What brand of gas do you use?
 

Given the octane level is the same is it true all gas is relatively equal and the only difference is in the additives that make it burn cleaner for the engine and the environment.

I've been using Chevron for years with their techron additive paying from $2.28 to today's high of $2.65 for 91 octane and I'm curious to know if other brands work the same way for better or worse.

What brands of gas do you use in your X's that you find works the best for you? Feel free to include what you're paying (I know it might be shocking to some).

Mobil 91 oct 2.63usd Rancho Cucamonga, CA

Have used every brand, (and some no name "brands"), available on the entire east coast. Have even run cheapo regular on some long dis. shots back to NJ/NY; the thought being that a tank of regular, consumed in half a day has/had zero impact on performance while hauling azz up the interstate.

I am a closet Chevron fan, but mostly for our Vette based on the ConWisdom of that car's fuel tank sender fragility and occas. gas gauge glitches.

Imo, gas is gas, in 99% of the situs, and other than "bad gas", the brand(s) is purely mkting and psychological. (I don't rec'd a steady diet of regular/87 Oct.)

These aren't ProStock drag cars...that engMgmtSys does a very effective job, imo. However, if one has a Jones for a brand, it's a fairly free economy. My 2Cts. BR,md

PS: Current gas prices range from 2.18 to 2.42 for Prem/93 and 2.02 to 2.25 for Reg/87 in our lil'county.

Chevron when I buy 91 octane.

Here is a good article on octane and why you should run premium when the manual recommends it.
http://www.superchargersonline.com/content.asp?ID=105
The 3.0l engines have a 10.2:1 CR and the 4.4's have a 10:1
Not sure if the heads and block are Aluminum? Anyone know?
MotorDave: "I think" that at your elevation you can get away without using premium. However I am not sure. Maybe someone in the mile high city can tell us.
Jes

I almost always use Sunoco 93... I think they're one of the only companies around here that doesn't use middle-eastern oil, or that's what I hear anyway.

Rocket, thanks...pretty good art., but there are hundreds of sim. stuff on net. It is one of The arm wrestles and comes up on every car board about once per Qtr. :D

I live at 5K, but most of the driving in my "area" is at elevations less than that. My pitch on running an occas. tank of reg or mid-grade on Trips, was that I cannot tell the diff, power/temp/mpg etc., when that tank of less than 91/93 is run through in just hours on a haulazz deal up the interstate.

As for CR...easy to get hung up on that ratio but lots of stuff in any given motor have ancillary effects and will affect that motor's performance based on many add'l considerations. I'll dodge the debate, but remember a plethora of very fast, very high HP per CI or CC, motorcycles run on reg w/out a hiccup and most of the UJM 4 mfg'ers rec'd regular. I realize those motors are not same species as 3.0 or 4.4; my point is not to get hung up on comp.ratio, esp when normally aspirated.

I'll get out of this gas thread; buy and run whatcha want.
I use prem. usually, (93 here anywhere on Right coast), but an occas. tank of 89 or even 87, vis a vis the effect on these motors, is like peeing in the ocean, imo.
BR,md

Hey MD, if we didn't debate fuel octane ratings every few weeks we would just be spending more time on stereos and tires!

Decent article, IMO, but written prior to the advent of engine management software that adjusts for pre-detonation. More applicable to supercharged engines than stock engines with modern electronics.

As to brand, I used to like Chevron, but it has been years since there was any difference in our part of the world (we have 3 times as many brands as we have refineries, they all fill the tankers at the same two depots).

I stick with 89 octane for all three current vehicles, but our 89 is pretty good, there are lots of regional variations. Don't understand using anything over 91 unless supercharged or other significant engine mods require it.

I have a station near me called "Rotten Robbie" where gas is usually 5-10 cents per gallon cheaper than the major brands, but people tell me to stay away from these types of dealers as you don't know where they get their gas from and what is in it. Wouldn't they get the same kind of gas as the major brands get.

I usually use either Gulf or Exxon

My '05 4.4 is a lease so in 2-3 years it will be gone. I use what ever gas is at what ever corner gas station I come to. Usually 93 octane but for long trips I will use 87-89 octane. Used 87-89 Octane for the last year I had my 2000 X5 4.4 and never had a problem.

Makes me glad I bought an off-lease car :)

The only thing that you should concern yourself with is the octain. Brand does not matter. All gas is essentally the same except for the additives that the different brands add. I saw a show on refining oil and they mentioned a cross US pipeline that the Oil companies use to move gas across the country. The company puts gas in at one end and then takes some out of the other end. So Mobile gas put in at one end may be Shell gas that Mobile takes out at the other end. The govt have restrictions on the Octain of gas so in the end it is all the same.

Here in Calif with all the emissions standards I think oil companies have to add even more additives to reduce emissions to allow for cleaner air. Here in NorCal we can't get 93 octane...The highest octane I can find is 91 and right now is 2.71/gal. :(

Remember that the US is the 11th largest oil producer in the world and thanks to Bush we now have the largest oil reserve in the world (over 670 million barrels) Yet gas prices are crazy. Some of that however can be attributed to the late Hurrican Ivan storm in 2004 which disrupted Gulf production which accounts for 1.6Million barrels a day (larger then Texas kids). So there is a lot to consider when blaiming OPEC and the Saudi's for your gas prices, you may need to look in your own backyard...well if you live in Va or DC at least :)

http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/cabs/usa.html

However....

Here ya go, some old stats:

Oil purchased from Middle East
Shell............................ 205,742,000 barrels
Chevron/Texaco......... 144,332,000 barrels
Exxon /Mobil................130,082,000 barrels
Marathon/Speedway...117,740,000 barrels
Amoco......................... 62,231,000 barrels

Here are some large companies that do not import Middle Eastern oil:

Citgo....................0 barrels
Sunoco..............0 barrels
Conoco...............0 barrels
Sinclair............... 0 barrels
BP/Phillips.......... 0 barrels
Hess...................0 barrels

You can figure 20 gallons of gas for every barrel of oil (42 gallons)

That second list alone is enough to make me want to continue buying from Sunoco. Unless we take over Iraq as the 51st state :)

The problem here is none of these are in NorCal...... what about ARCO, where do they get their barrels

Chevron on Bay Street (Marina) in San Francisco 2.69, 2.79, 2.89
Chevron on Ortega/19th (Sunset) in San Francisco 2.63,2.73,2.83

I use premium just b/c I've heard the higher octane burns cleaner, therefore it keeps the injectors cleaner.... don't quote me on this. Shoot, at these rates, I almost don't even want to drive = 25 gallons @ 2.89 = $72.25, or 25 gallons @ 2.83 = $70.75. We need a hybrid X5!

*edit* great.... just read that supercharger article.... "High octane fuel does not burn cleaner, it does not clean your engine, it does not increase horsepower or torque (unless you are experiencing knock), it does not smell better, it does not increase fuel economy (unless you are experiencing knock) and is not better for the environment." any other comments on that?

Nope, that's pretty accurate. There is a great marketing campaign, however, that has many drivers believing the opposite. I just figure the oil companies are making enough profit. If you are at a name-brand station, one that has a reasonable additive package (ie one that meets federal emissions laws for a start), then resistance to pre-ignition is the only difference, and if you don't experience pre-ignition or performance impacts from the engine controller compensating for pre-ignition, then buying extra octane rating is like giving cash away.

We have BP in NorCal...

We have BP in Sacramento. Conoco = 76, which we have in Nor Cal. You can even buy unleaded "race gas" (100 Octane) from some 76 stations.
This place sells it (or at least they used to sell it):
76 - DAMAR PETROLEUM INC
Intersection ALMADEN/FOXWORTHY
Corner of Intersection SE
Address 3010 ALMADEN EXPRESSWAY
City SAN JOSE
State CA
County SANTA CLARA
Phone (408) 978-5650

(used to own a couple turbo charged cars and 'race gas' and detonation were always big topics on those forums).

Yeah, but what would the price for 100 octane be now, the chevron near me is now at 2.85/gal for 91 octane.

$5.69/G at a 76 near Lincoln, CA.

Today's rate in Toronto is $2.88 per gallon of 92 gas at Esso (Exxon).

For Canadians, that means 94.6 cents per liter.

So is this the only gas station within a 100 mile radius, that price is amazing...that is like $140.00 to fill your X5's tank. :wow:

I put 91 Octane in my M5 mostly because it is a high performance engine and it eats a quart of oil every other tank of gas anyway; and since it is out of warranty I don't want to take the chance. On the X5, I've only put gas in it twice (just got it) but I've been putting in 87 Octane as gas in Southern Caliofornia is outrageous... From the looks of it - I'm not alone and others aren't having any knocking problems... ?

As BMW recommends 91 octane in X5s, I wonder what lower octane gas as some of you are putting in your X's will do to an engine over a long period of time. If you have any mechanical problems with your engine due to lower octane gas, can BMW determine this and claim the problem is not covered under warranty due to lower octane.

With engine management software it should adjust the detonatin, timing etc. to accomodate the lower octane fuel without causing any problems over a long period of time. Any issues that would come up would materialize in the form of engine knocking (which would be resolved by switching back to the higher octane fuel)... I really don't see it as being much of a risk or causing any damage to the engine.

BP has owned AMOCO for several years now. BP stations sell AMOCO fuel, they even market it that way.

BP and AMOCO merged in 1998:
http://www.bp.com/genericarticle.do?...tentId=2006699