Fuel

[Pete Iles]

[FONT=verdana, arial, helvetica]Evenin' all. New member after a little advice if you would be so obliging....

My good wife recently bought a new Clio 197 from our local dealers, she asked what fuel to use and was told unleaded.

A letter arrived recently saying:

We would like to thank you for being one of the first to purchase a new Clio Renaultsport 197 and hope that you are enjoying it.

Since taking delivery of your car, we have unfortunately found an error in the technical detail in the handbook concerning fuel recommendation.

Please note that the recommended fuel for the new Clio Renaultsport 197 is Super Unleaded, either 97 RON or 98 RON but not 95 RON as shown in the handbook and as displayed on your fuel filler flap.

We would advise you to take the time to read the handbook for your new car as it contains lots of important details and will help you get the best out of your new Clio Renaultsport 197. Please pay particular attention to the running-in period. For the first 625 miles, it is strongly recommended that you should not exceed 3000 to 3500 rmp in any gear

If you have any queries, please contact our Customer Services Department on.........

Now, the car has done 1,570 miles, has been driven "gently" for the first 1000 miles, has had a little bit more stick the last 500 miles though. As you do I realise that due to the letter, Renault have already admitted responsibility but I would hate to be fobbed off in the future with a: "No, sorry, that engine knock is nothing to do with the wrong fuel" or some similar problem. Sooooo, my question is:

Could something untoward go wrong? Could damage have been done by using unleaded? What signs could I expect to see? Things I should be looking for? Any other advice?? I understand that the ECU should adjust for 95 ron but could I be down on power? Cheers peeps.

Pete[/FONT]

 

[alexbleubolt]

yeah, take it back and ask for a refund and refer them to trading standards, then buy a new one

 

[speedynz]

Pete, the car will be fine and it will now run much better with 2 or three tanks of Vpower and a few more miles under its wheels.

The ECU will have made the necessary adjustments during the 'low octane' period and will also sense the higher octane fuel that you are now using and reward you with some much needed extra power.

Happy motoring.

 

[tidyclio]

I've heard of at least two people that have ended up with new cars over putting in 95ron it did major damage iirc it knackered their cat aswell.
If it was me I would go and get it rolling roaded and see what power it's putting out and if it seems down take it up with Renault

 

[speedynz]

Pete, your engine will not be knackered and your catalytic converter will be 100% fine.

Had you been using leaded petrol or diesel (both highly unlikely scenarios) then you could have caused major damage straight away but you have been using the correct 'type' of fuel, just a slightly different grade.

We're only talking about 2 octane here and if your engine was unhappy with it then it would have 'knocked' (pinking) at worse. You haven't reported anything like this.

Renault's reccomendation is on the basis of achieving the highest engine efficiency and full engine performance.

 

[tidyclio]

Speedynz do you drive a 197?I know some people don't like being told their wrong but well....your wrong.

Pete have a look at these topics
http://www.renaultsport.co.uk/community/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=6826&whichpage=1
http://www.renaultsport.co.uk/community/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=6570&whichpage=2
http://www.renaultsport.co.uk/community/experts/answer.asp?QuestionID=1116&ExpertID=5&TopicID=1

I'm not claiming to be an expert speedlynz but i'm sure if Renault are making such a big fuss over not using 95ron theirs a good reason behind it. Pete i'm not saying yes definetly something will go wrong with your car but it can happen I would trust the people who build them and own them over others if it was me.

 

[TheCake]

Speedynz do you drive a 197?I know some people don't like being told their wrong but well....your wrong.

Pete have a look at these topics
http://www.renaultsport.co.uk/community/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=6826&whichpage=1
http://www.renaultsport.co.uk/community/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=6570&whichpage=2
http://www.renaultsport.co.uk/community/experts/answer.asp?QuestionID=1116&ExpertID=5&TopicID=1

I'm not claiming to be an expert speedlynz but i'm sure if Renault are making such a big fuss over not using 95ron theirs a good reason behind it. Pete i'm not saying yes definetly something will go wrong with your car but it can happen I would trust the people who build them and own them over others if it was me.

Well said that man.

 

[Fred@BTM]

the engine won't blow up from using 95RON

it nothing to worry about


my mate runs his F360 on normal 95RON day to day, and Ferrari have no problem with it

 

[tidyclio]

Lets hope the member on Renaultsports cat problems were a one of then because if that price of 2k is right it's not a gamble i'd like taking

 

[speedynz]

Speedynz do you drive a 197?I know some people don't like being told their wrong but well....your wrong.

Pete have a look at these topics
http://www.renaultsport.co.uk/community/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=6826&whichpage=1
http://www.renaultsport.co.uk/community/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=6570&whichpage=2
http://www.renaultsport.co.uk/community/experts/answer.asp?QuestionID=1116&ExpertID=5&TopicID=1

I'm not claiming to be an expert speedlynz but i'm sure if Renault are making such a big fuss over not using 95ron theirs a good reason behind it. Pete i'm not saying yes definetly something will go wrong with your car but it can happen I would trust the people who build them and own them over others if it was me.

Tidyclio, I hate to tell you that you're wrong but...................you're wrong!

No offence (I mean that) but one persons unfortunate, inexplicable scenario cannot justify a general statement concerning a given problem.

In clear and simple terms a clean, slightly lower octane unleaded fuel will not contaminate a catalytic converter on a modern vehicle, full stop.

The same can be said of using a (slightly) lower octane fuel in an engine designed for 98 octane. Modern engines have the ability to run totally reliably (if not at peak efficiency) on slightly lower grades of fuel than ideally stated in owners manuals. The engine will not be damaged in any way unless a hyper strict compression ratio is in force. The Clio 197's engine is not like this and I don't recall any modern road car engine that is.

Over long term use the Clio's engine will benefit greatly from using higher octane fuel but in Petes case this is a very short term scenario and the chances of any damage are negligable to nil.

This is not heresay, it's a fact of modern engineering and in particular the brain power of modern ECU's.

 

[Steve2004]

I thought all UK-spec cars were required by law to be able to run on a minimum of 95 RON fuel?

Or have those days long gone? :S

 

[Ross M]

they said this about the 182 too .... look how many people use 95 RON ...

 

[philmots]

Dont worry about it Pete it'll be fine. All the 172/182's are recomended to run on 97ron (sticker inside the cap) and there is probably more people on here that run standard stuff to optimax etc without problems..

In my old mans bmw it says the recomended fuel is 97ron too but again he puts sainsburys cheapest in it and it runs fine.

And what Steve says above about UKspec cars by law to run on 95ron, i think he could be right!

 

[thane]

picked my 197 up from the garage today and asked what fuel it says to use. he said theyve put 95 ron in and they do with their demos, so thats renault telling my I can put the regular in. prob means im not gonna get the full performance mind but thats to be expected

 

[Pete Iles]

Cheers for all the info gents, very sorry not to get back earlier. I didn't have user CP set to send emails on reply's. Numpty. Plus been away....

So the general gist is it should be ok? Think I might get it RR as per tidyclio's advice, see what it's putting out. So, do you reckon the ECU will pick up on the V Max now and alter accordingly?

Very nice site by the way, lots of nice touches.

Pete

 

[Brown.]

recomendation is different to a must............ in my opinion higher octanes only come in to play with larger enginers, V6's n the like as they do produce a smoother effect. running 98 in a two litre id say was for a more cleaner process. as running 95 ( i aint seen any proof just word of mouth) 'dirtys' the engine

tbh ad not be worried. i used 95 in my 182. although every 4 or 5 tanks worth ad fill up on v power for its cleaning properties. i couldnt tell the diff

 

[Pete Iles]

recomendation is different to a must............ in my opinion higher octanes only come in to play with larger enginers, V6's n the like as they do produce a smoother effect. running 98 in a two litre id say was for a more cleaner process. as running 95 ( i aint seen any proof just word of mouth) 'dirtys' the engine

tbh ad not be worried. i used 95 in my 182. although every 4 or 5 tanks worth ad fill up on v power for its cleaning properties. i couldnt tell the diff

Cheers for that.

Pete