Italian tune up

MEM62

Takmon wrote: »

So i would recommend higher Octane fuel to anyone who has a Petrol car this is even remotely sporty and/or modern.

The only useful aspect, if any, of 'super' fuels is the additional detergents. (And perhaps the feel-good factor) The higher octane fuels offers no advantage to any vehicle other than high performance cars that are specifically designed to run on it. All standard petrol cars in the UK are designed to run on normal unleaded.

Higher octane fuels actually have more resistance to combustion than lower octane fuels. My 320i gets about 4mpg less on super fuels - measured over 4,000 miles on my 80-mile daily commute.

Use it only if your car is actually designed to run on it or you like wasting money.

sevenhills

After a trip to the coast, my 1.6 petrol Meganes engine management light went out. It's back on now, but just a good long 65 mph trip on the motorway clears it out.

EdGasketTheSecond

sevenhills wrote: »

After a trip to the coast, my 1.6 petrol Meganes engine management light went out. It's back on now, but just a good long 65 mph trip on the motorway clears it out.

Cheaper to get an OBD2 reader and reset the code which will turn the light off for a while too. You can also read the code and find out what its complaining about.

Robisere

agrinnall wrote: »

And there's the rub, most cars are not set up to use higher octane fuel.

Point being that both Takmon and myself were talking about cars that can use 98 octane fuel. I did include the advice to check vehicle handbook to see if the engine can use 98. We were not talking about "most cars", only those that have the capability. Thought that was clear, but then again some people do not read all the information given, it seems.

Robisere

MEM62 wrote: »

The only useful aspect, if any, of 'super' fuels is the additional detergents. (And perhaps the feel-good factor) The higher octane fuels offers no advantage to any vehicle other than high performance cars that are specifically designed to run on it. All standard petrol cars in the UK are designed to run on normal unleaded.

Higher octane fuels actually have more resistance to combustion than lower octane fuels. My 320i gets about 4mpg less on super fuels - measured over 4,000 miles on my 80-mile daily commute.

Use it only if your car is actually designed to run on it or you like wasting money.

Another one does not read all the information posted. The detergents are not the only useful aspect. The higher octane rating is the key that gives your 320i better acceleration, smoother running and a hit of 4MPG less. I stated that I took that hit for the beneficial factors I gave in my post.

I reiterate: Only use the 98 octane fuel if the vehicle handbook states that you can. If unsure, contact the manufacturer of your vehicle model.

fred990

Robisere wrote: »

Point being that both Takmon and myself were talking about cars that can use 98 octane fuel. I did include the advice to check vehicle handbook to see if the engine can use 98. We were not talking about "most cars", only those that have the capability. Thought that was clear, but then again some people do not read all the information given, it seems.

Plus the many thousands of cars that have been remapped? My trusty old 1.8T passat has been tweaked with noticeably more torque. The firm that did it recommended 98 octane fuel, it certainly drives better than when using standard petrol. I alternate from time to time but mainly use super unleaded.

agrinnall

Robisere wrote: »

Point being that both Takmon and myself were talking about cars that can use 98 octane fuel.

I disagree, Takmon said:


"So i would recommend higher Octane fuel to anyone who has a Petrol car this is even remotely sporty and/or modern."


I have a modern (but not particularly sporty) car, are you seriously suggesting that I should be spending more money on 98 octane fuel?

foxy-stoat

Arklight wrote: »

Is it true if I redline my car enough it'll start to go like the bejesus at no cost to me?

I hear that the ECU learns how you drive or something?

Naaaa your miles off....I do not think Nissan made a fast Almera, EVER.

LandyAndy

agrinnall wrote: »

I disagree, Takmon said:


"So i would recommend higher Octane fuel to anyone who has a Petrol car this is even remotely sporty and/or modern."


I have a modern (but not particularly sporty) car, are you seriously suggesting that I should be spending more money on 98 octane fuel?

I had a 56 plate RX-8. Not terribly modern now but definitely 'sporty'. The handbook specifically stated that there was no advantage to be gained from using fuel of higher octane than the recommended 95.

Takmon

agrinnall wrote: »

I disagree, Takmon said:


"So i would recommend higher Octane fuel to anyone who has a Petrol car this is even remotely sporty and/or modern."


I have a modern (but not particularly sporty) car, are you seriously suggesting that I should be spending more money on 98 octane fuel?

I don't actually know how many cars are capable of adjusting to different octane fuel. But it's not very complicated for the cars ECU to adjust how it runs based on input from the sensors to get the most out of the fuel.

With car manufacturers trying to get the most MPG they can out of cars it is essential that the ECU adjusts how the engine runs due to differences in the fuel. If most modern cars didn't support this then i would actually be quite surprised.