[Siren05]

I'm sitting at 16 litres pet 100kms. But I drive it. Also KITTYLESS. Always run 94 only

[DrifterX]

Shell V-Power here

On a side note, been almost a month since I've had my car, I managed to get 6.1L/100km for a 40km trip which was majority ~ 80km/hr, this car is full of surprises.

[SMC23]

well I did about 300,000km on my 325i and all it drank was Shell 91. No major engine problems at all.

[Mhnd198502]

Originally Posted by DrifterX

Shell V-Power here

On a side note, been almost a month since I've had my car, I managed to get 6.1L/100km for a 40km trip which was majority ~ 80km/hr, this car is full of surprises.

Manual transmission helps.

And yeah....335i getting 500km/tank, thats my dream.

I was getting 850km/tank with my F15 diesel. 90% city 10% hwy

[Emilim]

Originally Posted by chaungo

The higher the octane, the cleaner the fuel, and the happier your engine is.

I can't resist commenting on this because it's obviously not that simple. Higher rated gasoline simply resists knock better, which is important in cars with high compression ratios. Higher octane fuel don't "burn cleaner" just because the rating is higher. The cleaning is done through additives which is added to fuels of all grades by all petrol companies (some companies say they use better additives for their higher octane fuels but this is usually just a marketing scheme). Each company does have a different approach to their additive mix and this is where the majority of differences come in.

For the N20 and N55, BMW lists the accepted fuel grade as RON 91 - 98 (91 being the minimum), translated to AKI (what we use in North America) that's roughly 87 to 94 octane. Our cars are smart enough today to detect lower octane fuels and adjust accordingly to resist knock, you may lose a bit of power if you stick 87 in a N20 or N55, but it won't damage anything.

A good number of companies have switched their formulations in recent years so their top fuel grade (94 octane in NA, such as Shell's V-Power Nitro and Petro Can's Ultra 94), is now actually closer to RON 100 or even above.

In our particular case, using 94 octane (RON 98-100) is fine but you're not really getting any additional benefit compared to, say, 91 octane. Improvement claimed by those using a higher octane gas beyond the minimum is mostly perceived and is far more likely to be the result of a change in driving conditions or routes.

[crono06]

Originally Posted by DrifterX

Shell V-Power here

On a side note, been almost a month since I've had my car, I managed to get 6.1L/100km for a 40km trip which was majority ~ 80km/hr, this car is full of surprises.

Wow, that's very impressive. I once drove to Windsor and back and got 7.7 which I already thought was mind blowing.

[lens]

Originally Posted by crono06

Wow, that's very impressive. I once drove to Windsor and back and got 7.7 which I already thought was mind blowing.

Yup, drove from montreal to toronto and back and got about 7.2L/100KM, my old 328i used to get between 6-6.2L/100KM.

[Siren05]

Originally Posted by Emilim

I can't resist commenting on this because it's obviously not that simple. Higher rated gasoline simply resists knock better, which is important in cars with high compression ratios. Higher octane fuel don't "burn cleaner" just because the rating is higher. The cleaning is done through additives which is added to fuels of all grades by all petrol companies (some companies say they use better additives for their higher octane fuels but this is usually just a marketing scheme). Each company does have a different approach to their additive mix and this is where the majority of differences come in.

For the N20 and N55, BMW lists the accepted fuel grade as RON 91 - 98 (91 being the minimum), translated to AKI (what we use in North America) that's roughly 87 to 94 octane. Our cars are smart enough today to detect lower octane fuels and adjust accordingly to resist knock, you may lose a bit of power if you stick 87 in a N20 or N55, but it won't damage anything.
M
A good number of companies have switched their formulations in recent years so their top fuel grade (94 octane in NA, such as Shell's V-Power Nitro and Petro Can's Ultra 94), is now actually closer to RON 100 or even above.i

In our particular case, using 94 octane (RON 98-100) is fine but you're not really getting any additional benefit compared to, say, 91 octane. Improvement claimed by those using a higher octane gas beyond the minimum is mostly perceived and is far more likely to be the result of a change in driving conditions or routes.

On tuned cars higher octane will yield higher HP. Not perceived measurable

[Emilim]

Originally Posted by Siren05

On tuned cars higher octane will yield higher HP. Not perceived measurable

I wasn't talking about tuned cars but yes that's true, stock ECUs are programmed to be tolerant of a wider range of fuel grades (as I mentioned above) at the expense of performance. Tuned ECUs assume you will be using a specific grade of fuel and is programmed to squeeze out maximum performance based on that fuel grade.

On stock cars though, switching from one fuel grade to another within the manufacturer's recommended range pretty much does jack.

Switching from one brand to another within the same fuel grade is technically the same but it is true that each company use their own blend and additives so I can understand how some people swear by their brand because it just "feels" better to them. I mean the reality is other factors like how long the gasoline has been sitting in the storage tank and other environmental conditions affect the fuel's performance way more than additives but those aren't easily measured so people simply assume it must be the V-Power difference or whatever.

[E30toF30]

Originally Posted by chaungo

80% city 20%highway, I have all seasons DWS, which helped me gain about 2-3MPG more, andhad intake walnut blasting done.

Wow...thats impressive...maybe my right foot is heavier than i think it really is?

I'm on stock rfts. But also have a manual.

Maybe I should start taking it a bit more easily LOL

[ZedGenesis]

I drive 60/40 City/Highway and have averaged about 9.8 L/100km over the past 4000 km I've had my car. Shell V-Power and Chevron 94 have been my fuel of choice, but I honestly can't tell the difference. Can't imagine how you guys are driving to get less than 400km on a tank!

[lens]

Originally Posted by E30toF30

Wow...thats impressive...maybe my right foot is heavier than i think it really is?

I'm on stock rfts. But also have a manual.

Maybe I should start taking it a bit more easily LOL

Yeah the stock rfts are shit, I had the s001 and did a trip from barrie to montreal and had to fill up at cornwall with 1/4 tank left.

When I threw on the all seasons, I did the same trip again, but this time when I arrived in cornwall, I had half a tank left. That's ridiculous mileage.

[BimmerMat135]

Originally Posted by Mhnd198502

You`re wrong about the Diesel. Shell has 2 or 3 types of diesel.

Just cos i did this "test" doesn`t mean i treat this car like a Honda.
I didn`t say i`m still putting 89 in it as of today. And yes, i`m leasing it. Don`t really care about it that much since BMW owns the car. I`m sure by the end of 2016 they will come out with 340i M Performance, and i will jump on that.

500-550km per tank? Hard to believe that if you drive it like you say.
Don`t look at the odo after you fill up. I get the same thing on the display "550km", but when i start driving it....The closest i got was 485-490km.

I've seen 2 different grade of diesel at Shell but never 3. Do you have 3 grade of diesel in your area?

[xxxrsxxx]

I'm only getting 400-450 per tank too in comfot mode, living in vancouver driving city all the time.

[F30inthe6ix]

Originally Posted by xxxrsxxx

I'm only getting 400-450 per tank too in comfot mode, living in vancouver driving city all the time.

335 or 340 I'm assuming?

My 328i to date is averaging about 750km per tank running 91 V-Power. Also collecting all kinds of Airmiles for filling up at Shell with my new Mastercard.

I'm glad this topic has been able to spark such an interesting debate amongst the enthusiasts on here. I'm surprised at the negative rating some people are giving Shell. Unfortunately we don't have Chevron here in Ontario so I can't actually do a comparison myself, but I may try a tank of Ultra 94 soon (once prices go back down) to let you guys know what my experience with running a higher octane is.

All in all, I'm glad to see that others are as adamant about using Shell gasoline in their BMWs as I am.

[lens]

Originally Posted by F30inthe6ix

335 or 340 I'm assuming?

My 328i to date is averaging about 750km per tank running 91 V-Power. Also collecting all kinds of Airmiles for filling up at Shell with my new Mastercard.

I'm glad this topic has been able to spark such an interesting debate amongst the enthusiasts on here. I'm surprised at the negative rating some people are giving Shell. Unfortunately we don't have Chevron here in Ontario so I can't actually do a comparison myself, but I may try a tank of Ultra 94 soon (once prices go back down) to let you guys know what my experience with running a higher octane is.

All in all, I'm glad to see that others are as adamant about using Shell gasoline in their BMWs as I am.

It's more that the people who don't care what gas they put in their cars is because they either lease it so they don't care, or they just don't take care of their cars.

Everyone knows you don't put lower than 91 octane and everyone knows shell has the best non-ethanol gas out there.

[F30inthe6ix]

Originally Posted by chaungo

It's more that the people who don't care what gas they put in their cars is because they either pease it so they don't care, or they just don't take care of their cars.

Everyone knows you don't put lower than 91 octane and everyone knows shell has the best non-ethanol gas out there.

I agree that hopefully everyone is smart enough to run premium in a car such as ours, but my friend drives a Passat CC turbocharged model and the service advisor at one of the VW locations in the GTA told him he should be running 87

There are so many variables when it comes to how any specific tank of gas performs relate to another that it makes for a difficult time in coming to accurate conclusions on the topic. It is still good however to hear the opinions of others so you can gauge whether or not your assumptions may in fact hold a bit of truth to them.

[E30toF30]

In a couple weeks, I'm going to be driving from Vancouver to Seattle on my stock 20s/RFT's but coming back on 18s/RE71R. Gonna try and drive relatively the same to see what kind of difference in mileage I get

I'm sure both cases my mileage will be much better than the full day out at Pacific Raceway haha

[xxxrsxxx]

Originally Posted by F30inthe6ix

335 or 340 I'm assuming?

My 328i to date is averaging about 750km per tank running 91 V-Power. Also collecting all kinds of Airmiles for filling up at Shell with my new Mastercard.

I'm glad this topic has been able to spark such an interesting debate amongst the enthusiasts on here. I'm surprised at the negative rating some people are giving Shell. Unfortunately we don't have Chevron here in Ontario so I can't actually do a comparison myself, but I may try a tank of Ultra 94 soon (once prices go back down) to let you guys know what my experience with running a higher octane is.

All in all, I'm glad to see that others are as adamant about using Shell gasoline in their BMWs as I am.

no.....i'm driving 2015 328 xdrive and i'm not even heavy footed!
Very surprised there is such a big difference in mileage.

[The Reverend]

I drive a RWD 335i and using Shell 91 I rarely get over 400 to a tank. I wish I could be a heavy footed driver but I think it's all the horrible stop/start traffic that is killing my mileage.

I drive almost exclusively in Sport+ mode so that's probably also a factor.

[divinemango]

I've recently switched to vpower from petro 94. Although I'm not really noticing a huge difference in mileage, I'll still keep it going with the vpower.

[xxxrsxxx]

how much are you getting per tank?