Costco 91 for m3C?

[kss]

I’ve been using petro-Canada 94 octane since purchasing my 2017 M3C in late 2018 (car was brand new).
Had a question about using Costco premium 91 octane. The bmw recommended is 93 and they recommend Shell (obviously as part of sponsorship deal).

I don’t think Shell actually has 93 octane in Canada - I haven’t seen it at the stations I’ve been to (but than not all Petro-Canada stations have 94 octane either).

Anyway, wanted to know if there are issues with using 91 octane fuel and if you do, if it should be ethanol free (petro-Canada’s 94 does have ethanol).

I read somewhere that shell’s 91 doesn’t have any ethanol and they supply Costco. I'm not sure if either of this points is true. I also don’t know that even if Costco gets 91 from shell, or that even if they do, ethanol isn’t blended for the Costco deliveries at the terminal. Also not sure if there are differences in different markets like the GTA and where I am (Calgary).

What octane are most people using?

[henrylee]

I live in California and the highest octane is 91. My car gets the same 91 octane from Costco.

[getsituated91]

As a California resident, 91 is all my cars have ever known. You're fine

[manutd]

Minimum is 91 octane. Up here in Canada we have shell 91 octane with 0% ethanol which is actually better than petro Canada’s 94 with octane. I always fill
Up at Canadian Tire, they have 91 octane with 0% ethanol they source from shell. Best part is that it’s the same as shell but 0.20 cheaper a litre 😁 give it a try

[EnriOsso]

I am not sure if shell supply's Costco with gas, but I've been putting shell 91 nitro ONLY, since august 2016, which is when I bought the car and it's perfect to this day.

[White340]

Why does California limit to 91? We get 93 here in NY everywhere.

[DocL]

Costco is a top tier gas. I’ve been using it for over ten years in all of my cars and never had a problem.

[BzsBimmer]

Originally Posted by White340

Why does California limit to 91? We get 93 here in NY everywhere.

You know what... no one likes a braggart 😉

We just like to be different. Not only do we get 91, but a special blend known as 91ACN!!
And ours comes with a special Prop 65 sticker 🤣
And because we live in CA, our exhaust emissions are converted to unicorn tears.

[kss]

Thanks everyone, I’ll give both Costco and Canadian tire a try. Not all Canadian tire stores on Calgary have a gas bar, so will check what’s close by.

[Maitre_Absolut]

Esso also has ethanol free 91. Their 93 has may have some, but have to believe its as good as their 91.

[allies_jh]

I'm in Calgary too. I've been using Costco gas in my car for like 99% of my fill ups. No issues here.

[kss]

Originally Posted by allies_jh

I'm in Calgary too. I've been using Costco gas in my car for like 99% of my fill ups. No issues here.

Thanks. To thats probably my beat option. The Canadian Tire that is close by doesn’t have a gas bar, so can’t really give that a try

[icegrill]

Yes waiting in line for half an hour to save .20 definitely worth it🥴

[ryanb06]

Originally Posted by manutd

Minimum is 91 octane. Up here in Canada we have shell 91 octane with 0% ethanol which is actually better than petro Canada’s 94 with octane. I always fill
Up at Canadian Tire, they have 91 octane with 0% ethanol they source from shell. Best part is that it’s the same as shell but 0.20 cheaper a litre 😁 give it a try

Just curious; why do you say Shell 91 is better than Petro 94? In what way is it better? I always thought Petro was better for higher power especially when using BM3 stage2.

[DocL]

Originally Posted by icegrill

Yes waiting in line for half an hour to save .20 definitely worth it🥴

I go at 6pm on my way home from work and there’s no line. Same thing at 8am on a weekend morning on the way to my sons baseball game.

[TopJimmy]

The little tag inside your gas door should say "91AKI MIN / 93AKI Recommended" so 91 will still work but 93/94 much better, on the stock map. If using a tuned map you must use the fuel type/grade it's made for.

[9M71]

I really need to put/track this into a spreadsheet but on my daily (a mini cooper S), filling up with costco yields me about 200-220 miles before the light turns on. Mobil 1 will get me 260-280 miles. Same 2 gas station locations, same roads everyday. Understand that Costco is "top tier" but something is off.

[G-Ram]

Chevron 94 is ethanol free, if you can find it over there.