C280 V6 - Which grade of petrol ?

[FF99]

I hope soon to be taking delivery of my 2008 C280 V6 and was wondering whether there is any need / advantage to using premium unleaded rather than just basic unleaded petrol ?

I ran my BMW 523i for 11 years on the basic stuff with no apparent harm and would like to carry on that way, if possible given the current shockingly high cost of petrol.

I am a low mileage urban user, with infrequent forays down the motorway evey 4 or 5 weeks. Is basic fuel a false economy ??

 

[Adam230K]

Do some trial & error. I could sit here and explain to you the for's and against's of it, but why dont you fill up a full tank of super, see how many miles you get and how responsive the engine is, and same with the normal stuff.

The only thing I will say is that if you had a forced induction, or a highly tuned/stressed engine, I would personally give it super, and thats because of the higher octane number of super.

There's been a few threads on this forum about this, do a search.

 

[SuffolkBenz]

I have a C280 V6, lives on 95 RON given the current cost

Had no worries on this, certainly shifts along nicely.

MPG varies hugely with the type of driving- Urban aroung 26, 33 on a long run

Enjoy, it's a great car

 

[st4]

MB (unlike BMW) design their petrol engines for normal grade i.e. RON95 petrol. Just dont run supermarket pish in it and you'll be fine

 

[FF99]

I have a C280 V6, lives on 95 RON given the current cost

Had no worries on this, certainly shifts along nicely.

MPG varies hugely with the type of driving- Urban aroung 26, 33 on a long run

Enjoy, it's a great car

Thanks for the answers.

I would be delighted to get 26mpg in town. I only managed 19 in the BMW !

 

[Honey Bear]

Do some trial & error. I could sit here and explain to you the for's and against's of it, but why dont you fill up a full tank of super, see how many miles you get and how responsive the engine is, and same with the normal stuff.

The only thing I will say is that if you had a forced induction, or a highly tuned/stressed engine, I would personally give it super, and thats because of the higher octane number of super.

There's been a few threads on this forum about this, do a search.

The effect might take time to develop. They're not always noticeable from the first tank.

I always use super; and my car, to put it kindly, is pathetic compared to most on here.

 

[Grahamcol]

The effect might take time to develop. They're not always noticeable from the first tank.

I always use super; and my car, to put it kindly, is pathetic compared to most on here.

Your car is not pathetic ! The C200 is a lovely car. I've had mine for 4 years and it's been brilliant. Yes, a trifle slow from the lights but it cruises nicely and quite economical too. Although I've also got a C280 V6 I still have a soft spot for the C200 !

 

[neilrr]

I hope soon to be taking delivery of my 2008 C280 V6 and was wondering whether there is any need / advantage to using premium unleaded rather than just basic unleaded petrol ?

I ran my BMW 523i for 11 years on the basic stuff with no apparent harm and would like to carry on that way, if possible given the current shockingly high cost of petrol.

I am a low mileage urban user, with infrequent forays down the motorway evey 4 or 5 weeks. Is basic fuel a false economy ??

Yes. Especially if you are "a low mileage urban user, with infrequent forays down the motorway".

P.S. Wasn't the BMW Nickasil engine disaster caused by, or at least aggravated by, people using the wrong grade of fuel?

 

[A-AvantGarde]

We use standard 95RON on our W203 C320, my wife uses it mainly for local trips. However when we take it for a long run I like to fill up on the premium / higher octane fuel.

Not sure if it's the right or wrong thing to do but it seems to fit the way we use the car and I like to think it seems to perform better on the higher octane fuel.

As others have stated, I'm sure that the handbook will also state that standard unleaded is fine...