[natahoa]

I have about half a tank left in my car from the dealer. So I gotta buy gas soon. The manual says minimum of 89 octane, 91 preferred. I have the xLine 40i six-cylinder.

What do you use and recommend?

[MystroX5]

Sunoco 94 is about the best quality gas you can get. That said, if you can get any Sunoco 93 get it since you are in the East Coast where Sunoco is plentiful. Get premium and forget about saving a few bucks on plus rated fuel. 89oct is the bare minimum in a emergency.

[TurtleBoy]

I recommend getting a Top Tier fuel no matter what octane you decide on although I would stick to premium and not drop down to 89.

[mnx5er]

I’ve never figure out the 89 octane gas. I’d always use 87 in a car that takes regular and 91-93 in cars that like premium.

I have found my MPG is better on pure gas vs gas/ethanol mix. Tough in the Midwest to always find the pure stuff and not pay a ton for it.

[gpitts]

Originally Posted by mnx5er

I have found my MPG is better on pure gas vs gas/ethanol mix. Tough in the Midwest to always find the pure stuff and not pay a ton for it.

Same here. Ethanol does not have the same energy content as pure gasoline, so we take a hit on performance. In Portland, the stations that sell ethanol-free fuel are few and far between, and the incremental cost per gallon makes it prohibitive in terms of the return on the incremental cost...

[rmorin1249]

I am using Premium, 93 Octane. I buy Shell whenever I can but we lost the last Shell station in my town about a year ago. BP is my second choice but also buy from Sam's on occasion. Their fuel is not rated Top Tier but we have used it for many years with no issues. It is usually about 10-15 cents a gallon cheaper than the name brand Premium. We don't have 91 octane in our area.

[Auricom]

Revives old thread.

Does the 40i require premium gas, or just performs better with it? https://g05.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh....php?t=1562066

[skullman]

Premium all the way.

[natahoa]

Originally Posted by mnx5er

I’ve never figure out the 89 octane gas. I’d always use 87 in a car that takes regular and 91-93 in cars that like premium.

I have found my MPG is better on pure gas vs gas/ethanol mix. Tough in the Midwest to always find the pure stuff and not pay a ton for it.

I have a local station that sells no-ethanol gas. Good stuff, gives you more MPG. So, it is okay to use that?

[natahoa]

Originally Posted by Auricom

Revives old thread.

Does the 40i require premium gas, or just performs better with it? https://g05.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh....php?t=1562066

Thanks, I’ll check it out!

[natahoa]

Originally Posted by rmorin1249

I am using Premium, 93 Octane. I buy Shell whenever I can but we lost the last Shell station in my town about a year ago. BP is my second choice but also buy from Sam's on occasion. Their fuel is not rated Top Tier but we have used it for many years with no issues. It is usually about 10-15 cents a gallon cheaper than the name brand Premium. We don't have 91 octane in our area.

Wow, in Hagerstown? I do have a Sam’s in Salisbury.
How about Exxon or royal farms - any opinion?

[samvora]

Originally Posted by rmorin1249

I am using Premium, 93 Octane. I buy Shell whenever I can but we lost the last Shell station in my town about a year ago. BP is my second choice but also buy from Sam's on occasion. Their fuel is not rated Top Tier but we have used it for many years with no issues. It is usually about 10-15 cents a gallon cheaper than the name brand Premium. We don't have 91 octane in our area.

You do know that the gas (petrol/diesel) comes from the same source and then goes to all these stations like shell, chevron, arco, etc. so unless someone like shell has an additive that changes the formula to make the economy and fuel quality better, it doesn't matter whether you buy from shell or any other similar reputed (aka known) brand.

[rmorin1249]

Yes, I do know that. That is why it doesn't bother me to buy at Sam's or any other place that sells a lot of gas. Fresh gas, in my opinion, is more important than Top Tier.

[rmorin1249]

Originally Posted by natahoa

Wow, in Hagerstown? I do have a Sam’s in Salisbury.
How about Exxon or royal farms - any opinion?

EXXON is fine and it is Top Tier. No Royal Farms in our area, we have lots of Sheetz but their fuel is also not Top Tier but they sell a lot of it so it is always fresh. Also, most of their stores are fairly new and not likely to have water infiltration into the storage tanks. This is a big potential issue. I learned this lesson years ago at Myrtle Beach.

[GTF]

Advice from consulting engineer in petroleum industry:
*Use recommended spec. Going higher than recommended octane yields insignificant performance/efficiency gains in 95% of ICE motors.
*Using premium in engines tuned for regular is a waste in top-tier rated gas.
*There is little difference among major branded fuel.
*Top-Tier generally signifies that the additive packages are included in all octane choices, not just premium.
*The only meaningful choice is E0....ethanol-free.
Ethanol blends are a political scam by ethanol industry who own the politicians in the corn belt. Sold as a "green' choice, now simply a scam. Even Al Gore no longer a supporter.

So for the X5....min. 91 Ethanol-free top tier. Download app: PureGas

[Stinkyxy]

^^^^ this. It really is getting away from ethanol. Ethanol attracts moisture and that is not good in humid environments.

Find a gas station that publicly noted no ethanol. Shell normally does this with their premium gas - Nitro.

Some others say 'may contain', that's not good.

[natahoa]

Originally Posted by GTF

Advice from consulting engineer in petroleum industry:
*Use recommended spec. Going higher than recommended octane yields insignificant performance/efficiency gains in 95% of ICE motors.
*Using premium in engines tuned for regular is a waste in top-tier rated gas.
*There is little difference among major branded fuel.
*Top-Tier generally signifies that the additive packages are included in all octane choices, not just premium.
*The only meaningful choice is E0....ethanol-free.
Ethanol blends are a political scam by ethanol industry who own the politicians in the corn belt. Sold as a "green' choice, now simply a scam. Even Al Gore no longer a supporter.

So for the X5....min. 91 Ethanol-free top tier. Download app: PureGas

You are right on about the ethanol. Raises the prices of food and animal feed that uses corn, and is actually LESS environmentally friendly due to the processing/transport and other externalities. It is a very foolish policy in this country.

So, it’s ok to use no-ethanol gas, correct?

I don’t know the ratings on the one available in my town, but I don’t want to do more harm than good, even if no-ethanol gas IS the most environmentally friendly option.

[natahoa]

Originally Posted by Stinkyxy

^^^^ this. It really is getting away from ethanol. Ethanol attracts moisture and that is not good in humid environments.

Find a gas station that publicly noted no ethanol. Shell normally does this with their premium gas - Nitro.

Some others say 'may contain', that's not good.

Also, we have a WaWa in Salisbury that sells no-ethanol gas. May be it is available at unexpected chains in other regions!

[AdamL]

Wow finally we have something in the UK which you don't in the US! A rare thing indeed 98 RON fuel baby!

[rmorin1249]

In western MD ethanol free is very difficult to find. In the Hagerstown area there are only 2 stations in the entire county that sell it. AC&T near the Valley Mall and Liberty in the northern part of the county on Leitersburg Pike. I think the AC&T is Exxon branded. No idea where the Liberty fuel comes from. I use it in my lawn tractor but not in my cars. It is priced about 15 cents a gallon higher than 93 Octane with 10% ethanol.

[natahoa]

Originally Posted by rmorin1249

In western MD ethanol free is very difficult to find. In the Hagerstown area there are only 2 stations in the entire county that sell it. AC&T near the Valley Mall and Liberty in the northern part of the county on Leitersburg Pike. I think the AC&T is Exxon branded. No idea where the Liberty fuel comes from. I use it in my lawn tractor but not in my cars. It is priced about 15 cents a gallon higher than 93 Octane with 10% ethanol.

Thanks so much!
I’m in eastern MD and it isn’t common here either. I’m going to check on my local station down the road this morning and get the numbers, and probably post them here for opinions.

Otherwise this station only sells regular and diesel. So if I want to get gas there, I have no choice but to use the ethanol-free. The owner is a very good mechanic so I will ask him also.

[MotoWPK]

Originally Posted by samvora

You do know that the gas (petrol/diesel) comes from the same source and then goes to all these stations like shell, chevron, arco, etc. so unless someone like shell has an additive that changes the formula to make the economy and fuel quality better, it doesn't matter whether you buy from shell or any other similar reputed (aka known) brand.

While gas within a region will come from the same refinery or refineries, regardless of brand, some brands will purchase it with a common additive package while some, such as Shell, will use their own additive package.