2007 X5 Can RUN on Regular Fuel
 

I read a consumer review at Edmunds.com (http://www.edmunds.com/new/2007/bmw/..._consumer.html )posted by one owner that he puts regular fuel on his 07 X5. I called bmwusa customer service and I was told that the new 2007 X5 CAN/WILL run on a regular fuel but they highly recommend owners to use Premium. I asked if it (regular) will harm the engine and the answer I receive is NO however, the premium fuel will burn cleaner than regular.

I guess it is worth the try. What do you think?

You can run regular on BMWs...they have anti-knock control...or something like that. It's not recommended for regular for a reason. These are "high"-performance machines...

Just spend the extra $4 and buy premium to nurture your car. :thumbup:

PS. I know it adds up, but think of the possible damage it can do over time.

Yeah you can run any car on 87 octane, is it good for it....................nope. And since the manual specifically says "premium fuel" any damage resulting from the wrong fuel will not be BMW's problem.

Premium doesn't burn cleaner, but it is harder to ignite. That means that it is more resistant to predetonation or knock. That is defined as the fuel igniting in the cylinder before it should, or burning in an uncontrolled manner. There are more technical descriptions, but that is generally it.

Premium fuel may have more cleaners/additives in it, depending on the brand, but not necessarily.

It is safe to use 87. The engine isn't likely to be damaged, even over time. BMW will not penalyze you. However, you are potentially not going to get the performance out of the engine that it was designed for. If the engine doesn't have a problem with knock on a certain fuel, it is every bit as good as premium. However, if the engine computer senses knock, it retards the engine timing, which can reduce hp and increase fuel consumption. Can, not will. Even in there is knock, it won't likely be continuous, and only experimentation will determine if performance is reduced.

On my vehicle, 89 results in no loss of performance or increased consumption. With 87 it is noticable. However, it is still safe. I just don't get what I paid for when I bought the vehicle.

Your experience may vary. That is because fuel quality varies widely in different geographies throughout North America. 92 is safe, you are unlikely to ever have an issue. That is why BMW recommends it, it removes all discussion. The engine certainly isn't designed for 92, as is often claimed. If it was, with the widely varying fuel being pumped, they would have to specify more than 92, likely 95 so as not to have any problems. It is correct to say that the engine is designed for 92, with a large safety margin built in.

So, what to do? If you are stuck, use 87 and don't worry. If you don't want to have to think about flame front propagation and so on, use 92 and don't worry. Just don't use 87 and think you are saving much money, you aren't. If you want to, you can try 92 and see how it works. Try 89 and see the difference. If you can notice any difference, you should go back to 92 or accept lower performance. If you can't notice any difference, then it is your call, you have to decide.

And for all those that say you can afford a BMW, buy premium, that's crap. The correct fuel is the one that is just sufficient to prevent knock under normal driving conditions. That fuel will give the best performance, especially considering winter driving conditions (when premium can cause problems in some climates) Anything more than that (with respect to anti-knock index) is throwing money away. That assumes you are using a clean fuel with sufficient cleansing additives.

/rant over

:iagree:

In the owner's manual it says:

Required fuel

Super Premium Gasoline/AKI 91

This gasoline is highly recommended.
However, you may also use gasoline with less
AKI. The minimum AKI Rating is 87.
If you use gasoline with this minimum AKI Rating,
the engine may produce knocking sounds
when starting at high outside temperatures.
This has no affect on the engine life.

premium vs. regular
 

:iagree:
Regular is fine. The CPU automatically adjusts to fuel in system. As far as performance, I don't notice a thing. Its an SAV not an M car. I have owned German cars (Audi/BMW) since 1988 and have always run regular with no problems. My wife's last Audi ran on regular for 10 years.

However, I must confess I do run premium in my 97 M3 & R 1150 RT. I :bmw:

:loco: :confused:

NO regular is not fine. I don't know where you pulled the "CPU automatically adjusts..." thing from. Does the CPU recalculate based on O2 readings, yes, however via knock-sensors and timing control the engine can not compensate for the wrong fuel. Which if you're not using the owners manual recommendation, is the wrong fuel. You could also run just water in the radiator. The manual is there for a reason, and M or SAV has nothing to do with it.

I'm with JCL's well written opin...

This topic comes around on the jukebox about twice a Qtr.

As I've posted before, I have found long trips, where a tank
is consumed in a day or less, to be the good window for running
a tank of less than premo through the ol'fuel injectors.

I've run everything from major brands, 93 to no name brands, 87...

They all have worked well in the conditions I drive in. YMMV;
run what cha want to.
BR,mD

A Toronto BMW dealer actually tells people to use low-test in the winter (via a little sign in Customer Service). Apparently, the gas companies put all the premium additives into low-test during the colder winter months. I assume this raises the octone level of low-test and you're basically wasting money buying high-test.

Anybody have first-hand knowledge of this practice?