what type of unleaded gas are for 1998 328i bmw?

[izzymariano]

i have a 1998 328i bmw with 161k mileage, and i just got it.
do i keep it premium to maintain better power?

[jmo69]

i have a 1998 328i bmw with 161k mileage, and i just got it.
do i keep it premium to maintain better power?

Look on the gas filler door, should tell you what octane you need. I think mine calls for mid grade, 89 octane, but I usually run 91. The M52 has slightly lower compression than the M50. 10.2:1 instead of 10.5:1. You wont get more power from more octane, maybe better fuel mileage.

[izzymariano]

ok so i check it and it says unleaded 89, aki min, what does that aki mean. and does it matter if i keep it regular? i mean the owner told me to just put regular. should i stick in regular or 89?

[IhaveanE36]

I use 89 when I'm feeling cheap. I do notice some chokes, but then again... with my lucky car it could be something stupid like the fuel filter. Stick to 89 or higher my dude. The few cents you save are not worth choking / causing damage to your vehicle. How do I know? Cause when I used 87, my car actually stalled out on the highway. Fun!

Note: Sarcasim.

[izzymariano]

well its actually working fine with and sounds fine with the regular gas. i bet the owner has been using regular but the car sounds well and running well. should i still go for 89? and i guess i just read the manual. aki means anti knock index. wth is that?

[takeitez]

aki is the anti-knock index... AKI and R+m/2 are not the same to get the aki in 89 R+M/2 you need a additive like chevron techron so stay above 89 to protect the injectors,plugs and O2 sensors.. I have always ran 93 in all my bmws and have never had any problems with my fuel systems...

[izzymariano]

what is r+m/2 so what is your suggestion for me to gas with?

aki is the anti-knock index... AKI and R+m/2 are not the same to get the aki in 89 R+M/2 you need a additive like chevron techron so stay above 89 to protect the injectors,plugs and O2 sensors.. I have always ran 93 in all my bmws and have never had any problems with my fuel systems...

what is r+m/2 so what is your suggestion for me to gas with?

[flyfishvt]

My susggestion is to run about 3 tanks of 91 and see if yoiu notice any difference then make your decision. I have an m50 that I was running 87 octane. After the second tank of 91 I noticed a big difference. The engine ran a lot smoother, idled better and just had more zip.

You know its safe to run 89 and it hurt anything running 91. I'll bet if you try 2-3 tanks of 91 you won't go back. i definately see better mileage with 91.

[SSRI]

Just put 91 in it, it's a high performance car it deserves higher performance gas. DO NOT put a lower grade like 87. It's a BMW nothings going to be cheap for it, but then again my Honda is a "cheap" car and it takes 91.

[E36BMWBUILD]

no 87! when i first got my car i ran 87 and it ran like crap, upped to 92 and made a huge difference and i havent used anything else for over 5 years now, spend the extra dollar or two a tank

[SmokyJay]

I always fill mine at Shell gas stations with V-Power. Only the best for the best performance!

[orpheus]

Another factor to consider is the quality of the gas
apart from its AKI or octane ratings.
Top Tier gas has a higher level of detergent additives,
and is considered a better product.
For a list of brands that supply top tier gas,
check out this link:
http://www.toptiergas.com/retailers.html

[joey79]

It sounds fine because the m50 has knock sensors. Low octane fuel will cause knocking in higher compression engines. If knocking is sensed, ignition timing will be retarded. You will definitely see better performance, and probably better fuel mileage, after a few tanks of 89 or 91.

well its actually working fine with and sounds fine with the regular gas. i bet the owner has been using regular but the car sounds well and running well. should i still go for 89? and i guess i just read the manual. aki means anti knock index. wth is that?

[coconutmnky]

aki is the anti-knock index... AKI and R+m/2 are not the same to get the aki in 89 R+M/2 you need a additive like chevron techron so stay above 89 to protect the injectors,plugs and O2 sensors.. I have always ran 93 in all my bmws and have never had any problems with my fuel systems...

So much incorrect information in this post, the additives have nothing to do with the octane rating.

[orpheus]

Here's a link to an exposition on octane and AKI ratings on Wiki:
[ame]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Octane_rating[/ame]

I should have noted for readers, drawing from the Wiki article,
that in the USA, the AKI number is the same as
the octane rating posted on the pump.

The AKI number is the average of two octane rating methods,
the Research Octane Number (R) and the Motor Octane Number (M).
Hence AKI = (R+M)/2.

[bmw325is1995]

I always use 93 plus some sort of octane booster. I usually use turbo 108.

[jmo69]

If you run premium and it's $.10 more than mid grade 89 it's only about $1.60 more/tankful and $3.20 more/tankful over 87 regular. Look in the owners manual if you have one, it has answers to many questions like this one. Better fuel than what your car was designed for doesn't always mean more performance.

[joey79]

I always use 93 plus some sort of octane booster. I usually use turbo 108.

Why?

[6banger17]

I always stick to 93 i figure more octane less garbage in the fuel = less garbage in the fuel system idk just a thought
And arent those "octane boosters" just a scam? Lol i do run lucas once in a while tho

[jmo69]

Higher octane fuels burn slower, hence no knock at ignition and the fuel burns through more of the power stroke and not just a bang at ignition.

[bmw325is1995]

Better fuel economy. Cleans valves. With my mods I think it works pretty good. More responsive when the hammer goes down.

[attrack]

I know for in Canada where the gas has the same consistancy of sludge I've typically run 94 from chevron as most of the v-power stations are disappearing. I decided to drop it down to 91 and I don't know if its in my head. Or a bit of 'in the head' mixed with ignition retardation/ old fuel filter cause my mom picked me up from my work with my car and I drove it home and got walked by a Pontiac solstice and a neon (I was partially committed and realized full on woulda been humiliating haha)

Edit: realized its an old thread. Rookie mistake

[mwood]

I always fill mine at Shell gas stations with V-Power. Only the best for the best performance!

V-Power FTW!

( here in Europe it is 99 octane, and I use nothing else )

you 'mericans keep on complaining about price, i mean really $4 per tankfull difference really has you worried? If you fill up every week your saving 200$ a year, its that really so much as to skimp on good fuel for your E36????

lets do the Euro math...

1 US gallon = 3.785 Liters
60L = 15.8gal ( full tank )
1euro = $1.25 ( today's rate )

V-Power ( not less than 99oct )
1.72euro/L = $6.51 / gallon
= 103.2 eu / tank or $129.18

98oct e10 ( not more than 98 oct )
1.63euro/L = $6.20 / gallon
= 97.8 eu / tank or $122.42

blah blah blah

[r33p04s]

dude just run 89... i have run the entire gamut 87-91 and have noticed a slight sluggishness on the 87 with a negligible if any difference 89 compared to 91... if you had an M I would say 91...

[DailyE36]

i'm running 95 and still knocking