What if I can avoid ethanol?

[tfalsetta]

I’m hearing that ethanol in gasoline is not a good thing….I have a Z3m… I also hear there are gas stations that sell without ethanol. However, there are none close to where I live. I’m also hearing there is an additive to add to the fuel if you have no choice?

 

[137699]

BMW have confirmed that the E10 rollout is fine for Z3s however as you have a Z3M you should be using super unleaded anyway which is all E5 - most Tesco/Sainsburys supermarkets sell it, also Shell, BP, Esso etc.

 

[Fender2004]

The E10 fuel was introduced in the USA for many years now, and as far as I know there haven’t been any horror stories, regarding any damage to engines because of the fuel.

 

[Toby]

BMW have confirmed that the E10 rollout is fine for Z3s however as you have a Z3M you should be using super unleaded anyway which is all E5 - most Tesco/Sainsburys supermarkets sell it, also Shell, BP, Esso etc.

Interesting have they guaranteed it in writing ??
Asking because someone on another motoring forum I frequent wrote to all major manufacturers asking them to guarantee E10 wouldnt do any damage to cars newer than 2002 - as yet not a single one has.

Also I'm guessing the OP is North America based, by their use of gasoline meaning the list of sellers wouldnt be useful. They do tend to have premium over there tho, thats only 5% which should be fine

As I've said before why wouldnt you use Premium E5 fuel, economy wise its around 10% more fuel efficent at least,. and gives better performance too, for only around 5% increase in price. All out local petrol stations have seen big increases in E5 sales since E10 was introduced

 

[137699]

There's a government E10 compatibility checker and if you put in details for any Z3 it is shown as compatible - this is based on data supplied by the manufacturers.
Check if your vehicle can run on E10 petrol - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

There is also this statement on the BMW webiste:
BMW Online Genius - Can I fill my BMW with E10 petrol?

I didn't realise the OP is in USA - I sort of assume everyone here is UK based! My bad!

 

[SV8Predator]

Premium E5 fuel, economy wise its around 10% more fuel efficent at least,.

Have you got that in writing?

 

[t-tony]

Have you got that in writing?

It's not rocket science to find out for yourself if you have a need to.

Tony.

 

[Andyboy]

Avoid it. Either use an E10 additive or stick to Esso Super that is ethanol free in most areas.

 

[Althulas]

Also can the S52 run on the lower octane compared to the S50/54?

 

[motco]

Avoid it. Either use an E10 additive or stick to Esso Super that is ethanol free in most areas.

Exactly - in UK at least. It is fallacious to assume that all premium petrol is ethanol free, only Esso state that theirs is but not in all areas as you said.

 

[Dado]

In the handbook for my 2.2 (2002) it says to use 'superunleaded' but whether it contains ethanol is not always mentioned, but that's what I do wherever I find it.
The cost is a bit higher but I only do about 1500-2000 miles a year, it's the road fund license that make's me weep, £360 a year for that mileage is wrong on so many levels (like f@rting in a lift).