Shell V-Power unleaded price premium over standard

[Dickie-D]

xjay1337 said:

Dickie-D said:

I've used BP Ultimate (97 RON) for years in my 2003 Mini Cooper S, but a while ago I tried Shell's performance fuel which I think was shown as being 98 RON at the time. I thought the acceleration was smoother and slightly faster, but over the next month an amber emissions warning light came on intermittently, which had never happened before. I switched back to BP Ultimate and after a while the emissions light stayed off.

I bought Shell V-Power (99 RON) a few days ago at £1.429 per litre. The engine seems to idle more smoothly, rev more eagerly, the supercharger whine reaches a high pitch more quickly, the car feels quicker, accelerates more smoothly and the engine sings a more refined tune. The most noticeable differences are the smoother acceleration and idle, and a persistent and bloody annoying squeaking sound when idling has mysteriously vanished.

1) The fuel won't be related to your CEL
2) The fuel won't change the squeaking noise.

...and after about 70 miles of driving using Shell V-Power, the engine light is back on. The car's manual says it means: "Deterioration in exhaust emission values." While it may be a coincidence, this is the second time I've used Shell's performance fuel and the second time this light has come on. Could it be that the fuel's additives are cleaning the 16 year old engine and it is outputting some extra crap?

[roadsmash]

My last 2 dailys have always taken V-Power or Momentum, nothing else.

The improved way the engines run with the premium fuel is noticeable and justified.

The difference in cost to me is negligible.

[untakenname]

14k of hard driving on either Shell V-Power or Momentum and the internals look spotless, well worth the 5p (in Tesco anyway) premium.

Dickie-D said:

...and after about 70 miles of driving using Shell V-Power, the engine light is back on. The car's manual says it means: "Deterioration in exhaust emission values." While it may be a coincidence, this is the second time I've used Shell's performance fuel and the second time this light has come on. Could it be that the fuel's additives are cleaning the 16 year old engine and it is outputting some extra crap?

Could well be, the first time I used Momentum on my old car the check engine light came on then after two tanks went off, most noticeable improvement was that it crept forward at a lower speed before the engine would lug.

[Lemming Train]

R12HCO said:

I find it strange that people on a forum like this claim they see 'no difference' when using different fuel.....

Be it, MPG, Smoothness, Outright Power, different exhaust smoke - there will be some difference. I have noticed in every car I have tried. Diesel or Petrol, old or new, Forced Induction or N/A/.......

If it doesn't make any difference, it would be the same stuff.

You cant put something different in and it perform the same. There has to be some variable output. There will be a difference. Just some people are more acute at spotting said difference.

It's the same crap in every thread on premium fuels. The same bunch of 'experts' come wading in saying it's all "snake oil" and there's "no difference" but when you check their post history you discover they're mostly OAPs which by default means they've never pressed the accelerator pedal more than quarter of the way in and are unlikely to have exceeded 40mph on any road so in summary they're talking out of their arses. If you filled their tanks with rocket fuel they'd still claim it drives exactly the same as RON 95 and the performance and economy are the same. Probably the same sort that put a can of engine flush in at every service, because reasons.

[A.J.M]

Slight thread derail.

Is there tech specs for Costco Premium diesel vs BP Ultimate diesel etc.

My local BP is £1.31 for regular and £1.43 for Ultimate diesel. My local Costco is £1.22 for premium diesel.

For my 82 litre tank that’s a £17 saving for fuel.
Given I’m using 3 tanks a month, that’s a £51 saving. Which is a lot over 12 months.

I’m seeing better fuel range with Costco than BP as well. I would get 400ish before light would come on, it’s now 430ish before the light and current tank is 455 and light still isn’t on.

[iphonedyou]

manracer said:

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.

I ran my R on 95 for the two years I had it - no lumpy idle. It shouldn't have that regardless of fuel I suspect. Felt fine after 5000 but presume you mean comparatively, so perhaps fair enough.

[Dickie-D]

@untakenname, xjay1337, gizlaroc, thanks for the feedback.

My car also feels better behaved at low engine speeds. I think I'll try Shell V-Power a few more times and see if the emissions engine light eventually switches off. The car manual says 95 RON fuel is fine, but that it can also use "Super Unleaded (98 RON)" for extra performance and/or fuel economy. It seems odd that 99 RON fuel would cause the engine light to come on, but I'll ask people in the Mini forum about that.

[rfsteel]

My 2p worth, been using V Power for the past 15 years almost exclusively in my cars.

Current driving a VW Golf V5 2.3l that was remapped back in 2004 at 60k, car has now covered 189k.

This car was off the road for 2 years, but recommissioned back in March for a daily 50 mile commute from Gatwick to Tunbridge Wells, going cross country.

Since having the golf back on the road a few fresh tanks of v power run though the pipes and I was seeing around 340 - 360 miles per tank.

Have now started using Tesco Momentum this month due to the Drivers Club revamp, and on my first tank got a whopping 428 miles of a tank, will 5l still remaining.

Hopefully I'll get a similar mileage out of the fresh tank I put in last night.

[RipTrip1]

untakenname said:

Could well be, the first time I used Momentum on my old car the check engine light came on then after two tanks went off, most noticeable improvement was that it crept forward at a lower speed before the engine would lug.

Would look identical with Asda's basic fuel with Redex once a year. Save a fortune too

[C70R]

Grrbang said:

C70R said:

The mental gymnastics that some people go through to justify spending 10p a litre more on petrol are hilarious.

It will make no difference unless your car is set up to benefit from it, which most cars aren't.

If you want to do it because it makes you feel special/better, that's cool - but let's all be real.

I agree that the performance improvement (in a car that advances timing) isn't worth it unless trying to shave off 0.2 seconds around donington.

While I agree with your comment, I think there are some situations where using it could benefit anyone. It could be used to prolong the performance of a new car you plan on keeping, to reduce the inevitable gradual degradation of the fuel spray pattern. It could be used to diagnose (and hopefully fix) poor running issues. It can help to get cars through MOT emissions tests. It provides a slight reward for regular use, in the form of a few mpg, smoothness, and better 'area under the curve' performance, regardless of car it seems.

Therefore, I think it would be sensible not to have a flat out rule of never buying it under any circumstances.

That's bordering on mental gymnastics.

You'd be better off just filling up with V-Power every fourth or fifth tank, and saving the cash on the in-between fill-ups.

[C70R]

NomduJour said:

C70R said:

This. So much this.

The mental gymnastics that some people go through to justify spending 10p a litre more on petrol are hilarious.

It will make no difference unless your car is set up to benefit from it, which most cars aren't.

If you want to do it because it makes you feel special/better, that's cool - but let's all be real.

Are you suggesting that a modern ECU can’t advance spark tables, increase boost etc - within certain parameters - when it knows that the fuel has a higher octane?

I'm not sure you read my post before you frothed.

I said that "most cars aren't".

I didn't say that "a modern ECU can't".

[C70R]

DoubleD said:

Oh right. I didnt realise that volvo made an R version of the C70.

They didn't.

It was a running joke with friends in the real world, who slapped a 'R' sticker on the boot of my old C70 one year at Le Mans.

My thought process for a username was pretty uninspired, to be fair.

[s2tommi]

rfsteel said:

My 2p worth, been using V Power for the past 15 years almost exclusively in my cars.

Current driving a VW Golf V5 2.3l that was remapped back in 2004 at 60k, car has now covered 189k.

This car was off the road for 2 years, but recommissioned back in March for a daily 50 mile commute from Gatwick to Tunbridge Wells, going cross country.

Since having the golf back on the road a few fresh tanks of v power run though the pipes and I was seeing around 340 - 360 miles per tank.

Have now started using Tesco Momentum this month due to the Drivers Club revamp, and on my first tank got a whopping 428 miles of a tank, will 5l still remaining.

Hopefully I'll get a similar mileage out of the fresh tank I put in last night.

Out of interest, whats the Drivers club?

[C70R]

gizlaroc said:

NomduJour said:

Are you suggesting that a modern ECU can’t advance spark tables, increase boost etc - within certain parameters - when it knows that the fuel has a higher octane?

Also, just about every car I have owned since 1996 with the Z3 2.8i has been able too.

To say most cars can't, on a forum dedicated to those who tend to like performing cars is a little ignorant.

You're doing the mental gymnastics.

Even those which can only 'earn' a meagre handful of bhp from the higher octane fuels.

See here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d8L-X89duEs

If a car, like the Golf in the video, is mapped to run on 95RON then you're unlikely to notice any improved running etc. by upping the octane.

A good friend who worked in calibration for a major manufacturer talked me through this process, and explained how these engines were built with maps to drive just fine and see out their warranty on the cheapest, crappiest fuel available.

If you think that spending an extra 10% on petrol for a couple of bhp and little actual, tangible benefit, then who am I to argue?

I run a tuned Mini Cooper S, and it gets boggo basic 97RON super, because it requires it and I'm not delusional.

[Riley Blue]

Lemming Train said:

It's the same crap in every thread on premium fuels. The same bunch of 'experts' come wading in saying it's all "snake oil" and there's "no difference" but when you check their post history you discover they're mostly OAPs which by default means they've never pressed the accelerator pedal more than quarter of the way in and are unlikely to have exceeded 40mph on any road so in summary they're talking out of their arses. If you filled their tanks with rocket fuel they'd still claim it drives exactly the same as RON 95 and the performance and economy are the same. Probably the same sort that put a can of engine flush in at every service, because reasons.

Today's quote from the Ladybird Book of Clichés.

[rfsteel]

s2tommi said:

Out of interest, whats the Drivers club?

https://www.shelldriversclub.co.uk/smart/index.htm...

Now replaced by ShellGO+

https://www.goplus.shell.com/en-gb/

Using Tesco now as I can earn Avios points with my fill ups

Edited by rfsteel on Friday 19th July 16:36

[gizlaroc]

C70R said:

You're doing the mental gymnastics.

Even those which can only 'earn' a meagre handful of bhp from the higher octane fuels.

See here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d8L-X89duEs

If a car, like the Golf in the video, is mapped to run on 95RON then you're unlikely to notice any improved running etc. by upping the octane.

A good friend who worked in calibration for a major manufacturer talked me through this process, and explained how these engines were built with maps to drive just fine and see out their warranty on the cheapest, crappiest fuel available.

If you think that spending an extra 10% on petrol for a couple of bhp and little actual, tangible benefit, then who am I to argue?

I run a tuned Mini Cooper S, and it gets boggo basic 97RON super, because it requires it and I'm not delusional.

So, in that test they used a 97 ron on a VAG product, which if it is the same as the Audi 2.0T fsi, it one of the few modern cars that isn't actually set up to take advantage of 98ron. VAG stopped setting up their cars for 98 ron around 2001 on anything but the really high end stuff.
You would think a show like 5th Gear would have asked VAG if they map their cars for 98 before doing the test.


As I said, if the car is set up for 98 ron then there is no financial benefit of not using it while prices stay around 6-7% more. There are also other advantages like more responsive, more power overall and smoother in many cases.


My 335i was running 330hp on 98 and just over 300 on 95. Rolling roaded four times to double check.

My E350 was 286hp on 95 and 305hp on 98. That may not sound a lot, but in a world where people spend £1000s to get an extra 20hp on NA cars it is pretty impressive difference.


You can keep saying you think everyone is delusional for using high octane fuel, but many of us have seen huge gains on some cars. You just sound silly.

[DoubleD]

If you cant feel the difference then get the cheap stuff

If you can feel the difference then get the expensive stuff



Nothing more to it than that

[HustleRussell]

untakenname said:

Could well be, the first time I used Momentum on my old car the check engine light came on then after two tanks went off, most noticeable improvement was that it crept forward at a lower speed before the engine would lug.

How do you suppose those inlet runners would look if you’d been using any old 95RON petrol?

[Chris32345]

HustleRussell said:

How do you suppose those inlet runners would look if you’d been using any old 95RON petrol?

Virtually the same no doubt