Can you guys tell me which you use and whether its noticebaly better or not?
Fith Gear Golf Gti 35 test Fifth Gear Fuel test - YouTube
Fith Gear Golf Gti 35 test Fifth Gear Fuel test - YouTube
S3 drivers - Unleaded vs. Super
- Thread starter A3_Rider
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ColMariner
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Tesco Momentum for me dont know if better but only live mile an bit away an get 20p/litre of most months, win win
have yet to fill up 
car is only on 85miles lol. Intend to use 97 or above, wherever I can find it
(have no idea what THEY put in it, but I hazard a guess at the cheapest available in the area)
car is only on 85miles lol. Intend to use 97 or above, wherever I can find it(have no idea what THEY put in it, but I hazard a guess at the cheapest available in the area)
NotquiteWelsh
Registered User
V power and if not a super unleaded of some type (my parents live in the country so no shell station).
I never run a high performance car on std fuel. When i had a tuned focus ST (300bhp) it was on the rollers a few times, once i used reg unleaded and it was 15bhp down!!!!
I never run a high performance car on std fuel. When i had a tuned focus ST (300bhp) it was on the rollers a few times, once i used reg unleaded and it was 15bhp down!!!!
MCN (Motorcycle News) did some dyno tests of an R1 (a 1000cc Yamaha Sports bike) on both standard and high octane fuel and the results showed no difference at all in power output. The manufacturer claimed that it was the engine management system that changed settings to provide maximum power output.
Whilst I don't dispute the facts I run higher octane in my bike (and S3) and certainly I'm convinced that it runs smoother with the better fuel. So I'll continue to use it.
Whilst I don't dispute the facts I run higher octane in my bike (and S3) and certainly I'm convinced that it runs smoother with the better fuel. So I'll continue to use it.
The S3 is only fed Shell V Power, as were my two previous SEAT Leon Cupra's - for which 98RON minimum was a specific requirement. I also put it in my MGTF. Why? Well, in the case of the MG there is no automatic advance/****** dependent on fuel type, but in my experience, although there's theoretically nothing to be gained, I do get marginally better fuel consumption, I'm convinced that the pick up is sharper, but most importantly (to me), is that when the heads have been off the cars, they have been in sparkling condition. No crud, no deposits, nothing. It must be those detergents 
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illingworth22
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have yet to fill up
(have no idea what THEY put in it, but I hazard a guess at the cheapest available in the area)
I was told by a reliable source that Maxol is 99Ron and I have seen them up in the North on my last trip
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The biggest benefits obviously are for turbo or supercharged engines,and more so if the boost is increased,as you are able to run higher levels of boost with less risk of detonation,but on normally aspirated engines,gains tend to be much smaller.
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If you mean off-boost,you aren't going to find much difference from 95RON fuel,but as soon as you hit the throttle,thats when the gains become apparent,as I'd said.
The other point about premium fuels as opposed to supermarket specials will be in the detergents and other additives,which may benefit injector performance in the longer term.
I am not really going to start being part of yet another debate about the myths of premium fuels as I think I have said enough and this forum is becoming rather full of the same old misunderstandings about what a real difference there is. However I do really think that if you really believe that a real performance gain is going to be had then that's up to you but unfortunately there isn't much evidence out there to support what you are saying.
Haven't got our S3 yet (March 2015 delivery) but use Shell V-power in both my current Audi and my wife's MINI John Cooper Works. Have done on the MINI since we got it new in September 2013 and my current Audi for just over 2 years
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Which I think is much the same as I've said,with the exception of the higher RON rating being useful as you turn the boost up.
Just don't expect the same on a N/A engine....but then again,as this is the S3 we're talking about.....
Agreed you'll get a whole of, possibly, 5ps increase at the top rpm of your engine. If we both started from the same place and drove to the same destination and drove both our cars keeping to the speed limits who do you think would be the winner?
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On my bike I don't notice any change to performance, whilst I don't always use premium when I do the engine is noticeably smoother. I've found that in the car too. OK it could be psychological but I'm not so sure.
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If that's intended for me,I think I've already answered it a few posts ago.
If we both drove within the speed limits,and I accelerated,braked and cornered to limits of my car's performance within those limits,then it's likely that I would arrive first,but that's not the point of what I'd referred to with respect to highly boosted engines and using higher RON fuels.
Running 95RON fuel on mine means I have to drop the boost,and thus a lot less power than I can run with 99RON fuel +/- WMI.
But you missed my point, the drop in power you are suggesting is negligible in real world driving, unless you drive flat out all the time which will stress your engine even more...
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I think my engine will probably cope.
And what I was saying earlier was that in most situations there will be little detectable difference between 95 or 99RON fuel but mine is mapped for and requires the latter.
That may explain why I noticed barely anything on the V6.
Cuke,the argument will always be there as I have said, I just want to know what 8V S3 drivers are doing as I am unsure which to go for (I mostly just do short town journeys and never play F1 traffic lights since getting 3 points
).Ok, and what are your findings?
Noticed more of a difference on the Audi as the MINI has been run on V-Power since it had 8 miles on the clock! So can't really comment on the difference between normal unleaded & premium unleaded on the MINI
The Audi is noticeably smoother & TBH accelerates & runs extremely well, again noticeably better from 'normal' unleaded
I use the Shell Drivers Club loyalty reward scheme & find, in reality, it's no more expensive that supermarket fuels
As always, just my opinion of course ...
A3_Rider, only to make claims that there is some noticeable performance gain when in reality little is gained is wrong. I have always said that the claims made by the petrol companies need proper scientific and objective tests to show if they are true or not. However my feeling is that nobody wants to take on shell or anyone else because of the methods they use to 'kill off' any bad press. We need to know if a car 'feels better' or 'runs smoother' isn't just down to a change in the ambient driving conditions. I find this 'facts' purported by the fuel companies a very similar argument to the ones that are used by car manufacturers to show good mpg when in fact under normal driving conditions the truth is far from it.
Nuff said, I will keep quiet on this thread now...
Nuff said, I will keep quiet on this thread now...
