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premium gas?

6K views 35 replies 24 participants last post by  jaybeee 
#1 ·
How important is it to use premium in my 2011 750i?
 
#3 ·
If you want the car to develop the advertised HP, yes. If you don't care, then no problem, fill it up with whatever you like.
 
#5 ·
Its been sorta covered on the F30/F10 forums after Sandy. You can use 87 but it'll retard the timing, and can give you worse gas mileage. So you're at a draw, if you're trying to save money (on a 100k car :rofl:) just go with mid grade.
 
#6 ·
I am always amazed that people who gladly pay $100K for a car, or lease it for $1.2K would want to save a few bucks on fuel, that is the lifeblood of this machine that makes it go.

If you want to save money, buy Costco premium. It is the same price as regular anywhere else, and contains 5 times more cleaning additives than EPA recommendation.
 
#7 ·
I've never put cheap gas in my car, it's always Chevron and premium which doesn't contain ethanol.

And the car show "Fifth Gear" did a octane test and they found that higher octane does give you better mileage and performance but not all premium gas is the same which was interesting.
 
#9 ·
I've never put cheap gas in my car, it's always Chevron and premium which doesn't contain ethanol.

And the car show "Fifth Gear" did a octane test and they found that higher octane does give you better mileage and performance but not all premium gas is the same which was interesting.
My first "high end car" was a new 1999 C280 Sport, and Beverly Hills Mercedes told me to only use Chevron Supreme. In 2004, when I made the switch from Mercedes to BMW, Century West BMW told me to only use Chevron Supreme. I had used it almost exclusively since my 1995 SAAB, but would switch now and then. Since 1999....I stick with Chevron. I believe if you do Google searches, Chevron usually rates the highest. I just like it, and most Chevron stations in L.A., have the most maintained pumps and gas stations.

And if you add the savings up from switching to 89 or 87...You probably save about $1 or $2 per tank of gas. Is that worth it to you?? You cannot even buy a cup of coffee for that!!
 
#8 ·
I reported a 2mpg increase when I went from cheap gas to quality premium. Also, throttle response was a bit better. This is on an ancient E36, so it can only make wonders for your new 7 ;)
 
#15 ·
Since they opened a Costco near where I live, I try to fill up when I go there. Costco in Chicago is at 93 octane and cheaper than regular gas from the nearby BP or Shell.

With regards to which brand gas station you go to, the reality is that most people will not be able to tell where the gas in their gas station ultimately came from. For example, a BP station may not get gas delivered by BP and so on.
 
#18 ·
For an engine with twin turbos, don't even think about using less than the OEM recommended octane. I know these engines have knock sensors and boost control, but if anything doesn't work correctly with crappy gas in the tank and you tromp on the gas a time or two, bad things can happen.

JMHO,
Greg
 
#19 ·
I guess it wouldn't be a new month without someone asking if they could save $7 a month to help pay for their $100k car. By all means, put whatever you like in the tank if that is all you can afford. Your performance will be worse, you will lose gas mileage and you will risk engine damage, but at least you will only have to find the other $993 to make that payment.....
 
#23 ·
If the car calls for it, yes.
 
#24 ·
Dunno about you, but, for some strange reason, I've been getting over 1,500 miles on every fillup of 87AKI at Costco! :)


Plus I get (slightly) better emissions results:


See also:
- What is the true cost differential between 87 & 91 octane AKI (1) & all you need to know about engine fuel & octane (1) & The Gasoline FAQ & top-tier gas stations (1) & what gasoline to use in a bimmer (1) & how much gas should be left to cool the fuel pump (1) & how to siphon the fuel out of the tank (1) & does spilled gasoline go into the charcoal canister (1) & the P0455 diagnostic trouble code when the gas cap is missing (1) & the truth about mpg calculation accuracy (1) (2)
 
#25 ·
I am not sure what your point is. You drive over a decade old non turbo car. We drive a twin turbo with a 450 HP powerplant. None of us is interested in keeping this car for 100K miles. We just want the driving pleasure and sweet purr of our V8.

If we wanted fuel economy, we would be driving a Prius!
 
#36 ·
Seriously,

Leave out fuel economy and the HP then forget about long term reliability and all that junk use premium no questions asked. You are driving a six figure car and you actually are considering using a less then premium grade gas any BMW should have premium grade gas regardless of the things mentioned above you totally signed up for it. The choice is yours in the end but I would encourage you to use premium and never look back in this car or any car that the manufacturer recommends premium. Not trying to flame but you asked that is my two cents feel free to take it or leave it. Why bother using less you will more then likely not notice the difference in anything if you stick to premium but you can know you are doing the respectable thing.

Thank you.
 
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