What fuel do you use ?

[surfamakikomi]

Hi all,

 

Just wondering what fuel does everyone use in their cars? . I know the st/rs’s will be on premium fuel but I’m wondering for the 1.6 to vct if there is a benefit in using a premium fuel ( when I get the car back that is). I don’t have many non supermarket fuel places near me so options are:

Gulf

Asda

Sainsbury’s ( regular or super)

Tesco ( regular or super)

 

In the few weeks I had a working car I tried all of them for the odd tank full with sainsbury super being more noticeably better but I am wondering long term is it better to stick with one of these ?

 

 

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[Stevesixty7]

Hi Lee.

My manual recommends 95 octane, so regular. I fill up at Tesco as it's the closest and cheapest.

[Dave1981]

2010 2.0 petrol titanium. I Use either sainsburys super or tesco momentum. I won't  touch asda or Morrisons. 

[isetta]

People never agree on this question. Because I live close to an Asda I have been using Asda fuel for at least 95% of my fuel for at least 15 years. Seems fine to me.

I have seen people say it works like this. Most petrol stations in an area get their fuel from the one supplier in that area although there will be different grades of fuel.

And then 300 miles away they will all be getting it from another supplier.

This is so fuel does not have to be transported hundreds of miles up and down the country.

So an Asda in Scotland will not be getting fuel from the same source as an Asda in London.

I don't know how true it is but it does sound logical. So all the petrol stations in your area may well be selling the same fuel. 

[Jethro_Tull]

Its all L.O.B.  The fuel is manufactured to strict standards.  The standard of maintenance and integrity of the fuel station storage is the biggest variable, and tanker drivers don't care if its Asda or BP when they accidentally dump a trailer full of 95 in the Super Unleaded tanks.

[SuttonRider]

I've been running a 1.6 Mk3 TDCi. For one year on regular (non supermarket) it returned an average of 56.4 mpg then I ran it on V. Power and got 55.9 mpg. Not a lot in mpg, but quite a bit of difference in cost. I'll be using regular (non supermarket) from now on.

[dansallis]

I know I've only got the 1.0 ecoboost, but I use (and always have) the cheapest one thats in my area.

Sometimes its Sainsburys, sometimes ASDA. On rare occasions its Shell! 

For small, low performance engines (covers almost all Fords) standard 95 RON is perfectly adequate for the life of the vehicle. Very little gain can be made by using 98 or even 102 RON in these engines.

[avi]

I use BP Ultimate diesel. 

My understanding is has an additional additive pack mixed with a "base fuel" and its these additives that differentiate it from basic EN590 diesel.

My primary reason for using Ultimate is long term engine benefits because the additives are "claimed" to keep the engine cleaner and reduce carbon build up. Not sure if the increased Cetane rating improves performance to some degree or if the additives help the DPF process or increase MPG.

[AlexBartlam]

a colleague of mine did a course for work, and one of the other people on the course was a fuel pump engineer, he said that asda has the lowest quality fuel out of the bunch, the best was Shell and sainsburys, i usually fill up at both of these and only asda if the sainsburys is extremely busy as they are literally right next to each other. 

[trailertrash]

Hi Lee,

There's another very interesting thread here:

 

 

[surfamakikomi]

Some interesting replies , I think that it does make sense that all fuel meets a minimum standard which will meet the requirements of most cars. I think the uncertainty is over what (if any) extra additives are added to the more premium fuels. I think it’s time to start a bit of research into this.


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[avi]

58 minutes ago, surfamakikomi said:

Some interesting replies , I think that it does make sense that all fuel meets a minimum standard which will meet the requirements of most cars. I think the uncertainty is over what (if any) extra additives are added to the more premium fuels. I think it’s time to start a bit of research into this.


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Interesting article - https://practicalmotoring.com.au/car-advice/dirt-busting-fuel-fact-or-fiction/

[james_60]

oh not this debate again.

I use BP Ultimate wherever i can.

But it wont clean the inlet valves. 

Only the older engines with Port Fuel Injection PFI will get the full benefit of Ultimate or V-power

Jamie

[Randoms]

Costco diesel then add can of BG244 twice a year.

[Stoney871]

All fuel sold in the UK has to meet minimum standards as laid down under the BS EN specifications.
BS EN 590 for standard diesel.
BS EN 228 for 95ron petrol
Etc...
This means that the 'base' fuel must meet a minimum criteria, the additives that different garage chains do or do not add to their fuels is outside of the BS EN test criteria.

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[james_60]

Just now, Stoney871 said:

All fuel sold in the UK has to meet minimum standards as laid down under the BS EN specifications.
BS EN 590 for standard diesel.
BS EN 228 for 95ron petrol
Etc...
This means that the 'base' fuel must meet a minimum criteria, the additives that different garage chains do or do not add to their fuels is outside of the BS EN test criteria.

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Spot On. 

I wish there was a way that fuel discussions be limited. 

its the same old same old

Jamie

[iantt]

cheapest crap fuel out there ive always used.

[james_60]

this is what i use

[Stoney871]

5 hours ago, iantt said:

cheapest crap fuel out there ive always used.

That's because you ARE cheap.

[Dal.]

In the RS I have only ever put Shell V-Power in it and will continue to do so. (Although I wouldn't be that worried about putting Tesco Momentum 99 in as a reputable tuner / BTCC car builder told me it's a good fuel)

The 1.0t Fiesta gets normal Shell Unleaded.

My old VAG diesel A2 used to get supermarket diesel when the wife filled it up and it started to run pretty poorly - struggling on load on occasion. Switching to Normal Shell 90% cured the issue and V-Power Diesel completely cleared it. I believe the added cleaners kept the injectors cleaner and able to flow correctly. That observation wasn't over one or two tanks, but over 57,000 miles in 3 years worth of fill-ups so in my mind, there is a difference.

 

I'll not be putting supermarket fuel in either of my cars. I've been driving now for nearly 30 years and in my experience the supermarket fuels (except momentum 99) are not as good as the mainstream ones that tend to have more cleaners as standard. Others may disagree which is fine, but that's my opinion.

[iantt]

That's because you ARE cheap.

and?

[Stevesixty7]

Each to their own I suppose Dal, but i've never had a single issue with supermarket fuels, whether it be petrol or diesel and I have been driving for over 30 years.

[FatHead1979]

With the exception of Morrison diesel which uses an extra 2% of crappy bio-diesel compared to other sellers, I'd be inclined to agree.

[avi]

Spotted this on another site -

"From the BP web site :

Guaranteed 55 minimum

BP Ultimate Diesel has the highest cetane number in the UK at a guaranteed 55 minimum and typically higher. Ordinary diesel sold in the UK has a cetane number of 51, according to European specification requirements. This big difference in cetane quality means that BP Ultimate Diesel actually burns better than ordinary diesel so you can expect your engine to deliver improved performance and better fuel economy, while producing fewer emissions.

What improved cetane value means for your diesel engine :

Noise :

The noise produced by a diesel engine is a combination of combustion noise and mechanical noise. Fuel properties can affect only combustion noise.

In a diesel engine, the fuel ignites spontaneously shortly after injection begins. During this delay, the fuel is vaporizing and mixing with the air in the combustion chamber. Combustion causes a rapid heat release and a rapid rise of combustion chamber pressure. The rapid pressure rise is responsible for the diesel knock that is very audible for some diesel engines.

Increasing the cetane number of the fuel can decrease the amount of knock by shortening the ignition delay. Less fuel has been injected by the time combustion begins and it has had less time to mix with air. As a result, the rapid pressure rise, along with the resulting sound wave, is smaller

Fuel Economy :

Here again, engine design is more important than fuel properties. However, for a given engine used for a particular duty, fuel economy is related to the heating value of the fuel. Since diesel fuel is sold by volume, fuel economy is customarily expressed as output per unit volume e.g., miles per gallon. Therefore, the relevant units for heating value are heat per gallon (Btu per gallon). Heating value per gallon is directly proportional to density when other fuel properties are unchanged.

Cold Starting :

When a cold diesel engine is started (cold start), the heat of compression is the only energy source available to heat the gas in the combustion chamber to a temperature that will initiate the spontaneous combustion of the fuel (about 750°F [400°C]). Since the walls of the combustion chamber are initially at ambient temperature rather than operating temperature, they are a significant heat sink rather than a heat source. And since cranking speed is slower than operating speed, compression is also slower, which allows more time for the compressed air to lose heat to the chamber walls. (A glow plug provides an additional source of heat in indirect-injection diesel engines.)

A fuel that combusts more readily will require less cranking to start an engine. Thus, if other conditions are equal, a higher cetane number fuel makes starting easier. As the compression temperature is reduced by variables like lower compression pressure, lower ambient temperature, and lower coolant temperature, an engine requires an increasingly higher cetane number fuel to start easily. Research indicates that fuels meeting the ASTM Standard Specification D 975 cetane number requirement of a minimum of 40 provide adequate cold starting performance in modern diesel engines. At temperatures below freezing, starting aids may be necessary regardless of the cetane number of the fuel.

Even after the engine has started, the temperatures in the combustion chamber may still be too low to induce complete combustion of the injected fuel. The resulting unburned and partially burned fuel is exhausted as a mist of small droplets that is seen as white smoke (cold smoke). This situation normally lasts for less than a minute, but the exhaust is irritating to the eyes, and can be objectionable if a number of vehicles are started together in an enclosed space. A fuel with a higher cetane number can ameliorate the problem by shortening the time during which unburned fuel is emitted to the atmosphere.

End of science lesson"

[avi]

11 minutes ago, avi said:

Spotted this on another site about the additional cetane improvers in addition to the deposit control detergent additives.

"From the BP web site :

Guaranteed 55 minimum

BP Ultimate Diesel has the highest cetane number in the UK at a guaranteed 55 minimum and typically higher. Ordinary diesel sold in the UK has a cetane number of 51, according to European specification requirements. This big difference in cetane quality means that BP Ultimate Diesel actually burns better than ordinary diesel so you can expect your engine to deliver improved performance and better fuel economy, while producing fewer emissions.

What improved cetane value means for your diesel engine :

Noise :

The noise produced by a diesel engine is a combination of combustion noise and mechanical noise. Fuel properties can affect only combustion noise.

In a diesel engine, the fuel ignites spontaneously shortly after injection begins. During this delay, the fuel is vaporizing and mixing with the air in the combustion chamber. Combustion causes a rapid heat release and a rapid rise of combustion chamber pressure. The rapid pressure rise is responsible for the diesel knock that is very audible for some diesel engines.

Increasing the cetane number of the fuel can decrease the amount of knock by shortening the ignition delay. Less fuel has been injected by the time combustion begins and it has had less time to mix with air. As a result, the rapid pressure rise, along with the resulting sound wave, is smaller

Fuel Economy :

Here again, engine design is more important than fuel properties. However, for a given engine used for a particular duty, fuel economy is related to the heating value of the fuel. Since diesel fuel is sold by volume, fuel economy is customarily expressed as output per unit volume e.g., miles per gallon. Therefore, the relevant units for heating value are heat per gallon (Btu per gallon). Heating value per gallon is directly proportional to density when other fuel properties are unchanged.

Cold Starting :

When a cold diesel engine is started (cold start), the heat of compression is the only energy source available to heat the gas in the combustion chamber to a temperature that will initiate the spontaneous combustion of the fuel (about 750°F [400°C]). Since the walls of the combustion chamber are initially at ambient temperature rather than operating temperature, they are a significant heat sink rather than a heat source. And since cranking speed is slower than operating speed, compression is also slower, which allows more time for the compressed air to lose heat to the chamber walls. (A glow plug provides an additional source of heat in indirect-injection diesel engines.)

A fuel that combusts more readily will require less cranking to start an engine. Thus, if other conditions are equal, a higher cetane number fuel makes starting easier. As the compression temperature is reduced by variables like lower compression pressure, lower ambient temperature, and lower coolant temperature, an engine requires an increasingly higher cetane number fuel to start easily. Research indicates that fuels meeting the ASTM Standard Specification D 975 cetane number requirement of a minimum of 40 provide adequate cold starting performance in modern diesel engines. At temperatures below freezing, starting aids may be necessary regardless of the cetane number of the fuel.

Even after the engine has started, the temperatures in the combustion chamber may still be too low to induce complete combustion of the injected fuel. The resulting unburned and partially burned fuel is exhausted as a mist of small droplets that is seen as white smoke (cold smoke). This situation normally lasts for less than a minute, but the exhaust is irritating to the eyes, and can be objectionable if a number of vehicles are started together in an enclosed space. A fuel with a higher cetane number can ameliorate the problem by shortening the time during which unburned fuel is emitted to the atmosphere.

End of science lesson"