Supermarket petrol... yay or nay?

Poll Poll Supermarket petrol... yay or nay?

  • Yes.

    Votes: 69 67.6%

  • No.

    Votes: 21 20.6%

  • If there is no better option.

    Votes: 12 11.8%
  • Total voters
    102
R

red_35is

Member
 Essex
Apologies if this has been asked before but where do Z4 owners stand on supermarket petrol?

I ask this as 1 mile east, Asda has petrol for £1.19.9 and 1 mile west, Shell has petrol for £1.29.9. 10p difference.

I have always used Shell to collect points which later turn into petrol vouchers, also I was led to believe it was a far superior quality against supermarket petrol.
 
Don't know if it's true, but I was told once (by someone who should know) that the ASDA, Tesco, Shell etc petrol tanker pulls up at the refinery and they all take the petrol from the same vessel
 
I avoid Shell, BP etc as much as possible. It's just petrol, pay less and push the big players to reduce prices.

Tesco (as they're nearby) for me every time!
 
Tesco Momentum or Costco 99 Octane stuff. IIRC both are Greenergy 99 octane fuels (so the same stuff). Shell V Power if I'm not near either of the other two as your just paying a lot extra for branding and nothing else. I use only 99 octane rated stuff at all times. The car runs smoother and is perkier/more powerful on it and the extra cost is offset by slightly better fuel economy.
 
obewan said:
Don't know if it's true, but I was told once (by someone who should know) that the ASDA, Tesco, Shell etc petrol tanker pulls up at the refinery and they all take the petrol from the same vessel
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Very true this, I know a guy who works for Valero (Texaco in the UK) and he says that Esso/BP/Valero use each others terminals when it geographically suits. In addition Asda and some other supermarkets fill their tankers up at Valero terminals etc
 
MACK said:
obewan said:
Don't know if it's true, but I was told once (by someone who should know) that the ASDA, Tesco, Shell etc petrol tanker pulls up at the refinery and they all take the petrol from the same vessel
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Very true this, I know a guy who works for Valero (Texaco in the UK) and he says that Esso/BP/Valero use each others terminals when it geographically suits. In addition Asda and some other supermarkets fill their tankers up at Valero terminals etc
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Yep I've seen them queuing to fill up in a few storage depots in the UK
 
step_change said:
Yay, petrol has to adhere to published standards. It is complete balls that Supermarket fuel is inferior.
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You have the same model as me, so if you're OK with it then I guess I can start saving some pennies.
 
red_35is said:
I've seen a few votes for No but without explanation, please chime in guys.
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The base fuel for both supermarket and branded suppliers such as Shell, BP, Texaco will be the same. The additive packages will not. Shell V Power and BP Ultimate are higher octane ,which I needed for my TVR, and in addition have a more sophisticated cleaning and lubricating package. For the extra few pence it costs I will continue to use one or the other in my Z4 as I believe it will be better for its engine. There is an article here https://www.simplemotoring.co.uk/supermarket-vs-branded-fuels/ explaining more.
 
Tinker15 said:
red_35is said:
I've seen a few votes for No but without explanation, please chime in guys.
Click to expand...

The base fuel for both supermarket and branded suppliers such as Shell, BP, Texaco will be the same. The additive packages will not. Shell V Power and BP Ultimate are higher octane ,which I needed for my TVR, and in addition have a more sophisticated cleaning and lubricating package. For the extra few pence it costs I will continue to use one or the other in my Z4 as I believe it will be better for its engine. There is an article here https://www.simplemotoring.co.uk/supermarket-vs-branded-fuels/ explaining more.
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Thanks for the article, but it ended with this quote "Unfortunately, that means we will have to keep guessing as to whether there is any meaningful difference between supermarket fuels and branded fuels."

This is why I wanted this question aimed solely at Z4 owners, not the general public.

However, what you say about the sophisticated cleaning and lubricating package makes sense.
 
For me it’s always Super Unleaded, so I won’t use Asda because they don’t do Super but I’m happy to use a supermarket if they have Super and ideally 99 Ron like Tesco or Costco for that matter. My usual is She’ll V-Power but just depends on where I am and how much I need fuel.

I tend to avoid BP mostly (and there is a BP 300 yards from me) as their standard fuel is 95 ron and their ‘ultimate’ is 97 ron, which is strange as Tesco’s standard petrol is 97 ron which years ago used to be Super. I prefer to use the higest octain possible, especially in an engine which is built for performance.

I’ve read before that Tesco has more ethanol which actually provides a better power output for turbo engines.
 
Gazza51 said:
I use Tesco 99, the missus collects Tesco points :wink:
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Same. It's all the same base fuel so even Costco/Tesco/Shell 99 RON are probably the same before additives.

Then it's just a matter of whether your engine can take advantage of the higher octane and how much faith you place in Shell's additives package. There isn't much in the way of hard evidence to support it, but I must admit to putting V-Power in when I can. Possibly because "regularly fuelled with V-Power" adds about £154.67 to the resale value of an ///M. :roll:

The only fuel I'd ever really worry about would be from some rusty pump in the middle of nowhere.
 
This might be a stupid question but I dont know the answer.
Does the additives that the different fuel companies put in the fuel affect the octane level?
Like if its 99ron when it leaves the refinery, after additives does this change for the better or for the worse?
Are all these detergent still as combustable as the original fuel without additives or does it change?
 
Nictrix said:
This might be a stupid question but I dont know the answer.
Does the additives that the different fuel companies put in the fuel affect the octane level?
Like if its 99ron when it leaves the refinery, after additives does this change for the better or for the worse?
Are all these detergent still as combustable as the original fuel without additives or does it change?
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The biggest octane modifier is ethanol (although less so for us than elsewhere in the EU at the moment) and that is blended in at the refinery. I believe RON is determined in a bench test with an actual engine, so would apply to the fuel that comes out of the pump.

I'm sure the additives affect combustibility a bit, but that will be balanced vs maintaining the long term performance of an engine.
 
I’ve tried V-power and honestly can’t tell any difference between that and 95.

I always used BP Ultimate in my Z3M and I could tell the difference, much better than 95.

If I have to use ‘garage’ fuels, i’d put £10 in and then top up at Tesco.
 
I used to work at one of the largest oil and gas storage companies in the UK.

We supplied fuel to Shell, Texaco Tesco, Asda etc. It all came from the same tank.
 
red_35is said:
step_change said:
Yay, petrol has to adhere to published standards. It is complete balls that Supermarket fuel is inferior.
Click to expand...

You have the same model as me, so if you're OK with it then I guess I can start saving some pennies.
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I also use standard unleaded as well, most often from Morrisons. When I got the car I always used Super but steadily and empirically noted over multiple refuels that it makes no appreciable difference to the car worth enough to spend £10+ per tankful more. Respectfully to those who choose to use Super (and you pays your money and takes your choice) I think the whole Super unleaded thing is a marketing gimmick that many well-intended petrol heads have fallen for. Sure I will get flamed for saying that but that's my experience. Yes I am sure the science will say that the burn characteristics etc are more efficient, powerful, blah, blah, blah, and that may well be true. But it does not make enough of a practical difference, on UK roads and traffic, to justify an extra tenner per tankful in my experience.

My car which I look after, cosset and cherish runs perfectly on standard unleaded.
 
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