Supermarket Fuel

[KirkJames]

Just a little something to show how 5hite normal 95 unleaded from supermarkets can be.
I have a decat but without a MIL eliminator kit and I used to use mainly 95 ron fuel and after a little while the MIL light would come on as I expected it to. Now, for the last 2 months I have used nothing but V-Power or Tesco Momentum and the MIL light has not come on at all but on Friday I was about to set off to go to Bath and I pulled into Tesco but they had run out of Momentum. I had next to nowt left in my tank and needed to fill up so I used the 95 unleaded and I only got about 15 mile down the road and.....................................

MIL light flashes up!!!

I highly doubt this is a coincidence and just goes to show how much better/cleaner the 99 stuff really is. I will always use this now whenever possible :)

[grimmy]

It's not all supermarkets fuel its only the bloody Tesco stuff I use and have used Asda fuel since I got my mk2 180 and have had no problems in that period. however I used normal Tesco petrol three times over that period and on every occasion the MIL has came on for a failure with the same oxygen sensor.it can't be a coincidence.

[Lukeus101]

As mentioned probably countless times the only main difference in the fuels is the additives that are contained in them. That is what gives it the Octane rating, If you are running low again maybe stick a tenner in and then go straight to a shell or another tesco for Momentum. :)

[andy-81]

I had a massive argument wit a guy on .org about this and Luke is spot on the mark the guy on .org said it was just petrol made on the cheap when it's not it's the additives that lack. But me myself háček used regular unleaded from tesco all of my driving life and never had a problem, the only thing that I find is that it doesn't last as long

[Lukeus101]

Thing is I worked for Tesco (fuels) for 7 Years and now I work for Shell so i should know my stuff lol. In reference to that .org dude andy he pm'd me...LOL. In a 180 i would always use Vpower or Momentum. A 110/120 Id look more towards BP ultimate (97 Ron) or Shell Fuelsave (cheaper but fairly similar)

[talkingcars]

I have been keeping records at http://www.fuelly.com/driver/talkingcars/zs for the best part of a year and have seen no difference in consumption between regular and super from either Sainsburys or BP and despite wishful thinking no difference in performance or manners so am sticking to sainsburys 95 ron (and necter points) in my ZS.

[Lukeus101]

BP ultimate is only 97, hence why there might not have been much of a difference

[KirkJames]

I put Ultimate in on the way back and there doesn't seem much difference. I have found that V-Power seems to have a bit more of a punch, Momentum lasts longer and Jury is still out on the Ultimate.

By the way, I don't have a problem with the normal Tesco stuff, I have used it for years. I was just saying that the 99 stuff obviously (with the additives) seems to burn cleaner, hence why the MIL stays off when using these but comes back with the 95 stuff. I get points with Tesco and do a 56 mile round trip to work so I will stick with them probably using their Momentum. I didn't want to turn this into a which is better thread as that's been done to death lol :) I was just commenting on how the 99 stuff apears to burn better, and my average MPG aint bad either if you look at my sig.

[Lukeus101]

99 ftw ;)

[vanishing days]

I found my camaro ran rather poorly on low octane fuel
But I have never noticed the difference with the zs

[daytona365]

not joining the argument, but in my case no probs with Tesco. Use it in the Zed as I work literally next door to Tesco. So I never have to go out of my way to fill up.
When I go and see my daughter "uuuuup north" I go past a tesco so fill up, and when I get to her house, guess what, right next door......yep tesco. Would love to use V-Power, especially as a Ferrari fan i'd be using the stuff as them.

[KirkJames]

Yeah I go past a Shell garage on the way to work so if I am low I will pull in and use V-Power otherwise it's momentum :)

[James Raby]

Mostly use momentum or it's predecessor for years, have running issues with 95 from tesco

Sainsburys super if I need fuel desperately

V power does give more punch for sure! Prefer it

Ultimate from bp, ok but don't rate it at all

[KirkJames]

The ultimate that's in at the moment doesn't feel any different really, going to fill up in wroxham tomorrow morning with V-Power when I get my hair cut.
Not at the same time tho ;)

[mattie007]

Never noticed a difference in the 120. Last tank full of Morrisons fuel at 126.9 got me 510 miles, can't complain.

[daytona365]

The ultimate that's in at the moment doesn't feel any different really, going to fill up in wroxham tomorrow morning with V-Power when I get my hair cut.
Not at the same time tho ;)

Well these petrol stations sell hot food, why not a barbers. Means even longer to wait for the car in front to move lol..........

[James Raby]

The ultimate that's in at the moment doesn't feel any different really, going to fill up in wroxham tomorrow morning with V-Power when I get my hair cut.
Not at the same time tho ;)

Ain't shell no more...

[KevG]

Thing is I worked for Tesco (fuels) for 7 Years and now I work for Shell so i should know my stuff lol. In reference to that .org dude andy he pm'd me...LOL. In a 180 i would always use Vpower or Momentum. A 110/120 Id look more towards BP ultimate (97 Ron) or Shell Fuelsave (cheaper but fairly similar)

So the Supermarket Fuel against Petrol Forecourt Fuels (ie BP, Shell, Jet, Total, Gulf, Esso, Texaco etc)

All petrol is the same at to which point the customer ie Asda etc dictate what formula the their petrol must be, so they add there own additive(s)

One of our users commented that using higher octane fuel than your engine requires actually gives no benefit and may be a waste of money. This is because virtually NO engines require 98 RON over 95, and the market for ‘super’ fuels seems to be based on people’s misunderstanding of octane ratings and the placebo effect of filling up with ‘more powerful’ fuel – making motorists think their engine is running better in some way.

What do the fuel companies say then, to justify the “increased power” claims for the super grade fuels? Some companies say that while all fuels contain cleaning additives, ‘super’ fuels contain more or better detergents to keep the injectors cleaner than standard fuel. Others say the fuel is a few percent denser which gives slightly more power per litre. These benefits may be marginal though in comparison to the extra cost involved so it is worth ensuring that your engine will actually benefit before filling up.

Some engines actually do need higher octane fuel, such as race engines with very high compression and some turbocharged engines, such as the import version of the Nissan Skyline. Also, a few vehicles, such as the new BMW K1200R motorbike, can sense knock and adjust their engine tuning to take advantage of higher grade fuels. Another user commented that the 2004 BMW 330 also does this, according to the driver’s handbook it makes 231 BHP on 98 octane and 221 BHP on 95. This ability is apparently widespread amongst German performance cars using Bosch / Siemens electronic engine controls.

Bloody good marketing campaign really , in which I personally dont fall into the trap.
I personally am not prepared to pay through the nose for no benefit at all, simples.

[James Raby]

Kev, cars do react differently to different fuel

Not saying all do, anything other than a highly tuned 1.6 engine upwards will be a complete waste of time, including a 1.8 zs, it ain't worth putting it in

You need at least 170+bhp to even feel it

I DO get more economy to higher octane fuel, at least 35 mile or so .... Simples ;)

[ian zs180]

I wouldnt touch any supermarket fuel full stop that includes momentum its still supermarket fuel which ever way you dress it up . I,m lucky i have a shell a mile away from me so always use vpower and my car has never missed a beat on it .

[Lukeus101]

Take it from me mate and independent tests, Momentum is a very good fuel :)

[mattie007]

Didn't 5th gear run a test a few years back with different fuels in a high performance car and found no difference?
Then again, if folks on here are finding benefits then it must work.

[KirkJames]

Ain't shell no more...
What!! Boll0cks, I didn't know that! Need to go via a shell if I can but if not I'll stop at the Tesco on Ipswich Road in Norwich on way to Wroxham.

Didn't 5th gear run a test a few years back with different fuels in a high performance car and found no difference?
Then again, if folks on here are finding benefits then it must work.

Something works for it not to throw up my MIL light, whether people can feel it or not it must be burning cleaner or I would get the light on the dash with no cat there ;)

Each to their own.........Happy motoring people :)

[guru]

My policy on putting fuel in is that I use the cheapest stuff that happens to be nearby when the needle's pointing to the red bit on the dial! :fishing:

I've run quite a variety of cars from a 1.1 205 back in the day through to my ZS's, ZT's a BMW 540i, 4l Soarer, Hilux Surf and even an MG RV8, all on the cheapest fuel (usually supermarket) and never had a problem. With some of those, the 540i most recently I did try high octane fuels and was amazed at the difference..........there simply wasn't any!

The only time I've ever had a fuel related issue was when the entire region had a contaminated batch of LPG which contained too much heavy oil or something which meant that the car would still on idle on gas. Thankfully that problem stopped when the local station refilled their tanks!

[Maxxed_Ross]

I know a few people that are involved with the shell fuel labs... and after seeing the difference between even shell normal unleaded and supermarket junk i would never touch the stuff again. Plus my local tesco has been fined twice in as many years for sticking normal fuel in the 99 tank and selling it at 99 prices.

Shell or BP only for me. when running a performance car its just not worth the risk

[Jay-ZS+]

Wouldn't call the 180 a performance car though, besides soon the unleaded will be biofuel. http://www.pistonheads.com/news/default.asp?storyId=24900

[Fred68]

Wouldn't call the 180 a performance car though, besides soon the unleaded will be biofuel. http://www.pistonheads.com/news/default.asp?storyId=24900

A 180 is a performance saloon even if the engine is'nt that powerful for it's size!! It does have a capacity advantage so It's faster than Fords ST 170 by a quite a margin and that's a Hot Hatch

[Jay-ZS+]

A 180 is a performance saloon even if the engine is'nt that powerful for it's size!! It does have a capacity advantage so It's faster than Fords ST 170 by a quite a margin and that's a Hot Hatch

Depends what you class as performance. I wouldnt call the Kv6 a performance engine, that would make the freelander a performance car! But my point was its a large engine for its power, its a lazy V6. Has a lower specific output and BMEP compared to say the ST (52.5Kw/L vs 63.75Kw/L). So its not as highly tuned to maximise its volumetric efficiency and therefore you probably wouldnt notice the difference between 95ron and 99ron. I suggest most of it is a placebo like when people say the car feels more responsive with a full tank of fuel, chances are they are using more gas as not watching the fuel gauge.

Think the engines that notice it most are highly tuned sports bike engines for example the zx6r which has have over double the zs specific output at 134.85Kw/L by producing 107bhp from a tiny 600cc engine.

I stick in what evers close when I hit the redline.

[Fred68]

Depends what you class as performance. I wouldnt call the Kv6 a performance engine, that would make the freelander a performance car! But my point was its a large engine for its power, its a lazy V6. Has a lower specific output and BMEP compared to say the ST (52.5Kw/L vs 63.75Kw/L). So its not as highly tuned to maximise its volumetric efficiency and therefore you probably wouldnt notice the difference between 95ron and 99ron. I suggest most of it is a placebo like when people say the car feels more responsive with a full tank of fuel, chances are they are using more gas as not watching the fuel gauge.

Think the engines that notice it most are highly tuned sports bike engines for example the zx6r which has have over double the zs specific output at 134.85Kw/L by producing 107bhp from a tiny 600cc engine.

I stick in what evers close when I hit the redline.

Ok. I'll go with you on that!! ;)

[p_b82]

I know i run a diesel but we have cetane ratings rather than octane..

and i know for sure that i get better mialage out of bp ultimate than i do 'bog standrd fuel'

However i put in branded fuel - and top it is up with millars fuel additive. for me it gives a noticable smooth idle (once the car is warm as she hunts like anything when cold) and less smoke out the back and a few more mpg. cost wise it works out about the same as
if i were to use 'ultimate' diesel all the time.

Shell v-power diesel actuall costs me mpg - this is apaprently due to the way it is made....

As mentioned on another thread my parents had an old vaux carlton and they had nothing but problems with it at the end of it;s life with esitation and stalling - and some decent fuel cured it - ever since they i aoid supermarket fuel where possible!

[Maxxed_Ross]

I was calling the RB320 a performance engine lol.

Up until i bought that everything was run on supermarket fuel without any issues. I've been forced to use it in the impreza twice when i couldn't get VPower and it didn't like it at all. Even my girlfriend commented on how lumpy it sounded

[Jay-ZS+]

I was calling the RB320 a performance engine lol.

I knew that and I agree with you on that one was just saying the KV6 isnt! :thumbsup: