Super Unleaded - does it make any difference?

[v5er]

I have heard both sides of the arguement in the press. Namely that with regular use it cleans the engine more, gives more bhp and better economy than regular unleaded fuel. On the other hand others say it gives a placebo effect for 95 RON designed cars, such as my V5 170.

However I just read that cars with Siemens/Bosch engine management units benefit from super unleaded fuel.

Has anyone tried it? Does it actually work?

 

[wisejason]

Super unleaded does work on a high tuned engine like that of a 1.8 Turbo unit. I used to use 95ron and the car was lumpy at times, changed to 99/98ron from Tesco/Sainsbury and it runs so much smoother. The inside of the filler cap states 98ron (95ron minimum).

On a small engine car or non tuned motor that will be none to little benefit. I know get a better mpg 1-2 per gallon. So the extra cost is cancelled out. The gains are smoother performance and probably slightly better pull in gear.

 

[DOLBY]

it is better to use the good stuff on these cars. it only works out an extra £5 over the tank approx., and with that you get a cleaner engine...i used to use V power, put changed to tesco due to researching through the forum. after testing the tesco fuel was consistantly a better fuel than the V power. (no difference on the dyno, but in real world terms)..

btw i have never used the 95 ron and never will

 

[kewe]

I use V Power in my V5 170 and swear by it, car runs smoother, pulls better and gets better mpg. I have always avoided Store brand petrols like Tesco but that's just personal choice.

 

[GrayT]

I agree. There was a noticeable difference with my 150. Always use super, although I did cut back on V power when petrol was at its priciest. Tesco 99 was a good alternative. Try it and give it a couple of tankfuls to adjust.

 

[warren_cox]

I'd always used V-Power in the S3, and Optimax previously in the Leon. However when we went into mega price per litre times I switched to Tesco's and found it to be very good 99RON fuel. I've tested 2 dealer S3's when test driving pre-purchase and both were running 95RON despite the manufacturer recommendation of using 98RON (well done dealers!), and the car felt like it was running an error code as it lacked punch.

 

[Fl@pper]

Super unleaded does work on a high tuned engine like that of a 1.8 Turbo unit.

i ran a long term test in 1.25 zetec fiesta and it ran like a nun's sewing machine on optimax so it's not just big power for big differences

drove like a POS on cheap fuel

 

[honeyman]

I use Tesco super, although I had to top the tank up the other day with normal, so I just switched the Revo off as standard map can run 95RON, Definately notice it pull better on super with the remap, but I have the timing adjusted to suit.

 

[DOLBY]

i ran a long term test in 1.25 zetec fiesta and it ran like a nun's sewing machine on optimax so it's not just big power for big differences

drove like a POS on cheap fuel

same as mate,
even when i had my 1.6 focus i used the good stuff

 

[DOLBY]

i realize this is going completely off topic because im comparing the top fuels, but i think the question has been answered for you. now you have a choice of which super fuel to use.....

i was looking at using 102 fuel for a couple of tanks even though it is £2.50 a litre....

tesco 99 fuel was proven to be more consistant than V power in real world terms

http://www.thorneymotorsport.co.uk/tuning/Fuel_Test_Results_Update.shtml

 

[kewe]

Thanks for that link Bret, some interesting reading

I may be tempted to break my prejudice and give Tesco 99 a try now.

 

[DOLBY]

i was very very impressed with it tbh...

 

[car_guy143]

I just simply refuse to use anything Tesco, whether it be for the fuel or for a pack of crisps!

BUT, i am running on V-power and so far not much is different to normal, but i think that's down to the really cold weather. I'll keep an eye on things and see if anything changes.

 

[v5er]

To answer my own question - in the short term yes!! One of my first ever posts was about unsmooth deceleration at motorway speeds when taking the foot off the gas. Well with 98 RON I no longer have this problem. I don't know about economy and performance after just trying out one tank, but the car was smoother to drive. What a shame they are tinkering with oil/petrol prices again coincidentally after Shell reported disgustingly high profits today.

 

[foxdie]

I tend to get about 250 miles per tank on Shell premium, and about 200 or so on the normal stuff. This is in a Toledo 1L (mark 1) 2.0 16V GTi.

On top of that, its got a just-noticable power increase

 

[car_guy143]

I tend to get about 250 miles per tank on Shell premium, and about 200 or so on the normal stuff. This is in a Toledo 1L (mark 1) 2.0 16V GTi.

On top of that, its got a just-noticable power increase

I just got 285 out of my V5 (150bhp) on normal unleaded, last week i got 325 out of a tank of normal unleaded too.

 

[paul V5SE]

I guess its just down to personnal preference in the end.
Ive tried super unleaded, didnt really find any difference between it & normal unleaded!
If you convince yourself that s/unleaded is better, then it always will be no matter what anyone else says.
I found that changing oil to fully synthetic 5w 30 magnatec from a semi synthetic run of the mill oil made a surprising difference in performance!
I also run with a k&n replacement drop in element, didnt make any diff' to performance, just sounded nicer!
This prob dont answer your question, but if your looking for a bit more performance.......buy a good quality oil!

 

[l18oud]

it does cost more but you get more i have used it and you can tell the difference but if you dont want to spend allot of money on expensive fuel just put in some redex or nitrox (meths) and you will basically have shell optimax !

 

[Fl@pper]

This prob dont answer your question, but if your looking for a bit more performance.......buy a good quality oil!

you mean a thinner one