[sieben1973]

I just took a trip to US, Northern Michigan
(same temperatures as in Ontario)
and for the lack of 91 octane on most of the stations i was pumping 94 octane. I have a 2008 328i, and i noticed 10-15% better millage?
Should i be running higher octane gas in cold winters of Canada?

[tolkino]

Somebody correct me if I'm wrong but the higher the octane, there is less possibility of the fuel freezes. However isnt the highest we have in Canada (at least Toronto) 91 Octane?

[sieben1973]

you can get 94 at Sunoco

[gos]

Originally Posted by sieben1973

I just took a trip to US, Northern Michigan
(same temperatures as in Ontario)
and for the lack of 91 octane on most of the stations i was pumping 94 octane. I have a 2008 328i, and i noticed 10-15% better millage?
Should i be running higher octane gas in cold winters of Canada?

Maybe the 94 didn't have Ethanol in it, for some reason?

10-15% seems like too much of a difference.

As far as fuel freezing, just how cold does it get? My car has no problem starting at -20F (-29C) in the winters.

[que2k]

I always fill up with 94........Chevron has it

[sieben1973]

Starting is no problems here (gets down to -30 C all the time)
i just want an opinion on the advantages or disadvantages of using higher octane fuel in 3 series
BMW recommends 91 octane as the lowest grade
but does that mean that prolonged usage of 94 octane can damage the engine. or is it just the higher cost issue?

[tolkino]

Originally Posted by sieben1973

Starting is no problems here (gets down to -30 C all the time)
i just want an opinion on the advantages or disadvantages of using higher octane fuel in 3 series
BMW recommends 91 octane as the lowest grade
but does that mean that prolonged usage of 94 octane can damage the engine. or is it just the higher cost issue?

Higher octane will give you more power, it will not damage the engine. The engine will work more efficiently, faster too. In Turkey we have 95 octanes as the lowest, and up to 100 Octanes. They just cost more expensive

[sieben1973]

Sorry man but your octane rating are different then NA

87 octane fuel, the "regular" gasoline in the US and Canada, is 91–92 in Europe

European pumps deliver 95 (RON) as "unleaded", equivalent to 90–91 US

read this
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Octane_rating

[tolkino]

Originally Posted by sieben1973

Sorry man but your octane rating are different then NA

87 octane fuel, the "regular" gasoline in the US and Canada, is 91–92 in Europe

European pumps deliver 95 (RON) as "unleaded", equivalent to 90–91 US

read this
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Octane_rating

Ah didnt know about this! good to learn, my bad.. thanks for the info!

[mike-y]

Originally Posted by tolkino

Higher octane will give you more power,

This is not necessarily true. Higher octane can allow the engine to make more power if it is tuned for higher octane. You have to have the engine put in more timing and fuel (or boost on a turbo car) to take advantage of the octane.

Usually cars that are tuned to a higher octane, will pull out timing (or boost) if the computer senses knocking or 'ping' to avoid damaging the motor. So unless your car isn't running 100% on the gas you are currently putting in, higher octane won't give you more power.

just dumping in 100 octane won't give you any power (unless there was a problem with the gas you were previously running). but add timing, fuel, and/or more boost for it, and you'll be able to make more power than with regular pump grade gas. If you don't do anything, it shouldn't hurt (except in your wallet), as long as you stick with unleaded fuels.

[sieben1973]

thanks

[bsamoul]

you guys suck for being able to get 94 octane. here in norcal it's hard to find anything over 91

[exo-ak-dk]

well bmw recommend that we use 98 Octane(european numbers)...you can read it in the manual.

Dont know what 98 octane is in NA/US

[chaz58]

+1

good descripton Mikey. Higher octane (above what the car is tuned for) isn't going to give you better gas milage, especially in the winter (detonation is more of a problem in hot humid summer months).

Also, sunco uses a lot of ethanol, which is killed my gas milage (5 MPG drop). I had a sudden and noticable drop in MPG when I put that ethanol blend crap in my tank.

Originally Posted by mike-y

This is not necessarily true. Higher octane can allow the engine to make more power if it is tuned for higher octane. You have to have the engine put in more timing and fuel (or boost on a turbo car) to take advantage of the octane.

Usually cars that are tuned to a higher octane, will pull out timing (or boost) if the computer senses knocking or 'ping' to avoid damaging the motor. So unless your car isn't running 100% on the gas you are currently putting in, higher octane won't give you more power.

just dumping in 100 octane won't give you any power (unless there was a problem with the gas you were previously running). but add timing, fuel, and/or more boost for it, and you'll be able to make more power than with regular pump grade gas. If you don't do anything, it shouldn't hurt (except in your wallet), as long as you stick with unleaded fuels.

[sieben1973]

Originally Posted by exo-ak-dk

well bmw recommend that we use 98 Octane(european numbers)...you can read it in the manual.

Dont know what 98 octane is in NA/US

98 Euro is 91 NA/US

[Carnage]

Originally Posted by mike-y

This is not necessarily true. Higher octane can allow the engine to make more power if it is tuned for higher octane. You have to have the engine put in more timing and fuel (or boost on a turbo car) to take advantage of the octane.

Usually cars that are tuned to a higher octane, will pull out timing (or boost) if the computer senses knocking or 'ping' to avoid damaging the motor. So unless your car isn't running 100% on the gas you are currently putting in, higher octane won't give you more power.

just dumping in 100 octane won't give you any power (unless there was a problem with the gas you were previously running). but add timing, fuel, and/or more boost for it, and you'll be able to make more power than with regular pump grade gas. If you don't do anything, it shouldn't hurt (except in your wallet), as long as you stick with unleaded fuels.

Originally Posted by chaz58

+1

good descripton Mikey. Higher octane (above what the car is tuned for) isn't going to give you better gas milage, especially in the winter (detonation is more of a problem in hot humid summer months).

Also, sunco uses a lot of ethanol, which is killed my gas milage (5 MPG drop). I had a sudden and noticable drop in MPG when I put that ethanol blend crap in my tank.

+1 on the great description and the ethanol side.

More and more stations are starting to boost the octane numbers by adding ethanol to the mix. Basically turning 91 into 93, 94 by adding ethanol. While it does give you a power boost, you pay for it via lower MPG.

[chaz58]

Actually a gallon of Ethanol has lower energy output than a gallon of gas. Thus, it has less power, and less MPG.

A gallon of Regular and a gallon of 100 octane have the same energy output, which is why you will not get more power or more MPG with high octane fuel, as long as you are meeting your car's minimum requirements.

[jetblk328i]

i use 93, which is all i find here, however my fuel economy goes down in the winter, then again, i havent used 91 yet since we dont have the choice.

[bulldog_yyc]

I stay away from sunoco and ultra 94. It has 10% ethonol, which is rumored to damage the fuel pump and results in lower gas milage (on my 335 at least). I stick to shell vpower (91 and no ethonol).

[BMWs4ever]

Originally Posted by turkish335

I stay away from sunoco and ultra 94. It has 10% ethonol, which is rumored to damage the fuel pump and results in lower gas milage (on my 335 at least). I stick to shell vpower (91 and no ethonol).

Most gas companies in North America put some degree of ethanol into there gas and don't tell you. In fact some provinces/states mandate a little in the gas for enviromental reasons. I was concerned about putting Sunnoco 94 in my car since it can contain up to 10% ethanol. However, they are considered a top tier gas company and even their web site states their gas exceeds some (can't remember) BMW spec for gas. I think it's sulfur content. So I use Sunnoco 94 since I think it's the best in the Toronto area.

Ethanol over 10% like the gas in the US that is 85% Ethanol will fry your motor. The BMW manual says the engine is OK to use up to 10% ethanol anyways.

[BMdblU]

Originally Posted by BMWs4ever

Most gas companies in North America put some degree of ethanol into there gas and don't tell you. In fact some provinces/states mandate a little in the gas for enviromental reasons. I was concerned about putting Sunnoco 94 in my car since it can contain up to 10% ethanol. However, they are considered a top tier gas company and even their web site states their gas exceeds some (can't remember) BMW spec for gas. I think it's sulfur content. So I use Sunnoco 94 since I think it's the best in the Toronto area.

Ethanol over 10% like the gas in the US that is 85% Ethanol will fry your motor. The BMW manual says the engine is OK to use up to 10% ethanol anyways.

Around 40k and been using 94 at least half the time.. no issues.

[TiAg335i]

I don't believe higher octane would have any significant effect in lowering the freezing point of the gasoline.

This is kind of like the nitrogen-filled tires myth. Uneducated people will buy into it.