http://i111.photobucket.com/albums/n...327/0-09-y.jpg

This is what my cooper manual says

 

I have an 03 MC

 

Dustin,

I can't access the pics, but I do believe all US manuals for the MC state that premium is recommended, not required. Unless it states that it is required, the car should run fine with 87 octane fuel. Note that in some states, regular is actually 85 octane, which could be problematic.

I just completed a 5000 mile trip to the west coast and back, and never once did I use premium. My mileage varied between 33 and 40mpg, with an average of about 36mpg. I'd consider that pretty good for a convertible zinging along at about 4k rpm for runs of up to 20 hrs almost continuously.

 

The image that Dustin scanned from the manual says:

Required fuel:
> Premium Unleaded Gasoline.
min. 91 AKI

 

I guess it depends on the year and model MINI you have because my manual says that it is highly recommended but you can use fuel as low as 87 aki.

 

Well, that makes it ambiguous alright. Cabrio, do you know which manuals the two pics came from?

 

My pics are a snapshots of the downloadable PDF file on the MINIUSA website.
If you go to the owners lounge on the MINIUSA website you can pretty much
download any year MINI owners manual.
If I can remember where the direct link is I'll post it here.
As for the manual I have pictured, it is for a 2007 MCS Cabrio.

 

Thanks for the info, much appreciated.

 

Hey All,
My '08 MC Clubman runs fine on regular, but the mileage suffers a bit. Can't really notice any performance loss in my non-turbo base model. It runs fine on premium, and gets better mileage. Do the math, and better mileage on more expensive gas is almost identical to cheaper gas and slightly worse economy. If you drive for performance, use premium. If you don't, use what makes you happy. It just doesn't matter. MC S drivers: use premium. Way more fun!

 

This was actually the question I had but was reading 23 pages to see if anyone else had asked. I just picked up my 2009 MCS 4 days ago (hooray!) and was surprised to see the manual states recommended 91, minimum 87. I guess that is a change from earlier years - and makes it harder to decide what to use! (Usually, as with my 99 Maxima, I just go with the manual.) Did they make changes to the engines, or just decide 87 was OK after all?

For me, it's still a savings anyway as the Maxima gets about 21-23 mpg and requires 91+ octane, and I'm sure the MCS will beat that handily.

I *was* surprised to see that "good" gas companies like BP and Mobil weren't listed on the Top Tier list, especially as (here, at least) they heavily advertise the detergent properties of their premium fuels. Meanwhile sellers I've always considered crap (like Kwik-Fill) are on it!

Personally, I'm inclined to stick with BP - Shell is the only name-brand on the list we have here and it's consistently 10-20 cents or more over BP or Mobil.

 

My apologies if this has already been included, but an interesting website to read is:

http://www.toptiergas.com/

Although I don't have my Mini yet, I definitely see the MPG difference in my current car depending on the octane used.

 

I don't know about using regular fuel on a car that requires premium although I've heard it doesn't really do any significant damage. I've had my mini for a year now and have been using premium fuel the whole time and haven't been able to complain. I was driving to work last summer about 45 miles every day and was able to refuel only once a week. I say you should definitely consider buying one because they aren't wasteful at all!

 

it's winter and I've used regular for about five tanks. The first few were premium. The dealer drove it for 500 miles before I got it and she only put regular in and that's common pratice at MINI of St. Louis. I noticed a hesitation in first gear and so I'm back to premium. Side note I will not be going to waterway for washes but you can get a demo membership that will give you $.10 of a gallon of gas. Side side note I don't have a cent sign on the keyboard.

 

$.10 is perfectly acceptable to denote ten cents, but if want the ¢ sign, you can hold down the ALT key, type 0162 *on the numeric keypad*, and then let go of the ALT key, and that will give you the ¢ symbol.

(Or, if you're using a Macintosh, it's just Option-4 )

 

So am I to understand that if you get a demo membership for this car wash then they'll give you .10¢ worth of gas...
I know the price of gas has gone down but how far can you get on .10¢ worth?

 

When gas was over $5.00 per gallon, I used lower levels gas, and my gas milage went from 24 mpg to 16 mpg. Guess it did not pay to use the cheaper gas!! I then went out and purchased the fuel injector cleaners, and ended up costing me and my baby happiness. Oh, and 2006 Mini Cooper S, Hot Orange.

Matt

 

Is yours an automatic or a manual, and do you have any engine mods? I also have a 2006 convertible 'S', and I've never averaged as low as 24 MPG, much less 16 MPG, regardless of what gas I've run.

 

Actually, I get 30 MPG on the freeway, such as driving to Vegas and back. However, on the streets, I only get about 20 or 21 MPG. I do have an automatic, I am a "normal" MINI driver, whereas I am not usually over 100 miles per hour, I do not drive like my mom in Florida either. I do not have any mods on my car that would affect the engine or performance. I watch my computer on my Nav screen often, and it tells me I get anywhere from 25 - 30 while driving on the freeway at about 2-3RPM. When I get my rpm's up there at the 4/5/6, then I am down at 6 mpg. Should I have this checked out? What do you suggest???

 

On the freeway, I average 29-32, and I've never averaged less than 26.5 with mixed city/highway driving. When you averaged 16 MPG, was that average over an entire tank? I've had pretty crappy *short-term* averages for the first few dozen miles after filling up, because of the way the computer calculates the average MPG, but never anything *near* that low over an entire tank. My wife also has a 2006 'S' convertible, but even with a 15% supercharger pulley, she averages 24 MPG with almost 100% in-town driving.

I'm assuming your car's not running rough or anything, but I would check to make sure your air filter's clean, look at the serpentine belt for signs of slipping (glazing on the belt, mostly), and pull your spark plugs and make sure all four of them look the same.

 

Thanks, I will give it a once over. The 16 mpg was with the regular gas, and since doing the fuel injection cleaner additive, it has been better.

 

don't trust the OBC... Use miles driven divided by gallons filled. The accurace of many a computer is all over the place (mine's off about 30%). A lot are good, but the dealers won't do anything about the error.

Matt

 

Wow! You guys are all getting much better gas mileage than my MCS Cabrio..
I average 21 mpg with mixed driving regardless of fuel type.
The most I have ever been able to get out of a tankful is 325 miles but the average lately is 295 miles.
On trips to Florida I have squeezed 26 mpg but that's the best I have ever recorded.
The only mod I have is a JCW CAI.

EDIT: I acknowledge that I have a lead foot and I often forget that there's a 5th and 6th gear.

 

Just an FYI for Windows users. If you look in the Accessories, under System Tools, you'll find the Character Map.

If you click on a symbol, in the right corner of the window it tells you the ALT keyboard shortcut. Not all have a keyboard shortcut but you can copy paste them out of the Character Map. Like Scott mentioned, it only works when you enter it on the keypad. ☺

 

I tried the cheaper gas route & boy there was a drastic difference in performance. If you use premium gas you will get better performance & better gas milege. It will eventually cost you more money with cheaper gas.

 

[SIZE=4]25¢ Hey, it works!

I don't know what the hell I'm doing when I shift. I over and under rev all the time, stop and start, brake way too much and generally have just too much fun in my MINI, yet I still get easily more than 37 mpg. When I take to the highways and average around 70-75 miles per hour, I get over 40 miles per gallon. My MINI seems to get its best fuel economy when I exceed the speed limit (I'm still one of the slowest on the highway however). It's absolutely awesome seeing my onboard computer telling me that I've driven 300 miles and still have 200 miles to go on a tank of gas.
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