oldbutnotslow Posted July 17, 2005 Share Posted July 17, 2005 On last Thursdays TD I was forced to use Sainsbury’s Super Unleaded fuel as all 3 of my local Shell and BP stations had no Optimax / Ultima so I was forced into using Sainsbury’s Super Unleaded.97 RON so the same as BP (at least in theory) The car ran as sweet as a nut. I’m now left wondering if I’ve been paying through the nose for Optimax needlessly? And should I continue to use Mr Sainsbury’s offering Anyone had experience of using this stuff long term? Grant 😬 183 BHP of black and stone chip excitement. 😬 here Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mick Day Posted July 17, 2005 Share Posted July 17, 2005 Some people reckon that supermarket petrol skimps on detergent additives. See here Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim_H Posted July 17, 2005 Share Posted July 17, 2005 anything's better than std unleaded (2 star ☹️) Tim L7 EVN - on the upgradealator Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaseb Posted July 18, 2005 Share Posted July 18, 2005 I've been using Sainsbury's super in my 944 for a while now and it too loves it 😬 I've no idea why but hey who cares at that price... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pete east Posted July 18, 2005 Share Posted July 18, 2005 I believe the base fuel is pretty much a standard item and the additives allegedly give the different fuels their various properties, After having the cylinder head converted to run on unleaded I used sainsburys LRp for a while, and seemed ok, but subjectively always seemed better on optimax ( but I might have been kidding myself! 😬) One advantage for Supermarket fuel is that the very high turnover means that it is nearly always fresh, but as mentioned before I have no objective data to suppport or not support the use of this fuel type, There are bound to be other Seveners who can shed a more objective view on this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nobled Again Posted July 18, 2005 Share Posted July 18, 2005 Fuels generally contain a cocktail of additives - oxygenates (octane boosters) improve driveability and reduce emissions friction modifiers improve power/fuel economy corrosion inhibitors dispersants (stop condensation from building up...) and the above mentioned detergents. The one you notice is of course octane number, and if you're very sensitive friction modification. The others are longer term issues - even if a fuel skimps on detergent additives, it will take some time (measured in 1000's of miles, not 100's) before you get enough buildup of deposits to affect performance. My view is basically use the best fuels most of the time, and use anything of suitable octane number for every 2nd or 3rd tank. N777HPC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul jacobs Posted July 18, 2005 Share Posted July 18, 2005 I feel that it is allright to use supermarket fuel on an occasional basis, but, now I would not touch Sainsbury's with a bargepole. The reason is that several years ago, well about 10 now, I used to run a VW petrol motorcaravan I had at the time on Sainsburys standard unleaded, regularly filled up there once a week. after 4-5 months I noticed that the engine was developing a misfire or hesitancy when accelerating. Took it to the local main dealer who replaced the airflow meter, at great cost, which, admittedly seemed to cure it........for a few days, after which it was as bad as ever. They didn't have a clue after that, but refused to refund my costs [naturally enough I suppose]. I happened to read an article about supermarket fuels, and tried running it on Esso and by the 2nd tankful it was running perfectly again. A few weeks later I thought I would try half a tank of Sainsburys again, and withing 5 miles the fault was back I complained to Sainsburys but all I got was the brushoff, and of course I could offer no conclusive proof, so that was the last time I spent money with them, which is all one can do in the end. My advice is more or less the same as Nobled, if you must use supermarket fuel, only put in a tank occasionaly, but use a premium grade for the rest of the time, if you intend to keep the car and it is paid for by you, it is the only safe thing to do. Paul J. Hard work never killed anyone ........ but why take the chance! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldbutnotslow Posted July 18, 2005 Author Share Posted July 18, 2005 Ive only ever used Sainsbury's super unleaded the once last week for the one TD. I was just wondering ............ Ive filled up my fuel cans with 60 ltrs of Otimax for my next TD on Wednesday. It was only the cost that prompted my question. As its not that much different if real £ terms I will stick with Otimax Incidentally, has anyone ever worked out their fuel consumption whilst on track? I suppose its one of those things that you are better off not calculating!!!!! Grant 😬 183 BHP of black and stone chip excitement. 😬 here Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Archie Procter Posted July 18, 2005 Share Posted July 18, 2005 Grant - between 5 and 10 litres per 20 min session, depending on all sorts of things, including the weather, the traffic, the ambient temperature, the car I was driving , the circuit etc etc. I just worked out my fuel consumption at Thruxton to be about 20mpg in my Grads car - mind you it is all flat out, and at Brands Indy about 14mpg in my 2.0VX. Yesterday at Donington in the hot weather in the Grads car I'd estimate about 14mpg as well. So better than expected I guess! And in the wet I don't seem to use any petrol at all! Andrew Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldbutnotslow Posted July 18, 2005 Author Share Posted July 18, 2005 Hi Andrew I reckon on about 16 mpg and like you 60 mpg in the wet! Fuel consumption improved dramatically after Dave Walker mapped the emerald on the rollers! Grant 😬 183 BHP of black and stone chip excitement. 😬 here Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevefoster Posted July 18, 2005 Share Posted July 18, 2005 I used Sainsbury's SUL and there was water in it! Chased a below 3500 rpm misfire all race day and could not find it. Did not affect the race performance thankfully. Turned out to be fuel! That was a one off. I avoid Sainsbury's for petrol now... Hants (north) / Berkshire club here Area meeting pics here My Racing here Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dirty Den Posted July 19, 2005 Share Posted July 19, 2005 Incidentally, has anyone ever worked out their fuel consumption whilst on track? One of my mates has an Evo 6 and did work out his fuel consumption. IIRC, it was something like 8mpg! I suppose its one of those things that you are better off not calculating!!!! I can only guess that he felt the same way I avoid the Supermarket fuels and go for either Shell or BP, using a busy petrol station if possible, for the turnover of their fuel. Den http://www.dens7.co.uk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john milner Posted August 27, 2012 Share Posted August 27, 2012 I've never been fussed by brand or posh petrol but a couple of weeks ago I noticed that Sainsbury's Super was 3p a litre extra so I thought I would try it. I can't say I noticed any improvement in power. The exhaust note was flatter but other than that it felt the same. The good thing was though I did over 20 miles more on a tank at 270+ compared to 240-250. Next fill-up was Morrison's standard unleaded and it went back to 250. Next fill-up was Sainsbury's Super and I got to 210 with a quarter of tank to go before filling up. I'm on Shell standard at the moment. I noticed something similar a couple of years ago where although I was filling up on standard the mileage went up by 20-30 miles per tank. it only lasted a few weeks but it did make me wonder if there wasn't something funny in the petrol. I'm going to carry on experimenting but at the moment it looks as though the Super is about 7% more efficient so as long as it's not more than 9p dearer it might be a saving in disguise. My engine is a 160 VVC with standard ECU & competition exhaust. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johnty Lyons Posted August 27, 2012 Share Posted August 27, 2012 I know of at least two major manufacturers who if you take your car two any of their dealers with a running fault will take a sample of your fuel and if it's found not to have the correct additives ( supermarket ) will disclaim all warranty and replace all fuel components ( were talking injection here) and present you with a very large bill. Hint 1 German 1 French. Based on that we refuse to use supermarket fuel in our three tintops and our se7en. Just my own idea each to his own. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael H Posted August 27, 2012 Share Posted August 27, 2012 I was under the impression that all petrol in the UK came from the same half-dozen refineries, and the actual brand name is largely irrelevant except for additives... is this true? I filled up at Waitrose in Salisbury on Saturday, the super-unleaded was 10p a litre cheaper than my local BP... 😳 Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john milner Posted August 27, 2012 Share Posted August 27, 2012 If a car manufacturer is unhappy about a brand then they would need to stipulate it in the handbook. Sounds to me as though the French & German's are trying to wriggle out of their obligations or they build carp engines and it's them that should be avoided. I've got through a few thousand gallons of petrol over the years and never had any trouble with any brand. I am hoping though that there is something to premium rated petrol in terms of economy but it will take a few more tankfuls before I'm sure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DougBaker Posted August 27, 2012 Share Posted August 27, 2012 Apart from anecdotes is there any good evidence that it is more than homeopathy for cars? It has to be pretty simple chemistry to understand exactly what has been added to a given fuel. So I cannot imagine that it would be too hard for Tesco/sainsburys to ensure their fuel was identical to the branded versions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James_Russell Posted August 27, 2012 Share Posted August 27, 2012 It's development- I was recently told at an industry forum that Shell is years ahead of the competition when it comes to developing the best high octane fuel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete - W.Sussex Posted August 27, 2012 Share Posted August 27, 2012 Ooh, all this talk of Optimax or super unleaded - I am running my R400d on standard 95 RON as it says in the handbook. Is this wrong? With my last car (DB9) they insisted on only using 95. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Q Catcher Posted August 30, 2012 Share Posted August 30, 2012 Well, well. First good evidence I've read of probs with supermarket fuel. I've been using Sainsbury's super unleaded in my tin-top (which demands it) for three years now without a problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Looptheory Posted August 31, 2012 Share Posted August 31, 2012 Is the higher RON fuel ok for the older cars? I have a Vaux 1.8 with carbs - Sorry for the basic question but i'm new to the car :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Jonathan Kay Posted August 31, 2012 Member Share Posted August 31, 2012 Quoting Looptheory: Is the higher RON fuel ok for the older cars?AFAIK there is never a problem with using too high an octane rating of any petrol in any engine (other than wasting money). There may be a problem with additives, but that was mostly about moving to unleaded fuel. But I may well be out of date. The only thing I've read recently was a description of how fuel is adjusted for particular conditions in F1: possibly on James Allen's site, but it was longer and more detailed than this. Do we have a BC expert on fuel? Jonathan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stationary M25 Traveller Posted August 31, 2012 Share Posted August 31, 2012 Welcome to Sevening and to BC Mr Looptheory Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gundersen Posted August 31, 2012 Share Posted August 31, 2012 Quoting DougBaker: Apart from anecdotes is there any good evidence that it is more than homeopathy for cars?I have not seen anyone produce any actual verifiable prof, neither for fuel or for engine oils. So until I find some evidence to the contrary, my car gets standard 95 as dictated by the manual. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Looptheory Posted August 31, 2012 Share Posted August 31, 2012 Thankyou for the replies gentlemen :) I will try some and see if there is a difference whether perceived or actual ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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