Well said. No one has facts. One will tell you that 87 from Shell or Chevron is better than 91 from AMPM etc. I drove a car that stated must use 91 and my company would only pay 87. Car ran just fine with zero issues.

 

Well duh modern cars have knock sensors to retard timing if too low an octain fuel is used, it's definitely not good and if you datalog you'll see it knock and pull timing

That said factory tunes are forgiving my Jcw is very rich stock

 

So if the car retards the timing, is that going to put worse stress and do damage over the life of the car vs using the proper fuel and the car never having to retard the timing?

I will be the guinnea pig. My JCW is running 87 from Shell (same company that still only paying for 87 gas) so I am not going to give up that benefit and start paying for my own gas at lovely CA gas prices at $3 plus a gallon.

 

Just one little detonation(knock) could kill an engine. I blew up my Cadillac by doing just that. It will run on 87. It's just not recommended. And NEVER floor the pedal while you have 87 in the tank.

 

Yikes. I am in trouble. I have been to 6 autocrosses and have bounced it off the rev limiter several times. I guess I have been lucky. I guess I better put 91 in for my AX events. Good to know.

 

That's high! I just paid 2.33 a gallon for 93

 

Yes, you're lucky. It just has to predet once and it could be over. The reason a knock sensor takes out timing is because it senses a knock. So yes, Luck is on your side brother.
That Caddy I blew up ran fine on it for like 4 months. All I noticed was acceleration wasn't AS smooth and gas mileage went from 27 on the highway to just under 25. Negligible yes, but a difference. I was pretty young when I had that car and did abuse my poor Cadillac on occasion. She was surprisingly quick for a big car, anyways, was drag racing some buddies down back roads one day and decided to go for one more. I floored it and when the car was shifting I heard a loud clunk, I let off the gas and she just died. That was the end of that 4.9 port fuel injected beast. After that my mechanic buddy asked me what I was doing when it blew, then he asked what gas I was running. I told him then I was yelled at for a good 10 minutes. N'er again will I run regular in a car that REQUIRES a higher rating.

 

I had erred in a previous post that 93 Octane was required. I said that because here in GA, the three grades are 87, 89, and 93 for premium. I knew premium was required but in some states that's 91 octane. There is a .40 cent bump from regular here to premium, it used to be .30 cents but I guess premium is subsidizing the regular LOL. But it's still not that bad. Today at COSTCO premium was $2.28 .

It does say inside the gas lid that 89 in a pinch but I'll never burn less than premium unless it just isn't available (and then I'll drive my Outback that runs fine on 87).

 

Please don't complain... We pay for 94+ octane 1.44$ CAD for a litre of fuel...

Hokus Pokus what does that all mean...

$4.16 USD for an american gallon of Sunoco 94+ premium fuel.

We are not on the other side of the world lol.

 

I feel for ya brother! I go up to Canada alot for work, Yall get robbed at the pump.

 

Qik so let me ask this or for anyone else that knows fuel. If I put in 87 because that is what my company will pay for and I don't want to give up that benefit, could I add Octane Booster at every fill up? If I can how do I know how much to get it up to 91 or 93? Lastly are all octane boosters the same and safe?

 

In the past I used octane boosters in my small block Chevy days, but I couldn't tell you anything about them compared to pump gas. I know top tier fuel has detergents and additives to help the fuel burn better/cleaner. Do some homework on octane boosters and see if they are the same sort of additives and detergents. I'd assume they are, but you know what happens when you assume.

 

Is it possible for you to note the price of regular on the receipt and have them pay for that amount instead of the full price of premium? Hopefully they can work with you on that since regular is too low for your car.

 

Octane boosters from what I recall are an expensive way to go. RB-MINI has the right idea.

 

I agree, let them know what the regular price was, you pay the difference. It'll be less than you adding octane boost every fill up. Hopefully they're reasonable. I mean, you do drive a BMW.

 

I wish. They give us an actual gas card (credit card for gas only) and it registers the grade of fuel. If I put in anything but 87 I get a red flag and all hell breaks loose. So it is either 87 or pay on my own. I drive a lot for work. It is not chump change.

 

They seem cheap. Based on the least expensive it is about $2.00 a bottle. I am not sure if that is one bottle per fill up or what the ratio would be (oz of booster per gal of fuel).

 

Not that it helps any, but that a moronic policy. The ONLY reason to put premium grade in a vehicle is if it requires it. It doesn't make you go faster or farther (and can actually do the opposite, by igniting slightly later).

People who burn a higher octane-rated gasoline than they need are only pumping money down the drain. There is ZERO reason to restrict a gas card to low-grade fuel only.

 

Totally agree. I think I fill up about 60 times a year and at Socal prices from $2.89 to $4 a gallon it is not something I really want to walk away from.

Another stupid policy is we are allowed to go anywhere besides AMPM where you can traditionally get the cheapest gas.

Oh well.

 

Can you go inside the gas station and say you want to put X amount of dollars on pump Y, pay with the card inside choose gas after they turn on the pump? Cheat the system?

 

Seems like whoever set-up that system is under the impression that regular gas vs. "premium" gas is like comparing boxed wine to expensive wine... same thing in their mind but ones more a luxury. They probably are not aware that certain cars require that fuel. Honestly, I didn't know until I got a Mini. I just thought some people liked having a "premium" option, as with most consumer-based things in life.

Anyway... if you care about your Mini, don't run regular. Also, the reason AM/PM gas is slightly less is because it's horrible fuel. Also when using a credit card, most of them charge an extra processing fee (between $.75-2.00) which brings the cost back up to the same price as other places, unless you're getting like 20 gallons.

I ONLY run Chevron Premium in my car, as it's the most consistent quality of fuel, plus it has an additive cleaner. After nearly 2 years, my exhaust pipes are still bright shiny chrome. My girlfriend on the other hand, who also drive a F56, runs cheap gas like AM/PM... her exhaust tips are BLACK, and oxidized with this horrible brown haze up sides. I can only imagine what the inside of her engine looks like from running shitty fuel.

Are you leasing or buying your car? Guess it depends on how long you want it to last.

 

I own it. I will try the going inside option but I usually have to use the keypad to put in a code as well as my current odometer reading so I bet that option won't work.

 

If he does that, it shows up as a store purchase (as in he bought something in the store) instead of a gas purchase.

This is assuming he has a similar gas card that my company uses.

I have a gas card and a car allowance based on the gas mileage. They allow me to use premium fuel by putting me on the low gas mileage allowance.

 

You shouldn't restrict yourself to just Chevron, but you should only use Top Tier fuel. http://www.toptiergas.com/

 

Have had my Mini S for 18 days (the best car ever in over 40 years of buying cars). For the 6 or 7 weeks I was waiting for the build and delivery, I read anything I could get my hands on regarding Mini's, especially the 3rd generation.

One of my big concerns was engine "coking" and I googled and read everything I could and invested in a drive to my Mini dealer. Everything I read (confirmed by Mini techs) is to use the octane proper for your car. Near the gas cap, my Mini has a sticker saying "91 octane." I also had the tuner kit installed before taking delivery (best investment ever) and when I picked up the car, I was advised by my salesman and service to burn 93 octane because of the tuner kit. Between the adjustable exhaust and the ECU tuning, my S has an additional 30 horsepower and they said 93 octane will burn cleaner and go a long way toward eliminating coking in the engine.

Also did a lot of reading about "top tier gasolines." Top tier have to meet an EPA requirement for content of detergents and cleansers in the gas. So my new recommendation (and "food" for my Mini) is: DO NOT BUY SAM'S OR 711 GAS. They are not top tier. Shell, Phillips 66, Mobil, Costco and a host of others are (google top tier gasoline for a complete list). I had posed this question on another forum and best answer was:

"I have the same setup as you and I only use top tier 93 octane fuel. I (we) both spent a lot of money on our exhaust systems (and a heck of a lot more on the cars themselves.) Don't risk saving a few dollars each fillup at the risk of thousands of dollars in repairs down the road."

Sorry for the length, but I think grade and brand of fuel go a long long way toward minimizing or even eliminating engine problems ... particularly with a 3rd year, 3rd generation Mini.