Yeah, I get it. Most of my posts can be very sophomoric, but I need to hear from you all about the questions I have so that I can gain more knowledge. They may seem very simplistic to you, but not from my point of view. So, with that said....when I was a lot younger and driving performance cars, it was always known to only go to Chevron before BP bought them out because it was the best fuel you could find. Jump to the twenty-first century; the only fuel one could count on were the stations that sold 98-100 octane on the weekends, and I'm not sure that's a good idea unless I'm driving some "Super Car." With that in mind, what stations should I go to, and which ones should I avoid?

Thank you.

 

I stick to Top Tier rated fuel stations: https://www.toptiergas.com/gasoline-brands/

In practice, my SL63 mostly runs on Sunoco 94 octane followed by Exxon 93 octane if the local Sunoco is not on my route that day.

This is supplemented by a fuel system additive every oil change and a fuel filter change every 40-50K miles.

P.S. I see no issue with threads / posts like this. Fuel ratings, additive packages and compositions change over time, and there is a geographical variance with fuels as well...so what might have been relevant info in an old thread may no longer apply today.

 

All of the gas stations get there fuel from the same place. There’s 15 diffeeent tankers filling from the same hose.

 

All of the gas stations get there fuel from the same place. There’s 15 diffeeent tankers filling from the same hose.

 

While is there is a lot of commonality in the distribution network, what comes out of the pump and into your car's fuel tank is not all the same.

Major gas brands use their own additive packages, with some being better than others.

Some more info on what goes into Top Tier evaluation: https://www.toptiergas.com/wp-conten...dard_Rev-G.pdf

 

To HGL,
Thank you for your input and knowledge on this topic. Unfortunately or not, You own an SL63 AMG, whereas I own a much inferior SL550. I wish to upgrade to the SL55 AMG or fallback and go with a 2008-2012 BMW M3 (hard top convertible) because I miss that type of handling and a manual transmission. I come from a 2008 Z4M that I had for eight years. I have now owned my 550 for a little more than one year, and it still seems strange driving my MBZ. Don't get me wrong, I love my MBZ (but not so much the economics of upkeep) because I had owned one before I owned the BMW. The luxury of the MBZ has always been amazing, but correct me if I'm wrong. Along with that, luxury comes with much more that can go wrong. But in the bigger picture, all that is relative depends on one's economics.

 

Always happy to help.

The SL550 is a great car and still plenty powerful to have some fun with, although you'll probably have a bit more fun with the SL55 if you go that route.

I've spent a lot of time in the BMW world and certainly appreciate their (older) cars. Both the E93 M3 and the Z4 M are excellent cars.

Thankfully my everyday car has a manual transmission that I enjoy, but something a bit more analog like an older M Car or Porsche would be a nice experience down the road.

How was your ownership experience with the Z4 M?

 

Well, we seem to be off-topic here, but the OP started it.
I have had a 2013 BMW M3 (E92) Manual-trans for 8 years now during which I have driven it 30,000 miles, much of it on race tracks. I don't recall ever having a problem of any kind. Besides frequent oil and brake fluid changes, I replaced the spark plugs once, but nothing else comes to mind. It has a performance tune. For track life, I upgraded to F80 wheel hubs, 6-piston Brembo brakes and some stiffer suspension bushings. Unlike my previous two BMW E90 335xi, it has been a super reliable car. However it gets terrible gas mileage due to its gearing (3500 RPM at 80mph) and is somewhat lacking in torque.
For daily driving, I prefer my SL600 which I bought just 3 years ago with 24,000 miles. After almost immediately installing a performance tune, it had frequent misfire codes, but these were solved with a new fuel pump. Other than draining the batteries it was solid for 2 years. Well, the top has a fluid leak; I have eliminated all but the main vertical cylinder. As reasonably expected, swapping in an AMG engine from a different type car forced me to learn a lot. Disassembling and replacing parts on a perfectly working ABC system forced me to learn even more. I feel much more comfortable driving a car which I know very well now.
Due to my close connections to the local BMW dealer, I have driven many of the newest BMWs including the electric ones. Frankly these "digital apps on wheels" eliminate any driving passion and road feel. Their electric steering doesn't have the directly feel of hydraulic systems. (I owned a 2018 BMW F80 M3, but sold it after a few years. Fast but no road feel.) And I know it will be nearly impossible to tinker with their drivetrains. I'm sure the same is true of the latest MB models.

 

The only issue I had with the Z4 was the damn convertible top. They placed the hydraulic pump in the worst place possible. It's located in this kinda cylinder hole with little cover and is prone to fill up with water when it rains; thus, the pump would fail. Get a new pump, and that would fail. I knew someone who had the pump placed in an area without rain or water touching it. It was a custom job, and if I ever go back to the Z4, that will be the first thing I will have done for the car. It's damn expensive to replace that pump and the labor. Why BMW thought placing the pump in that area was a good idea is beyond me.