Is premium petrol worth it?

Lum

If the manual is in Japenese then I'm guessing it's a grey import.

FWIW in Japan normal unleaded is 98 RON and super unleaded is 100 RON. So your car is probably set up to run on 98 and may even be relying purely on knock correction when it runs on 95, though this is more of an issue with Subarus and the like.

In the UK those figures are 95 and 97,not 98 as others have said in this thread, it's not been 98 for a long time, with the exception of Shell V-Power and Tesco Momentum which are 99 RON.

NBLondon

Up to now, I've always looked at the manufacturer's claims for premium etc. and thought it wasn't worth it becuase I had cars set up for everyday stuff. Since I now have a turbo - and am down to "35 miles to empty" on the trip computer - I think I'll check the manual and experiment.

atrixblue.-MFR-.

Lum wrote: »

Three cars is hardly a conclusive test.

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

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

Lum

I'm in work so no sound on that video, but skipping through it I see

Renault Megane 81/81/81 (Optimax/Ultimate/Supermarket)
VW Golf GTI 177/174/172
Subaru Impreza WRX STI 249/248/235

I'm going to assume those numbers are BHP.

So that would pretty much back up what I said. Works best on performance and/or Japanese cars, not so good on little European hatchbacks.

I'd like to see a similar test done on Japanese and Korean hatchbacks too, since they're also likely to benefit from it.

atrixblue.-MFR-.

Lum wrote: »

I'm in work so no sound on that video, but skipping through it I see

Renault Megane 81/81/81 (Optimax/Ultimate/Supermarket)
VW Golf GTI 177/174/172
Subaru Impreza WRX STI 249/248/235

I'm going to assume those numbers are BHP.

So that would pretty much back up what I said. Works best on performance and/or Japanese cars, not so good on little European hatchbacks.

I'd like to see a similar test done on Japanese and Korean hatchbacks too, since they're also likely to benefit from it.

correct the normal small engined and small engined family cars or engine wont really benefit. performance based turbo charged or supercharged or performance set vehicle will see a small increase to power output of their unit, but most performance cars are supposed to have 98-99 ron fuel in them anyway.

just to note that octaine booster supplemants also decreased BHP output by 3-6% even in performance engines.

almillar

My point was that you can't generalise, so please, um, stop generalising! This thread says generally performance cars, generally Asian cars, some Hyundais, some turbos etc etc. Check it in your own manual. And don't expect to just fill up on Super and get an instant result, you'll still have the old stuff swishing around. To be safe, you'd need to do 2 fills of super, then (depending on your car) you might have to reset the ECU to make it re-learn the fuel trims, or basically force it to adjust to the new fuel.

NBLondon

NBLondon wrote: »

Up to now, I've always looked at the manufacturer's claims for premium etc. and thought it wasn't worth it becuase I had cars set up for everyday stuff. Since I now have a turbo - and am down to "35 miles to empty" on the trip computer - I think I'll check the manual and experiment.

Checking the manual didn't help... Apparently, this engine will run on anything from 91 to 98 but the output quoted is based on 95. Which suggests there might be a small improvement from 98 but would it be worth the extra few pence per litre? Probably not.

almillar

Checking the manual DID help! Your car is happy to run anything from 91 RON up, you can expect your engine to run slightly better on 98. Is it worth the extra? up to you.

atrixblue.-MFR-.

TBH, youll need to spend more to gain more, if 91 ron is recomended and up i would stick to whats in it now 95RON.

NBLondon

atrixblue.-MFR-. wrote: »

TBH, youll need to spend more to gain more, if 91 ron is recomended and up i would stick to whats in it now 95RON.

That was pretty much my conclusion; around town I wouldn't get to use the extra BHP (if any) and I can save more by choosing when and where to fill up. I see up to 4p per litre difference in different areas I visit regularly so I'm mostly sticking to Shell standard unleaded (with loyalty points).