What Fuel do you use?

[Malcolm]

Okay, interesting (or boring) dinner table discussion 'Do you have a fuel preference?'
I always use BT Ultimate diesel in the van but went for Tesco 99 Octane in the car, just swicthed to Shell V-Power which is now supposed to be just shy of 99 too.
Anyone got preference, noticed any major differences in fuel consumption between standard fuel and so called 'optimum' fuels?
Appreciate got some vehicles reaching for black pumps and some green but in essence curious.
I felt over a period of several tanks I got better economy and thus performance out the Tesco fuel, await to see what happens with the Shell (oh and a splash of Redex!)

[Andy-GTI]

Redex? in a nearly new modern motor? Why?

Vpower for me in all cars/bike, cheapest petrol station around is also the closest one to me and you get double Shell points for Vpower.

[ashley1407]

Regular diesel does it for me! *waits for the haters*

[mordred1973]

nothing like running a car on Guinness Ash ;-)

[robmx]

As far as I'm concerned, there's no point running your car on anything over normal 95 Ron unleaded unless your car is mapped for it.

[ZephyR]

As far as I'm concerned, there's no point running your car on anything over normal 95 Ron unleaded unless your car is mapped for it.

From my calculations my 1.4 gets enough extra mpg (and extra ummphh) from Shell V-power to more than cover the extra few pence per litre that it costs.
VW point out that better performance and mpg can only be obtained from ultra low sulphur high octane fuels.
I've just received my V-power card a few days ago, so its double point sfor me now

[wigit]

i run ours on a mix of v-power and tesco 99 and on the revo 98 setting given timing is set to exploit it, to get the benefits of octane booster again timing needs to be set correctly, £20of millers cvl turbo and a full tnak of V-Power and Revo 100+ will put a smile on your face

[maisbitt]

Shell every time for diesel - and not the V-power stuff. V power petrol has a higher octane rating, but V power diesel is just purer than standard diesel as it's synthesised from natural gas. The purer fuel does nothing of benefit unless you have an old engine that needs a good clean out.

Esso diesel is absolutely crap for VAG TDIs - the car feels sluggish and unresponsive, although economy doesn't really take a dip. I've had all TDI variants over the years 1.4/75, 1.9/90 + 130, 2.0 140PD, 2.0 170PD, 2.0 140CR, and Esso has been poor in every one of them

BP is as good as Shell, but BP garages near me are always 3p/Litre dearer than everywhere else.

[peter.vw]

Shell V power Derv is the one for me have tried BP ultimate its ok but not as good and is more expensive some 3p were I live also.
Never used standard diesel so cant compare performance but V power burns cleaner so less deposits on injector tips, valves, and the particulate filter does not have to work so hard.
Would never use supermarket standard diesel, you get what you pay for.
When I had a petrol vehicle always used V power you could feel the difference in power

[peter.vw]

i run ours on a mix of v-power and tesco 99 and on the revo 98 setting given timing is set to exploit it, to get the benefits of octane booster again timing needs to be set correctly, £20of millers cvl turbo and a full tnak of V-Power and Revo 100+ will put a smile on your face

Hi can you tell me, does the petrol engine not have a knock detector and adjust timing accordingly to fuel type or is this lost in remaping

[revo carl]

It does have knock detection yes.... but it is an adaptive ECU so running your ECU in a state of tune designed for 98ron would see the ECU to "learn" to retard the ignition from desired and hence when you start running on 98ron it would take some time for it to "learn" that it can run the specified/desired amount of timing advance again.

Hence the beauty of switchable software... it allows you to run in the best state of tune for you desired fuel quality giving you the smoothest and strongest feel as possible!

[peter.vw]

It does have knock detection yes.... but it is an adaptive ECU so running your ECU in a state of tune designed for 98ron would see the ECU to "learn" to retard the ignition from desired and hence when you start running on 98ron it would take some time for it to "learn" that it can run the specified/desired amount of timing advance again.

Hence the beauty of switchable software... it allows you to run in the best state of tune for you desired fuel quality giving you the smoothest and strongest feel as possible!

Thanks for tech info sounds like you indorse the use of premium fuel, I don’t think they are all the same and reading the above blogs Shell comes out on top followed by BP and that’s what I have found over the time that these fuels have been available.
I am tempted to remap my TDI 170 and it would be revo I would go for, can you tell me how the particulate filter coupes with the additional load a remap places on it

[maisbitt]

PeterVW; The likelihood of the DPF clogging up has far more to do with your driving style than the fuel you are using, or a remap - unless that remap is massively inefficient. All VAG TDIs produce particulates which are stored up in the filter (on DPF models). Once in a while (probably once weekly on average mileage), the DPF starts to fill up and needs to have the contents burnt off. The car needs a sustained run at 1800-2500rpm for at least 10 mins, when the car is warmed up to get rid of it all. You'll know the car is trying to regenerate when the idling revs are at 1000rpm (as opposed to 800 normally). If you do pretty much all city ("stop start") driving, the car doesn't really get an opportunity to regenerate the DPF.

V power Diesel is a waste of money in a new and clean car, it's no more potent than the standard Shell "extra". You're paying for the purity (as it's synthesised from natural gas and not refined) and the cleaning benefit that brings - a new car's engine does not need cleaning, and "extra" is clean enough not to clog the engine up.

So save yourself 4p a litre every time you fill up and buy normal Shell "extra" Diesel (same does not apply to V power petrol - that does make a huge difference to standard 95RON), unless you like to collect the toy Ferrari cars.

[peter.vw]

Hi this gives me something to consider must admit all my experience up till now have been with petrol and that you can feel the difference so now I have a diesel I have continued on,
I have never put anything else other than premium derv in the car, I will try the standard stuff and see what difference it makes
.
The reason I ask about the particulate filter is on another thread discussing remapping the TDI a guy that works on the production line in Portugal raised the issue of damage to the filter by overloading suggesting if it was in the warranty period VW would not pay for its repair.
Now I have had the car for some months I know when its regenerating and go on a 20 mile run down the motor way, (also an excuse to put my foot down).

[roccoSVK]

here in Slovakia we have shell racing v-power 100 im using that

[maisbitt]

PeterVW: DPF regen is a lot more user friendly on the new CR TDIs than the older 170TDI PD (as fitted to the MK5 Golf GT/GT Sport). In my old Golf the car used to run like a bag of hammers when regenerating (very lumpy acceleration from 1200 - 2200rpm), and used to need a regen a lot more often than my Scirocco does. VW applied a remap to my car under warranty that improved the situation. I'm assuming that the CR units have an improved remap, or improvements in the fuel delivery with CR over PD make you need DPF regeneration less often.

Have tried the V-Power Diesel once and it made no discernible difference to either the power, responsiveness or the economy. If you read Shell's own leaflet for V-Power Diesel, they don't really try to hoodwink you into thinking it'll give your car a boost in any way other than helping to clear out the internals, and improvements in power/economy will come as a result of having a cleaner engine (but a new car using uncontaminated fuel should be clean anyway).

Fuel purity has come on massively in the last 10 years, the only place you're likely to get shitty fuel now is from those stations that hardly get any customers as they're 5p/litre dearer than local competition (every area has one - how do they manage to stay open?), meaning the fuel is hanging around longer, with more chance of sedimentation or leaching.

[peter.vw]

I can tell its regenerating because the fans switch on and because its changing the timing the engine warms quicker, the exhaust has a different smell also it also the engine runs slightly lumpy.
Thanks for the info I will go back to the standard Derv and as you say if there is no change in power or economy then I will stick with it and save 4p a liter.
I will not use supermarket derv though as with all supermarket fuels are cheaper because they don’t have as much additives or different ones as branded fuels,
Some time ago I worked for Shell and all the tankers fill up from the same points at the terminal, it could be a BP terminal Shell orTotal but they all serve who ever has an agreement to pick fuel up at that terminal, that goes for Sainsbury’s, Tesco Morrison’s. all pick up fuel in each others facilities the supermarkets don’t have terminal its refined by the big boys.
Fuel is pumped to the terminals by one single underground pipe line, Diesel, Base Petrol, Kerosene and Gas oil get pumped down the same line thousands of liters at a time, a plug of water is pushed between products to stop them mixing and is then filtered off.
The magic happens when the fuel goes into the tanker on the gantry placing the additives that makes shell products Shell and so on and so forth, Supermarket fuel is cheaper because they don’t get as much of the additives or different additives that branded fuel get although they are supplied by the big boys.
You get what you pay for.

[peter.vw]

PeterVW: DPF regen is a lot more user friendly on the new CR TDIs than the older 170TDI PD (as fitted to the MK5 Golf GT/GT Sport). In my old Golf the car used to run like a bag of hammers when regenerating (very lumpy acceleration from 1200 - 2200rpm), and used to need a regen a lot more often than my Scirocco does. VW applied a remap to my car under warranty that improved the situation. I'm assuming that the CR units have an improved remap, or improvements in the fuel delivery with CR over PD make you need DPF regeneration less often.

Have tried the V-Power Diesel once and it made no discernible difference to either the power, responsiveness or the economy. If you read Shell's own leaflet for V-Power Diesel, they don't really try to hoodwink you into thinking it'll give your car a boost in any way other than helping to clear out the internals, and improvements in power/economy will come as a result of having a cleaner engine (but a new car using uncontaminated fuel should be clean anyway).

Fuel purity has come on massively in the last 10 years, the only place you're likely to get shitty fuel now is from those stations that hardly get any customers as they're 5p/litre dearer than local competition (every area has one - how do they manage to stay open?), meaning the fuel is hanging around longer, with more chance of sedimentation or leaching.

Switched this week to Standard shell derv (shell extra) for the first time ever did not notice any power difference but now have a very black exhaust ( was always clean like new) looks like any other diesel car at the back now, will never do that again

[Algoz66]

I had Revo Stage 2 installed today, and I am now using Shell V-Power. More expensive, but need to take advantage of the increased performance!