Super Unleaded - i cant see the point - who runs it?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Jez
  • Start date Start date
The BP Ultimate is all about it being a cleaner fuel leaving less deposits in the engine, which I can see the point of. Theres videos and picture floating around of the difference where they split an engine to use half normal and half ultimate, they also had a stand at goodwood with cmaeras showing feeds from the two sides of a bike engine that was run like that. For me, this kind of makes sense.

I run 95 RON in my CTR which can when it aint running right, you tend to notice immediately just by listening to it, esp on a cold start. I have to use 95 all the time as the rural setting of my workplace means I have no other options. If I am out my way I have used BP Ultimate over a couple of tanks and I did notice the engine sounded and felt smoother. That alone is a nice piece of mind but you can't see what's going on. I can't comment on MPG becasue I don't drive like 'normal' people.
 
I have only run the SX on V-Power so cant compare the 2, dont really want to either if i'm being honest. On standard mapping it says on the fuel filler to run at least 95 RON, which is all well and good but for my own peace of mind (and v-power points :D) i will stick to the V-Powazz
 
Jez said:
Weird given that i have owned three cars with the same engine as yours, and have never seen any difference between any of them :confused:
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I run a car and drive another (As opposed to own for 34 seconds whilst I profit on the resale) with the same engine as that and whilst I've never noticed any economy differences, it does feel ever so slightly more responsive and a tad quieter, but nothing to write home about. The manual states that to preserve nominal consumption and performance values you should use 98 RON fuel. I doubt they wrote this 'for the lulz'. Mine only gets VPower when i go on a journey somewhere as the nearest Shell is 20 miles away.
 
I use Vpower 90% of the time, when hammering a highly strung engine I would rather it stay in one piece. Its not really that much more in price really.
 
[TW]Fox;14445431 said:
The manual states that to preserve nominal consumption and performance values you should use 98 RON fuel. I doubt they wrote this 'for the lulz'.
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Indeed. Here, it isn't so important. However, in the US and Aus, for example, the fact that these engines can have higher octane requirements than domestic competition influences people's purchasing decisions. They would not compromise sales unless it was necessary.

A friend of mine runs a Lexus SC, Lexus RX and Merc S-Class in California, and the decision process for buying a new car still had fuel octane as a factor.
 
I only use VPower, the car has been mapped for it and I don't really want to experiment again after once putting in 50 quids worth of Tesco 99 RON and then having to get the tank drained as it was mis-firing at idle.
 
[TW]Fox;14445431 said:
and whilst I've never noticed any economy differences, it does feel ever so slightly more responsive and a tad quieter, but nothing to write home about.
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I truly believe this is placebo. As you say the economy is no different (which was a difference stated above) and the extra power if it does exist (which i am not sure about, i cant tell ANY difference) will be so minimal that it wouldn't be noticeable anyway really, so therefore i do not believe its anything other than knowing it has super in it, therefore you expect more power and therefore it "has" more power.
 
I didn't say the economy was no different, I said i've not noticed a difference - this is because I don't have a regular driving pattern with which I can test VPower then regular fuel and be sure any difference is purely down to the fuel.

My best ever economy 'record' was acheived with Shell VPower. Was it the fuel? No idea.
 
Down here it's the difference of £3 for super compared to normal unleaded over a 57litre fillup.

£3 for a cleaner engine, a slightly higher MPG average and smoother low revs. That is of course on a daily commute run.

Some cars gain extra power from it, some cars require it and will drive badly with any other fuel whilst other cars makers recommend using it as a preference in order to achieve the rated economy and performance.
 
I've posted this before but:

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I don't see what BMW would have to gain by saying that if it wasn't true? :confused:
 
[TW]Fox;14445536 said:
I didn't say the economy was no different, I said i've not noticed a difference - this is because I don't have a regular driving pattern with which I can test VPower then regular fuel and be sure any difference is purely down to the fuel.

My best ever economy 'record' was acheived with Shell VPower. Was it the fuel? No idea.
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Are you saying that you cannot buy super unleaded anywhere in plymouth? :confused:
 
I won't run the LCR on anything but V-Power/Tesco 99.

I've not run the 330d on anything but V-Power Diesel (yet), this is what Nick ran in it and believed it to give notable benefits. I will of course be testing this theory myself.
 
Every tank in my leon has been super.

I do this because I'm under the impression that the ECU can adapt itself (over period of a few tanks) to take advantage of the higher octane fuel, yielding slightly better performance and better mpg.

I've never tried a comparison but am not that bothered by the extra cost as I only go through 2-3 tanks of petrol a month.
 
Assuming the ECU has a map capable of advancing ignition on 97/98 then the engine will make more power over 95.

Of course that power gain is small, but it is there. Just because you can't feel it (who the hell can feel the difference between 222bhp and 230 bhp?) doesn't mean it's not there.

I supect most people would struggle to tell the difference between 222bhp and 230bhp in the same car.
 
My car gets better MPG on ultimate, I didnt believe it would, but it does, VW 20V 2.0L Petrol (27.8mpg -> 30.7mpg)
 
Jez said:
Are you saying that you cannot buy super unleaded anywhere in plymouth? :confused:
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Yes, you can buy normal SUL at lots of places, but the nearest Shell station is 15 miles or so up the A38 towards Exeter (and is located on one of the most dangerous junctions I have seen).
 
Peak BHP figures are irrelevant, it how the car feels through the rev range, in the appropiate car throttle response and pickup are indeed noticably better when running 98Ron or higher.
 
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