Is everyone out there running premium fuel in their SLKs? Was just reading an article in the paper this morning re: fuel purchases. Because of the high cost of gasoline in the U.S., there's been a significant decrease in the sales of premium fuel. Several experts were quoted and they said that there is no harm done to the car if a lower grade of gas is used because the onboard computers simply adjust to the grade of gasoline. The only difference, they noted, is a slight decrease in performance - hardly noticeable to the average driver. They even quoted a Mercedes-Benz dealer who said that he uses regular fuel in his Mercedes and hasn't noticed any difference. Anyone running regular in their SLK? Any problems?
You must be joking [:(][:(][:(][:(][:(] - about $10 per gallon in the UK and your cars are about 2/3rds the cost of ours[:(!]
I run mine on 2star, unleaded (about the only fuel apart from diesel that you can regularly get in the UK), and no probs so far. (if you do comparisons, keep in mind the octane ratings(and gallons)) between the UK and the States are different.
Yikes! $10 gallon? That's STEEP. Here in the US, there are normally three gasoline grades: Regular Unleaded, Premium Unleaded, and a Mid-Level Grade. The difference in price between the regular and Premium is about 40 to 50 cents a gallon. With a 20 gallon tank, that's a $10/tank savings on a fill-up. The recommended fuels for my Lexus and BMW are Premium Unleaded (91 or 92 octane) or higher. Not sure what it is on the SLKs, but I'd guess that they are "recommending" the Premium Unleaded. It's awful tempting to "buy down," but it's false economics if it leads to "pinging" and serious engine problems down the road...
That's interesting because one of the local news stations did a program on this subject and the outcome was premium fuel was not required for most cars EXCEPT high performance engines like Porsche, Mercedes, etc.
I am going to continue to use Premium. If you look at it logically, the difference is only about $3 -$4 per fill up. The cost of a Starbucks double mocha latte[:D]
In the UK our "standard" unleaded petrol is 95RON (Research Octane Number). This replaced our old leaded fuel which was nominally 100RON.
If we wish to spend even more, Shell Optimax is available which has a rating of 98RON, and is supposed to make your car perform like a Formula 1 skateboard.....tosh!
If the "Premium" grade in the States is 91 or 92, that equates to what I run my lawnmower on![:0][:0]
If I was running a performance car over there, I would be looking for Super Duper Premium grade!!
While I would stick with USA premium for the SLK350, one might question whether the SLK280 would be OK with the USA mid level octane. I note on the fuel cover (USA spec model) inside it says to use premium. Here in Europe there are three grades of petrol - the highest being Super with I believe an octane rating of 98 (198 ?). Anyway,the Eurodelivery instructions were to use the European mid range petrol fuel for the SLK280 with the 95 (195 ?) octane rating.
Actually it's only a bit over $7, but it's still expensive. However the lowest grade of fuel available is 95 RON. Most performance cars use 98 or 99 RON, both of which are available. When Mercedes-Benz quote 360 bhp for the SLK55, you can be sure that is measured using 98 RON fuel (which meets standard EN 14274). Power would be somewhat reduced when using 91 RON or whatever low grade stuff you get in other parts of the world. In my experience the difference between 95 and 98 RON is noticeable in normal road use in cars which are designed to take advantage of it. Also, you usually get better fuel economy from a higher grade, which helps offset the increased cost.
In the Chicago area, the difference between regular and mid-range is 10 cents per gallon and between regular and premium is 20 cents per gallon. Based on a 20 gallon tank you can save $4.00 per fill up. If that $4.00 per fill up matters, you should be driving a Honda Civic not a Mercedes SLK
Hey Duo-Art - Every dollar counts. How do you think I was able to save up enough money to buy the SLK? Took me 35 years, but it will hopefully be worth it. Hah!
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