Fuel choice and MPG

[Ifti]

Do you guys notice an increase in the mpg when using vPower - under normal driving conditions - or is it just my mind playing tricks on me?

I always fill up to the brim, when the needle gets to the last quarter.
I tried Tesco Super Unleaded for a while, and have just gone back to vPower for the past 2-3 tankfuls, and it seems as though I get more miles to the tank.

Maybe its just the warmer weather giving me better mpg?
Or have you also noticed the same with vPower?

[ub7rm]

Personally I can't say I've noticed any difference between the two.

The few times I've run on 95 can't say I've noticed much difference either, but there is a definite drop in performance when you push it into high revs.  Not so noticeable in low revs ...

[gobbleplease]

You should see an increase in MPG with 99 over 95, it did make a slight differance but this could be down to a slightly differant driving style, its hard to tell. You will start to notice the differance of v power over 95 octane performance wise after roughly 10 re-fuels according to independant tests.

[stevie_p]

 

[gobbleplease]

Also according to independant tests it was found that tescos fuel has a slight performance advantage over the old shell optimax, not sure how it performs over the new V power but i suspect it could turn in shells favour now,

It was also reguarded that the shell fuel was better for engine due to the cleaning agents that they use.

Me personally used to use tescos until they decided not to clean out there tankers correctly which resulted in the destruction of all of those engines a few years ago, ive used v power ever since. My current car is currently still having all the 95 flushed out from the previous owner in which im getting a bout 28mpg ill tell you what im getting MPG wise after 10 refuels, hopefully it will be a gain from the bad consumption at the moment. Im thinking of going back to tesco now, as v power has went up to £1.20 per liter

[ub7rm]

I've only had a about half a tank at the most of 95 in any given 6 month period which might explain why I've not noticed much difference in economy, but performance was very noticable...

[stealthwolf]

I used to switch between Tesco 99 and V-power frequently. Both stations were a mile apart but I only ever used cash for Shell garages. Anyway found the car more responsive after a full tank of v-power compared to a full tank of tescos.

[nc35]

 

Some of us only use 95 unleaded and sometimes Sainsburys 96ish Super Plus if its available.  No Shell or Tesco garage for miles.

I do remember a recent Top Gear/Fifth Gear thing that said higher octane and octane boosters were a waste of money unless you had a car tuned to run on the octane rating and utilized the cars performance.

Ran the Porsche on V Plus (Pain in the  as could never run below 1/4 tank in case I couldn't find a shell garage) - it would run like a dog on normal 95 octane especially after a long motorway/autobahn runs.  Felt like the car wanted to stall when coming off motorway slip road.

But I do remember the old Shell Premium Fuel problems.  They had to withdraw it from sale in the end because of the problems to mainly Vauxhalls from memory.  God I am getting old

[ub7rm]

GTI's are optimised to run on 98 

[Ifti]

So what happens if you put 95 in?
Apart from the power loss, is it bad for the engine?

[gobbleplease]

As NC 35 said some cars run like a bag of sh*t on the 95 i never put 95 anywhere near my m3, but my dad did one weekend and it ran horribe it turned out he put 95 in after i told him not too

the gti i dont think is affected too bad by 95 as the guy i got mine from mostly ran it on that, me personally, would only put super in it as its better for your engine, If you do choose to run it on 95 i would say give it a treat every now and again and throw a couple of tanks of v power in - in a row to blow away the cobwebs,

i read somewhere in a VW booklet that the gti is designed to run on higher octane levels and but can be run on lower levels although performance, fuel economy and cat life is reduced.

If you do decide to go for the higher octane levels, like i said tests have shown that it will take about 10 re fuels for you to gain the effects of the better fuel.

[Richn83]

Im not sure what my car was run on by the previous owner, but since getting it I have run 4-5 tanks of super through, from various garages some tesco, and total and the last two were vpower, and at motorway cruise speeds the comp showed a 2mpg improvement (on cruise at the same speed) and this was born out by the mileage before the light came on.

If you run the GTI on 95 the engine will run lean to begin with until the anti-knock cuts in and alters the fuel to air mixture to compensate for the lower octane rating, once the air to fuel mixture is changed the engine will run as normal but the new mixture will be more fuel rich hence the lower fuel consumption.

[Golfgirl]

I usually use Tesco 99 as we can't get V-Power round here.  I filled up with Esso 97 last week though as I was on the motorway and nowhere near a Tescos and I seem to have had better economy from it than I normally do from Tesco fuel.  At £1.24 a litre though I would bloody hope so

[ub7rm]

So what happens if you put 95 in?
Apart from the power loss, is it bad for the engine?

No, it will run quite happily with no damage whatsoever.  It just wont deliver its full potential in terms of performance or fuel economy.

[markc]

Anyone used Total Excellium 97 ?   I've tried it a couple of times, ........seems like good gear !