Not that I'm going to be a cheap $@#%!@* when it comes to the Mini, but here in Miniapolis, Minisota, the pumps are 87, 90, & 93 Octane. Can I run a 50/50 tank of 90/93 and get 91 which the Mini specs for (minimum of course)? Sometimes the price delta between the two swings DRAMATICALLY.

 

You sure can!

 

You can just run straight 90 also. I mean 1 octane point isn't gonna hurt
anything.

That said, I run 93 all the time in Minnesota. I can spend the extra
$30 a YEAR it costs. You need to figure a little MPG drop on the
lower octane, and that wipes out the potential small savings.

 

You need to figure a little MPG drop on the
>>lower octane, and that wipes out the potential small savings.

True,

Plus I figure I'm only driving about 6000-7000 miles a year. Not enough of a difference to put nothing but 93 in the tank. I just didn't know about fuel formulations.
Happy Motoring,

 

well...... i just got my mini s and i put 94 octane in it....

i hope thats not bad....becaue higher octane yeilds higher performance..

 

the higher the better you guys suck all we have in az is 91 my mini doesnt like it sometimes i go 103 and it sooooo much better

 

would 89 octane be bad? Premium is getting a little pricey

 

>>would 89 octane be bad? Premium is getting a little pricey

You can do the math yourself.

How many miles-per-year do you drive? 12,000 is average.
What fuel economy do you get? Let's sat 28 MPG.

That means you use 12,000/28 = 430 gallons of fuel in a year.

What's the difference in cost?

In MN this week, the prices aer $1.45, $1.51 and $1.59
From:Minnesota fuel prices

So it costs you $623, $650 or $687

So you save $37 or $64 a year even if you have NO drop in economy
running the lower-octane fuel.

Is it worth it to YOU?


_________________

 

Assuming that there are important technical reasons to run 91, this weekend I heard a caller on Car Talk ask the same question (...about another vehical, though.) Their answer was: sure, you can fill a tank half and half, but that's kinda a hassle. They suggested alternating tanks between the slightly higher and slightly lower grade. I have no idea how this all impacts engine performance/contentment...just a thought to add to the conversation.... :smile:

 

>>Assuming that there are important technical reasons to run 91, this weekend I heard a caller on Car Talk ask the same question (...about another vehical, though.) Their answer was: sure, you can fill a tank half and half, but that's kinda a hassle. They suggested alternating tanks between the slightly higher and slightly lower grade. I have no idea how this all impacts engine performance/contentment...just a thought to add to the conversation.... :smile: <<<<<<<<<<<<&l t;<<


When mixing grades, the octane booster used in the higher grade tends to "pull up" the lower grade. It is not a straight average. So, if you have 1/4 tank of 93, and fill it up with 91, you might end up with something like 91.8 (??) instead of the 91.5 you would average to. So, unless you run it empty everytime, alternating tanks is fine - if you want to save the nickels and dimes. Oh - Don't EVER tell the dealer you run less than Premium (whatever that is in your neck of the woods) in it - You will be surprised how many running/stumbling problems are blamed on gas!!

Allan

 

I would like to get 93-94 in Vermont :smile: be happy for it. The additional cost is minimal and the car is better. Happy motoring

 

Well, Auto Zone sells little bottles of Octane Boosters for about a buck, they are good for a whole tank and boost the octane by 2 points. Every once in a while, I will add the booster and a fuel injector cleaner. The car runs alot better, for only 2 dollars. I can't wait to try it in my mini. Also, in AZ, it is fairly easy to get racing fuel, like 100-120 octane. That will be alot of fun

 

>> Also, in AZ, it is fairly easy to get racing fuel, like 100-120 octane.
>> That will be alot of fun

You guys realise that the higher octane, the harder it is to get
the gas to burn, right?

"racing" fuel is not so that an engine turns into a racing engine,
it's because racing engines are so high compression that
lower octane fuel goes "bang" way before the spark plug
fires, and they REQUIRE gas that burns a lot less well then
normal octane gas.

So don't bother putting any into your MINI because higher
octane gas does not give an engine higher horseopwer. Probably
just the opposite in fact.

So I'm guessing that 120 octane is going to make your MINI
run like crap.

Any octane higher than the one that doesn't make your
engine ping is a waste of money, AND gives you poorer
performance.


_________________

 

Question about the 93 Octane

Here around where I live I can only find 91 Octana at the gas station.

Where in So-Cal I can get the 93 Octana???