1781 Rep 3,064 Posts Drives: G26 i4x Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Walled Lake Michigan iTrader: (17)	93 shell
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03-23-2015, 08:23 AM	#63
jskrilla Second Lieutenant 71 Rep 266 Posts Drives: M235i Xdrive Join Date: Jul 2014 Location: New York iTrader: (0)	Main reason why i started the poll was because someone randomly at the gas pump with a 535 was pumping regular in his gas tank. He initially started the conversation cause he's never seen an M235 on the road so we got to talking and he goes "It's a lease I'm putting regular the hell i give a damn about who has this after me". Was in shock. No matter if it's a buy and lease you should respect your car but the fact that he said that really ticked me off.
	Appreciate 1 Quote