I always treat my girl with Shell V power nitro petrol :p  I seen a minor increase in fuel economy but not enough to justify it on that basis alone. My car is mapped and does perform better on the better fuel.

Both my old Scoobys were supposed to run on high octane from the get-go, so I didn't get to test whether that made a difference.

Cheers all. Think I'll stick to branded ordinary fuel where possible - although if Sainsburys is just rebranded BP that's useful as there's one around the corner from work. Interesting to see your experiences though - even the guy in the Shell Fuel station swore that v-power made his car run miles better but aside from a possible fractional increase in power at lower revs (which I might be imagining) I really can't say the price is justified.

I've had cars mapped, tuned mechanically (the old fashioned way) in both diesel and petrol cars and it made no difference which fuel I used in terms of Power or economy. The exception being my old Uno Turbo II had to be used with octane booster in order to help 'quell' the detonation It blew up on the next owner after me :(

That's why petrol turbo especially tuned ones perform better with higher octane fuel to stop them pinking and detting and causing engine failure. The higher the octane the better the fuel to air ratio which burns cooler hence more safer power. If your car is mapped for high octane but you put normal watered down petrol you increase the chances of det or pinking. Some especially newer cars will have safe guards against this which will retard the ignition timing and alter the base map if it detects knocking or unsafe mixture levels.

That's why petrol turbo especially tuned ones perform better with higher octane fuel to stop them pinking and detting and causing engine failure. The higher the octane the better the fuel to air ratio which burns cooler hence more safer power. If your car is mapped for high octane but you put normal watered down petrol you increase the chances of det or pinking. Some especially newer cars will have safe guards against this which will retard the ignition timing and alter the base map if it detects knocking or unsafe mixture levels.

I had to use it (octane booster) as the rather keen tuners at my local rolling roll had turned the boost up to the point the turbo gauge had gone right around the clock and wouldn't reset anymore It was hysterically funny in a straight line and steered like an oil tanker in corners once the boost came on.

Edited:-

 

>v-power petrol - On my 2001 Octavia 1.4 16v 75 economy slightly improved but not quite enough to cancel out the extra cost however car always a LOT more responsive and if I use standard 95 RON petrol I can sometime "just" detect slight pinking (from new - dealer said they all do that!). As there were reports of piston failures of these engines at low mileage I've always run on higher octave fuel just to be sure (usually Shell vpower or Tesco Greenenergy) - Engine now 120k miles with no problems at all

I agree completely wrt using V-Power petrol in a 1.4 16v 75PS - drivability improved significantly, as well as no pinking, luckily that car has "gone" so it is back to using normal petrol!

Edited 24 October, 201510 yr by rum4mo

I agree completely wrt using V-Power petrol in a 1.4 16v 75PS - drivability improved significantly, as well as no pinking, luckily that car has "gone" so it is back to using normal petrol!

 

Indeed,

 

The only thing to be aware of the tsi engined cars seem to be well soundproofed whereas my old Octavia doesn't have any bulkhead or under bonnet insulation so if the tsi is pinking you may not hear it - As the early tsi engines also had some piston failures especially in twincharged versions  (now revised) I'm err-ing on the safe side by treating it to V-Power etc.. 

 

Saying that I was driving the old Octavia today - as the miles have piled on it's really quite "nippy" these days - still on V-Power though. Seems very noisy compared to the Superb though - but that is sooooo quiet

Sepulchrave will be along soon to chastise you both for having silly thoughts about snake oil and wasting money. I use 2-EHN in standard supermarket fuel and have already been told to "not be silly" - HaHa.

Oh I've already seen his rants, and others. Tbh, I've not felt any difference with the Rhino in the lower revs, and mpg certainly hasn't improved, but weather has dropped markedly cooler since so I'll probably run this bottle then try something more subjective in the spring.

Different fuel, but I could feel significant difference between Sainsburys city diesel and Shell V Power Nitro+.  Car is more responsive and quieter

Throwing my two pence in:

 

Fabia 1.4 MPI (Petrol): No noticeable difference in power, running or fuel economy

Zafira A (Diesel): Slightly smoother running, no noticeable power or fuel economy increase

Honda Deauville (Petrol motorbike, 650cc V-twin): Slightly better fuel economy and power, however noticeably more vibration at motorway speeds, so stopped using it.

 

Take from it what you will, each one reacted differently.

Wouldn't that depend whether or not your car is mapped to make the most of it which I doubt it is.

 

My pulsar for example is designed to run on 99ron ( or whatever the japs use) and produces 227bhp

 

The uk sunny is designed to run on 95 or 97 and puts out 217. As far as I know the only thing different is the mapping.

 

The engine in Mk2 vRS (1.4TSI) was designed for 98 Octane. You can use 95, but performance will be reduced. I have a feeling so was the old 1.4 16v engine should run on Super too.

There has been lots of threads about Super diesel. I've tried it and only find the car is slightly lighter......... in my back pocket. I stick to normal diesel (normally Shell) and put a dose of Millers in.

The engine in Mk2 vRS (1.4TSI) was designed for 98 Octane. You can use 95, but performance will be reduced. I have a feeling so was the old 1.4 16v engine should run on Super too.

Yeah I would've thought most performance turbo petrol engines will be designed to run on the higher stuff, although it shouldn't matter with new stuff so much unless it been highly tuned most modern ecu will be able to detect low octane fuel and adjust accordingly

Seems to make my vrs run less noisey, and before i fitted solid inter cooler pipes, the times it always blow off was when i put v power in lol, maybe coincidance,and placebo .. but i stick some in every now and then... its cheap at the minute, i dont see why not. I never put additives in.

Edited 27 November, 201510 yr by FromTheDarkness

The engine in Mk2 vRS (1.4TSI) was designed for 98 Octane. You can use 95, but performance will be reduced. I have a feeling so was the old 1.4 16v engine should run on Super too.

 

Yes.

 

You only get the quoted 100PS on Super and it pinks like a bitch on the cheap stuff.