My MC came with regular unleaded in the tank and so do 99% of MINI's. My dealer said premium was recommended by MINI but really had no effect. I used premium only for the first 1.5 years then switched to regular last autumn. It runs fine, same performance, same gas mileage. I decided to quit wasting money on things like premium fuel and 5000 mile oil changes.

 

Since when can you get starbuck's for $2.50?????

 

I'm sure regular won't cause a problem but I've decided to stick with premium until the warranty period is out. If something does happen to the engine, even if it isn't caused by the lower octane fuel, MINI could test the fuel and deny the warranty. I've had other cars where premium was recommended and I have used regular or mid-grade for over 150,000 miles with no pinging and no detectable difference in performance. Generally speaking, the need for premium fuel is over stated. If the engine doesn't ping and the performance satisfies you, then regular is fine. Calling 91 octane fuel "premium" was great marketing because who wants to use less than the best in their car? Kind of like asking someone if they want a donut or a "premium" donut.


R.E.

 

Always use Premium in cars with forced induction. It's a must.

 

I don't know if you have an MC or MCS. But my MCS was definitely not happy with regular unleaded. I carelessly filled up one day with regular instead of premium -- I was in for a long week of lousy performance!

But, in general, I agree that if your car runs just as well on regular as premium, it doesn't make sense to use premium.

 

When I tried regular unleaded, my MC performed fine. But the mileage suffered such that any savings at the pump was lost.