Is premium petrol worth it?

edwardmluk

Is it ever worth the extra money to use super unleaded or premium unleaded from petrol stations? I've heard that supermarket petrol is worse quality than actual oil companies, what's the truth (if any) in this? I've also been recommended to use premium fuel ever 25 times you fill up, just to clean the engine etc, again is this necessary?

vax2002

All Urban Myth, fuel is bought from the refiner, branded and sold on.
All you may do using higher octane fuel is burn out your oxygen sensor as the car will be mapped to run on what the handbook says.

Strider590

Not answering....

One of these needs to be stickied, I get sick of saying the same stuff every 2 weeks.

Lum

Burn out the oxygen sensor? that's a new one.

Short version as I can't be bothered to write a full post either.

1) Some cars can take advantage of it, some can't. If you can you'll see some improvement in performance and MPG which may or may not offset the increased cost of the fuel.
2) Some cars require it, most commonly Japanese imports and certain performance models, you risk damaging your engine if you put the standard stuff in one of these cars.
3) Even in cars that can't, you may see some MPG benefit due to the detergents and additives, particularly if you have minor clogs in your fuel injectors that can upset the air/fuel ratio.
4) In the case of 3) You can see pretty much the same benefit by just running a tankful of super through occasionally and running the cheap stuff the rest of the time.
5) Yes it's true that all the fuel comes from the same refinery, e.g. if you live in Ellesmere Port and purchase fuel from a BP or Esso garage, it will have come from the Shell refinery at Stanlow, the difference is in the additives they put in to raise the octane rating or clean your engine. Supermarket fuels use the bare minimum to reach the required standard in order to lower costs.

Edit: Some older cars will also need an ECU reset in order to be able to see and learn about the new fuel.

spadoosh

Accidentally put the wrong juice in my car (at least it wasnt diesel) My car was nippy as till it went dry, didnt notice any fuel economies just the massive price to fill it up! but did notice better/smoother performance. Wouldnt say it was worth it but would do it again on a 'crazy' day!

Lum

If you were enjoying and making use of the performance aspect then that would explain why you didn't see any improved fuel economy.

The weight of your right foot is still the biggest factor in MPG figures here.

bungle4by4

300+bhp then yes
otherwise, just burn a tenner everytime you fill up, the placebo effect however will make you feel more zoooomy

sunshinetours

I notice a smoother power delivery on mine on the "super" diesel so run that much of the time. Most low power cars I wouldn't think would notice much difference

Probably get more results (and better safety) from ensuring your tyres are pumped up correctly

nickh300

i think the premium fuel only makes a difference to higher power cars. I have tried both in my van and cannot tell the difference....until i am paying lol

useless_git_requires_wife

Modern sports-type cars should use premium fuel, particuarly Japanese cars. It makes a large difference to some vehicles.

It's very tiring that people repeat the old mantra about it all coming from the same refinery.........that is entirely irrelevant. The tanker driver adds in the specific additive mix requested by the customer. The mix is combined with the bunker fuel after filling. You can have tankers filling up at the same bunker but they don't take away the same product.

AlexisV

Short answer - it depends on the car and engine you drive.

Look up in your handbook to see whether it will take 98 RON or not in the first place.

All fuels have cleaning additives included nowadays, so you will not clean your engine by using premium.

If your car can take it, you will see a small increase in bhp, dependant on the vehicle. Usually only 1 or 2hp for most vehicles below 200hp.

You'll have to test the fuel economy yourself a number of times (fill up to the brim and refill until it clicks) and get an average.