Basic versus premium petrol - what are the facts

misterjingles

I've just had to have the EGR valve cleaned on my '02 Zafira and my mechanic swears it's because I'm putting basic supermarket petrol in the car. Does anyone have any objective information about the benefits of Super unleaded or other premium fuels, or is it all marketing hype ??

[Deleted User]

Normal petrol is the Premium Unleaded. The high RON (97-99 etc) is known as Super Unleaded (Shell V-Power etc)

I sometimes put V-Power in my 206 and I think it runs smoother and is quicker off the mark. But I think that is just all in my head.

agrinnall

The 'fact' is that your mechanic is an idiot .

nickj_2

supermarkets have been selling petrol for years , if it were a problem you would have heard about it by now .

forgotmyname

High performance turbo cars may see an improvement your 10 year old car is probably just worn and needs more regular servicing.

Mine does less than 6000 miles between services. 160,000 miles and running well.

Premier_2

misterjingles wrote: »

I've just had to have the EGR valve cleaned on my '02 Zafira and my mechanic swears it's because I'm putting basic supermarket petrol in the car. Does anyone have any objective information about the benefits of Super unleaded or other premium fuels, or is it all marketing hype ??

Time to find yourself a mechanic that knows what they are doing

Always follow the manufacturers instructions, not what some grease monkey spouts out

King_Nothing

As I've said before, my car runs alot better, and smoother on V Power than it does on anything else, on normal cars, you'll probabley not notice a difference. Was there not stuff floating about saying some supermarket petrol has a higher level of m/ethanol or something in it, which is what the mechanic might be going on about?

Apples2

The fuel is the same, the additives are different.
If I use supermarket fuel in my diesel, I add some millars diesel treatment.

If I use any other fuel, esso, BP etc I don't add anything.

Finding independent proof is an impossible task so it simply leads to arguments with no proof either way.

As for your egr. Valve, you should learn how to clean it yourself, nothing will stop it gunking up. The rate at which it gunks is down to how you drive the car


Buy yourself a code reader off eBay too so you can clear your engine light next time

Premier_2

King_Nothing wrote: »

...Was there not stuff floating about saying some supermarket petrol has a higher level of m/ethanol or something in it, ...

Probably, on t'internet somewhere. :cool:

But fuel quality is strictly controlled, and if the manufacturer states the car may be run on premium unleaded, then thats what it should be capable of running on.

The OEMs don't waste their money on high priced fuel during the extensive engine durability testing they undertake.

Some very high compression engines may require the higher octane super unleaded, but the manufacturer would specify this in their user handbook if needed, otherwise there is little benefit paying higher prices for fuel than is necessay.

This site is called moneysavingexpert.com, not moneywastingexpert.com

alastairq

yet..some time ago a reputable racing car tuning company did some tests on their engines using various brands of fuel....and discovered that the premium [98octane] fuel which gave the best results of power and wear was........Tesco premium.



A question I have is.... there any point in purchasing cheaper [supermarket?] fuel if only to spend money on buying additives?

Or is it a case of ....not wishing to put any more duty into the government's pocket than necessary?

Apples2

Only becomes relevant if you have to pay a garage for cleaning your egr. And clearing fault codes.
Not suggesting it won't happen with higher priced fuel, but it should be less frequent.

You will never get a definitive answer.