Is premium petrol worth it?

Notmyrealname

sunshinetours wrote: »

I notice a smoother power delivery on mine on the "super" diesel so run that much of the time.

With a diesel you will. People who run theirs on veggie oil do because of the higher calorific value.

atrixblue.-MFR-.

high octain fuels do not benefit any "Normal" car they only benefit those who have a turbo or supercharger under the bonnet and some decent BHP.

oxy sensor fail is a new one on me solely down to fuel type.

Notmyrealname

atrixblue.-MFR-. wrote: »

high octain fuels do not benefit any "Normal" car they only benefit those who have a turbo or supercharger under the bonnet and some decent BHP.

Rubbish. If the ECU can automatically alter the ignition timing to benefit from it, they'll benefit. I used to benefit with my Ford Capri when I'd advanced the timing.

almillar

Right 2 things here about 'premium' fuel. Some have additives or cleaners or some sort of magic potion in them. There are no standards here, so decide whether you believe the hype. I don't know.
What I do know about is the RON values of petrol sold here. This is a measurement of how, sortof, potent the petrol is (I think it's actually how fast it burns). Standard unleaded is 95, and Super unleaded is 98 (and above).
What cars can take advantage of this? 300hp? Turbo? Any old banger?
Here's the answer - read your car's manual! If it asks for 98, it WILL run better which means better economy or performance.
To take advantage of the higher spec fuel, your engine needs to adjust its timing to suit, it may have anti knock sensors, and you'll have to get rid of a couple of tanks of fuel to get rid of the lower quality stuff, and an ECU reset would be a good idea too.

rodenal

Just to add to the confusion, as the petrol discussion seems to have been done to the death "premium" diesel only contains additives and cleaners that apparently serve to increase the cet rating.

Do they make my particular car feel any quicker.....no, it is slightly quieter on BP's ultimate diesel and feels a bit smoother - the Vpower stuff does neither and tbh I only use the BP stuff if I happen to fill up my car whilst at work as the nearest garage is a BP

jase1

Whether a car will benefit has less to do with its performance than the manufacturer.

Many imported Asian cars (and by this I mean imported new, for the Euro market) still benefit, even the smaller engined ones. Early Hyundai Accents (of all things) for example behave differently dependent on the octane levels used. It's down to the fact that the higher octane fuels are the norm in many Far-East countries.

atrixblue.-MFR-.

Notmyrealname wrote: »

Rubbish. If the ECU can automatically alter the ignition timing to benefit from it, they'll benefit. I used to benefit with my Ford Capri when I'd advanced the timing.

not rubbish proven normal cars run on 95 fuel for a reason, ecu will not adjust timing accordingly to the fuel type.

modern cars is different to a capri of the 70-80's with carb or injection engines and advanced dizzy and rotor arms.

fives,fifth gear program did a accurate controlled test with the use of three top brands 98RON fuel in three cars ranging from small family to sport. only the subaru benefitted from the fuel the others stayed the same BHP and torque output.

Lum

Three cars is hardly a conclusive test.

What were the other two cars? Bet they were European or American brands.

Wig

To test it, use a blind test, so you get your OH to fill the car up each week and they fill it for 4 weeks on normal, and 4 weeks on premium, record all mpg etc and see at the end of the trial what the difference was in mpg and percieved driving experience.

Limey

My other half noticed the difference in the old Hilux Surf when I put super unleaded in it. I didn't tell her.

No idea if the manual specifies 98 Ron as it's all in Japanese. :rotfl: