Well, we all know, because people supposedly with industry knowledge like HJ regularly write it in newspaper columns, that supermarket petrol is cheap for a reason; it is poorer quality than 'proper' petrol from BP, Shell, etc.
Isn't it strange that in the current wave of hysteria that Shell and Texaco petrol is alleged to have been affected just as much as supermarket petrol.
Doesn't that just go to show that the old chestnut about supermarket petrol being different to - and hence inferior to - 'proper' petrol is a load of nonsense.
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Past discussion has suggested that the petrol is the same, ie to a BS standard, but that there are additives put in at the point of delivery which make the brand names superior to the Tesco, ASDA etc product.
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>>Past discussion has suggested
Quite. Past discussion has never managed better than an allegation.
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OK. Past discussion has stated, rightly or wrongly, that the fuel is the same and the additives, quality and quantity, are the only difference!
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Historically, I would agree with you. But.
I have always filled my (diesel) car at the local Tesco Express (which sells Esso fuel). The car runs and performs fine, regularly returns mid-high 40's mpg, and I was quite happy with the situation,
Last time I ran short on the way home, and having taken a detour to avoid traffic, I pulled into a local Shell station with the car on what transpired to be its last litre or two of fuel (I got 61 litres in the tank). I paid, drove away, and never thought any more about it.
I have noticed in the last couple of days that the car feels livelier. Nothing earth shattering, but when I join the motorway in the mornings, the car is noticeably more willing to pick up in 4th and 5th gear and just generally doesn't seem to need the gearbox stirring as much to make progress. It's also far less "clattery" particularly on cold.
What's more, I have now done 400 miles on the current tankful which would normally see the gauge somewhere around the quarter mark, and it's only just dropped under half. I have been doing the same commute in the same traffic conditions at the same kind of speeds. Of course gauge readings are not scientific, and it will take the next refill to accurately calculate the consumption, but I have done nothing else to the car. It hasn't been serviced, or had anything disturbed. I can't help wondering if it's the fuel that's made a difference.
I always assumed fuel was fuel, particularly where diesel was concerned, but this is the first time I've suspected otherwise. I will fill the tank tonight and work out mpg. If it's anything over 47 mpg, that will be a new best for the car.
Cheers
DP
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mapmaker -
the only two independent tests on fuel that i could find were these and quoting from them :
www.thorneymotorsport.co.uk/tuning/Fuel_Test_Resul...l
... It is clear from the testing that whilst older engines show a clear benefit of running higher octane fuel, more modern, sophisticated engines have the ability to advance their fuel timing to take full advantage of this enhancement to a far greater degree. For the BMW M3 CSL the difference between running 95 octane fuel and Tesco 99 Octane fuel was over 40bhp, that?s over 10%.
It is our fundamental belief and now our clear recommendation to our customers that if they want to maximize the power of their cars, before they even consider using our services to enhance the power of their car further, they should use the best fuel they can buy. The simple fact borne out of our extensive test is that using Tesco 99 Octane fuel will make your car more powerful. It will feel faster, accelerate faster and perform better. If you?re going to tune your car at least give it the best fuel it can run on and in our opinion, based on extensive testing that fuel is Tesco 99 Octane. ...
www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?f=57&h=&t=22...3
The main effect was increased low-down torque. While we had no measuring equipment, the 99-filled Fiesta would spin its front wheels exiting corners under power at the same point on the lap where the other didn't; it also felt more torquey. With the Scoobies, the difference was less marked -- as you'd expect given the lesser difference between the two fuels in the two cars. However, it did feel more perky in the lower end of the rev range, before the turbo kicked in, and we were consistently travelling slightly more quickly at the end of the main straight.
The conclusion you?d have to draw is that a high performance car will experience less improvement using Tesco 99 as it's more likely to be running on a higher octane fuel anyway. But all modern cars with an anti-knock sensor and electronic ignition management should be able to benefit from it, according to Owens, not least because it also contains engine cleaning agents similar to those in Optimax.
So if your car needs high octane fuel, your wallet could benefit from using 99 too.
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I live a few miles from the INEOS OIl Refinery (used to be BP) in Grangemouth
All lorries pull fuel from ghere - Asda, Esso,BP,Shell...............the list goes on & on. 95% of fuel in Scotland comes from 1 site - different additives depending on the Brand but the base fuel is trhe same.
Donkeys years ago drivers added additives froma can standing on top of the tanker - these days it is programeed in and delivered into the tanks.
Of course errors can be made - wrong additives added or additives not added.
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As happened to Vauxhall a few years ago-too much additive caused a spate of engine failures.
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I thought the Vauxhall problems were eventually traced to the same problem that afflicted the first-generation Ford Zetec engines -- feather-footed British drivers?
Also known as "lawnmower syndrome" which affects cars with hydraulic tappets. Happens because people start engines from cold, reverse down the drive to get the lawnmower out then switch off, the tappets pump up leading to valve sticking / burning problems.
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The Vauxhall problem was caused by tanker drivers adding tha additives to the tanks themselves-some in the first tank,some in the second-by the time they had got to the last tank,they still had half a can of additive,guess what they did with it.The Ford problem was mainly caused by people not using the Ford recommended oil-people still seem to think they know better than the manufacturer who will have carried out thousands of hours of testing.
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Ah yes, Ford spec'd 5W30 for the Zetec, wasn't it?
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.......... people still seem to think they know better than the manufacturer who will have carried out thousands of hours of testing.
Absolutely.
--
L\'escargot.
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This was a problem with a particular Shell fuel in, I'd guess, early '80s?. It was traced to the fact the tanker drivers added the 'special additive' on delivery to the garage. In a number of cases the fuel was overdosed, and this caused problems with engines running tight valve to guide clearances. Vauxhalls of the era were particularly affected, but they were not the only ones. At the time the Police were running a large number of Vauxhalls and suffered a spate of engine problems (and this despite the fact the cars were unlikely to have ben driven gently!). The problem was traced to the fuel, and because the Police were able to prove the cars had always run on Shell, the connection was made. Shell withdrew the fuel shortly afterwards. Clearly a more accurate and reliable mechanism to add the correct levels of additive was required.
JS
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Yes it also affected VWs and Volvos, I remember thinking it was funny they all began with a "V".
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>>I can't help wondering if it's the fuel that's made a difference.>>
The fact that you buy your Esso petrol at a Tesco Express outlet, yet believed temporary use of Shell made a difference is probably coincidence.
The fuel you buy at Tesco Express has nothing to do with Tesco's own petrol stations' service - the company has an agreement to set up its convenience stores on many Esso stations, with Esso continuing to supply motorists with fuel.
You've probably noticed that the Tesco Express outlet will not give you ClubCard points on any fuel you buy.
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What\'s for you won\'t pass you by
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