Jaredsc 0 Report post Posted January 28, 2007 Hi I've bought a 1997 320i which is arriving from jap soon and was wondering what type of fuel it takes, sounds stupid but I had a Legacy before this and was filling it up with 91 for a month and then found out it was supposed to take 95!! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
my_e36 43 Report post Posted January 28, 2007 Put the best fuel you can afford in there. There's a lot of discussion on this topic here before. Summary is... 1. BMW will run fine on 91, but with less power. Could mean you use more throttle mean more fuel. 2. BMW will run well on 95/96 which is what they suppose to. 3. If you can put 98 in, you get a bit extra horsepower, engine run smoother, brah brah brah. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jazzbass 1 Report post Posted January 28, 2007 Do they still make anything other than 98?? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mons2b 0 Report post Posted February 11, 2007 Do they still make anything other than 98?? I put 98 (BP) in my 540 the other day and it seemed quite happy pleased with itself. hehe. ;-) JW Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
cainchapman 0 Report post Posted February 11, 2007 95/96 would be the fuel of choice. I doubt putting 98 into it would be worthwhile. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Spargo Report post Posted February 11, 2007 95/96 would be the fuel of choice. I doubt putting 98 into it would be worthwhile. The price difference per fill is basically negligible so why not put 98 in? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mike 1 Report post Posted February 11, 2007 The price difference per fill is basically negligible so why not put 98 in? exactly, as a % the price increase isn't much really. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kiwipetrolhead 1 Report post Posted February 12, 2007 BP have 98 octane and you pay more for it. All other companies higher octane is 95 octane (cheaper than 98). In fact, I have paid 10 cents more for 98 than what 91 costs, whereas 95 is usually 5 cents more then 91 (in Manawatu at least). I haven't really noticed any obvious difference in performance (or economy) between 95 and 98, but I haven't really tried to 'feel' a difference (performance-wise). A bloke I know likes using BP 98 in his WRX - he claims his car runs better on 98 and because it produces more power (supposedly), it is actually more economical too, so it costs less to use 98 despite the higher price. I must say that I am not totally convinced about that though, but I'm not disputing such claims either - I just haven't 'tested' them all to see for myself. Aside from all that, my old e21 ('83 323i) as well as my '94 540 are both run on the higher octane as recommenced. Although I do admit to having put 91 in my 540 on two occasions in the last 2 years with no obvious difference in power. I can't see that it'd do any real damage running on 91 in the long term though, but I'd recommend you use 95 or 98. If you are really into this sort of thing though, run a series of tests with each of the three fuels. I'd be interested to hear the results if you can be bothered (given that I am too lazy to do it myself! Paul Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kiwipetrolhead 1 Report post Posted February 12, 2007 The price difference per fill is basically negligible so why not put 98 in? Price might be the same in Auckland, but in Palmerston North (and a few other areas too I think) I have paid up to 5 cents per litre more for 98 then 95/96. So it pays to take note of the prices. If they were both the same price though, I'd put in BP 98 all the time. Paul Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
joshnz 2 Report post Posted February 12, 2007 I usually put 95 from Challenge on College St in mine, the other day was at BP and I filled her up with 98, I'm sure I could tell the car was running quite noticeably smoother, not really faster ... afterall its only a 320 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Docile 64 Report post Posted February 12, 2007 well from experience from auck - matamata i put in 20 bucks bp98... it ran smoove ass no problem at all in the cruising speed and climbing steep roads... from matamata - auck i put in shell 95.. suprisingly after driving a few hours on the 98 non stop i felt a little power lose... especially on the hill parts i had to press a bit further on the gas.. milage was roughly the same crusing at a bout 100 - 140.. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jazzbass 1 Report post Posted February 12, 2007 5c extra per litre is only $3.50 on a full tank. That's negligible to me, too. (cost of a latte) and a tank lasts two weeks or so. Fact is, I only use 98, I normally have no idea how much the per litre price is and to honest, I don't care. I feed my car the best I can. If I wanted cheap, I'd go Jappo. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
cainchapman 0 Report post Posted February 12, 2007 (edited) Mobil also have 98 fuel Mobil 8000. BP Ultimate is my NZ preference. Shell Optimax is better though. For some reason they haven't bought it over here. Dyno run on 95. 163kW Dyno run on 98. 172kW QED, it works. Edited February 12, 2007 by cainchapman Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
greenday-rulz21 4 Report post Posted February 12, 2007 5c extra per litre is only $3.50 on a full tank. That's negligible to me, too. (cost of a latte) and a tank lasts two weeks or so. Fact is, I only use 98, I normally have no idea how much the per litre price is and to honest, I don't care. I feed my car the best I can. If I wanted cheap, I'd go Jappo. I totally agree, put the best in and you'll get the best performance out of it. $3.50 is nothing really, but it does add up over time. $84 a year if you fill up every 2 weeks. Thats a tank of gas. But if you see a difference and it runs smoother, more power and ofcourse looks after the engine better, I definitly think its worth it. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
OLLIE 26 Report post Posted February 12, 2007 I've advanced the timing on my L-Jet 320 and i only ever run 98 unless i have no other option at the time, because my car pinks to much if i run 95-96. i notice that i can go further on a tank (depending on driving style) my car runs smoother and doesn't pink which it does on 95 i have better acceleration and feel like i have more torque Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kiwipetrolhead 1 Report post Posted February 12, 2007 I usually put 95 from Challenge on College St in mine, the other day was at BP and I filled her up with 98, I'm sure I could tell the car was running quite noticeably smoother, not really faster ... afterall its only a 320 In Palmerston North? Must be, "Challenge on College St"! Paul Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kiwipetrolhead 1 Report post Posted February 12, 2007 5c extra per litre is only $3.50 on a full tank. That's negligible to me, too. (cost of a latte) and a tank lasts two weeks or so. Fact is, I only use 98, I normally have no idea how much the per litre price is and to honest, I don't care. I feed my car the best I can. If I wanted cheap, I'd go Jappo. Yip, I hadn't stopped to think how much it actually was in real terms. My tank it about 70 litres too, so like you say, that equates to just the cost of a latte. But still, I just go to whichever petrol station is convenient at the time. P Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kiwipetrolhead 1 Report post Posted February 12, 2007 Mobil also have 98 fuel Mobil 8000. BP Ultimate is my NZ preference. Shell Optimax is better though. For some reason they haven't bought it over here. Dyno run on 95. 163kW Dyno run on 98. 172kW QED, it works. Very interesting, thanks for that. An extra 9kW, quite a difference really. If you run on 98 all the time then a bit more spark advance should be the thing to do for a bit more power as well. P Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
joshnz 2 Report post Posted February 13, 2007 In Palmerston North? Must be, "Challenge on College St"! Paul Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
cainchapman 0 Report post Posted February 13, 2007 Sorry typo there. 165kW on 95, 172kW on 98. So 7kW difference. I have no problem spending the extra. It's worth it in the V8. Cheapest horsepower upgrade I can buy. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
