Eco driving.
Fuel
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I don't think it makes much difference in the 1.8.
Some cars it has a big effect on. I previously had a focus diesel. Running that on supermarket fuel was horrific, it was sluggish, stalled easily and I had an intermittent problem with the engine limping for no apparent reason. Running it on BP diesel with some fuel additive was the only way to sort the car out.
Some cars it has a big effect on. I previously had a focus diesel. Running that on supermarket fuel was horrific, it was sluggish, stalled easily and I had an intermittent problem with the engine limping for no apparent reason. Running it on BP diesel with some fuel additive was the only way to sort the car out.
I always use Shell V-Power, having used the normal petrol beforehand. You can tell the difference, better response and a little (I stress a little) BHP extra. I've been using it since last year April, I can tell the difference when my wife tops ups with normal petrol. It may be a placebo effect, as some will say it doesn’t have any noticeable difference.
Personal preference to be honest.
Personal preference to be honest.
The difference in the driver input are far more significant than the fuel used. If you are interested in using a fuel additive to clean injectors and/or boost octane values then it's by far cheaper to buy 5L cans of Millers or other makes additive and mix it yourself. I do this for my diesel cars and adds on 1p per litre.
Simply, drive slowly and smoothly and you will see improvements in economy.....conservation of momentum.
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Is all petrol and diesel the same, wherever you buy it from? It’s a common question that often gives rise to heated debate between people who swear that their car runs better on fuel from XYZ Company and those who say that it’s all the same and they just buy the cheapest.
The problem is that most people don’t know how the fuel business works and the truth is a little harder to find.
The Easy Bit – Premium Fuels (Shell V-Power, BP Ultimate, etc.)
Let’s start with the easy bit. Premium fuels, such as Shell V-Power and BP Ultimate are not the same as regular petrol or diesel fuels. They have a different, more sophisticated package of additives for cleaning and lubrication, and have a higher octane rating (petrol) or cetane rating (diesel).
Octane and cetane ratings describe the way a fuel burns inside an engine. Broadly speaking, a higher rating means a fuel will burn more efficiently and effectively inside your engine. This may improve performance and/or economy slightly – although not all drivers will see a noticeable difference.
Standard Unleaded and Diesel Fuels
The big debate is over whether the petrol and diesel sold by supermarkets is the same quality as that sold by branded fuel companies like Shell, BP, Esso and Total.
Let’s start with some known facts:
All fuels sold in the UK conform to the relevant British Standards. This means that they should all work in roughly the same way and you can mix them freely in your car’s fuel tank.
The standard petrol and diesel that’s sold on garage forecourts is mixture of two things:
Each fuel company has its own additives packages and these are different. So it is possible (but not common) for some drivers to feel that their car responds better to the additives used by one fuel manufacturer over those of another.
What About Supermarket Fuels?
There are all sorts of stories that go round about supermarket fuels, but the fact is that supermarket fuel tanker lorries are often seen filling up from the same tanks as branded fuel lorries (e.g. Shell, BP) – so the chances are that most of the time, the fuel they sell is the same, although again, it may have different additives packages.
However, one common story about supermarket fuel is that some supermarkets don’t have a regular fuel supplier. Instead, they buy odd lots of fuel from wherever it’s cheapest. This could (if it happened) lead to supermarket fuel having a more variable set of additives than branded fuels.
Not many people really know the truth about this business and they are not the kind of people who will reveal all on the internet, so we will have to keep guessing as to whether there is any meaningful difference between supermarket fuels and branded fuels.
May be of use.
I allways buy the cheapest and have never had an issue.
Regards all
Juan
PS Keeping the car serviced correctly gives better performance and fuel consumption, thats were my money goes
The problem is that most people don’t know how the fuel business works and the truth is a little harder to find.
The Easy Bit – Premium Fuels (Shell V-Power, BP Ultimate, etc.)
Let’s start with the easy bit. Premium fuels, such as Shell V-Power and BP Ultimate are not the same as regular petrol or diesel fuels. They have a different, more sophisticated package of additives for cleaning and lubrication, and have a higher octane rating (petrol) or cetane rating (diesel).
Octane and cetane ratings describe the way a fuel burns inside an engine. Broadly speaking, a higher rating means a fuel will burn more efficiently and effectively inside your engine. This may improve performance and/or economy slightly – although not all drivers will see a noticeable difference.
Standard Unleaded and Diesel Fuels
The big debate is over whether the petrol and diesel sold by supermarkets is the same quality as that sold by branded fuel companies like Shell, BP, Esso and Total.
Let’s start with some known facts:
All fuels sold in the UK conform to the relevant British Standards. This means that they should all work in roughly the same way and you can mix them freely in your car’s fuel tank.
The standard petrol and diesel that’s sold on garage forecourts is mixture of two things:
- ‘Base’ fuel
- An additive package
Each fuel company has its own additives packages and these are different. So it is possible (but not common) for some drivers to feel that their car responds better to the additives used by one fuel manufacturer over those of another.
What About Supermarket Fuels?
There are all sorts of stories that go round about supermarket fuels, but the fact is that supermarket fuel tanker lorries are often seen filling up from the same tanks as branded fuel lorries (e.g. Shell, BP) – so the chances are that most of the time, the fuel they sell is the same, although again, it may have different additives packages.
However, one common story about supermarket fuel is that some supermarkets don’t have a regular fuel supplier. Instead, they buy odd lots of fuel from wherever it’s cheapest. This could (if it happened) lead to supermarket fuel having a more variable set of additives than branded fuels.
Not many people really know the truth about this business and they are not the kind of people who will reveal all on the internet, so we will have to keep guessing as to whether there is any meaningful difference between supermarket fuels and branded fuels.
May be of use.
I allways buy the cheapest and have never had an issue.
Regards all
Juan
PS Keeping the car serviced correctly gives better performance and fuel consumption, thats were my money goes
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6,455 Posts
It has been discussed several times on here and tried all sorts of fuels... In general my 1.8 does feel smoother and more responsive with the higher octane fuels. Personally, I find Total's Excellium and Tesco's Momentum feel a lot different to regular unleaded... V Power is quiet good too, but expensive
Can't really comment on mpg, as I don't really monitor it other than on a long trip and then I tend to us the above anyway.
Can't really comment on mpg, as I don't really monitor it other than on a long trip and then I tend to us the above anyway.
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13,117 Posts
I try and keep the gearing to keep the load on the engine low. Think about riding a bike - too low a gear and you waste energy spinning the pedals, too high a gear and you waste energy putting too much effort in for no gain. The difference is that with your car, that "waste" is money down the drain!
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12,885 Posts
Acceleration is wasted fuel.
Car accelerates with less effort at higher rpm but in the opposite sense is spinning faster so uses more juice.
This is why pulleys were invented to reduce effort needed to raise something.
So your best bet is to keep the engine where it is at its most efficient.
This engine is optimum at 1750-1800rpm.
So if you do a lot of stop start keep it around there and if you dont need to accelerate keep the engine around 1250-1500rpm when cruising.
Some people go lower but you are labouring the engine and loading the DMF.
Although if you are not accelerating its not such an issue.
IMHO
Car accelerates with less effort at higher rpm but in the opposite sense is spinning faster so uses more juice.
This is why pulleys were invented to reduce effort needed to raise something.
So your best bet is to keep the engine where it is at its most efficient.
This engine is optimum at 1750-1800rpm.
So if you do a lot of stop start keep it around there and if you dont need to accelerate keep the engine around 1250-1500rpm when cruising.
Some people go lower but you are labouring the engine and loading the DMF.
Although if you are not accelerating its not such an issue.
IMHO
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293 Posts
I`ve noticed on my car, we have couple versions of petrol, let say Petrol 95 and Petrol 98. Now when i put Petrol 95 full tank, i drive about 700-800km in summer, and about 500-600km in winter. And the driving is normal, but when i put Petrol 98 full tank, i drive about 600km in summer... and there is a little bit difference in the acceleration.
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2,617 Posts
Enjoying the acceleration a bit too much. You should get more mpg with higher octane fuel if your engine can utilise it (which most modern engines can for the past 15 years).
It's such a well debated subject but one thing that is the case is that, in case of tesco momentum, the fuel is more "dense" than tesco's 95 RON.
To my unscientific brain this indicates that you get more out of a denser fuel than a less dense one if you see what I mean.
Is that right?
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2,617 Posts
If energy density is greater then yes. I am aware v power has greater energy density, albeit a small amount. Momentum is likely the same. There is some benefit from higher octane because the timing of the engine can be more advanced.
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7,128 Posts
On my car it says E10 so i just use it and i dont bother with 92 or 95.
Heard this can cause knocking/pinging more which should be negated by the knock sensor.
plus the extra you pay for 95 as opposed to E10 may not warrant the extra milage you get (if any)
When i come to a round about i try to take it as fast as i can while making sure i do it safely, less speed lost=less speed to gain back and less fuel wasted.
I am getting about 42MPG by doing this in city/motorway driving.
Keep tires at the correct pressures(think it is 30PSI for front and rear)
Remove extra weight from car(every pound you remove saves you that extra pound(no pun intended))
Heard this can cause knocking/pinging more which should be negated by the knock sensor.
plus the extra you pay for 95 as opposed to E10 may not warrant the extra milage you get (if any)
When i come to a round about i try to take it as fast as i can while making sure i do it safely, less speed lost=less speed to gain back and less fuel wasted.
I am getting about 42MPG by doing this in city/motorway driving.
Keep tires at the correct pressures(think it is 30PSI for front and rear)
Remove extra weight from car(every pound you remove saves you that extra pound(no pun intended))
No, its codswallop - fuel is stupidly expensive as it is, why pay even more for the snake oil variety?
Just get the cheap(er) stuff, drive economically (think ahead and read the road) and give it an italian tune up once every month or two, when the engine is fully warmed up. That's all there is to it.
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389 Posts
I fuel up on Super Green, usually Sainsbury's (it's on my way to work). I have found that super green does give my 1.4 Dsi a little more oomph and to be fair (any one who has a 1.4 Dsi will agree) you need all the extra power you can get. MPG wise, I find there's absolutey no difference what so ever. I do a 60 mile round trip to and from work every day and I average about 38mpg. I've compaired Shell to Tesco's, Sainsbury's, Total etc and I find there's not difference at all. Good old fasioned careful driving is the way to get the best out of your motor.
MP
MP
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i may try BP next time, see how i go
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