For the higher grade fuel doubters

[Andyman]

Apologys if this vid's been posted already

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dDHwCWdrtdg&NR=1

 

[Lee-182]

I really hate that man.

Its all toss

 

[172Ben]

It's a common misconception amongst car enthusiasts that higher octane = more power. This is simply not true. The myth arose because of sportier vehicles requiring higher octane fuels. Without understanding why, a certain section of the car subculture decided that this was because higher octane petrol meant higher power.
The reality of the situation is a little different. Power is limited by the maximum amount of fuel-air mixture that can be jammed into the combustion chamber. Because high performance engines operate with high compression ratios they are more likely to suffer from detonation and so to compensate, they need a higher octane fuel to control the burn. So yes, sports cars do need high octane fuel, but it's not because the octane rating is somehow giving more power. It's because it's required because the engine develops more power because of its design.
There is a direct correlation between the compression ratio of an engine and its fuel octane requirements.

http://www.carbibles.com/fuel_engine_bible_pg2.html

 

[ChrisPearson]

So are you saying that if the engine requires or prefers a higher octane fuel then it will have maximum power with that?

 

[realnumber 1]

It still makes no noticeable difference to out right performance on a 1*2....

 

[NOT! gary l]

So are you saying that if the engine requires or prefers a higher octane fuel then it will have maximum power with that?

Yes.

 

[s31len]

as an rs clio says on the fuel flap 98 octane, whats the compression ratio on them?

 

[Fred@BTM]

11.2:1 from memory

 

[motorola222]

well i know i get higher MPG and smoother power curve with Vpower wouldnt say its faster thought.

 

[JD]

tank of V power will see me an extra 50 odd miles in my 1.2. But the cost is greater . . . swings and round abouts.

 

[JoedotwasT5phy]

tank of V power will see me an extra 50 odd miles in my 1.2. But the cost is greater . . . swings and round abouts.

Agreed. i prefer using vpower purely on the fact that it's smoother when cold. but i'm not that fussed.

 

[Fletcher]

I used to run mine on v-power. now i run it on shell 95/Asda ghetto fuel...no difference in performance TBH.

 

[motorola222]

performance dont change but i do get more MPG and further miles its also better for engine as it burns cleaner. and tbh my car dont need excuses to break on me.

 

[Sargara]

I always use Total Excellium which i think is 97ron? Just makes the car better to drive before it warms up but for the sake of a couple of quid i think its worth it.

 

[Monaco Sean]

Tesco 99 for me.

No gain in power, just smoother idle really.

 

[Tom|Nbk]

Not sure about power but I do get more MPG for sure with Super. Enough to make it worth the extra cost

 

[Tav]

Someone needs to look at the out puts of the knock sensor and the cars ignition timing and see the differences there.

 

[ForceIndia]

Performance diff will be negligible. I use vpower for every other fill up, mainly because of the cleaning properties, which cheaper fuels miss out on.

 

[j.e.r.i.c.h.o]

the only difference you notice is in yer wallet...!! :rasp:

And tesco's fuel is the worst in the world....AWFUL..!! robbin F***ers...!!

 

[Fletcher]

the only difference you notice is in yer wallet...!! :rasp:

And tesco's fuel is the worst in the world....AWFUL..!! robbin F***ers...!!

Tesco 99 is shocking TBH, a tank of that doesn't last long.

 

[SC03OTT]

the only difference you notice is in yer wallet...!! :rasp:

And tesco's fuel is the worst in the world....AWFUL..!! robbin F***ers...!!

Explain.

 

[j.e.r.i.c.h.o]

Used to use their denzel in the work van, swithched to esso to see the difference and got bout 120 mls more to a tank. was driving roughly the same roads, same speed, same load. decided to try the same on the trophy out of interest and found that get on average 50 miles more( half a wks petrol)...and didnt notice any difference in the performance/idle at all..!! Car runs exactly how it used to on 99 or 98

So i dont go to Tesco's at all and use 95 as long its from Shell or Esso....Thats just my opinion

OH aye and also sum c**k dented ma bunnet when was in shoppin 4wks after buying the car so maybe it's a grudge thing i'm never gona get over...!!

 

[SC03OTT]

Ah right. I don't use Tesco I was just curious.

 

[Andyman]

Big 4 page spread in one of the race car mags which backed up the vid. They did all the rolling road tests etc etc and found there was differences between the higher grades let alone comparing against unleaded.

 

[motorola222]

tesco fuel as a general rule has alot of ethernol in it. was told that by tesco tanker driver. its y it doesnt go as far.

 

[Tom]

Rubbish. TBH!

 

[Evil Ally]

"For the higher grade fuel doubters".....but the video shows that 99% of road cars don't benefit one jot? Of course there are engines that do benefit, like big power turbos, but I don't think anyone said otherwise?

As for the "cleaning benefits", I would take all that with a pinch of salt. The uncombusted fuel touches hardly any of the engine. If you want a cleaner engine, service it properly and use decent oil. Oil is what removes contaminants from the engine.

I used to use Sainsbury's 97 octane, as it's supplied by BP and is often the same price, or cheaper, than "regular" from the likes of Shell etc. MPG was no different from V-Power after careful testing.

 

[H182]

I've never had a problem with the tesco 99 stuff. It does seem to get slightly more miles out of a tank with it or vpower. I'd use vpower but the robbing b******s at the station near me charge 11p a litre more than standard.

 

[182 clio racer]

Ive got no problem with Tesco 99 ron tbh. Infact its the only fuel that gives me over 300 miles to a tank, and I get me clubcard points too ;-p

 

[Chrisjk]

I have been using 95 lately as i cba to drive to tesco, but usually i find local 95 is more expensive than tesco 99, also the idle is smoother with 99 but thats it.