Fuel brands and octanes [Poll included]

[mmm-five]

My e34 M5s and Z4MC used to be run on Costco super most of the time, as it was Green Energy's 99 RON stuff, and cheaper than anywhere else.

This has changed now, so it's Tesco Momentum, Shell Optimax/V-Power/Nitro+ (depending on whatever name they're currently using), or the highest I can find at one of the 'big brands'.

The naming is a bit different in Germany, as even 95 RON is called 'Super', so it would be Aral SuperPlus 98, Shell V-Power, or ED's SuperPlus 98 in Germany and Aral Ultimate 102 (if I'm on the 'Ring).

I don't use normal unleaded from any source...unless I have no choice, and then it will simply be enough to get me to the next garage that has 98+ stuff.

[Pondrew]

Cars won't mind but some other equipment does - I have a plate compactor that specifies that it needs Super Unleaded with no Exx marking as the Exx fuels contain Ethanol and the rubber parts can't tolerate Ethanol

That's cos the engine technology in plant and garden machinery is from the 1920s.

[B21]

Is 0 ethanol the equivalent of aviation fuel?

No aviation fuel is very very different from car fuel..higher vapour pressure capability , high lead content..the lead content will kill any cat…and generally do bad stuff to your engine oil..apart from the fact it’s twice the price..great !

[B21]

Entirely depends on the engine in your Zed..non turbo charged almost any fuel is good..unless it’s an S54 or remapped to exploit higher octane..small benefit to non turbo charged with the higher deterrent content of premium fuel ..but takes a long time to take effect..

Turbo charged direct injection fuels with detergents help a bit more ..especially with the injectors ..the octane rating on stock engines matter not a lot..

If you’ve tuned your turbo to exploit higher octane then of course higher octane is ‘needed’..pity no 102 octane stuff here..

[flimper]

Vpower or momentum

[Deepseaskateboard]

Always Vpower

[Pondrew]

Shell must be rubbing their hands with you mugs about.

How much more is V power than normal E10? 10%? Fuel is expensive enough without volunteering to pay more for no benefit that I have ever seen proven.

[Deepseaskateboard]

Shell must be rubbing their hands with you mugs about.

How much more is V power than normal E10? 10%? Fuel is expensive enough without volunteering to pay more for no benefit that I have ever seen proven.

I put it in the diesel too.

I do it because of the detergents which are supposed to keep the engine clean. Had loads of friends with DPF issues but the 530 runs well on Vpower diesel.

Also the Z is direct injection, so it helps with the carbon deposits?

It’s my understanding. I use redex on both too. Why not.

[Mr Tidy]

I run my Z4 Tesco, Esso or Shell because they are the only E5 fuels I know of that are 97 RON and BMW recommend a minimum of 98 RON whenever possible. Usually Tesco beacuse their E5 is usually about 15p per litre cheaper!

So while I ticked "supermarket" it will only ever be Tesco, unless there is no other option.

FWIW BMW also recommend at least 98 RON for my 330i that has the same N52 engine as facelifts, so you may want to RTFM OP!

[lucasxdiniz]

Preference in this order:
Tesco Momentum, Supreme 99+, V-Power.

At least in most places in the UK, both Momentum and Supreme are Ethanol free and possibly 2 RON points higher than V-Power.
Video on this.

I used my 3.0si as a daily and watched my mpg quite closely then, in my experience, no ethanol 99 fuel returned 2-3mpg higher on average. I also think anytime the 3.0si saw the fuel needle go up the RON adaptation was reset - notice how much richer/more pops you get immediately after filling up. This behaviour can be manually triggered in INPA once you reset fuel/RON adaptations, so I don't believe the "it takes a while to learn" comments. I haven't really noticed the same behaviour in my M.

[R60BBA]

Whatever is cheapest.

Petrol all comes from the same place in the UK and I seriously doubt that anyone (especially supermarkets who buy the vast majority) have a special 'recipe' for whatever gets poured into their forecourt tanks. Pays your money and take your choice.

The base fuel is the same, however the additives vary…

V-Power is the best fuel on the market, however Tesco Momentum 99 is the best in terms of value for money.

[TomK]

The base fuel is the same, however the additives vary…

V-Power is the best fuel on the market, however Tesco Momentum 99 is the best in terms of value for money.

I'm genuinely interested, do you have any reliable sources of fact to back up these statements?

[R60BBA]

The base fuel is the same, however the additives vary…
Millbrook Report
V-Power is the best fuel on the market, however Tesco Momentum 99 is the best in terms of value for money.

I'm genuinely interested, do you have any reliable sources of fact to back up these statements?

Sure, the Millbrook Report (see attached) confirmed that V-Power (referred to as Fuel D) is the best fuel on the market from a cleaning properties perspective (albeit marginally).

The report was published in 2012…nevertheless it is the latest authoritative study on fuel in the UK (to my knowledge anyways).

V-Power’s cleaning properties are patented and so until I see a report which substantiates that Momentum 99 is cleaner than V-Power I will stick by the Millbrook Report.

In terms of base fuel being the same and the additives varying, I have a friend at BP who told me this over a beer many moons ago. I never questioned him, however a quick Google search supports his claim.

Momentum 99 being the best fuel in terms of value for money is my opinion…but when comparing it to the only other 99 RON fuels available in this country (V-Power and Synergy Supreme+) it is pretty obvious…

I have run all of my cars (past and current) on V-Power. Even when I drive to Europe I factor in stops at Shell garages which have V-Power.

The only exceptions to this is when I took my E46 M3 to Corsica which only has 95 RON and one time in Switzerland where I was doing a day of mountain passes, wasn’t near a Shell so put in a tank of Eni 98 Tech+. Neither had a detrimental impact on my car and sometimes I ponder over my allegiance to Shell.

Shell do offer decent benefits and often I get free water or snacks when I visit the petrol station, which I guess makes up for the difference I could be saving at Tesco…in addition to the peace of mind that the cars are being run on the cleanest fuel available.

But in all honesty, it’s not something I worry about (life is too short). Also if you have shares in the company then you care less about buying their fuel…although half of it goes to Rachel…

[Pondrew]

Sure, the Millbrook Report (see attached) confirmed that V-Power (referred to as Fuel D) is the best fuel on the market from a cleaning properties perspective (albeit marginally).

The report was published in 2012…nevertheless it is the latest authoritative study on fuel in the UK (to my knowledge anyways).

V-Power’s cleaning properties are patented and so until I see a report which substantiates that Momentum 99 is cleaner than V-Power I will stick by the Millbrook Report.

In terms of base fuel being the same and the additives varying, I have a friend at BP who told me this over a beer many moons ago. I never questioned him, however a quick Google search supports his claim.

Despite all the 'reports' in the world, I have had 300,000 miles of experience with a myriad of cars. I have never, ever used 'the best fuel' and have never had a car go pop, or need an engine rebuild, or even broken down.

I seriously believe all this 'cleaning detergents' stuff is bollox.

OK, you lot may be nursing your old cars to keep them going by using the 'best' fuel, whether it's a placebo or not. Maybe it would be worth calculating how much that is costing against buying another car with less mileage which doesn't need so much looking after?

It's worth mentioning that the cars we are talking about are just old, not highly tuned performance engines. My wife's daily produces more bhp and torque than almost all the Z4 range of engines and she puts in the cheapest E10 she can find. The car is groovy.

The day I have an engine go pop and it can be categorically blamed on cheap E10 fuel, I will listen. Until then it's all 'car forum' bollox IMO.
Same as 'which tyres will make my car better' type threads.

[R60BBA]

Despite all the 'reports' in the world, I have had 300,000 miles of experience with a myriad of cars. I have never, ever used 'the best fuel' and have never had a car go pop, or need an engine rebuild, or even broken down.

I seriously believe all this 'cleaning detergents' stuff is bollox.

OK, you lot may be nursing your old cars to keep them going by using the 'best' fuel, whether it's a placebo or not. Maybe it would be worth calculating how much that is costing against buying another car with less mileage which doesn't need so much looking after?

It's worth mentioning that the cars we are talking about are just old, not highly tuned performance engines. My wife's daily produces more bhp and torque than almost all the Z4 range of engines and she puts in the cheapest E10 she can find. The car is groovy.

The day I have an engine go pop and it can be categorically blamed on cheap E10 fuel, I will listen. Until then it's all 'car forum' bollox IMO.
Same as 'which tyres will make my car better' type threads.

It’s not bollocks at all. If it was then the petrol companies would be opening themselves up to being sued…