Gas Choice

Does the new 335i Sedan (2012) require Premium gas or is Regular fine?

Thanks!

89 octane req. minimum

Awesome thanks. Love the pic. Looks like we got the same thing....... i didnt do the NAV though.

If I understand correctly, 89 is the minimum. But Premium is recommended and will net you the best performance and economy. Without Premium, the ECU is going to retard the engine to protect itself, reducing horsepower and fuel mileage.

Originally Posted by rummyque1

Awesome thanks. Love the pic. Looks like we got the same thing....... i didnt do the NAV though.

I think the black looks phenomenal. wouldn't have t any other way

What does it say inside the gas filler door?

89 is required, but I'm putting 91/93 in mine. I calculated that it will only be about $74/year higher to go with the good stuff.

I doubt you'd save money by going with lower octane. Probably eat the difference in crappier mileage.

I always put 93 in my 2004 325i. I also started adding BMW Fuel System Cleaner every 3,000 since my fuel pump was replaced at 107,800, now at 132,400. Since then I get a steady 26.2 mpg with a good mix of highway and city driving.

Originally Posted by SoonerJohn

89 is required, but I'm putting 91/93 in mine. I calculated that it will only be about $74/year higher to go with the good stuff.

Required or recommended? Look in the owners manual and see what it says. I'm pretty sure BMW recommends 91 octane for maximum power. 89 will work but if the engine senses knock it will retard the timing to compensate costing a bit of power and mileage. If you can't get 91, use 93 but if you can get 91, 93 is a waste and will not make more power in a stock N55.

Why does this come up in every forum? Why are people buying an entry-lux car and then looking to save $150 a year on gas?

Originally Posted by blueguydotcom

Why does this come up in every forum? Why are people buying an entry-lux car and then looking to save $150 a year on gas?

Mm. Curious, that. Dunno.

Anyways, I do not drive BMWs to save a few pennies on gas; Shell V Power 93 here.

YMMV, of course.

Originally Posted by blueguydotcom

Why does this come up in every forum? Why are people buying an entry-lux car and then looking to save $150 a year on gas?

Perhaps because there's some misleading information out there. One of the CA's I spoke to when doing the initial test drives on the F30 told me "the car takes regular (89) gas." Yet from what I understand, the engine is designed for 91. Sure, any modern ECU will allow you to put whatever swill you want in the tank. It's just going to compensate to protect the engine (knocks) and reduce economy and horsepower in the process.

I've known people with 6+ digit incomes to be frugal. Or maybe a BMW is a dreamcar that could barely be afforded and ways must be found to save money. Or maybe you just don't care about performance or economy.

But what if the claims of 89 was legit? Then why waste money on 91 or 93? Contrary to popular myth, the gas octane level doesn't indicate how much "power" the gas has. Putting 93 in a car that only needs 89 is not going to make it faster, or clean the engine, or make it run better or increase mileage. It's only wasting money.

For those reading that don't know, the octane number indicates how much compression the fuel can undergo without premature detonation (engine knock.) Most turbocharged engines run a high compression, hence the requirement for 91+ octane. While normally aspirated and non-performance engines run a lower compression ratio and can use lower octane fuels.

The owner's manual does not say anything about 91 octane getting more power or better fuel economy, all it said was the min AKI requiement is 89 octane and if it knocks upgrade to 91. I am not saying that using 91 octane will not result in more power or better fuel economy, in fact, I do think that is the case. Thats why I put 93 octane in my car

I have used, 95% of the time, Shell V-Power in my 325i for over 110,000 miles. I am not looking for any fictious power. Just want to be consistent with what I use to fuel my car, and the area Shell stations that I do use list the V-Power at 93. Next time I am at the station though I will check to see what the middle grade percent is. I think it might be 89, as I believe regular is at 87. Also I really haven't seen any stations that sell 91 cheaper than 93 in my area, but now I am curious to check it all out.

Originally Posted by The X Men

The owner's manual does not say anything about 91 octane getting more power or better fuel economy, all it said was the min AKI requiement is 89 octane and if it knocks upgrade to 91. I am not saying that using 91 octane will not result in more power or better fuel economy, in fact, I do think that is the case. Thats why I put 93 octane in my car

Do you use 93 because you cannot find 91 octane?

Put in high grade, better performance and efficiency. I worked on a study about the cost/benefit of using higher octane fuels vs lower octane.

Originally Posted by Michael Schott

Do you use 93 because you cannot find 91 octane?

In most of the western states, you get one 'premium' choice.

87 is regular, 89 is usually mid-grade, (though sometimes you'll see things like 88 in certain sparsely-populated states and.. maybe at altitude?) and then premium depends.

CA is mostly 91. WA has a lot of 92, IIRC. I don't remember which one Oregon uses.

Originally Posted by OBS3SSION

Perhaps because there's some misleading information out there. One of the CA's I spoke to when doing the initial test drives on the F30 told me "the car takes regular (89) gas." Yet from what I understand, the engine is designed for 91. Sure, any modern ECU will allow you to put whatever swill you want in the tank. It's just going to compensate to protect the engine (knocks) and reduce economy and horsepower in the process.

I've known people with 6+ digit incomes to be frugal. Or maybe a BMW is a dreamcar that could barely be afforded and ways must be found to save money. Or maybe you just don't care about performance or economy.

But what if the claims of 89 was legit? Then why waste money on 91 or 93? Contrary to popular myth, the gas octane level doesn't indicate how much "power" the gas has. Putting 93 in a car that only needs 89 is not going to make it faster, or clean the engine, or make it run better or increase mileage. It's only wasting money.

For those reading that don't know, the octane number indicates how much compression the fuel can undergo without premature detonation (engine knock.) Most turbocharged engines run a high compression, hence the requirement for 91+ octane. While normally aspirated and non-performance engines run a lower compression ratio and can use lower octane fuels.

are we kidding ourselves here. if you are going to try to save pennies on gas get a damn Ford. Seriously. I would think, especially the 328i would need at least 91 with the turbo boost so high. you could get away with 89 probably with the 335i but why would you even take a chance? Come on guys, 91 minimum end of story.

Originally Posted by blueguydotcom

Why does this come up in every forum? Why are people buying an entry-lux car and then looking to save $150 a year on gas?

It's related to claiming the F30 is a performance car while continually discussing the best way to get high gas mileage instead of improved performance.

Many of our forum colleagues are bi-polar.

Originally Posted by Michael Schott

Do you use 93 because you cannot find 91 octane?

Most of station here in the Northeat is 87, 89 or 93. 89 is only 10 cents cheaper than 93, so that a savings of $1.60 per fill up and I only fill up once every two week, so its not worth it for me.

Originally Posted by The X Men

Most of station here in the Northeat is 87, 89 or 93. 89 is only 10 cents cheaper than 93, so that a savings of $1.60 per fill up and I only fill up once every two week, so its not worth it for me.

Do we have 93 in MA? Whenever I'm in Maine, we have only up to 91. I've only owned diesel cars since I've started to live in MA. Never really bothered to check

Originally Posted by rummyque1

Does the new 335i Sedan (2012) require Premium gas or is Regular fine?

Thanks!

We have always put 91 Octane in our two previous 3 Series, a 2006 330i , and our 2009 335i. We plan on continuing the same regimen with our new 2013 335i Sport Line. On a side note, we will be doing PCD, and driving across country. More likely the Southern Route bck to San Diego. Will we have any problems in finding at least 91 Octane on our Cross Country Excursion. Thanks !

If you aren't putting in the best fuel that you can find (91-93), OP should trade his car in on a Honda


I'm tired of these posts. Come on people. These are high compression turbo engines. Last thing I'm going to be penny pinching on is the fuel it takes.

Originally Posted by GVFlyer

What does it say inside the gas filler door?

Originally Posted by Michael Schott

Required or recommended? Look in the owners manual and see what it says. I'm pretty sure BMW recommends 91 octane for maximum power. 89 will work but if the engine senses knock it will retard the timing to compensate costing a bit of power and mileage. If you can't get 91, use 93 but if you can get 91, 93 is a waste and will not make more power in a stock N55.

Originally Posted by windsor027

are we kidding ourselves here. if you are going to try to save pennies on gas get a damn Ford. Seriously. I would think, especially the 328i would need at least 91 with the turbo boost so high. you could get away with 89 probably with the 335i but why would you even take a chance? Come on guys, 91 minimum end of story.

Well, it seems that the Owners manual, page 262, for 328/335 2012 Sedan on BMW USA states:

Required fuel

Gasoline with lower AKI

The minimum AKI Rating is 89. If you use gasoline with this minimum AKI Rating, the engine may produce knocking sounds when starting at high outside temperatures. This has no effect on the engine life.

Minimum fuel grade

Do not use any gasoline below the minimum specified fuel grade; otherwise, engine damage may occur.

Use high-quality brands

Field experience has indicated significant differences in fuel quality: volatility, composition, additives, etc., among gasolines offered for sale in the United States and Canada.
Fuels containing up to and including 10 % ethanol or other oxygenates with up to 2.8 % oxygen by weight, that is, 15 % MTBE or 3 % methanol plus an equivalent amount of co-solvent, will not void the applicable warranties with respect to defects in materials or workmanship.

Minimum fuel grade

The use of poor-quality fuels may result in driveability, starting and stalling problems especially under certain environmental conditions such as high ambient temperature and high altitude. Should you encounter driveability problems which you suspect could be related to the fuel you are using, we recommend that you respond by switching to a recognized high-quality brand such as gasoline that is advertised as Top Tier Detergent Gasoline. Failure to comply with these recommendations may result in unscheduled maintenance."



No mention of Premium.

Curious.