Premium petrol - worth it?
Discussion
Depends on the car. If its tuned for the higher octane then you will get a bit more power but dont expect miracles. Modern cars have knock sensors so can adjust the timing to take advantage of the extra octane, older cars dont so will make no difference.
I use it in the TVR as its tuned for high octane. I've tried it in the Golf V5 and Omega V6 no obvious improvement so just continue using the 95.
I use it in the TVR as its tuned for high octane. I've tried it in the Golf V5 and Omega V6 no obvious improvement so just continue using the 95.
fozluvscars said:
Stuck v-max in the car the other day, and was convinced the car was pokier. Pretty sure i wasn't imagining it, but when i raised the subject with some fellow car nuts, i was derided for being a mug. Anyone else bother with the expensive stuff?
Wasn't there one of these only 10 days back??Same advice - look up and research what such fuels are and what they do differently. And then you'll be well informed to tell your mates who's being the mugs.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shell_V-Power
PoleDriver said:
What octane fuel was your car set up for?
What compression ratio is it?
Has it got a knock sensor or switch to adjust for higher octane?
err, i can answer the first question, the manufacturer recommends 98ron, but most garages near me have 97 so i've been using that. Tesco's 'momentum' is 99 and competively priced, so have used that a few times. Using the v-max though was the first time i felt a difference....it could have been due to other factors such as it was a bit cooler that day etc. i don't do too many miles, so the cost isn't a factor at the moment, but would be if i were to use the car more....oh, and google says that the car does have a knock sensorWhat compression ratio is it?
Has it got a knock sensor or switch to adjust for higher octane?
It says to use the premium stuff on my filler cap so I do.
I always feel like I owe it to the engine for knocking out 180BHP from a 1.4 engine.
There is probably very very little benefit (Ran it on the ordinary stuff when I had a company fuel card, no difference.)
But hopefully it does some good, and will ensure a reliable car in 100k miles...
I always feel like I owe it to the engine for knocking out 180BHP from a 1.4 engine.
There is probably very very little benefit (Ran it on the ordinary stuff when I had a company fuel card, no difference.)
But hopefully it does some good, and will ensure a reliable car in 100k miles...
Eighteeteewhy said:
Petrol at 90.9p a litre. 
Shaw Tarse said:
Eighteeteewhy said:
Then I'll repost http://www.petroldirect.com/Totally depends on the car. If you thought the car felt pokier and ran better than you need to decide whether than feeling is justified by the extra 8p or so a litre.
My old prelude (2000 2.0l 16v) and terrible on 95. On Vpower it was loads smoother and pulled a lot better. I always ran it on Vpower. It didnt seem to have the same effect on any other premium fuel though.
My current car probably wouldnt benefit so I don't bother.
My old prelude (2000 2.0l 16v) and terrible on 95. On Vpower it was loads smoother and pulled a lot better. I always ran it on Vpower. It didnt seem to have the same effect on any other premium fuel though.
My current car probably wouldnt benefit so I don't bother.
I put 2 tanks of BP Ultimate into my car just to see if it would make a difference. It maybe felt a bit smoother under acceleration but then that could have been my imagination. I never found out if my car has a knock sensor so it probably made very little if any difference. Unless it's a car putting out adequate power (e.g. 100hp per litre), then it's probably just worth sticking with 95RON.
fozluvscars said:
PoleDriver said:
What octane fuel was your car set up for?
What compression ratio is it?
Has it got a knock sensor or switch to adjust for higher octane?
err, i can answer the first question, the manufacturer recommends 98ron, but most garages near me have 97 so i've been using that. Tesco's 'momentum' is 99 and competively priced, so have used that a few times. Using the v-max though was the first time i felt a difference....it could have been due to other factors such as it was a bit cooler that day etc. i don't do too many miles, so the cost isn't a factor at the moment, but would be if i were to use the car more....oh, and google says that the car does have a knock sensorWhat compression ratio is it?
Has it got a knock sensor or switch to adjust for higher octane?
Personally I have had better results from Shell V-Power than the Tesco equivalent in my Cerbera. If the manufacturers are to be believed there are many more 'beneficial' additives in the Shell fuel but the price differential can put some people off.
The problem with the buttocks dyno is that it's regularly full of s
t.
If your manual says : "Use Super unleaded (minimum 97 RON) for best performance and economy" then you're probably better off putting it in. Otherwise you're mostly wasting your cash.
We did this to death here:
http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...
Worth reading if you want a technical explanation, although the majority of posters still don't understand. But I would say that as I wrote the explanation!
t.If your manual says : "Use Super unleaded (minimum 97 RON) for best performance and economy" then you're probably better off putting it in. Otherwise you're mostly wasting your cash.
We did this to death here:
http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...
Worth reading if you want a technical explanation, although the majority of posters still don't understand. But I would say that as I wrote the explanation!
andy-xr said:
I'm undecided. I saw an mpg increase using special diesel over stock, but I'm out in the US at the moment and there's not much difference between the 87 RON against 93 RON on MPG and it hasnt really affected the poke of the Mustang I'm driving
That won't be RON. US gas is not quoted in RON like ours is 
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