Hi,

I bought a '02 vRS recently and wasn't convinced by the performance initially.. but the price was right and the car was in good shape otherwise.

I've been experimenting with fuel since - 98Ron SUL was an improvement, but i used some Shell Optimax over the weekend and the improvement was very marked!

Now I'm not a "fuel elitest" at all and am usually sceptical about this sort of stuff, but has anyone else noticed similar effects?

I also have a 280bhp sierra cosworth, and provided it's 98Ron SUL it makes no difference what sort. The 1.8 20VT runs a high compression by comparison though (9.3 against 8.0) so does the management keep it running up against the edge of the envelope and reduce the performance on "poorer" fuel?

What is the official fuel spec for these standard cars in normal use - 95, 98Ron?

Cheers

Rich

Try BP Ultimate. There is even more difference!!

tesco 99 and theres even more

Really.. i always thought that optimax was the best?? I did put a tank of BP ultimate in though and i remember driving along thinking this car feels much better but put it down to it being in my head!

but at 102.9p a litre the ultimate is too much for my wallet!

Must find some tesco 99!!

I run mine on Total Equillium most of the time which is 97ron and it is an awesome difference to std unleaded. I know i'm supposed to run it on 98 minimum but sometimes I can't get super unleaded anywhere!

Haven't tried any of the other suppliers yet but will do at some point.

Ian

Inside the filler cap is says 95/98 RON fuel and the 180BHP is quoted on 98RON fuel so it does make a difference.

95RON wont hurt your engine it just wont have as much power. Mine gets run on sainsburys 97RON because its either 100.9p for Optimax of 96.9p for sainsburys SUL

yea exactly that a lot of cash from empty

As above really, my vRS seems to quite like the Sainsbury's Super, is even better with Optimax, but BP Ultimate has no noticeable benefit. A recent Auto Express group test of higher octane fuels seemed to agree, IIRC.

Si

talking of petrol....has anybody noticed if their car runs any better when the tank is full?.....Mines always seems to go really well and smoth when ive just filled it up and there is a noticable difference when its just about empty and about to go into the red on the gauge!!

I have found that Ulitmate is more consitant than Optimax but my car is more responsive and more economical running Optimax....cheaper as well.

Optimax is well documented to "going off" and I have experienced a "bad" tank of it.

yea thats why you should always (try anyway) use a busy garage so that the optimax is fresh stuff. I thought it was all bull till my old man was showing off about filling up with it and the car loosing some umphh

Really.. i always thought that optimax was the best?? I did put a tank of BP ultimate in though and i remember driving along thinking this car feels much better but put it down to it being in my head!

but at 102.9p a litre the ultimate is too much for my wallet!

Must find some tesco 99!!

iirc tesco garage at the southern cross marton rd does it

tesco 99 and theres even more

I disagree.

I have the same AUQ engine in my Golf as fitted to the vRS.

I find Optimax to give the best results, closely follwed by Ultimate then Tesco 99 in third place.

That said, im using Tesco 99 at the moment as its around 4-5pence a litre cheaper than Optimax/Ultimate and if you spend more than

tesco 99 for me (and clubcard points for the missus)

as a side issue, I have been warned away from BP Ultimate by more than one respected tuner in Ford Cosworth circles for burning hotter than others and raising combustion chamber temperatures to the point where it offsets the supposed benefit of the RON rating. Now this may be a specific situation that affects the cosworth YB engine particularly, but interesting all the same.

As above really' date=' my vRS seems to quite like the Sainsbury's Super, is even better with Optimax, but BP Ultimate has no noticeable benefit. A recent Auto Express group test of higher octane fuels seemed to agree, IIRC.

Si[/quote']

I beg to differ. I use BP Ultimate and there IS a noticable difference