Which petrol...

[Mk5 GTian]

Anyone in Woking/Guildford Area, if you go into the woodbridge road Shell, they'll give you 4 vouchers offering 3 quid off 30 litres if you buy from Ladymead or Burnt Common sites. This is because woodbridge road site is being refurbed, and they want to keep your custom. Better than a kick in the kahooonas! 

[ConorF]

I wouldnt buy a GTi if i wasnt going to run it as recommended, thats just me though. 

[RedRobin]

I've always wondered what percentage of GTI owners are 'enthusiasts' rather than those who are just buying a top Golf version.

Where I live I'd say very low, most GTis I see round where I live are driven by yummy mummies taking kids to school!  Maybe they are all enthusiasts after they drop the kids off!

There is one guy on my business park with a Pirelli, thats the only 'special' one I see.

....I love that term 'yummy mummy'. On the school run they are probably bought by their husbands as a status symbol. In its day the Mk4 GTI in black was very much a car favoured by successful business women. But I'm making a big generalisation.

I'm always disappointed when I wave at another GTI and they don't acknowledge back. I suppose that when it's a female driver they might feel it might encourage further attention.

Anyway, back on topic, to a non-enthusiast I guess that petrol is just petrol. It's a matter of education - I've made sure that my daughter knows what petrol RON numbers are.

[Tortaruga]

I was in Germany recently and they sell V-Power Racing at the forecourts, as well as V-Power. Not sure what the rating is - could be 101/102 RON.

Where I live there's a 'yummy mummy' with a black Mk5 GTI and a guy with a black Mk5 R32 dsg. Had a chat with him and he owned a couple of gti's before the R32. Says it's a different animal entirely going around corners. Also an animal on petrol. He's promised to give me a spin sometime.

I've made sure that my daughter knows what petrol RON numbers are.

I'd say she loved that chat... She'll undoubtedly enter a career in petrochemical engineering thanks to you!

[clive_gti]

In Northern Ireland we don't get the option of 98/99 RON unfortunately, only 95/97.  I usually try to fill up with 97 (BP Ultimate/Texaco Super/Sainsburys Super) but frequently put 95 in when filling up @ Tesco who don't offer anything "better", we don't have any/many shell stations over here (any more).  As others have mentioned the sticker inside my filler cap recommends 98.

My commute is 90 miles round trip which I do one or two weeks per month and it's 90% motorway.  Comparing 95 & 97 my experience is that the ECU treats them the same, no difference in terms of performance or MPG.  If 97 is more than a couple of pence more expensive than 95 I don't bother with it TBH.

[Tortaruga]

Clive
Yeah I do the same - I'm in NI.

Also Shell have rebranded as Topaz apparently.

[clive_gti]

Clive
Yeah I do the same - I'm in NI.

Also Shell have rebranded as Topaz apparently.

Yea, seen a few Topaz stations around.  Do they sell anything "better" than 97?

[Tortaruga]

Yea, seen a few Topaz stations around.  Do they sell anything "better" than 97?

No. 97 is the best on offer.

In the south Maxol & Applegreen sell E5 which has up to 99 octane rating, but has a lower energy content than standard 95 so apparently you get less mpg.

[andrewparker]

So do VW only recommend 98 RON fuel for cars sold in markets where it's available?

[clive_gti]

So do VW only recommend 98 RON fuel for cars sold in markets where it's available?

I assume so. I doubt if the US version of the GTI is tuned for 98 as their regular unleaded is typically 92 RON.

[andrewparker]

So does that infer the engine management is different for different markets?

[sub39h]

I've always wondered what percentage of GTI owners are 'enthusiasts' rather than those who are just buying a top Golf version.

I reckon a small percentage. The whole point of the GTI is that it's meant to be everything to everyone. It's appeal is so broad and enthusiasts is a small part of that spectrum!

[andrewparker]

I've always wondered what percentage of GTI owners are 'enthusiasts' rather than those who are just buying a top Golf version.

I reckon a small percentage. The whole point of the GTI is that it's meant to be everything to everyone. It's appeal is so broad and enthusiasts is a small part of that spectrum!

Yeah, I agree completely. My dentist has one, and my painter and decorator has one!

[swgti]

I tend to switch between all different types but mainly Morrisons 95 and if I'm feeling flush maybe V-Power (but rarely). I tend to only fill up with v-power as a matter fo duty or guilt after reading hundreds of posts on here about the shame of using normal fuel.

In 18 months of ownership I can whole heartedly say that I have never noticed any difference in performance or mpg between either fuel but reading some of the notes above I am now tempted to do a lengthy trial on v-power to see if it makes a noteable difference.

[RedRobin]

I've always wondered what percentage of GTI owners are 'enthusiasts' rather than those who are just buying a top Golf version.

I reckon a small percentage. The whole point of the GTI is that it's meant to be everything to everyone. It's appeal is so broad and enthusiasts is a small part of that spectrum!

....I agree that it's probably only a small percentage. However, what you describe as "the whole point" applies to the Volkswagen Golf, not the GTI specifically.

Volkswagen = Volks Wagen and translates from the German to People's Car. The original was Ferdinand Porsche's 'Beetle' which was enthusiastically supported by and only happened due to Mr Hitler. The Golf model was originally introduced as a successor to the Beetle and was designed to embody many of the same values.

In ~1976 the GTI was merely a variant of the Golf and not originally intended to go into full production. So it's the Golf and not the GTI which may be described as being meant to be everything to everyone and with such a broad appeal.

I see the GTI as it was originally conceived by the small splinter group of VW staff, as a sporty version of the Golf and having a higher status as a result. So, a GTI owner OUGHT to be an enthusiast, although this is not the case often enough, IMO. It is the genuine enthusiasts who carry on the GTI tradition - Drivers like us who frequent forums and go to shows and meets etc as a community.