In the manual, it says you can use 89 gas minimum. Just wondering if that really is ok and if it will affect the car in any way? Thanks.
Ginger or Mary Ann? :rofl:1. Is it better to lease or finance?
2. Snow tires or AWD?
How does octane rating [advance] affect torque?Ok, I tried to write some brief commentary here to have some critical thinking done.
+ 1why would you use 89 when in the manual it says if you use the min octane rating you may hear knocking!! Meaning if you have no option then use 89 but dont keep using it.
Winner winner chicken dinner.The average price per gallon for 89 octane in the area where I live in Los Angeles is around $4.29. That's for Top Tier gas like Shell, Chevron, 76, etc. The average price for 91 is ten cents more, $4.39. Assuming that you get around ten gallons each time you fill the tank, that means you're paying about $43.00 for 89 and $44.00 for 91, about one dollar less.
Actually, you can save even more money by buying inferior brands of gasoline using their 89 octane. Doing that, you can save even more per tankful. Why anyone would want to save around two to three dollars every time they fill the tank by using a lower grade of inferior gasoline on a car like a BMW is beyond me.
If you want to use the gas that BMW recommends for optimal performance, then spend a little more money on 91 octane Top Tier gas and get the best. To me, that's a no-brainer.
That raises an interesting side question to this discussion.useful discussion of the subject here;
...To put it another way, at 6500 feet a 328i with an I6 is losing about 25% or so power. The N20 is probably losing something like 5-10% power. Big advantage, which is why turbocharged cars are quite popular in Colorado (and, I imagine other high altitude areas).