V-power diesel

[Amchlolor]

Anyone else tried it yet?
I filled up with £54 (a record..) of it on Friday, coz it was the only pump free.
Must say, results are weird.
Starting is significantly better.
It's like it was when it was new now, starting as soon as you turn the key.
Actual running though...hmmm...weird.
Very strange throttle response.
Almost like the ECU doesn't know what the hell to do!
Almost too sharp, making progress a pretty jerky affair, with some 'hunting' on a steady throttle too.
Fuel consumption seems worse too, with the gauge dropping pretty dramatically since I filled it up.
Very strange stuff.
I wouldn't go for it again, unless it's the only free pump again!

 

[tris88]

Sounds quite odd, kind of makes me want to try it for some odd reason .. weird.

 

[Amchlolor]

It's expensive ( I don't pay, company does )
It's £1.07 a litre up here.

 

[tris88]

Hmm probably more expensive for me (surrey) as standard diesel is £1.03 at some pumps.

 

[Spin140]

I paid £1.13 for BP ultimate diesel at the weekend - £60.50 to fill the wifes 2.0tdi - Crikey !!

Thankfully we claim back buisiness ,ileage which works out fairly lucrative for us as she is contracted from home but still £60 per tank.

I'm still not convinced these 'special' diesels make that much difference definetly not experienced anything like you Bowfer - how weird ?!?

 

[Amchlolor]

I'm still not convinced these 'special' diesels make that much difference definetly not experienced anything like you Bowfer - how weird ?!?

I'm not convinced either.
I don't detect any performance gain, that's for sure.
Just the improved starting (which is a plus, I suppose) and the 'weird' running.
I'm assuming my imminent D3 won't 'need' fancy diesel???

 

[sat1983]

I tried BP ultimate a few weeks back. Didn't noticed any difference apart from the price. I was thinking about filling up with it every weeks as its supposed the clean the injectors or something??!

 

[Spin140]

I tried BP ultimate a few weeks back. Didn't noticed any difference apart from the price. I was thinking about filling up with it every weeks as its supposed the clean the injectors or something??!

this is what they will have us believe, pricey though isn't it ?!?

 

[emzino]

I use V-Power Diesel ALL the time (occasionally BP Ultimate Diesel if V-Power isn't around) and I find that in comparison to normal diesel, it performs better but I agree with you on the point that it does consume more.
But maybe we think that because your getting less compared to ordinary diesel

 

[tris88]

Hmm just filled up with a tank of this stuff and not really noticed a difference so far but for £59.00 for 52.73 litres it really aint cheap (£1.11 a litre) it better give a bit more mpg. Have to admit though the power comes through a tad smoother but it might just be my mind playing tricks

 

[Twizzler]

Psychology, when used correctly, has always been know as a profit boosting tool. My local veg-shop owner tried an interesting experiment in which he bought a box of tomatoes from his wholesaler and divided them into 2 separate boxes. One was labelled 'Best tomatoes' at 80p per pound and the other 'Tomatoes' at 56p per pound. After 2 days the 80p box had gone, whilst the 56p one was still half full.
I just use the local Texaco diesel. I found it and Shell the best in my Citroens and the Audi seems very happy on Texaco too. Its averaged 46mpg over the first 1100 miles.

 

[IN-A3]

I have been using V power in my Merc sprinter. It starts quicker, but then with a higher centane number it should. Also runs better at low revs.

Its gives about another 30 miles to the tank full. With the extra cost per litre it does not make it any cheaper to run.

So want quality pay for it! be it a toaster, car or fuel.

 

[Teejay]

I've always used the 'better' fuels in petrol cars and can notice the difference. I've tried both BP Ultimate and V Power Diesel and not been impressed at all. If anything the car ran worse on V-power than it does on Tesco's!!!

Does start first time every time though, with very little key action.

 

[MJZ 6370]

Not a diesel story but last Saturday I put £20 of Sainsbury's petrol into my 2.0 TFSI and it has been much more responsive and appears to be up on power, needing judicious use of the throttle all of a sudden!

 

[alfiejts]

I'm on my second tankfull of Shell V-Power diesel.

Mine's always started straight away from the first turn of the key, so not noticed any difference there, but I have noticed the "uneven" running too...

Not sure about the economy. Managed to eke out 540 miles from the last tank and I'm now seeing the DIS showing mid-50s MPG for a trip which seems more than before, but its too close to judge really.

There's a school of thought that says there is no way a diesel car can take advantage of higher cetane fuel as it doesn't have an ECU controlling the ignition timing, which is how petrol cars take advantage of better petrol.

If you have no spark plugs, you can't adjust the timing of when the fuel ignites....

Having said that, if you get a bigger bang when the diesel does ignite, then perhaps you can use slightly less throttle for the same speed, which means it will use less fuel.

Any rocket scientists on the forum to comment on the theory?

 

[Amchlolor]

but I have noticed the "uneven" running too...

Weird, innit.

 

[stevehsv868]

personally i notice no difference with V power diesel or BP ultimate , the only difference is the cost.

I will be conducting some dynometer testing comparing regular diesel to theses so called performance diesels
including power/torque curve and fuel consumption

 

[N8]

I will be using only V-Power diesel when my A3 arrives. You need to run 5-6 full tanks to notice the difference!!

 

[Amchlolor]

I refilled with normall (shell extra) diesel at the weekend and normal service is resumed.
Quite frankly, you can stick that V-power pish.

 

[JED]

I normally run with Shell Diesel Extra however yesterday they were out so I had to fill up with V-Power. I will let you know my findings as to whether economy improves. At the moment it has dropped dramatically due to the cold weather so it wil be interesting to see if V-Power creates any improvement.

 

[marklad2020]

There's a school of thought that says there is no way a diesel car can take advantage of higher cetane fuel as it doesn't have an ECU controlling the ignition timing, which is how petrol cars take advantage of better petrol.

If you have no spark plugs, you can't adjust the timing of when the fuel ignites....

I understand that diesels effectively vary the ignition timing by varying the exact time at which the fuel is injected into the cylinder. Many diesels inject a small amount of fuel early and then deliver the main dose later in the stroke to make the engine run smoother. In fact, I think some engines make up to 5 separate injections per stroke.

 

[unkle]

Anyone else tried it yet?

I had the same results a couple of years ago, had a A3 140 TDI and didnt get either the extra performance or MPG, tried it for about 4/5 tanks worth (in total about 200 litres) just so the car could get used to it but no improvement, maybe it either prolongs the engine life or only works better in certain diesel engines....

In the end gave up, the only bonus was the extra Shell points...

 

[Amchlolor]

I had the same results a couple of years ago, had a A3 140 TDI and didnt get either the extra performance or MPG, tried it for about 4/5 tanks worth (in total about 200 litres) just so the car could get used to it but no improvement, maybe it either prolongs the engine life or only works better in certain diesel engines....

Has V-power diesel been out that long?
They're marketing it as some new thing up here.

 

[alfiejts]

Been out in the South East for a while - just released in selected garages across the country.....

 

[unkle]

Has V-power diesel been out that long?
They're marketing it as some new thing up here.

I worked and lived in Germany for 4 years (British Forces Germany), it has been available for say 3ish years over there.

Tried it in a A3 1.9 TDI and the A3 2.0 TDI, didnt notice any difference tbh but it was 5 points per litre instead of 1...

 

[JED]

Well, I am not sure what's going on, but since filling up with V Power diesel my MPG has gone back up to around 46 to 48 during my daily commute. Note sure whether the weather has got a bit warmer or what, but there is a definite improvement on my 170TDi. It seems quieter and smoother too???

Might be worth just using it during cold perdiods?

 

[tankdriver]

I am on my third tank of V power diesel having previously used BP Ultimate.
It seems marginally better giving 55mpg. I have used premium diesel fuels for some years with a definite improvement in engine smoothness and some increase in mpg. It takes a couple of tankfulls to notice the improvement though - takes that long to clean up the injectors.


A3 Sport 1.9tdi since July, previous car Rover 220SD