No, everything will be just fine.

 

Please stop this thread!

 

Something to be concerned about these days is the reduction in fuel quality across the board. Some of you might remember our illustrious president (take that however you might) stating in a speech that he had 'authorized a rollback of the EPA Clean Air standards' in an effort to make more fuel available. In a nutshell, this generally means usage of a lower grade of fuel stock, cutting back on refinery steps and/or time, allowing a greater percentage of impurities in the fuel, etc. What it means to us is that the fuel coming out of a particular pump could possibly not be of the octane rating or general quality that you are accustomed to. If you notice reduced performance lately, this can be the case, even if you are using 91-93 fuel.

Just a thought.

 

Why? What do you find objectionable about this topic?

The questions aren't to start an argument but to solicit feedback from a community member.

With the rising cost of gasoline especially over the last two weeks this has been a frequent question asked here on the boards. This topic as well as one over in First Gear was stuck to the top of the forum so that those who are considering a shift to a lower grade of gasoline can get the information they seek without feeling the need to start a new thread on the subject.

Plus as you can see there appear to be many questions regarding suitable fuel for use in the MINI...

However if the membership of NAM has credible concerns over the viability of these discussions, feel free to PM me to discuss it further. For the time being however there's nothing in this thread that is a violation of any of the NAM Site Guidelines plus it appears to be assisting members... so the thread stays...

 

... and it continues ...

The issue of fuel quality was raised earlier. Does anyone know which brand(s) have the best quality fuels? What about Sam's Club gas? That's what I get. Is this stuff cheaper but of lower quality?

 

OH NO! GWB is going to ruin my MINI!!:impatient

 

The quality is all about the same, it's all from the same source fuel. Each 'brand' is simply mixed with a certain additive package and sent through the pipes for distribution.

 

If you want the best performance out of your MCS you'll want the highest octane you can get which varies a little from state to state in the USA. I think in general it's 93, yes?

I recently moved over to the UK and couldn't figure out why my car's performance had a nice little bump in output than I realized the octane over is 98, what a hoot After about three tanks full the difference is very noticable. Than again so is the cost of gas $7.00 a gallon

 

Most states, yes 93. Some states however have only 91, and worse yet some are also ethanol blend - which makes it an effective 89!!

 

I have an Exxon down the street from my office that has 100 octane (labeled racing fuel). I wonder how that would affect my MCS engine?

 

Thats 98 ROZ, which is the equivalent to 93 here in the states IIRC.

 

It should be noted that different octane levels are used depending on your region. This has a lot to do with altitude. The thinner air at higher elevations effectively lowers the compression. This means you can run lower octane gas and not have a problem with knocking. The last time I was in both Colorado and Utah, I noticed their regular gas was just 85 octane!

When I picked up my MCS, I asked my MA about which type of gas to use. Turns out the dealership switched to Plus (89 here, basically between regular and premium) on all their cars. They said they didn't find any performance difference or milage loss. If you don't have any knocking, then the lower grade is no different performance wise. In fact it actually helps when starting the car. The lower octane ignites easier, so the car starts quicker.

Now if I only had a choice between regular and premium, then I would go premium. But with Plus, I get the same performance, lower cost, and better starting.

 

My area traditionally has a ten cent variance between regular, plus and super, therefore 92/93 octane is only 20 cents more a gallon than 87 octane. At about three bucks a gallon, it's a no brainer, five or six more points in octane for about 7% more $$ per gallon. Fill it up with 93 ultra, man!

 

You won't notice any difference over normal premium if you car is stock. You would need to have your engine and ECM modified to take advantage of the higher octane gas.

 

How do you wean a car onto the wrong octane gas?

People.... The car is designed to use premium gas.... The ECM will detect knock and retard timing.... That is AFTER the KNOCK occurs.
Just because you cant hear the knock, doesn't mean its not there....
If you hear it knock it is causing damage. Is this what you want for your car?
Sure it will run on regular gas, but it is not designed for it. If the ECM has to retard timing constantly, it is causing damage to your engine. Remember, it has to knock first before the ECM will retard timing, then the ECM will advance timing until it knocks again.... this cycle will continue and so will the knock... Just buy the right grade of gas the car was designed to run on....

 

People.... If the car is designed to use premium gas....then be sure to use it.
I keep reading these threads about using regular to save money. Some have said that they weaned their car off premium and it runs fine with no knock. Others are using special driving techniques and PFM or whatever..
Others say that the engine management system (ECM) will take care of it.

The ECM will detect knock and retard timing.... That is AFTER the KNOCK occurs.
Just because you cant hear the knock, doesn't mean its not there....
If you hear it knock it is causing damage. Is this what you want for your car?
Sure it will run on regular gas, but it is not designed for it. If the ECM has to retard timing constantly, it is causing damage to your engine. Remember, it has to knock first before the ECM will retard timing, then the ECM will advance timing until it knocks again.... this cycle will continue and so will the knock... Just buy the right grade of gas the car was designed to run on....
Hope this helps in clearing up some of the myths...
mike

 

And what do those of us who can't buy the grade that the manual says to buy? PA has 87, 89 and 93, no 91.

 

91 is a minimum.... use 91 or above..

 

Second that, if you don't have 91, use 93, dont' use anything below.

 

According to my SA, and over him it's from MINI NA.

They actually reccomend using a tank of 87 if you have a rough idle as it resets the fuel values and gets them ready for the summer / winter gas. You can do it every other tank if necessary

 

I appreciate this thread because I had been wondering how people manage with lower octane than MINI recommends--perhaps filling up at half empty to mix between high and low? The cost difference would affect me much because I drive less than 100 miles a week (and half of that is extraneous, but I enjoy my MINI). Yet these high prices must be problemmatic for some who have long commutes or whose jobs require driving.

 

In 63k miles my MINI has had 1/2 a tank of regular in it.And boy did they hear about that

It goes like snot, it starts at -50F and it feels like a new engine, after break-in.

I get great mpg, the plugs are clean, I will put no less than 91 in my MINI.

 

Why does this subject get repeated constantly???

See http://www.carnutgarage.com/fuel/Fuel_1.html

Put whatever you want in it. Its your car, your money, your gas. Follow the manual or don't. It's your to do what you want.

 

due to dyno testing...I have proved that article wrong. I dynoed with regular and super, only like 1hp difference

 

See http://www.carnutgarage.com/fuel/Fuel_1.html