Hey Guy's. Haven't been here for a while but still loving my fezza :D

I have a question about the petrol you can use. I have noticed that it's a lil underpowered if I have the radio, automatic air con, headlights on and going up a hill for instance. I knew it was not a Ferrari when I brought her (It handles just like one though!!) So I have searched on here about the fuel you can use.

It seems their is no real conclusion that I can find so am asking really if I use a higher then 95 ron fuel in my petrol 1.6 Zetec S mk7 will I get better performance or no gain at all? I try to alway's put BP's standard unleaded in, but have not put any of the special fuels in.

I looked in the manual and on the sticker in the fuel filler cap but all they said was 95 ron minimum so not much help. Also after searching on here I see people talking about a KNOCK sensor which will boost engine performance with higher octane fuel but again I could not find any conclusion as to weather my car has one or not?

Does anyone know the answers? I have to have my first service at the end of September so maybe I'll mention it needs a boost in power? Not fussed about the cost at present and I drive 20 miles to and 20 miles from work if that helps.mJust would like a little bit more power as I use my air con a lot.

Hey Guy's. Haven't been here for a while but still loving my fezza :D

I have a question about the petrol you can use. I have noticed that it's a lil underpowered if I have the radio, automatic air con, headlights on and going up a hill for instance. I knew it was not a Ferrari when I brought her (It handles just like one though!!) So I have searched on here about the fuel you can use.

It seems their is no real conclusion that I can find so am asking really if I use a higher then 95 ron fuel in my petrol 1.6 Zetec S mk7 will I get better performance or no gain at all? I try to alway's put BP's standard unleaded in, but have not put any of the special fuels in.

I looked in the manual and on the sticker in the fuel filler cap but all they said was 95 ron minimum so not much help. Also after searching on here I see people talking about a KNOCK sensor which will boost engine performance with higher octane fuel but again I could not find any conclusion as to weather my car has one or not?

Does anyone know the answers? I have to have my first service at the end of September so maybe I'll mention it needs a boost in power? Not fussed about the cost at present and I drive 20 miles to and 20 miles from work if that helps.mJust would like a little bit more power as I use my air con a lot.

ive tryed the shell performance fuel and i can say there is no difference at all.

ive tryed the shell performance fuel and i can say there is no difference at all.

RUBBISH there is a difference....

me and my cousin can notice a diffence when putting shell v power in his 1.6 tivct focus :) really expensive though ! can cost 60 quid when filling up with shell v power .

Are you saying that you actually notice a difference in performance ? , it may be more efficient and cleaner but performance gains , im not so sure.

Does anyone know if the car has one of these knock sensors? From reading the threads here you need to have one to take advantage of the higher ron fuels? Anyone tried the BP Ultimate?

Petrol Test

Diesel Test

RUBBISH there is a difference....

On a Fiesta?

higher ron fuels are for performance cars, they help stop pinking (pre-ignition), which damages the engine. it wouldnt make a difference to your fiesta. also your car should have a knock sensor fitted anyway.

hope this was helpful.

Petrol Test

Diesel Test

I've seen that video already but I have a Fiesta and they do not state at all what engine or model Clio it is.

higher ron fuels are for performance cars, they help stop pinking (pre-ignition), which damages the engine. it wouldnt make a difference to your fiesta. also your car should have a knock sensor fitted anyway.

hope this was helpful.

Well reading some threads on here if a car has a knock sensor then you WILL benefit from having a higher ron fuel. As I understand it the knock sensor tunes the engine to use the better performance, without one then you can cause damage using the higher octane fuel. That's from reading some threads on here anyway.

I just found this too:

The fuel economy data published above relates to use of petrol 95 RON; use of alcohol fuel or a mixture of petrol and alcohol will lead to other fuel economy data. BP Ultimate, a range of advanced performance fuels, the perfect partner to meet the most demanding needs of Ford’s class-leading technology. BP Ultimate can boost power and acceleration, lower exhaust emissions and improve fuel economy, compared with ordinary fuels. M5 = 5 Speed Manual, A4 = 4 Speed Auto

It's on the bottom of the performance figures on the table you get when you click on 'View the full list of Fiesta features and specification' on this website:

http://www.ford.co.uk/Cars/Fiesta/BrochurePricesSpecifications

So it must make a bit of difference otherwise why would Ford promote false advertising? Obviously they are promoting BP as they must have a deal with them but it would be the same with Tesco's 99 and Shell's Vmax. Hmm, I may fill up with Ultimate and see what it does. Also googling the subject implies you have to allow a month of use for the car to properly adjust to the fuel. Has anyone done that?

On a Fiesta?

yes on any car

Evidence please Mr Littlewood...

Here's mine -

6 tanks of Shell V Power in a row in my car in January (the best month to test fuel economy due to the cold weather). Average MPG over those 6 tanks of fuel: 39 mpg

Followed this with 6 tanks of Supermarket fuel: 39mpg.

I am not in the middle of trying out Shell Fuel Save - I'm on tank number 3. Average MPG so far: 41.

Now, I appreciate these are small samples, but they're good enough for me. Everything else on the car was kept as similar as possible - tyre pressures etc. My weekly driving habit is always the same - a mixture of motorway and non-motorway over the same routes. No noticeable performance improvement either.

Cant really see it making enough of a difference on a fiesta to warrant the extra penny. Plus i would feel a right pleb putting shell v power in my fiesta, was bad enough putting it in my vxr when i had it. Its ment for performance cars not daily drives

Think the clio in the vid is a 1.2?

I'll try the BP Ultimate for a month and see what it does. I'll report back on here. I just want a lil bit more performance. Just wanted to clarify it wouldn't damage my car which it won't. I don't think I'll go near Tescos 99.

there does seem to be a big difference between standard supermarket petrol and normal shell or bp fuels, i know my mpg has gone up slightly, and i would say that it runs a little bit smoother also.

bit off topic, but you can definately notice the difference in fueling on motorcycles and scooters. I have a little 125 that just won't "go" on tesco petrol, but fill it up with a higher quality of petrol and it rockets off (well, as much as can be expected for a 125 :) ) also seems a lot cleaner fuel too!

some supermarkets like waitrose and sainsburys do use BP fuel though, so generally these seem okay too!

Evidence please Mr Littlewood...

Here's mine -

6 tanks of Shell V Power in a row in my car in January (the best month to test fuel economy due to the cold weather). Average MPG over those 6 tanks of fuel: 39 mpg

Followed this with 6 tanks of Supermarket fuel: 39mpg.

I am not in the middle of trying out Shell Fuel Save - I'm on tank number 3. Average MPG so far: 41.

Now, I appreciate these are small samples, but they're good enough for me. Everything else on the car was kept as similar as possible - tyre pressures etc. My weekly driving habit is always the same - a mixture of motorway and non-motorway over the same routes. No noticeable performance improvement either.

rolling road figures between normal fuel and v power..sunny jim on my mates standard fiesta 2.0 st...

I know this will once again open up a can of worms, but hey ho :)

This week, I persuaded my mum to pay the extra for a tank of BP ultimate diesel to see if there is any difference. Both she and I have noticed some things when we have each driven the car this week. I think it makes the engine tone a little smoother, and the noise a little quiter. On the performance side of things, I don't think there are any gains in terms of acceleration/torque/power, but I do think that the engine "picks up" more quickly. That is to say, when you put your foot down, the engine seems more willing to get on with it (less hesitation) :) My mum noticed the same things when she drove it as well.

It would be interesting to hear some other peoples views of ultimate diesel :)

Whenever I put Shell V-Power in I can notice a difference in power and range, havn't tried BP Ultimate as there is no BP garage near me :(

I'll try the BP Ultimate for a month and see what it does. I'll report back on here. I just want a lil bit more performance. Just wanted to clarify it wouldn't damage my car which it won't. I don't think I'll go near Tescos 99.

There's nothing wrong with Tesco 99, it's up there with V Power and BP Ultimate in quality. Don't get it confused with regular supermarket fuel.

On a side not, tests show that an M3 can lose upto 30BHP when run on low octane fuel compared to the likes of Tesco 99, V Power and BP Ultimate. There again, it's mapped to run on high octance.

Ok. I thought I would update on here as I said. I have been exclusively using BP Ultimate. It does last longer and gives a couple of extra miles per gallon or more I've noticed. Now the performance, I find this to be a tough one, I didn't notice any obvious immediate improvement but the car can pull a little better. I've no idea about top speed as I haven't tried it and most likely won't B) it does I think help a little bit when going up hills, not a lot but a bit. I may switch back to normal BP and see what happens but the Ultimate definitely lasts longer.