Low octane

Gecko123 · 03-25-2016, 09:18 PM

Question.

Can low octane (89 for example) cause the car to shudder a bit when accelerating. I have a 2011 328i. I think I might have put in lower octane on my last fill up.

Not use to putting in premium as I am a new BMW owner. All my previous cars used regular gas.

Thanks.

hassmaschine · 03-25-2016, 09:22 PM

I dont think so. We run our E91 on 87 and its fine. The stock tune is made to run on a variety of fuel grades.

Tsujen · 03-25-2016, 09:51 PM

It'll be fine just a little less power. It's a 328 though so you shouldn't feel the difference.

patents · 03-25-2016, 11:07 PM

I don't use straight 89, but sometimes I'll fill up with 93, and when I have half a tank left I'll fill with 89. That gives me an entire tank of 91, which is what BMW recommends to be the minimum.

But to answer your question, 89 shouldn't make too much of a difference. At least not in the short term.

Also a little secret is that the station just guarantees that it is at least 89. It could be 93. Or 91.

Gecko123 · 03-26-2016, 01:35 AM

So if it can handle lower octane what is causing it to shudder a bit during acceleration.

YouAreMyWorld · 03-26-2016, 02:07 AM

Sounds like a coil/spark plug issue. Either way, you'd want to start with those first as those are your cheapest alternatives to fix and usually tend to be the culprit for your described issue.

Gecko123 · 03-26-2016, 08:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by YouAreMyWorld

Sounds like a coil/spark plug issue. Either way, you'd want to start with those first as those are your cheapest alternatives to fix and usually tend to be the culprit for your described issue.

I should also mention I had the car for only a month and purchased as a CPO. It only has 49,000 km ( 30,000 miles). It's still under warranty and of course I will take it back to the dealer but it's Easter weekend and they are closed. In the meantime I'm dying to find out what it can be.

Dark_Knight_335 · 03-26-2016, 08:22 AM

Doesn't matter as much with an NA engine. I wouldn't dare use anything less than 93 octane in a turbo car.

motoguy128 · 03-26-2016, 08:46 AM

It shouldn't be causing issues on a modern car with closed loop fuel injection using an O2 sensor. At full throttle, the mixture is conservative enough, and there's anti knock logic, that again it shouldn't be an issue.

What's possible is that the 89 is high in ethanol and was "old stock" and has picked up a fair amount of moisture. But more likely there's some misfires due to coil going bad.

jwalker87 · 03-26-2016, 10:58 AM

Yup, sounds like spark plug or ignition coil. Dealer should investigate and replace no problem.

If this is the first fillup with non-93, the higher octane could have been masking the problem, hence the connection between the start of the issue and you filling up with 89. It's still a problem though, since the car should run just fine on 89.

walmark · 03-26-2016, 11:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dark_Knight_335

Doesn't matter as much with an NA engine. I wouldn't dare use anything less than 93 octane in a turbo car.

91 octane. You can't even find 93 in Cali. Since I moved my car doesn't run as good as it did on the East Coast. Such a shame, Cali...

Gecko123 · 03-27-2016, 07:47 AM

Would spark plugs/coils go this early? It only has 30,000 miles, 50,000 km

WhiteBeard · 03-27-2016, 08:02 AM

Do you have shudder constantly or only at certain rpm's? If constantly - then it's spark plugs/coils - as it would shudder constantly, not only under acceleration and it would be at all rpm's. If only at certain rpm's - then it sounds more like a drive-train/drive-shaft issue. Most common failure is flex-disk and central support bearing. They could be worn out and some wiggle room is created for shaft and let the shaft vibrate/resonate under certain rpm's. They are relatively cheap to replace.

John 070 · 03-27-2016, 08:09 AM

No....supposedly 89 is the minimum for a N54...but can you imagine what people did with loaners over the years?

Case in point.....2015 GTI's say premium on the fuel doors, and 2016's say regular, as do the marketing materials and web. It's the same car!!!

Today, premium is a very dirty word in marketing, because it's not 20 cents more anymore, usually 40 and up....

Gecko123 · 03-28-2016, 12:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jwalker87

Yup, sounds like spark plug or ignition coil. Dealer should investigate and replace no problem.

If this is the first fillup with non-93, the higher octane could have been masking the problem, hence the connection between the start of the issue and you filling up with 89. It's still a problem though, since the car should run just fine on 89.

Is this possible? For higher octane (91 or greater) to mask underlying problems and then when lower octane (87 or 89), which is still okay to use according to the manual, reveals issues such as bad spark plugs and coils, for example.

If that is the case I should using lower octane all the time of problems are detected but this will of course sacrifice performance.

paco89 · 03-28-2016, 05:02 PM

I recommend you buy a logger or an obd2 reader. I use the ELM327 got it on ebay for i think 7 dollars and download an app to scan for codes. It'll come in handy at all times! and no the gas octane level should not make your car shake. Easiest thing to do is scan for codes.

eddieboy510 · 03-28-2016, 08:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by walmark

91 octane. You can't even find 93 in Cali. Since I moved my car doesn't run as good as it did on the East Coast. Such a shame, Cali...

91+ you say here you go found a list of plases in and around the bay area that can supply you with what you need

Bakersfield
Buttonwillow Raceway (road track)
located 28 miles northwest of Bakersfield off I-5)

Inyokern
Buttermilk Acres
VP Racing Gas Station
3565 W Inyokern Rd
Ridgecrest, Ca. 93555

Los Altos
VP Gas Station
Los Altos Rancho Shopping center
660 Fremont Ave
Los Altos, CA 94024

Los Banos
DB Corp 76
1963 Pacheco Blvd
Los Banos, Ca. 93635

Madera
Country Club 76
17017 Road 26
Madera, Ca 93638

Manteca
Frank's One Stop
2072 W. Yosemite
Manteca, Ca. 95337

McFarland
Famoso Raceway
33559 Famoso Rd.
Mc Farland, Ca. 93250

Modesto
Modesto Gas
1401 Coffee Road
Modesto, Ca. 95355

Patterson
Fred Frias 76
226 N. 2nd Street
Patterson, Ca 95363

Rancho Cordova
Valley Motorwerks
11401 White Rock Rd.
Rancho Cordova, Ca 95742

Rancho Cordova
Midnight Performance
3282 Luyung Dr
Rancho Cordova, Ca. 95742

Redwood City
Kings 76 Station
975 Woodside Road,
Redwood City, Ca. 94061-3610

Sacramento
Watt Tosco 76
2847 Watt Ave
Sacramento, Ca. 95821

Salinas
Laguna Seca Raceway
1021 Monterey-Salinas Highway
Salinas, CA 93908

San Jose
Damar Petroleum
1201 Almaden Expwy
San Jose, CA

San Jose
Goodies Speed Shop
345 Lincoln Avenue
San Jose, CA 95126

San Jose
Almaden Racing Fuel
76 Station at Almaden and Foxworthy
3010 Almaden Expressway

San Leandro
VP Gas Station
1495 Hays Street
San Leandro,CA 94577

Selma
Exxon Gas Tiger Mart VP Racing fuel behind main station
10610 E Mountain View Ave
Selma, Ca. 93662

Sonoma
Infineon Raceway
29355 Arnold Dr
Sonoma Ca. 95476

South San Francisco
Gotelli Speed Shop
321 El Camino Real, 94080

Stockton
VP Racing Gas
1033 W Charter Way
Stockton, Ca 95206

Sunol
Sunol Super Stop
3004 Andrade
Sunol, Ca 94586

Tracy
VP Racing Gasoline
2375 N Tracy Blvd
Tracy, CA, 95376

Turlock
Golden State 76
881 N. Golden State Blvd
Turlock, Ca. 95380

Waterford
JK Service
12405 Yosemite Blvd
Waterford, Ca 95386

Kolyan2k · 03-28-2016, 08:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by patents

I don't use straight 89, but sometimes I'll fill up with 93, and when I have half a tank left I'll fill with 89. That gives me an entire tank of 91, which is what BMW recommends to be the minimum.

But to answer your question, 89 shouldn't make too much of a difference. At least not in the short term.

Also a little secret is that the station just guarantees that it is at least 89. It could be 93. Or 91.

Why would you even do this?

eddieboy510 · 03-28-2016, 08:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kolyan2k

Why would you even do this?

i agree wit ya. yeah why woldnt you put the best available everytime all the time....

walmark · 03-28-2016, 08:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by eddieboy510

Quote:

Originally Posted by walmark

91 octane. You can't even find 93 in Cali. Since I moved my car doesn't run as good as it did on the East Coast. Such a shame, Cali...

91+ you say here you go found a list of plases in and around the bay area that can supply you with what you need

Bakersfield
Buttonwillow Raceway (road track)
located 28 miles northwest of Bakersfield off I-5)

Inyokern
Buttermilk Acres
VP Racing Gas Station
3565 W Inyokern Rd
Ridgecrest, Ca. 93555

Los Altos
VP Gas Station
Los Altos Rancho Shopping center
660 Fremont Ave
Los Altos, CA 94024

Los Banos
DB Corp 76
1963 Pacheco Blvd
Los Banos, Ca. 93635

Madera
Country Club 76
17017 Road 26
Madera, Ca 93638

Manteca
Frank's One Stop
2072 W. Yosemite
Manteca, Ca. 95337

McFarland
Famoso Raceway
33559 Famoso Rd.
Mc Farland, Ca. 93250

Modesto
Modesto Gas
1401 Coffee Road
Modesto, Ca. 95355

Patterson
Fred Frias 76
226 N. 2nd Street
Patterson, Ca 95363

Rancho Cordova
Valley Motorwerks
11401 White Rock Rd.
Rancho Cordova, Ca 95742

Rancho Cordova
Midnight Performance
3282 Luyung Dr
Rancho Cordova, Ca. 95742

Redwood City
Kings 76 Station
975 Woodside Road,
Redwood City, Ca. 94061-3610

Sacramento
Watt Tosco 76
2847 Watt Ave
Sacramento, Ca. 95821

Salinas
Laguna Seca Raceway
1021 Monterey-Salinas Highway
Salinas, CA 93908

San Jose
Damar Petroleum
1201 Almaden Expwy
San Jose, CA

San Jose
Goodies Speed Shop
345 Lincoln Avenue
San Jose, CA 95126

San Jose
Almaden Racing Fuel
76 Station at Almaden and Foxworthy
3010 Almaden Expressway

San Leandro
VP Gas Station
1495 Hays Street
San Leandro,CA 94577

Selma
Exxon Gas Tiger Mart VP Racing fuel behind main station
10610 E Mountain View Ave
Selma, Ca. 93662

Sonoma
Infineon Raceway
29355 Arnold Dr
Sonoma Ca. 95476

South San Francisco
Gotelli Speed Shop
321 El Camino Real, 94080

Stockton
VP Racing Gas
1033 W Charter Way
Stockton, Ca 95206

Sunol
Sunol Super Stop
3004 Andrade
Sunol, Ca 94586

Tracy
VP Racing Gasoline
2375 N Tracy Blvd
Tracy, CA, 95376

Turlock
Golden State 76
881 N. Golden State Blvd
Turlock, Ca. 95380

Waterford
JK Service
12405 Yosemite Blvd
Waterford, Ca 95386

I've seen this list before, it's pretty outdated (half of San Jose locations are permanently closed). Also, it focuses on race gas (100+ octane) for $$$, not simple and affordable 93 premium.
But thanks!! It's still valuable list

patents · 03-28-2016, 08:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kolyan2k

Quote:

Originally Posted by patents

I don't use straight 89, but sometimes I'll fill up with 93, and when I have half a tank left I'll fill with 89. That gives me an entire tank of 91, which is what BMW recommends to be the minimum.

But to answer your question, 89 shouldn't make too much of a difference. At least not in the short term.

Also a little secret is that the station just guarantees that it is at least 89. It could be 93. Or 91.

Why would you even do this?

To save money.

Remember that higher octane doesn't mean better. It just means it's different. 87, 89, 91, 93... no grade is better than another. They just have different burning characteristics.

When a manufacturer recommends "at least 91 octane" then the car is designed to run optimally on 91 or above, and anything over 91 gives no benefit. Any difference is negligible.

Kolyan2k · 03-28-2016, 08:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by patents

To save money.

Remember that higher octane doesn't mean better. It just means it's different. 87, 89, 91, 93... no grade is better than another. They just have different burning characteristics.

When a manufacturer recommends "at least 91 octane" then the car is designed to run optimally on 91 or above, and anything over 91 gives no benefit. Any difference is negligible.

To save money? What the fuck is wrong with people these days.....

Don't know about 328, but octane does matter in 335 and in M3.

03-25-2016, 09:18 PM	#1
Gecko123 Private 16 Rep 75 Posts Drives: 2011 BMW 328xi Join Date: Feb 2016 Location: Canada iTrader: (0)	Low octane - 89 Question. Can low octane (89 for example) cause the car to shudder a bit when accelerating. I have a 2011 328i. I think I might have put in lower octane on my last fill up. Not use to putting in premium as I am a new BMW owner. All my previous cars used regular gas. Thanks.
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03-25-2016, 09:22 PM	#2
hassmaschine Major General 3975 Rep 7,215 Posts Drives: "NBO" 330i Join Date: Jun 2014 Location: earth iTrader: (0)	I dont think so. We run our E91 on 87 and its fine. The stock tune is made to run on a variety of fuel grades.
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03-25-2016, 09:51 PM	#3
Tsujen First Lieutenant 87 Rep 319 Posts Drives: 2007 BMW 335i Join Date: Jan 2015 Location: Chicago iTrader: (1)	It'll be fine just a little less power. It's a 328 though so you shouldn't feel the difference. __________________ 07' 335i Monaco Blue - Cobb V3 / vrsf 7" fmic / vrsf cp / bms dci
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03-25-2016, 11:07 PM	#4
patents Lieutenant 164 Rep 598 Posts Drives: 2008 328i Join Date: Aug 2014 Location: Memphis, TN iTrader: (0)	I don't use straight 89, but sometimes I'll fill up with 93, and when I have half a tank left I'll fill with 89. That gives me an entire tank of 91, which is what BMW recommends to be the minimum. But to answer your question, 89 shouldn't make too much of a difference. At least not in the short term. Also a little secret is that the station just guarantees that it is at least 89. It could be 93. Or 91.
	Appreciate 0 Quote

03-26-2016, 01:35 AM	#5
Gecko123 Private 16 Rep 75 Posts Drives: 2011 BMW 328xi Join Date: Feb 2016 Location: Canada iTrader: (0)	So if it can handle lower octane what is causing it to shudder a bit during acceleration.
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03-26-2016, 02:07 AM	#6
YouAreMyWorld ///Project Aura 390 Rep 889 Posts Drives: Mineral White ///M-Sport 335i Join Date: Feb 2015 Location: Los Angeles iTrader: (0)	Sounds like a coil/spark plug issue. Either way, you'd want to start with those first as those are your cheapest alternatives to fix and usually tend to be the culprit for your described issue.
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03-26-2016, 08:22 AM	#8
Dark_Knight_335 Came to the N55 Darkside 1115 Rep 12,740 Posts Drives: 2011 335 E93 M-Sport Join Date: May 2010 Location: NY/NJ iTrader: (28)	Doesn't matter as much with an NA engine. I wouldn't dare use anything less than 93 octane in a turbo car.
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03-26-2016, 08:46 AM	#9
motoguy128 Second Lieutenant 38 Rep 254 Posts Drives: 2006 325i Join Date: Aug 2015 Location: SW Michigan iTrader: (0)	It shouldn't be causing issues on a modern car with closed loop fuel injection using an O2 sensor. At full throttle, the mixture is conservative enough, and there's anti knock logic, that again it shouldn't be an issue. What's possible is that the 89 is high in ethanol and was "old stock" and has picked up a fair amount of moisture. But more likely there's some misfires due to coil going bad.
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03-26-2016, 10:58 AM	#10
jwalker87 Major 320 Rep 1,025 Posts Drives: '08 335i, '11 335xi, '01 Z3M Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Pittsburgh, PA iTrader: (2)	Yup, sounds like spark plug or ignition coil. Dealer should investigate and replace no problem. If this is the first fillup with non-93, the higher octane could have been masking the problem, hence the connection between the start of the issue and you filling up with 89. It's still a problem though, since the car should run just fine on 89. __________________ 2001 e36/7 M Roadster 5spd 2008 e90 335i 6spd 2011 e90 335xi 6spd 2011 e70 x5 diesel 2010 Ducati Monster 696
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03-27-2016, 07:47 AM	#12
Gecko123 Private 16 Rep 75 Posts Drives: 2011 BMW 328xi Join Date: Feb 2016 Location: Canada iTrader: (0)	Would spark plugs/coils go this early? It only has 30,000 miles, 50,000 km
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03-27-2016, 08:02 AM	#13
WhiteBeard Lieutenant 151 Rep 545 Posts Drives: slowly Join Date: Feb 2016 Location: Jacksonville iTrader: (0)	Do you have shudder constantly or only at certain rpm's? If constantly - then it's spark plugs/coils - as it would shudder constantly, not only under acceleration and it would be at all rpm's. If only at certain rpm's - then it sounds more like a drive-train/drive-shaft issue. Most common failure is flex-disk and central support bearing. They could be worn out and some wiggle room is created for shaft and let the shaft vibrate/resonate under certain rpm's. They are relatively cheap to replace.
	Appreciate 0 Quote

03-27-2016, 08:09 AM	#14
John 070 Lieutenant General 1707 Rep 14,829 Posts Drives: 335i cpe Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: ZSP/ZPP/ZCW iTrader: (0)	No....supposedly 89 is the minimum for a N54...but can you imagine what people did with loaners over the years? Case in point.....2015 GTI's say premium on the fuel doors, and 2016's say regular, as do the marketing materials and web. It's the same car!!! Today, premium is a very dirty word in marketing, because it's not 20 cents more anymore, usually 40 and up....
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03-28-2016, 05:02 PM	#16
paco89 Captain 142 Rep 726 Posts Drives: 2006 325xi Arktis Metallic Join Date: Jul 2014 Location: Minnesota iTrader: (0)	I recommend you buy a logger or an obd2 reader. I use the ELM327 got it on ebay for i think 7 dollars and download an app to scan for codes. It'll come in handy at all times! and no the gas octane level should not make your car shake. Easiest thing to do is scan for codes. __________________ 2006 Bmw 325xi VMR V715/OE lip/Redlines/Zsp Springs 1999 Eclipse Spyder Gst 16g/264cams/550cc/255lph/corbeau seats/Comp Stage 4 Clutch/ECUflash etc...
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