Gas: Is Regular just as Premium?
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From: DC
03 E320/ 11 E550 Cab/ 18 E400 Cab
Gas: Is Regular just as Premium?
I friend of mine has an 01e320 and puts regular in his car not premium. He says he has never had any problems and has owned the car for about 4 years.
I've alway been scared to do this, am I being dumb and waisting my money?
I've alway been scared to do this, am I being dumb and waisting my money?
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From: Ft. Lauderdale Area, USA
2015 ML 350
Well... you aren't wasting your money on Premium. The car was designed to burn Premium, but will run somewhat similarly on a good Regular gas. The difference in cost over the car's 4 - 6 year lifetime doesn't amount to $ 1,000. . . I'd rather have the slightly better performance from a car whose timing has not been retarded so as not to knock on the lower octane.
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From: Ft. Lauderdale Area, USA
2015 ML 350
Out Of Control!!
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From: Silicon Valley, CA
1999 C280 Previous / 2008 E350
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From: Albuquerque
'10 CL550, '12 GL550
I like to invite geniuses like this to put their money where their mouth is and post their VIN numbers---so everyone else can avoid their car when it comes on the used market.
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2003 E320
You can save a little bit of money by occasionally putting about 3-4 gallons of regular. The car is designed to run on 91 octane and some parts of the country has 93 octane. So if you keep careful records, you can mathematically calculate how much regular you can mix.
Most people probably don't want to bother. I don't blame them. Per octane, mid-grade is actually the most expensive gas to buy. If you mix 1/3 93 and 2/3 87, you can get 89. 89 often costs 10 cents per gallon more than 87. If you mix your own 89, it often costs 6.7 cents per gallon more than 87.
To make 91 octane, 2 parts 93 and 1 part 87 is 91. If 93 is 20 cents a gallon more, you can mix your own for 13.3 cents a gallon more than 87, saving 6.7 cents a gallon. The difference is less if your area has 92 octane premium.
Most people probably don't want to bother. I don't blame them. Per octane, mid-grade is actually the most expensive gas to buy. If you mix 1/3 93 and 2/3 87, you can get 89. 89 often costs 10 cents per gallon more than 87. If you mix your own 89, it often costs 6.7 cents per gallon more than 87.
To make 91 octane, 2 parts 93 and 1 part 87 is 91. If 93 is 20 cents a gallon more, you can mix your own for 13.3 cents a gallon more than 87, saving 6.7 cents a gallon. The difference is less if your area has 92 octane premium.
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From: Oregon
Harley-Davidson
Originally Posted by lkchris
I like to invite geniuses like this to put their money where their mouth is and post their VIN numbers---so everyone else can avoid their car when it comes on the used market.
Last edited by cyclerider; Mar 22, 2008 at 10:23 PM.
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Mercedes-Benz w124
The average driver drives 12,000 miles per year
Averaging 20 miles per gallon, that is 600 gallons.
The additional cost to go from regular to premium is almost always 10 cents. making the cost to go from regular to premium $60 per year. If you are worried about trying to save money, I would suggest other methods like reducing some of your expenses which just pick away at your discretionary income.
Averaging 20 miles per gallon, that is 600 gallons.
The additional cost to go from regular to premium is almost always 10 cents. making the cost to go from regular to premium $60 per year. If you are worried about trying to save money, I would suggest other methods like reducing some of your expenses which just pick away at your discretionary income.
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Joined: Mar 2008
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2003 E320
The average driver drives 12,000 miles per year
Averaging 20 miles per gallon, that is 600 gallons.
The additional cost to go from regular to premium is almost always 10 cents. making the cost to go from regular to premium $60 per year. If you are worried about trying to save money, I would suggest other methods like reducing some of your expenses which just pick away at your discretionary income.
Averaging 20 miles per gallon, that is 600 gallons.
The additional cost to go from regular to premium is almost always 10 cents. making the cost to go from regular to premium $60 per year. If you are worried about trying to save money, I would suggest other methods like reducing some of your expenses which just pick away at your discretionary income.
By mixing gas, you would save perhaps $40-50/year. Drivers from California wouldn't save anything because their premium is a measly 91 octane. You can save much more by finding a good independent mechanic to work on your car instead of the very expensive dealership. I would think the mixing would only help those in the East Coast who use snow tires. In the winter when you use snow tires, you shouldn't drive like a maniac. The octane requirements during the winter are slightly less than during the summer. Those drivers who meet the above criteria and also have access to 93 octane could mix their gas in the winter and suffer no ill effects.
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From: theOC
2003 E320
. if you wanna save on gas, buy a prius. and be a poser and slap a benz logo on it. or........... buy a mercedes smart car.
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From: Irvine, CA
2008 E550, 2012 GL450, 2014 GLK350, 2015 S550, 2020 GLC350e
No kidding. If $200 more at the end of the year is breaking the bank, you're buying a car you cannot afford. Consider down sizing and stop living beyond your means.
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From: Charlotte, NC
2005 MB E500
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From: Maryland
03 Eclass, 03 BMW 06 Porsche Cayman S, 03 Harley Davidson "bored & stroked"
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From: SFV, SoCal
2022 CLS450 AMG 4Matic
A buddy and I did a test many years ago on both of our BMW 325's. He was using Arco regular and I was using Mobil premium for a full year. We removed both fuel filters and cut them open; we were surprised at what we found. My filter was clean inside with very little deposits and looded great. His filter for some reason had rust in it with all kinds of dirt (sandy looking stuff) in there. We were both about 5k miles in difference and ran about 10-12K miles.
Guys, don't cheap out on Premium gas for the $150 bucks or whatever more a year it costs you. Just don't go out to dinner 1 night a month and there your go!
Guys, don't cheap out on Premium gas for the $150 bucks or whatever more a year it costs you. Just don't go out to dinner 1 night a month and there your go!
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From: Cincinnati
2010 E350 4Matic
What I always find funny about these threads is they seem to occur as the price of gas goes up. Which is ironic given that the higher the price of regular is the better deal premium since it is always 20 cents more
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From: Long Beach, CA
07 E350, 03 Lexus ES300, 04 CLK 320 (gone)
gas prices will rise and fall....
(big deal)
fill up with Premium and you'll be better off in the long run.
...for the record, only Chevron, Mobil or Shell for my cars.
(Put in 'cheap' ga$ and your Benz will fall on it's a$$)
(big deal)fill up with Premium and you'll be better off in the long run.
...for the record, only Chevron, Mobil or Shell for my cars.
(Put in 'cheap' ga$ and your Benz will fall on it's a$$)
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From: Longmont, CO
04 E320 4 Matic, 95 Audi S6, 99 Carrera 4 Cabrio, 12 Fiat 500 Sport, 00 BMW R1200C 10, BMW R1200R
We in the US market should know that our Mercedes gasoline cars have already been detuned to function with 91 octane. In Germany the cheapest gas is about 91, the mid-grade is 95 and super is 98! My Mercedes I had in Germany was a 2.3 16 valve that had to use a minimum of 95. If I had to use 91, I had to turn a switch under the hood.
This means that running 91 octane (which is what we have here in Colorado, perhaps due to altitude) is already the bare minimum the car can take. Going bellow 91 should only be done when there is no other choice. This is no different from buying non steel belted radial tires (bias ply), if you could even find them. You might get away with it, but if something goes wrong, it could cost some money to fix not to mention the car will not drive how it was intended to.
I have once put about 6 gallons of 86 octane in my tank to make it to the next gas station. I drove the car very conservatively and I had no issues, but I would still avoid it. Really, is it really worth it to take the risk?
Steve
This means that running 91 octane (which is what we have here in Colorado, perhaps due to altitude) is already the bare minimum the car can take. Going bellow 91 should only be done when there is no other choice. This is no different from buying non steel belted radial tires (bias ply), if you could even find them. You might get away with it, but if something goes wrong, it could cost some money to fix not to mention the car will not drive how it was intended to.
I have once put about 6 gallons of 86 octane in my tank to make it to the next gas station. I drove the car very conservatively and I had no issues, but I would still avoid it. Really, is it really worth it to take the risk?
Steve
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From: Blasting off!
CLS63 Designo Edition, Hyundai Genesis 3.8 , Veloster Turbo, CLS500(Sold), E320 (SMOKED) R500 (Sold)
We in the US market should know that our Mercedes gasoline cars have already been detuned to function with 91 octane. In Germany the cheapest gas is about 91, the mid-grade is 95 and super is 98! My Mercedes I had in Germany was a 2.3 16 valve that had to use a minimum of 95. If I had to use 91, I had to turn a switch under the hood.
This means that running 91 octane (which is what we have here in Colorado, perhaps due to altitude) is already the bare minimum the car can take. Going bellow 91 should only be done when there is no other choice. This is no different from buying non steel belted radial tires (bias ply), if you could even find them. You might get away with it, but if something goes wrong, it could cost some money to fix not to mention the car will not drive how it was intended to.
I have once put about 6 gallons of 86 octane in my tank to make it to the next gas station. I drove the car very conservatively and I had no issues, but I would still avoid it. Really, is it really worth it to take the risk?
Steve
This means that running 91 octane (which is what we have here in Colorado, perhaps due to altitude) is already the bare minimum the car can take. Going bellow 91 should only be done when there is no other choice. This is no different from buying non steel belted radial tires (bias ply), if you could even find them. You might get away with it, but if something goes wrong, it could cost some money to fix not to mention the car will not drive how it was intended to.
I have once put about 6 gallons of 86 octane in my tank to make it to the next gas station. I drove the car very conservatively and I had no issues, but I would still avoid it. Really, is it really worth it to take the risk?
Steve
I always tell people no matter what car you drive, there are some things to NOT go cheap on:
1. Gas
2. Tires
3. Brakes
4. Rotors
Some of the other parts are up for grabs. Use what it supposed to go on the car. Like mentioned earlier, if it strains you that bad, get a different car on a lower level. Well, you could resort to some illegal measures...OMG did I say that?
Out Of Control!!
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From: West Michigan
2007 E63
We in the US market should know that our Mercedes gasoline cars have already been detuned to function with 91 octane. In Germany the cheapest gas is about 91, the mid-grade is 95 and super is 98! My Mercedes I had in Germany was a 2.3 16 valve that had to use a minimum of 95. If I had to use 91, I had to turn a switch under the hood.
This means that running 91 octane (which is what we have here in Colorado, perhaps due to altitude) is already the bare minimum the car can take. Going bellow 91 should only be done when there is no other choice. This is no different from buying non steel belted radial tires (bias ply), if you could even find them. You might get away with it, but if something goes wrong, it could cost some money to fix not to mention the car will not drive how it was intended to.
I have once put about 6 gallons of 86 octane in my tank to make it to the next gas station. I drove the car very conservatively and I had no issues, but I would still avoid it. Really, is it really worth it to take the risk?
Steve
This means that running 91 octane (which is what we have here in Colorado, perhaps due to altitude) is already the bare minimum the car can take. Going bellow 91 should only be done when there is no other choice. This is no different from buying non steel belted radial tires (bias ply), if you could even find them. You might get away with it, but if something goes wrong, it could cost some money to fix not to mention the car will not drive how it was intended to.
I have once put about 6 gallons of 86 octane in my tank to make it to the next gas station. I drove the car very conservatively and I had no issues, but I would still avoid it. Really, is it really worth it to take the risk?
Steve
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From: Oregon
Harley-Davidson
Originally Posted by AsianML
Don't they have a different measure for octane or something?
