Hi, Does anyone know if you really need to put Premium Octane Gasoline (93) into a Mini Cooper? I just recently bought a 2010 Clubman via Private Party and the previous owner of 4 years said he put nothing by Premium Octane Gasoline (93) in the car. If you don’t have to put Premium Octane Gasoline (93) into the car, and either 87 or 89 will work….do you think there will be any performance issues or engine trouble if all of a sudden lower grade gasoline is used considering the car has been using Premium this whole time?
Thanks in adv for anyones feedback! Cheers!

 

Best bet is to test a few tankfuls, or alternate tankfuls between grades. When in doubt I stick to manufactures specs, owners manual.

Fuel specifications
Do not use leaded gasoline; otherwise,
permanent damage to the catalytic converter
will result.
Do not fill the tank with E85, i.e. fuel containing
85
% ethanol, nor with FlexFuel. Otherwise, the
engine and fuel supply system will be damaged.<
Required fuel
Super Premium gasoline/AKI 91
This gasoline is highly recommended.
However, you may also use gasoline with less
AKI. The minimum AKI Rating is: > Cooper S, John Cooper Works: 89 > Cooper: 87
If you use gasoline with this minimum AKI Rating,
the engine may produce knocking sounds
when starting at high outside temperatures. This
has no effect on the engine life.
Do not use any gasoline below the specified
minimum fuel grade. Otherwise, the
engine could be damaged.
<
Use high-quality brands
Field experience has indicated significant differences
in fuel quality: volatility, composition,
additives, etc., among gasolines offered for sale
in the United States and Canada. Fuels containing
up to and including 10% ethanol or other
oxygenates with up to 2.8% oxygen by weight,
that is, 15% MTBE or 3% methanol plus an
equivalent amount of co-solvent, will not void
the applicable warranties with respect to defects
in materials or workmanship.
The use of poor-quality fuels may result in
drivability, starting and stalling problems
especially under certain environmental conditions
such as high ambient temperature and
high altitude.
Should you encounter drivability problems
which you suspect could be related to the fuel
you are using, we recommend that you respond
by switching to a recognized high-quality brand
such as gasoline that is advertised as Top Tier
Detergent Gasoline.
Failure to comply with these recommendations
may also result in unscheduled maintenance.
<

 

If you have an S you definitely want to use the highest octane you can find. I'm not sure about a standard cooper.

 

Yes S or Non S you should run premium. Remember the Non S is higher compression so it needs it. You will also find the car will run smoother and make more power on premium. We see people try to run the cheap stuff and they always come in pinging.

 

What Way said plus: Top Tier fuel only!
http://www.toptiergas.com/

 

I have a 2011 Non-s clubman which I purchased new. I only used mid grade but switch to premium this year. It have over 85,000 miles on it. The reason I switch was to get a little more performance. It seems to perform better for me, but thats me. I did pick up an additional mile or two per gallon. Its really your call, good luck.

 

Say the difference is 30¢ a gallon between regular and premium. You're talking less than 4 bucks every fillup to have the octane your engine is designed for. That's probably less than $100 a year to run premium. seems like a small price to pay over the lifetime of your vehicle to avoid problems with injectors, rings, O2 sensors, etc., IMHO.

 

This^

Let's do some maths... Figure an average of 30mpg (to make it easy), and an average of 15,000 miles per year. (a little high, but still within normal driving) With those numbers, you'll be using about 500 gallon for the year. At a $0.30 difference per gallon, that is $150 for the year difference.

Can you spare an extra ~$11 per month? To put it in perspective... that's two specialty coffee drinks from Starbucks.

My tip is to use the premium gas, and make your coffee at home.

 

I use the Holiday premium with 91 octane and 0% Ethanol. I have the N12 engine. While I don't like supporting the Koch brothers (Holiday), I do like keeping ethanol out of my Mini for longevity.