I'm not sure if this thread belongs in Mini Talk or in Beneath The Bonnet, so feel free to move it...

We all know that MINI recommends 91 octane for the car, but which gas stations actually sell 91? I have lived in the east my whole life (38 years), and for as long as I can remember it has always been 87-89-93. I would love to get 91 and no greater, in the hopes that the cost per gallon would be a little less than the 93 I have always put in the tank.

By the way, around these parts we are getting off easy at $2.19 a gallon for 93, or so I've heard.

Anyone use Sunoco 94?

Thanks for your help...

 

91, 93, 94 or 97 octanes are all acceptable. You just shouldn't put LOWER than 91 into your car. Around here different stations sell 91 or 93. I put in whichever it has and performance for me has always been good (my Passat requires the same fuel as the MINI).

 

Hell yeah... I get the Sunoco 94 anytime I can

 

You could mix the 89 and 93 octane and save a few dimes. . .

 

I paid $2.49 p/gal of 91 octane yesterday at cheapo Arco here in the L.A. Basin.
93 octane? That'd be like giving my MINI a shot of Red Bull!

 

On my cross-country road trips, when I bump into the higher octanes, I buy mid-grade every other tank, since Wanda is used to 91. :smile:


Clover

 

I WISH we had 93 out here in AZ there is no such thing other than 91 and it's killing me....so in order to keep the Mini happy alot of use fill up with 91 and then add a gallon or two of 101 to balance it out...it's amazing how smooth the car runs on proper octane...it's not even right...

 

Here in Quebec, we have both 91 and 94 octone, but 94 octane is only available at a gaz station (Petro-Canada). I've used it for a long time, but feel that 91 octane from another gaz company (Ultramar) is much better for my MCS. Better fuel economy and the engine seems to run better with it...


I've also tried Shell's "special" 91 octane, but it kept throwing my CEL for an "untight gaz cap", which was tight... Since I've changed to another gaz brand, no more CEL...

 

The 93 won't do anything for the car performance wise... not instantly and without mapping I doubt an improvement, that said here in MI if a gas station has 93 instead of 91 it's usually the price that the 91 would have been

 

ya know, I have a hunch that you can get avgas (100LL) without the lead, but I have no idea where or how. BTW, 101? where did that come from????

-Paul

 

I got 110 in detroit over the summer... might of been more than 110 it's a blur right now, bike loved the stuff though... silly bike

 

In Ohio we also have the 87 89 93 octanes.

I've seen the 91 out west only.
Our X3 also requires 91... we use the 93 which works great.

 

Only 91 octane I've ever seen in the northeast is Sunoco. I don't buy it because I always use 93 and figure that my car will retaliate somehow if I go to the 91.

 

Out here on the Left Coast (California, at least) we only have 91. We would jump for joy if we could find higher like your 93, but alas, that is not the case. MINI or BMW or any other car that requires a higher octane fuel just uses 91 as their base to cover all areas.

 

You'll be fine with 93. If you want to save a buck a tank you can mix some 89 with it.

Interesting that 91 is considered "premium" in some parts - I actually saw some gas labeled as 90.5 out in AZ and 85 was "regular". I thought all auto manufacturers required 87 or better.

 

California only uses 91 as premium due to vapor pressure regulations imposed by the california EPA.

 

Be careful with 110... Most 110 is actually LEADED race gas.... Unleaded will be 100 or 104

Ed

 

yeah but that tends to through your suspension off... You gotta go find that bumpy road after a fill up to to thoroughly shake the 89 and 93 up in the tank to get the 91...

 

93 octane actually has less potential energy than 91 octane. It is consequently more resistant to detonation due to heat. Thus its use in high compression and forced induction applications. So, unless a car is mapped to utilize the extra timing or boost (which is mapped in a turbo car and pulley controlled in a SC car obviously) then it's entirely possible that a vehicle might not run quite as well on a slightly higher octane fuel. In the case of 2 octane points it's not enough to matter or the degradation in performance from using the higher octane fuel would be so slight as to not be noticeable. The car would logically be tuned to 91 octane from the factory as this is the highest available octane gas in some areas of the country. The Bosch Motronic ECU has the capability to pull something like 16 degrees of timing due to knock (generally inaudible and normal). If it is set to pull several degrees of timing on 91 octane fuel, however, then 93 may be beneficial. This is unlikely because the factory likes to account for less than optimal mechanical operating conditions. Either way, in a stock from the factory car the difference in 91 to 93 should be so minor as to be generally irrelevant.

 

Sorry, I don't own a Mini but is the 91-93 octane for the MCS or both MC and MCS?

Kind'a defeats the purpose of being miserily with gas when you have to pay top grade...just my two cents.

Still want a Mini but this is news to me. I thought they ran on 89 octane.

 

I got it at a mobil...and it's unleaded...cuase there are pleanty who do not want to ruin thier cats....

 

Yes that's both the MC and MCS. But I don't think there are many people here who bought their MINI for the fuel economy first...

Coming from a GMC Jimmy to a Cooper, even having to go from 89 to 93 I still ended up saving money...

 

Funny, my MA told me any grade of gas would be fine for the MC...

 

Then your MA has never read the Owners Manual for the cars he sells

 

Look inside your gas filler door. It says "use premium unleaded fuel only". Maybe you should show it to your MA next time you are in the dealership.