Fuel Ripoff

madasahatter · November 15, 2017

As above all people who think premium petrol works watch this.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FPPkPAbzwbU

noby76 · November 15, 2017

test is flawed they used a 2013 Chevrolet Cruz which comes with a 1.8 litre 140bhp and manufactures recommended fuel says 'regular unleaded' of course they will not see any benefit from using premium fuels!! engine is not designed to take advantage of it.. best to test with other cars like higher revving, larger displacement and turbo'd cars whos manufactures recommend premium fuels to then draw a fair conclusion.

Lexus recommends 95RON or more, my Honda recommends premium i.e 97-99 RON did back to back tests in my IS300, GS430 and now 2.4 higher revving 4 pot and on each car, the standard 95 RON fuels all made the cars run slightly sluggish, noisier, and revved slower. moment i switch to premium mainly Esso 97 they all run quieter, accelerated smoother, revved happily and felt powerful. switched back to 95 RON and same symptoms arise again. this was on 3 cars. so i personally use Esso premium 97. if the engine is not designed for it then you are wasting your money.

Farqui · November 15, 2017

Good catch @noby76

I also found Honda's respond better, drive smoother on higher octane or premium fuels.

noby76 · November 15, 2017

18 minutes ago, Farqui said:

Good catch @noby76

I also found Honda's respond better, drive smoother on higher octane or premium fuels.

Yes due to 'race cam' lobe they switch to at higher revs.. so its designed to take advantage of it.. last i checked its the 9th highest car with fastest piston speed in the world. Redline: 7100rpm
Piston Speed: 4615 Ft/min

Farqui · November 15, 2017

3 minutes ago, noby76 said:

Yes due to 'race cam' lobe they switch to at higher revs.. so its designed to take advantage of it..

Agreed although smoothness and a slight boost in mpg can also be had on their big derv, that lacks any kinda of VTEC fun yo.

J Henderson · November 15, 2017

The tests carried out in the video were garbage and prove nothing,. It looked like hey were comparing like-for-like with only a tenner's worth of fuel or something, and probably within the space of an hour or two? Driving at 50km/h on a rolling road? (which needed a whole 6hp of the engine's power ). What's that going to prove? Not to mention, they seemed to do this "test" with the bonnet closed and no cooling fans that I could see, so the 2nd run's results could potentially be compromised.

I've no doubt running premium fuel in a POS like that is/was probably a waste, but the tests should've been conducted over a longer term, and on a variety of vehicles if the results were to be taken seriously. The whole thing just seemed skewed towards finding reasons NOT to buy premium, because it was such a "scandal" that the pump attendants (tbh, I was surprised to see this is still a thing in NA) were recommending the higher-priced fuels.

madasahatter · November 15, 2017

I ran a 250 bhp vrs and on v power or what ever never run better if any thing run like a pig. Premium fuels will only enhance cars made to run on them.

Big turbo cars supercharged v tec and the like. It requires the engine timing to be changed to gain any gains. And as we all knows Lexus cars are locked ie

can not be tuned to gain any more bhp. So how on earth does shell or bp or what ever super fuel, gain this extra horse power you all talk about.

Like the guys says this is in your minds that it is better. Save your cash mate and buy something useful. I would bet that none of your cars, make more hp than mine

on normal 95 ron fuel. So the tests were false, if it had said gains were visible would that of been a con as well.

NemesisUK · November 15, 2017

My CLS55 ran so much better on V-Power but then the engine could adjust the timing (using the anti-knock sensors) to make best use of whatever fuel it was feed with. Running on standard grades was fine but idle was slightly lumpy and acceleration not as strong or smooth.

I'd be surprised if Lexus/Toyota engines don't auto-adjust as well?

For the extra £5 or so per tank full I'm sticking with V-Power in my RC

Shahpor · November 15, 2017

I am the other way round since I have only run my car on Shell V Power, so I am not sure whether to switch to standard diesel since it could undo any benefits I might have gained up till now.

I was tempted to switch today though when I filled up and saw it was 135.9p a litre!

Lexie04 · November 15, 2017

I only run my RC on Shell V power. Was offered fuel additive on my last car at a service, informed them that I only use V Power fuel and was then told there would be no need to add the additive then.

Don't know if you can justify the extra cost for V Power. Most garages charge an extra 10p a Litre.

You never know that the extra cost will be as some only charge an extra 8p litre and once was charged an extra 13p a litre.

Rebecca · November 16, 2017

I've said it time and time again that the 250 without doubt runs better with super unleaded. It's noticebly smoother and more responsive. The transmission seems more eager to kickdown and I'm certain it releases a few extra ponies.

On some occasions I've had no choice but to fill up with regular fuel and this is when the difference becomes apparent in a short space of time.

It's no placebo effect. The 250 loves super.

Linas.P · November 16, 2017

My experience is kind of opposite. In terms of performance it is hit and miss, except once I had Tesco regular which was running noticeable worse, but overall there is no correlation between car running "better" and premium fuel. I used to fill every second tank with premium and I stopped doing it, from my own experience (and I have documented every tank since I bought the car in April 2014) I get better mileage from regular fuel... consistently. Now again what "running better" means... I do more than average miles but I am certain I would not notice the difference on my regular commute... and I have never noticed it.

First of all gains from premium fuel are theoretical at best e.g. reduced knock, smoother running could only be noticed at the limits of the engine, at the top speeds and at the rev-limiter - it is not a thing you can notice doing 30-40 MPH in the city traffic. I tend to believe any difference felt using premium fuel is exactly placebo effect... but hey if not cleaning the engine at least it gives peace to your mind! .. and that is important too...

madasahatter · November 17, 2017

10 hours ago, Rebecca said:

I've said it time and time again that the 250 without doubt runs better with super unleaded. It's noticebly smoother and more responsive. The transmission seems more eager to kickdown and I'm certain it releases a few extra ponies.

On some occasions I've had no choice but to fill up with regular fuel and this is when the difference becomes apparent in a short space of time.

It's no placebo effect. The 250 loves super.

You need to drive my car, instant kick down runs for fun and i have used both fuels over a long period. MY car runs better on regular fuel period.And no i am not a tight

so and so, if i saw gains in mpg and performance i would use premium. Do any of you use the so called performance filters as well.

rayaans · November 17, 2017

Super unleaded won't make a difference on these vehicles which are designed to run on regular. It will most certainly be a placebo or some form of rationalisation

Stick regular in a Ferrari and it probably wont like it

Linas.P · November 17, 2017

6 minutes ago, rayaans said:

Super unleaded won't make a difference on these vehicles which are designed to run on regular. It will most certainly be a placebo or some form of rationalisation

Stick regular in a Ferrari and it probably wont like it

Even then if you going to use that Ferrari for commuting, you won't notice either (even though flat plain crank running rougher naturally) - ECU going to retard the timing and that will be end of story (BTW retarded timing saved fuel!). If you however, track that Ferrari, run Dyno, rev-it to the limits - yes there will be difference.

peachy · November 17, 2017

7 hours ago, madasahatter said:

You need to drive my car, instant kick down runs for fun and i have used both fuels over a long period. MY car runs better on regular fuel period.And no i am not a tight

so and so, if i saw gains in mpg and performance i would use premium. Do any of you use the so called performance filters as well.

Yes I had a K&N panel fitted in my previous is250 (now my wifes)

This filter along with super juice made it accelerate quicker and I reckon with this setup the 250 could do the sprint in 7 seconds flat.

madasahatter · November 17, 2017

Wow why not just buy a golf etc to do that. Standard filters in most cars are good for 300 bhp in most cases. K & n and the like do not really work until you

have proper power 350 bhp upward bigger injectors a turbo a better fuel pump. Yes i have been there all they do is annoy with the crap noise.

madasahatter · November 17, 2017

7 hours ago, madasahatter said:

You need to drive my car, instant kick down runs for fun and i have used both fuels over a long period. MY car runs better on regular fuel period.And no i am not a tight

so and so, if i saw gains in mpg and performance i would use premium. Do any of you use the so called performance filters as well.

Also fuel does not give fast kick downs a good gearbox does that rebecca.

J Henderson · November 17, 2017

When I had my IS200, V-Power would cost well in excess of £1.50/L at times, plus I would have to go out of my way to access a Shell station, but I would make the extra effort and buy V-Power every time because there was a tangible difference that I could feel. The car ran much smoother and felt much more responsive - almost like flicking on a "ECT PWR" switch.

With my IS250 though, I don't think I notice the difference. I run the car in "PWR" mode all the time so maybe that's masking the effect. I still buy it now and again though for it's cleaning properties.

Shaunomercy · August 14, 2018

Just stumbled on this so sorry if I'm resurecting a post...

Back in 96 I was in the USA (first visit).
The hirer car died...or I killed it lol.
Anyway I discovered If you kill the hire car they will replace and upgrade you.
So I went from a 2.4 Pontiac grand am to a 3.7l Pontiac grand Prix. Lovely car..
Anyway because the first car had failed second car came with a full tank of squirt.
So outside Daytona I needed fuel. Went into this petrol station and asked which was unleaded as car said unleaded... And there were about 5 grades of fuel...
Basically crude oil to jet fuel...[emoji23]
So the silky smooth V6 got a full tank of crude oil... cheapest...!!!

Pulled out, got to the lights sat waiting and the crude oil rated fuel finds its way to the engine.

The silky smooth V6 that you could stand a pencil on its end on the engine at tickover was jumping about in a big way... It was running like a stroker V8 at tickover.
Engine jumping about, car body shaking, mirror vibrations that bad you couldn't see thru them. If you think back to the future 3 when the delorean Blow's it's manifold off, your not far off.
Fuel economy plummeted lol. Had to fill it within 3 days and put some better grade in..

Always used the correct grade in my own cars after that experience.

Still makes me laugh to this day when I think about that Pontiac...

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