Shell V-Power unleaded price premium over standard

[SOL111]

The Mad Monk said:

I suggest these results are not statistically valid, as there is insufficient control over the variables.

Of course. I'm not sure what the independent figures are but suspect there are some gains for the right engines.

However, what matters to end users is how it benefits them individually. I'm sure I may have been an outlier but found it wasn't worth it

[RobM77]

siovey said:

TBH I don't even notice what price it is. I have to fill mine up with v-power due to the mods/remap so that's that

Same here. It's not on the big sign out front, so I rarely look. I think it's about 9-10p more per litre.

[The Mad Monk]

SOL111 said:

The Mad Monk said:

I suggest these results are not statistically valid, as there is insufficient control over the variables.

Of course. I'm not sure what the independent figures are but suspect there are some gains for the right engines.

However, what matters to end users is how it benefits them individually. I'm sure I may have been an outlier but found it wasn't worth it

You would have thought that if V power is such wonderful stuff, that they would have arranged for independent tests carried out by independent laboratories, supervised by independent examiners, verified by independent authorities to prove to the world what wonderful stuff V power is, wouldn't you?

But they don't, do they?

Hmm? I wonder why that is?

[Weekendrebuild]

Love this thread , if I’m honest few quid extra on a fill up really doesn’t make sod all difference and i do notice difference compared to any of the other premium brands especially in any import cars !

[SOL111]

The Mad Monk said:

SOL111 said:

The Mad Monk said:

I suggest these results are not statistically valid, as there is insufficient control over the variables.

Of course. I'm not sure what the independent figures are but suspect there are some gains for the right engines.

However, what matters to end users is how it benefits them individually. I'm sure I may have been an outlier but found it wasn't worth it

You would have thought that if V power is such wonderful stuff, that they would have arranged for independent tests carried out by independent laboratories, supervised by independent examiners, verified by independent authorities to prove to the world what wonderful stuff V power is, wouldn't you?

But they don't, do they?

Hmm? I wonder why that is?

Oh for sure. I've seen some YouTube videos showing the cleaning properties but these weren't scientific.

The other stuff I've seen were 5th Gear type Investigations.

To be honest I'm open to the possibility that they may be worth it for some but I never found much benefit on my EP3 Type R or M140.

[RobM77]

Weekendrebuild said:

Love this thread , if I’m honest few quid extra on a fill up really doesn’t make sod all difference and i do notice difference compared to any of the other premium brands especially in any import cars !

There is definitely a difference, especially with something like your MR2 Turbo. You do pay for it though. In your MR2 for example, 10p a litre more on fuel for the 55L fuel tank is £5.50 extra per fill up. If you do 15k miles a year at 30mpg, that's 41 tanks of fuel, or £225 a year extra to run on super. That's a top of the range smartphone every few years.

[SonicShadow]

My car will blow its knock sensor to bits if I put in 95RON, so I just fill up wherever is closer when I need to fill up - Tesco or Shell for their 99RON. Makes no difference which one.

[gizlaroc]

SOL111 said:

Must be variable as I didn't notice that on my M140, perhaps a few mpg but not worth the extra.

Although I was already getting 35 so may have already been at the limit for my commute.

Depends how long you run it for.

It takes around 2-3 tanks to get it purring with 98/99ron, but put a quarter tank of 95 back in and you are back to square one and you will need another couple of tanks to get it running at its best again.

I did some rolling roads with it on 99 and 95 and it was down over 30hp on the 95 ron.

I have posted this graph before, probably on this thread....

[TTOBES]

Liked reading this thread on the commute this morning; I'll be filling the tank with V-Power this week to kick off a drive to Italy. I have always put the "good stuff" in my car before a long journey. Also will be the first journey longer than 40 miles since changing cars in April!

[gizlaroc]

janesmith1950 said:

Life is just too short to spend it worrying about minimal differences in fuel and making special journeys for particular fuels.

As long as it meets the British standard, I'm happy to chuck anything in my cars.

The 99 ron on many cars works out cheaper, it has far better cleaning agents in it, and you get a nice increase in power and the way it feels.

It is not a special journey, it is just picking up the super unleaded pump at the petrol station.

[gizlaroc]

The Mad Monk said:

You would have thought that if V power is such wonderful stuff, that they would have arranged for independent tests carried out by independent laboratories, supervised by independent examiners, verified by independent authorities to prove to the world what wonderful stuff V power is, wouldn't you?

But they don't, do they?

Hmm? I wonder why that is?

The simple fact is, most petrol cars from around the mid 90s have had knock sensors.
In laymans terms there is a map for 95 fuel and one for 98 fuel.
Official figures tend to be for 98 ron fuel, you can put in as low as 95 but it will retard the timing so it doesn't knock, but you will of course lose power and mpg.

This isn't some snake oil, it is simply how cars work.

[SOL111]

gizlaroc said:

SOL111 said:

Must be variable as I didn't notice that on my M140, perhaps a few mpg but not worth the extra.

Although I was already getting 35 so may have already been at the limit for my commute.

Depends how long you run it for.

It takes around 2-3 tanks to get it purring with 98/99ron, but put a quarter tank of 95 back in and you are back to square one and you will need another couple of tanks to get it running at its best again.

I did some rolling roads with it on 99 and 95 and it was down over 30hp on the 95 ron.

I have posted this graph before, probably on this thread....

I did full months of Tesco 99 and then VPower. I used to fill up every week so did give it a good crack before calling it a day.

I don't dispute the potential power gains but even living round Milton Keynes way, rarely climbed the revs enough to ever want or need an extra 30bhp. On a track I'd absolutely fill up with 99 but on a daily commute could live with 30bhp less.

Like I said, I did genuinely feel that the engine ran smoother but that wasn't sufficient to spend the extra, when doing 18k miles pa. As Rob has mentioned above, it's not insignificant. Sure I could afford it but I didn't see the point.

[gizlaroc]

RobM77 said:

There is definitely a difference, especially with something like your MR2 Turbo. You do pay for it though. In your MR2 for example, 10p a litre more on fuel for the 55L fuel tank is £5.50 extra per fill up. If you do 15k miles a year at 30mpg, that's 41 tanks of fuel, or £225 a year extra to run on super. That's a top of the range smartphone every few years.

You're forgetting the mpg benefit though, you will gain between 5-15% depending on the engine, so with a 10p increase worse case is around the same, best case is a small saving.


On my E350 it was an 80 litre tank, I used to get around 77 litres in between fill ups.
On 95 I never managed to get to 500 miles between fill ups, usually around 460-480, but on the 98 ron I used to see 520-560 miles pretty much every tank.

After 10 months of using 98ron I went back to 95 for a few tanks as my local Shell the V-Power went up to £1.50 vs £1.30 on the 95, and sure enough it was back to 460 miles per tank again. Plus you could feel the car had lost some pick up too.
This was in the summer too.

[SOL111]

Except it's not always a benefit. It may have been for you but not everyone.

It's something that people will have to try and work out for themselves.

There's no definitive answer.

[RobM77]

gizlaroc said:

RobM77 said:

There is definitely a difference, especially with something like your MR2 Turbo. You do pay for it though. In your MR2 for example, 10p a litre more on fuel for the 55L fuel tank is £5.50 extra per fill up. If you do 15k miles a year at 30mpg, that's 41 tanks of fuel, or £225 a year extra to run on super. That's a top of the range smartphone every few years.

You're forgetting the mpg benefit though, you will gain between 5-15% depending on the engine, so with a 10p increase worse case is around the same, best case is a small saving.


On my E350 it was an 80 litre tank, I used to get around 77 litres in between fill ups.
On 95 I never managed to get to 500 miles between fill ups, usually around 460-480, but on the 98 ron I used to see 520-560 miles pretty much every tank.

After 10 months of using 98ron I went back to 95 for a few tanks as my local Shell the V-Power went up to £1.50 vs £1.30 on the 95, and sure enough it was back to 460 miles per tank again. Plus you could feel the car had lost some pick up too.
This was in the summer too.

I was replying specifically to the point that a few quid every week isn't much, whereas it is because it all adds up. It's the same logic that makes people buy cars on a monthly figure because a few hundred a month sounds less than thousands in one hit.

Sure though, if your car recoups the benefits in mpg then it pays for itself, plus you get a fuel that's better for your engine and more power when you want it. Those benefits aren't there for everyone though.

[manracer]

I work in IT as a test manager, so when I've done this test I've tried to keep the variables as controlled as possible when trying to note results.

Route, speed, time of day (traffic), outside temp etc

I have a Scirocco R currently, I've noticed a few things.

On 95 Ron Tesco fuel:

Lumpy idle
Slight sluggishness around 5k rpm
No real mpg difference

On 99 Ron Tesco fuel:

No lumpy idle
Pulls like a train past 5k rpm


I did a similar test on my stage 1 mapped golf GTi edition 30 and had it rolling roaded:

95 Ron: 283bhp
99 Ron: 302bhp

I don't keep my cars long enough to enjoy any cleaning benefits, just power and definite smoother idle a more urgent power delivery through the rev range.

Each time I did my tests, I allowed 2 tanks of each fuel to be burnt first.

[RSTurboPaul]

I don't know if the catalytic convertor is now so old it's just an empty shell but the missus' mid-90s car 'smells funny' with Shell V-Power - like the emissions coming out the tailpipe are somehow more evil, lol.

WJNB said:

However I would never want to visit a Tesco site however cheap the fuel is.

Why not?

[gizlaroc]

SOL111 said:

Except it's not always a benefit. It may have been for you but not everyone.

It's something that people will have to try and work out for themselves.

There's no definitive answer.

I disagree with that, the simple fact the timing is retarded on 95 ron, means there will always be a benefit, maybe only 5% on some but could be 15%.
There is absolutely a definitive answer.

Obviously I'm only talking about cars set up for 98/99 ron.

[SV_WDC]

Hoping someone can help me set the record straight.

I have read online before that Shell & Tesco use 10% ethanol in their premium fuels; the legal maximum, to boost octane rating.

BP, by contrast do not use it and their Ultimate RON is only 97.

A quick search online a few nights ago struggled to confirm this. I found a press statement on BP's site about Ultimate manufacturing process but it was from BP Australia, and over 10yrs old.

Has anyone found something credible online, which is not just hearsay. Wikipedia has a page on international RON, but again, the info related to this claim is sparse

[Commander2874]

Def found a difference of about 2-4 mpg using v power in my na k20 engine (fn2 type r) over tesco high octane petrol but then the cost over the two is subjective as I've spent more using v power. I tend to fill up one tank tesco followed by v power and vice versa.

I only do 6-7k miles a year so works for me