1972 BMW 3.0 CSi is out of gas...

Premium anything. That's according to an engineer friend who did the research. BTW, brand names and no names sell the same gas. The old myth about bottom gas is false.

Yes, it's a hit when I fill up but how often does that happen. And as for mpg checks, who cares.
 
I had a little panic attack at the gas pump. I was deciding on the different "unleaded" blends (89, 91, 93) and then a thought came to mind...o crap, wait a minute...are these engines set up for leaded gas only?
 
Since the car has a hardened valve seat, they will be fine on unleaded of suitable octane. Try to get fuel with a low amount of Ethanol if possible.
 
Sometimes you can get ethanol free gas at a boat gas station. Good luck!

Also you can get 100 octane at a regional airport - but that's a different topic altogether!

Cheers

James
 
It would definitely be overkill, but you can get ethanol-free, 100 octane racing gas at drive-up pumps in so-cal. And it's pricey. One I know about is in Vista (north San Diego county), but I'm sure there are others.
 
CA gas is the worst. It has resulted in stuck floats in the carbs, and two separate/dangerous gas leaks from eating away the rubber in the gas lines.

I just don't drive the car enough to circulate out the gas (corn) before it turns bad.

Unfortunately, there are no signs of ending this nonsense - instead the CA gov't is looking to ramp us up to 15% blends!
 
tightbox said:
CA gas is the worst. It has resulted in stuck floats in the carbs, and two separate/dangerous gas leaks from eating away the rubber in the gas lines.

I just don't drive the car enough to circulate out the gas (corn) before it turns bad.

Unfortunately, there are no signs of ending this nonsense - instead the CA gov't is looking to ramp us up to 15% blends!
Click to expand...

find a local small airfield and buy avgas. High octane, corn-free
 
I've driven my carbureted Bavaria on California gas of every octane rating for seven years and have never experienced a problem, either with the 3.0 motor or the 3.5 setup.
 
My old cars absolutely love avgas as does the 840 with cats removed. It also seems to last very well perhaps due to the lack of ethanol content.
 
Just wondering how easy it is to buy Avgas for a car? I'd imagine their are some strict rules when it comes to buying AV gas ? Hard to imagine their not being laws prohibiting this (with fines) in the US or Canada.
 
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After December 31, 1995, it shall be unlawful for any person to sell, offer for sale, supply, offer for supply, dispense, transport,or introduce into commerce, for use as fuel in any motor vehicle (as defined in section 7554(2) of this title) any gasoline which contains lead or lead additives....
Section 211(n) bans the use of gasoline containing lead or lead additives for use as a motor vehicle fuel but does not restrict other potential uses of gasoline containing lead or lead additives. The definition of motor vehicle is limited to self-propelled vehicles designed for transporting persons or property on a street or highway. 42 U.S.C. 7550(2). The regulations of 40 CFR Part 80, which are amended by this rule, apply only to fuel that is sold for use in motor vehicles. See 40 CFR 80.2(c). The petroleum industry may continue to make and market gasoline produced with lead additives for all remaining uses, including use as fuel in aircraft, racing cars, and nonroad engines such as farm equipment engines and marine engines, to the extent otherwise allowed by law.

http://www.epa.gov/EPA-AIR/1996/February/Day-02/pr-1326.html

Avgas is also way more expensive than automotive gas. You will pay $5.78/gal on average for self service 100LL in NoCal.

http://www.airnav.com/fuel/local.html

I'd be concentrating on getting my engine to live on autogas.
 
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