zhp using regular gas

Octane rating does nothing to your car unless you TUNE IT for a specific octane rating, no higher octane gives more power or stuff like that.
Only time higher octane can increase power is if the octane you've put in is low enough to cause knock.
Octane rating does not correspond to power rating.

Just put in whatever fuel doesn't cause knock and be happy.

Originally Posted by SweTurbo

Octane rating does nothing to your car unless you TUNE IT for a specific octane rating, no higher octane gives more power or stuff like that.
Only time higher octane can increase power is if the octane you've put in is low enough to cause knock.
Octane rating does not correspond to power rating.

Just put in whatever fuel doesn't cause knock and be happy.

ie. putting in 89 octane in a car that was made for 91+. Our systems are intelligent enough to be able to sense knock and pre-detonation and all that good stuff from low octane fuel and then tune accordingly.

But, if you have a 1996 honda prelude then no, putting in 91-93 octane will not net you any power increase. But changing from crappy 89 octane in a 330 (dare I mention zhp? ) to normally recommended 91, will you feel a difference? Probably. Your engine will seem more lively.

^ stop trying to argue based on assumptions. It won't.. I've been using 87 for months without issues or noise.. no change in performance or loss of fuel consumption.

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Originally Posted by pawelgawel

^ stop trying to argue based on assumptions. It won't.. I've been using 87 for months without issues or noise.. no change in performance or loss of fuel consumption.

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Right now you don't sound smart. You can say whatever you want, but I'm going to go out on a limb and assume you know very little about engines, and haven't taken any part in the design of an engine for mass production.

Am I right?

BMW has probably spent millions of dollars and a lot of time researching the effects of different grades of gasoline on their engines, and their research concludes that you should use premium gas. So now you're willing to go as far as calling them all schmucks?

again, assumptions.

I never stated BMW is falsifying their requirements... Theire requirements provide guidelines for optimum performance...
Also, nothing states 87 grade fuel will harm the engine...

im speaking from experience. I've had cars that made a wonderful ticking noise when running on lower grade then they could handle. M54/52 will handle 87 very well.


this topic has been cover plenty of times without any real evidence that it will harm anything.

At the end of the day, you'll be using what works for you.


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These gas threads hurt my head. I know I should choose not to read them and click on,but its like watching a train bear down on a stalled car at a RR crossing....a stalled car that has cheap high water content,generic filtered,minimum government required additives and nonexistent detergents,cut with 15% ethenol because I thought I could save $2 in 87 octane gas once a week using my moms stop-n-shop grocery card points,but just blew $300 on ebay CAI, plasidip,and wheels spacers because hellaflush racecar bro makeathreadaboutit.

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right?? lol

but i save an average of $17 a fill up every week... it adds up. Canadian prices are much different.

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Originally Posted by pawelgawel

right?? lol

but i save an average of $17 a fill up every week... it adds up. Canadian prices are much different.

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Americans are so used to their cheap gas, if it were that cheap over here i wouldn't be running E85(maby i would but yeah)

The stock dme needs to be adapted for global conditions , thus the IGN advance and fuel ratio is a whole lot other than optimal.
Sure if you'd trim those values down abit then you'd be able to get knock/ping with lower rating octane but on a completely stock M52(even M54) it will not trigger the failsafe system, try putting it under 100% load and see if it pulls any timing..

This does not apply for the ZHP since it's a mystery machine that has nothing incommon with a normal e46

These threads remind me of this...

Running regular gas in an E46 is like dropping comprehensive insurance, you might save a couple dollars initially but sooner or later you will regret it.

Originally Posted by tcphoto

Running regular gas in an E46 is like dropping comprehensive insurance, you might save a couple dollars initially but sooner or later you will regret it.

Not a fair comparison.

There are no real long term issues caused by using lower octane, you'll see lower MPGs and degraded performance right away, but it won't do any damage. It's a manufacture recommendation to use 91AKI, not a requirement.

I use premium because it's cheaper to do so and I enjoy the extra umph, but in some countries it's perfectly logical to run a lower octane in a 10 year old BMW.

(Please pardon my auto-correct)

Its a whole 3 bucks or so more a fill up dont be a cheap ass put what it calls for in it. Or if your that worried about saving a buck or two go with the e85 thats real cheap.

Originally Posted by pic3

its a whole 3 bucks or so more a fill up dont be a cheap ass put what it calls for in it. Or if your that worried about saving a buck or two go with the e85 thats real cheap.

+1.

I think the better question is why the question calls specifically for the ZHP...

Originally Posted by E46Mango

I think the better question is why the question calls specifically for the ZHP...

Because that's what OP drives.

I really don't feel like listening to the whole "Zhps aren't any different than normal 330s" speech again. Ya heard it once, ya heard it a million times.

Originally Posted by E46Mango

I think the better question is why the question calls specifically for the ZHP...

Self explanatory:

Originally Posted by nike001

Buys a car with the "Performance Package"

Wants to put regular gas in it.

Go figure.

It appears as though OP is an idiot.

Originally Posted by E46Mango

I think the better question is why the question calls specifically for the ZHP...

Because the ZHP requires race fuel, because racecar.

Originally Posted by peytonracer4

thank YOU! for clarifying. this thread can now be concluded.

No problem, glad it will die with all the other like threads. BTW...how do you change the time on an E46 clock? LOL

seeing where this goes...

Knocking...... it's like premature-ejaculation. The timings just not right...