What fuel additives if any are people using in their Coopers. I currently have a Lightning Blue MCS in production.
Should I use every-time I fill up or how often.
Thanks any advice would be great. I will be a first time Mini owner and want to do what is right.

 

I only use Chevron which is one of the few top tier gasolines. It contains Techron which cleans your fuel system and upper cylinders. I also buy a bottle of Techron and add it to the fuel after every oil change. I have been doing this for many years with all of my cars with total sucess.

 

actually, i know a million people will chime in and tell me they do this and that with no problems but you shouldnt put additives in at all. BMW says no. most of the products out there including octane boosters are just ethanol and most stations run 10-15% as it is. putting more in will result in a poor burn and can cause no starts,rough running, misfires,a nd other general driveability issues including premature failure of the fuel pump and filter. IF YOU MUST put something in BMW sells a bottle of fuel injector cleaner in the black bottle and its very cheap ( like 7 dollars ) this will also help in any issues you may have down the road with warranted parts by using what they tell you to. On top of that most manufactures now adays have their own additives packages they already add to the fuel. If your really interested in this stuff ask for a sheet at your local deaership on "BMW top tier" fuel distributers.

on a side note the black bottle is actually pretty good stuff and can be picked up at the parts counter. part number 82 14 0 413 341

 

I don't use fuel additives in my gas tank but I use only the top tier gasoline in my '08 MCS.

Here is the link to the recommended top tier gasoline retailers.

http://www.toptiergas.com/retailers.html

 

AVOID the generic gas stations!
They're more likely to get gas from a jobber who drops the 87 into the 93 tank! It happens far too often.

Chevron/Exxon/Shell!

 

I've been using the cheapest gas I can find and adding nothing for decades with total success.

Isn't gas expensive enough? Why add snake oil?

 

no additives, waste of money. Plenty of people run 87 in their 93 cars and no problem.

 

Our engines and fuel systems are highly sensitive to ethanol. Using fuel with greater than 10% ethanol can cause misfires, can damage the fuel pump and will void BMW's warranty.

If you are purchasing E10 (sometimes the only gasoline formulation in many parts of the country) and then adding additional ethanol... you are increasing your risk of fuel system damage.

I speak from experience, having inadvertently purchased one tank of fuel which was E15 instead of E10. $1300 to dispose of the bad gas, clean the fuel system, clean the injectors, reset the ECU, and replace a destroyed fuel pump. The fuel distribution company settled with me, but I do not wish this experience on anyone.

Since that experience, I only purchase fuel from toptier members. Their standard is 8%-10% ethanol.

 

I've used this in my MC. Good stuff. They gave me three bottles for nothing.

 

It's really amazing the number of un-informed people on this thread...WOW! Cheap GAS? 87 Octane? Oh well. Top Tier Gasolines are the ONLY smart buy. In the long run it will pay off. Oh Snake oil? Techron is snake oil? Oh Boy!

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Techron

It seems to me that unlike some other possible products, this particular additive is safe to use. Frank's suggestion has merit.

And, while the additives used by toptier companies are the main marketing message -- I use them due to their strict EtOH standard:

http://toptiergas.com/deposit_control.html

 

I concur with Frank. Sometimes it is too inconvenient to find a station with top tier gas so I use the Techron additive every 3 mo. or so and in my other vehicles as well.

 

Perhaps you should have someone read and explain my post to you. No where did I say 87 octane. Un-informed? 30 years turning wrenches on engines and I'm un-informed? Funny. Is Techron snake oil? Why yes, if you go out and buy it as an additive. I bet you add Slick 50 to your oil don't you.

 

Sorry Tag, don't add Slick 50. I know a little bit about Techron as worked for Chevron for a number of years in the research labs. You use your cheap stuff and I will use Techron. See who has the cleanest engine. I'm calling this quits and it's turned childish. Signing off.

 

Ding. Round 3 please!

 

FlyingZ06

The MINI and probably a Z06 will not only run on 87 octane, probably 65 octane. The EEC will adjust to anything. If you like running on 105hp, be my guest. Have fun!

Frank

 

Wow, checked out the link for Top Tier Gas and didn't see BP, Mobil or Citgo. Those are three big refineries out in the Chicago region and many stations get fuel from them. I guess I'll have to keep my eyes open for the others and thanks for all of the tips. I don't like to go cheap on my fuel. More octane, more HP, more

 

i always thought sunoco was a good brand... they have the 93 octane gas over here.... wonder whats wrong with it....

 

What a drop in hp to 105 i am experiencing with 87! WOW. Nice try.

 

The owner's manual definitely says to use high octane and even says something about Top Tier. Good enough for me

The Low-Down on High Octane Gasoline from the Federal Trade Commission.

http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/cons...tos/aut12.shtm

 

what possible reason could BMW ( MINI ) have for suggesting using
premium , if indeed lower octane fuel was adequate?
Use what the manual recommends, or suffer the consequences.
boxcars

 

Gasoline is a commodity. As I understand it, most regions (like mine) have a single refinery that produces gasoline for all and sundry. There may be many regional fuel distribution firms, and any number of fuel storage/distribution depots, and many retail brands. But the source for all gasoline in the region is that single refinery.
..
Why did I end up with a tankful of unusable E15 from a retail pump which did not have prominent signage as required by law in my state? (The fine for mislabeling Methanol/Ethanol content is $1000/day per pump here.)

The answer is either human error, or willful misconduct -- Ethanol is a relatively inexpensive oxygenate. It really doesn't matter. It happened to me, it could happen to you.

Why do I buy from Top Tier retailers only, now? It does cost me more. From research, I learned that the additional detergent additives in Top Tier fuel over EPA minimums costs the distributor approximately $0.01 / gallon. I probably pay $0.04 at retail for this difference. I'm willing to, only because EtOH levels are included in their standard, and I never want to experience fuel related problems again. Detergent improvements for me are value add, but not the prime motivator.

 

Flying Z06 do what you want it's your car but I would be worried about blowing a hole thru a piston using 87 on an engine with 10.5:1 compression ratio. If the ECU is adjusting for the lower octane fuel to prevent pre-ignition then it has to be affecting engine output. Like I said it's your car so have at it but I don't mind spending a couple of bucks more during a fill up to get a better fuel grade. My first car was a 71' Dodge Demon with a 340 (same compression ratio as the MINI by the way) and I had to put premium in to prevent knocking. I wonder if anyone has tested the difference on a dyno???

 

I have a 2k4 cooper non-s and accidently filled it with 87 once, stupid Hess mixing up the fuel pumps. Basically after about 80 miles the engine started vibrating like a biatch and started shaking my steering column. I went to the first gas station and topped it off with 93 and it was fine after that.

 

The BMW fuel additive is Chevron Techron. Most of the European manufacturers recommend it. It does work. As far as fuel octane the cars will run on 87 octane. The catch is the ECU will pull timing at the first sign of pinging. Pulling timing will cause power lose. If you drive easy and alot of low engine loads you probably won't notice anything. When I had my WRX, noname gas used to create violent bucking at high boost conditions. The first thing the dealer asked was what brand of fuel I was running. A change to a name brand of fuel solved the problem. Whether it be Sunoco, BP, etc.. , what you're looking for is consistancy. Places that buy on the spot market may get several additive packages that may not be compatable etc... I currently work for a Nissan store, all our V-6 engines recommend the use of premium fuel. Alot of people do use regular fuel, power and fuel mileage does suffer a little bit.