[Hxr162]

What's everyone's opinion on brands of premium fuel? ( I personally use Shell V Power in my 228xi )

[ljason8eg]

Coscto. It's cheap, Top Tier, and very convenient to me.

[sandrik93]

I started using Chevron with my 228i since it was the closest gas station. Now on 230i still Chevron. Shell is just as good, sometimes a bit more expensive. Not touching Valero again since it knocked a few times. I assume Exxon shouldn't be bad either. I feel like knowing which particular gas stations honestly sell what they claim is just as important.

[Sportstick]

Costco premium. Exceeds Top Tier requirements, newer stations for lower chance of older tanks being penetrated by groundwater, cost speaks for itself.

[helloelectro]

Lots of answers coming I'm sure. But Exxon is hit or miss for me. Shell seems more consistent. I'd love to see test results on Costco cause galdang that's some cheap gas!

[morphomeman]

Costco, like the major brands, is Top Tier rated. That is really all you need to know. The major downsides are two: the stations are few and far between and often out of the way; and the lines can be long, because everyone knows a good thing. And one other small blip: you gotta be a member, which costs a chunk of change annually, so unless you have other reasons to go to Costco, like a love of large quantity buying, you won't save anything by going there instead of whatever major brand is around.
The real answer is simple: Top Tier is what you want, regardless of brand, either 91 or 93, depending on what state you live in.

[BimBimM2]

Costco would have been my preference but they don't sell 93, especially near my residence. I am not sure if Costco carries 93 but someone else can confirm that.

BP carries top tier fuel, and a few miles down the road I get BP 93. That car has had 93 since I bought it new.

[cristo]

Sunoco 93 usually as it’s 2.5 miles down the road.
Sometimes Etoh free 93 (Amerigreen or similar)
but there are only a couple stations in the county
that carry 0% Ethanol gas and they’re out of
the way for me.

[4Hockey4]

I usually run Valero 93 (stock 235i) and it seems to work well. Its rated top tier but most are

[Sportstick]

Originally Posted by morphomeman

Costco, like the major brands, is Top Tier rated. That is really all you need to know. The major downsides are two: the stations are few and far between and often out of the way; and the lines can be long, because everyone knows a good thing. And one other small blip: you gotta be a member, which costs a chunk of change annually, so unless you have other reasons to go to Costco, like a love of large quantity buying, you won't save anything by going there instead of whatever major brand is around.
The real answer is simple: Top Tier is what you want, regardless of brand, either 91 or 93, depending on what state you live in.

Being a member of Costco has seemed so natural to my wife and myself for so long, I hadn't thought about the financials of joining just for the gasoline. (Who doesn't need paper towers, TP, etc., that don't deteriorate in the closet?) Anyway, the base annual membership is $60. I find the savings versus other local stations is usually about $.20/gallon or a bit more. That places the breakeven just for gasoline at 300 gallons per year or just under 6 gallons per week. And, that membership covers all cars in your household, so divide that among your significant other(s). Seems like a good deal, thus the sometimes bit of a line when you pull up. Around here, they have three pumps per island instead of two where we were previously, so it never really takes long at all.

[morphomeman]

Is there any data on 91 vs. 93 performance with any of the 2-series engines?
It is well known that there is no value in overdoing octane. A car designed for 87 will not perform any better with a higher-octane fuel.
My recollection is that BMW recommends 91 (USA), but says that you can use 89 in a pinch. Nothing about 91 vs. 93.
I am referring to engines with standard tunes only, not tuned engines, which are an entirely different story.

[dradernh]

Shell always, except for Sunoco at Watkins Glen, NY.

[240Newbie]

I use Exxon. It's right by the highway I go on to come to work. Only other option is a Super Wawa. I would only put wawa gas in my Impreza.

[ckosiek]

Sunoco

Conversely, what fuel would one not use, unless absolutely necessary?
Valero, for me

[Sportstick]

Originally Posted by ckosiek

Sunoco

Conversely, what fuel would one not use, unless absolutely necessary?
Valero, for me

Anything not Top Tier (one tank wouldn't hurt on detergent, but I take it as a sign of commitment to quality).

From an older gas station. Older underground tanks more likely have water intrusion.

[RvR]

Originally Posted by Hxr162

What's everyone's opinion on brands of premium fuel? ( I personally use Shell V Power in my 228xi )

It depends where I'm at. About a year ago all of the Shells near me went to E10 in all grades, so now I only buy VPower that's E0 when traveling. En route to Road America, for example, much of Wisconsin (except for the EPA zones around Madison and Milwaukee) has 91E0 VPower. (Road America itself has Sunoco 260GTX.)

BMWCCA's Mike Miller recommends VPower no matter what, but I avoid E-anything as much as possible. The VPower I've seen in Germany was E5 (100 RON/96 AKI.)

There are franchises, such as La Crosse-based Kwik Star/Kwik Trip that have 91E0 with Top Tier detergents labeled as "recreational gasoline." So I go with either the good local indies with the 91E0-TT, or Kwik Star's "recreational" version of same.

[RvR]

Originally Posted by dradernh

Shell always, except for Sunoco at Watkins Glen, NY.

Sunoco 260 GTX?

(Laguna Seca has all VP Racing with ethanol, FYI.)

[harma24]

Mostly one Shell near my house. It's cheaper than other top tier stations (Mobil and other Shell's and one BP) in the area. But I'll take Top Tier along my route if the price is good.

[dradernh]

Originally Posted by RvR

Sunoco 260 GTX?

(Laguna Seca has all VP Racing with ethanol, FYI.)

Nope, pump 93. The track has a number of high-octane leaded and unleaded Sunoco fuels, but my car wouldn't benefit from them.

The reason I'm running Sunoco up there is that upstate NY is devoid of Shell stations. The closest is 125 miles away down in PA.

[davehoff]

E 10 93 octane has a 9 month shelf life before it has break down issues 87 octane has a 2
Month shelf life
I have a 1971 240z always put 93 with a little
Seafoam had the su carbs rebuilt after 12 years
And 20000 miles on them the rebuilder said they were very clean inside
The detergents in 93 definitely makes a difference l use shell 93 in my M240
If your car sits for extended periods using 93 is a no brainer

[staticcornflake]

Originally Posted by morphomeman

Costco, like the major brands, is Top Tier rated. That is really all you need to know.

I think it depends on your area and if you're tuned - I was a big user of Costco 91 in SoCal, and when I went BM3 Stage 1 I discovered my timing was all over the place. Switching to Shell 91 for a few tanks gave me perfect timing and better fuel economy than I was getting with the Costco gas (but all Cali gas is terrible).

[msej449]

Shell V-Power, UK 98 RON / US 93 PON, mainly because of cleaning additives rather than outright octane-ness, as I plan to keep my M235i convertible indefinitely. Will it make a long-term difference in reliability? Who knows ... I'm assuming that the publicity is genuine and they wouldn't bother with all that extra R&D, refining and distribution infrastructure if it wasn't, but obviously it could all be a scam ...

A tank costs me about £64 or USD $83

Here in the UK, both Shell and BP have loyalty schemes: I get 3% off all gas purchases because I'm also a Shell Home Energy customer, and a further £discount every 10th fill-up, with the occasional special offer of a few more £ off from time to time. I think if consumption is flat at my nearby garage, they just post a special offer to local Loyalty Card members to get some extra traffic through. I asked and this is a UK-only scheme - don't know if they have the same thing elsewhere in the EU or US. I can also pay at the pump via my mobile (cell) phone - just put in the pump no and the Shell app picks up where I am and enables the pump for direct charge to my credit card.