What Gasoline do you put in your E34?

[Fetch]

This isn't a gas price thread :p

I'm always interested to hear what companies are the best, what companies get their oil from the same place, who puts what additives in their gas, etc.

Who else is like me and will only put a specific gas in their car?

I only put Shell Premium (v-power), or BP Premium in my 530, because I belive these to be the best fuels, and also, these stations (especially BP) are usually way nicer in terms of appearence, and pump condition.

Discuss.

[puppypilgrim]

Chevron 94 octane. Different geography, different gas.

[Jehu]

I won't use Shell unless its an emergency because of things i heard about certain brutalities(necklacing) in South Africa by parties associated with the Corporation...

I like Sunoco and Mobil .

[DABLACK]

I like Sunoco or if in a jam Shell

[Macv]

Uh... VP 91 octane. We have no 94 octane around here.

[31Hertz]

Funny, I have experimented with Shell with the last few (5) fill-ups. I always use 93. It seemed I got worse gas mileage with the Shell stuff (19.5)... I have used BP with decent results, but it appears that my car really likes Chevron 93. I already have 95 miles on this tank with just a hair under the 3/4 tank mark left on the $$$meter. With Chevron it seems I average between 21 and 22 MPG. 60% city / 40% hwy / 25% spirited. Funny, there is only one Sonoco near me and it is 20 miles away. What is this "necklacing" you speak of Jehu? It sounds menacing.

[Qube]

PetroCanada. 91
The odd time... Sunoco 94

[liquidtiger720]

Shell, chevron, costco for me :)

91 premium.

[Anton CH.]

Costco and occasionally I will fill it up with Chevron to clean things up.

[pingu]

Here in Britain a lot of the "different" fuels come out the same holding tanks in the fuel depot. I put in whatever is nearest when I'm low.

[spyrot1]

Raceway 93 or BP Amoco 93... down to $2.20 a gallon!

[Jon K]

Shell V-Power 93. Can only use 93+ octane that's all my car can run on.

[31Hertz]

For some reason, when I saw JonK had replied; that I would see some crazy home-made recipe with secret herbs and spices:D

[DABIMR]

For some reason, when I saw JonK had replied; that I would see some crazy home-made recipe with secret herbs and spices:D
Hey 31, I see you're running 0W40 (in your sig), I run Castrol 20W50 dino, PO's records always ran that, so just kept it the same. Any advantages to the lighter cold weight? And I assume that's synthetic?

Sorry for the threadjacking...:D

[DigitalRelay]

Almost always BP. I have their credit card which gives me a 5% rebate on gas purchases.

Never, ever, ever Citgo.

[632 Regal]

im running it too, try it you wont go back to that thick stuff.
Hey 31, I see you're running 0W40 (in your sig), I run Castrol 20W50 dino, PO's records always ran that, so just kept it the same. Any advantages to the lighter cold weight? And I assume that's synthetic?

Sorry for the threadjacking...:D

[DABIMR]

im running it too, try it you wont go back to that thick stuff.
Are you running that year round? It's quite a bit warmer here in Atlanta, GA than you guys in PA. Also, I assume Mobil 1 0W40?

Oh, and back on topic: I use Chevron, QT, BP sometimes BJ's (like Costco) and always premium, 93.. :)

Shell always seems to be about $0.10 more for some reason and I haven't noticed any real improvement in performance or gas mileage with them. In mixed highway/city I get about 20-22 mpg, almost 400 miles to a full tank..

Funny thing is, since I just replaced my exhaust with a custom setup with a Magnaflow 12XXX series muffler I get better gas mileage when I "lay on it", weird. :p

[granit_silber]

Sam's Club 92 (I think, it might be 93).

Then every six months I run a bottle of Redline S-1 through the system.

-ashley

[KenB]

Mostly Sunoco 93 or 91, almost any major brand in a pinch, Amoco, Shell, Citgo...will not buy Exxon/Mobil.

[Boone.Msi]

mostly QT and BP 93(about to be chevron from all the post)
why not exxon/mobil?

[suntorn]

<new 540 owner!!

anywase, i may be confused, but in my manuel, it recommends premium gas, but with an 89 aki and 95 ron. so that tells me my 540 runs just as good off of 89 then it does 91+ octane. why are all you guys running the "real" premium???

[Boone.Msi]

just plainly runs smoother/better with real premium. I dont know if nikasil is still a problem but us v8 owners usually use 91+ just to be safe

[KenB]

mostly QT and BP 93(about to be chevron from all the post)
why not exxon/mobil?

Something about an oil spill, I dunno, I may have been drunk at the time I decided.;)

[Jon K]

I sometimes 5 gallons of Toulene in with 10 or 11 gallons of 93 octane - effective octane is about 99 octane.

[31Hertz]

"I sometimes 5 gallons of Toulene in with 10 or 11 gallons of 93 octane - effective octane is about 99 octane." -- That's more like what I expected...

You know, it's funny; I have never run anything less than the 93 octane; not to save money or even to experiment just to see how it would run. Just don't care; because my car likes it... My wife has accepted this about me. With her Volvo wagon it's the same; It's a turbo; gotta run premium. She would never have done this before she met me. Any old cheapo gas would do; but hey, she drove a Honda when I met her;)

I like the 0W40. It is the Mobil 1 Synthetic. Car revs very freely and smoothly and does not use a drop of oil... Hard to believe but true. 1.5K since last change and still right at the top line on the dipstick. I ran this all summer with no issues whatsoever. The temp guage never budged from the center mark..

[Jimbo]

I am surprised i haven;t read any mention of Phillips/Conoco, that is almost exclusively what I use. I guess maybe they are not as common in other parts of the country, they are very common here in the Kansas City area.

[Zeuk in Oz]

98 RON (Premium)

[BFEINZIMER]

Chevron 89 Midgrade...I used to run Arco cuse my dad but movied to Chevron based on mechanics telling me and the whole TopTier thing...though I don't really know if I should use 89 or 91...?

[mattyb]

same. caltex vortex wherever possible and 95 when the 98 price sux. never lower than 95 though as the ol girl doesnt like it!

[The Bigfella]

Any standard unleaded in the 535 (91 RON I think) and 98 RON, normally BP Ultimate in the M5.

Just had a couple of beers with a mate who drives tankers at a mutual friend's wake - he is doing a bit of ethanol these days. I believe the new V Power stuff from Shell is 10% ethanol.

[Mr._Graybeard]

Any standard unleaded in the 535 (91 RON I think) and 98 RON, normally BP Ultimate in the M5.

Just had a couple of beers with a mate who drives tankers at a mutual friend's wake - he is doing a bit of ethanol these days. I believe the new V Power stuff from Shell is 10% ethanol.

Up here in Wisconsin, I often see premium gasoline pumps with a label advising buyers that the fuel can contain up to 10% ethanol -- even outside of RFG zones.

I usually burn midgrade 89 -- that's what the manual calls for. BP is the fuel I use most often, mostly because the stations are everywhere.

[Alexlind123]

I buy midgrade from shell. Nothing but Shell gasoline has been in my car since i started driving it.

[Vanguard]

My 530i manual says the car will take the 87 octane. I usually run ARCO gas. Last tank was 89, current tank is 87. I haven't noticed any differences.

My uncle is the first owner and he said it's been fine with the 87.

[Ross]

93 octane, with "up to" 10% ethanol to increase some farmers economy and decrease mine.
Regarding brand loyalty; I have none but will not patronize stations that refuse to EVER clean the pump handles.

[Fetch]

Is lower ethanol prefered for our engines?
If so, which brand's premium has the lowest ethanol?

[mikell]

Always premium in my 530 - about every third tank is Texaco/Chevron for the cleaning additives - the rest is usually what I get at Costco, since it's way cheaper. For some reason, Shell is always more expensive that any of the other major brands.

[CharlesAFerg]

Um. I love it when people use the term "premium"

You don't need it, it's just higher octane X-o

I saw some stupid old couple filling something like an old stupid old-person chrystler with,
Old guy- "The best you've got, the highest grade"
Attendant- "Premium?"
Old guy- "Yes, Premium."

*shoots self*
I'm sure glad he likes throwing his money to Ahmed.

[MTV]

Been using 89 mid-grade since I purchased the car a year and half ago. Runs great even on "Sport" mode. :D

[Ross]

The "premium" grades typically contain better additive packages as well as being higher octane. Most cars you see with premature injector problems and valve deposits are run on cheapo gas.
Also if the octane is low the detonation sensor will retard timing, lessening the available performance.
I know the pricing of it is arbitrary but the fuel is different, and better.

[Fetch]

The "premium" grades typically contain better additive packages as well as being higher octane. Most cars you see with premature injector problems and valve deposits are run on cheapo gas.
Also if the octane is low the detonation sensor will retard timing, lessening the available performance.
I know the pricing of it is arbitrary but the fuel is different, and better.

this is the main reason I use premium, not for the octane at all really

[Traian]

CharlesAFerg - agree with ya, shouldn't be called 'premium', just because it's higher octane just means it's different. Depends whether your car needs it or not. But I guess the gas stations use words like premium so that people who need to put it in their cars feel better about their purchase, and uninformed old men can throw their money away :) Oh, and the manual for the 540 recommends 89 octane, so the base 87 is not valid for all the 5's. I put 91 anyway, because the word 'premium' just tickles me the right way. And Shell only, in fact, pretty much the same gas station all the time - I must've spend thousands there....

[Ross]

Ethanol is used to "stetch" the fuel. It's a lousy way though as ethanol has less energy and is also corrosive and hydrophillic.
A strong lobby for the industry in the midwest has convinced our politicians that it's good for the environment, blah, blah, blah.
Less is better for your car.

[J.DeFeo]

Whatever 87 is at whichever gas station I come across when I need fuel. I don't notice any difference between brands and there's no point in putting premium gas in the M30.

[Alexlind123]

I'm sure glad he likes throwing his money to Ahmed.

The US produces the largest percentage the oil that we use. Canada is second, and Mexico is third as the producers of oil that we use.

[wyldbil]

Texaco (or Chevron) 87. My '92 525it runs fine on it and the Techron seems to make my motor happy.

[BillionPa]

Shell V-Power 92 with 0% ethanol + acetone/fp60 mix.

[Paul in NZ]

91 RON, ussually shell cause they are the brand that usually drops the price first and run regular 5c off specials.I run a bottle of cleaner through a couple of tanks before an oil change.If i cant find a shell ussually BP but they all sem the same.Car does FEEL nicer and uses very slightly les fuel with 95 RON which i will use for auto crosses and driver training days(more throttle applied than normal)

[zhandax]

The tech in Ft Lauderdale who used to adjust the valves on my E12 in the mid 80s told me to only use Amoco in a BMW. Since he always shared the joint he lit before he adjusted the valves and still got the valves right, I have followed his advice for 20 years. Although I used 89 in the E28, I put 93 in the 540 because of the 10:1 compression ratio. The RON spec on the 300E (same 10:1 compression) I think translates to 90 octane and I alternated 89-93 and found it runs better on 93 with better mileage. Have not experimented on the 540.

For more logical brand reasoning, the Amoco station around the corner from work was bought by a Shell convenience chain a few years back when I still had the E28. I put a dozen tanks of Shell in the car and had to replace the O2 sensor. Never again.