Premium petrol, is it worth the extra?

[Reggie-rock]

Now petrol is down in price I was wondering if it is worth trying the more expensive premium fuel for a few months to see if it improves the running of my MB.
Has or does any one else used/use it?

 

[RobertoMercini]

Loads of threads discussing this in detail but as a quick response I put a full tank in every third fill up to take some advantage of the cleaning properties. Definitely benefit from fuel economy but when compared to increased price probsbly averages out. Responsiveness does improve though I've noticed - it's an e250 bluefficiency

 

[Rashman]

This could take a while....

 

[AMGeed]

This could take a while....

Certainly will

 

[E55BOF]

Back on topic.... I'm not fussed about the cost, so I use the highest-octane fuel readily available - Tesco Momentum or Shell V-Power, both 99 octane. I can't say I've noticed any difference over the cheaper stuff, but the premium fuel is likely to have the best available additive package.

 

[ChrisA]

Same for my car, Tesco Momentum for local or Shell V-Power for long haul

 

[automaniaman]

I run higher octane in mine as a matter of course,the price reduction is a added bonus.

 

[Chrishazle]

I once accidentally put high price diesel in my S203 C270 and got a hell of a good run back from Somerset - 60+mph average at over 50mpg, but did not continue the experiment.

As a matter of course I use V Power or Moventum in the 968, and she certainly runs a lot better on it compared to 95RON, even though the car has some fancy electronics to adjust to the fuel you're using.

 

[MWCLS]

I only use V Power regardless, may be placebo effect but the car seems to run/pull a lot smoother, I've had more performance focused cars in the past again I always used Shells finest.... The wife's c200k gets Jet 95 Ron 106.9 litre.

 

[whitenemesis]

V-Power every time .....

 

[GrandadsW202]

I have a sierra cosworth and when its rolling road time shell produces the most bhp and the smoothest power curve mpg doesn't really come into it for me in this car

but in my 202 daily driver i use tesco standard and cant say putting shell in makes any difference power/mpg as for the cleaning properties i try to keep tank topped up in hope crap settles as bottom, i do realise filling driving it will stir it up but that what fuel filter is for

 

[BlackC55]

Its the cleaning of the pump/injectors and lambda sensor/CAT that is most important and the V does this.

 

[MercedesDriver]

Every 4th fill I take V-power Nitro plus.

 

[sallison1504]

Across 4 different cars, of different engine sizes, I get roughly an extra 10% worth of miles, on top of the total miles from a 'standard fuel'.

Performance is also much better. Two of the cars ran much smoother. One of those cars and another car were much smoother at lower revs.

I knew someone who had a V10 Audi S8, and he used to get around 70-100 miles per tank more! I guess the finer tolerances make more a difference in a larger engine, with many more cylinders.

Have a gander at this...

http://www.smellmyclutch.com/really-know-whats-petrol/

 

[Crazyfool]

I've never put it in my existing car, but I did put it in my previous 1.8 turbo. Performance is definitely better and I found the drive smoother.

We go to Scotland every other year on holiday and regular unleaded used to get me the 525 miles. One year I put super unleaded in, did the same trip and still had fuel left over for a couple of days around the town driving.

I never use supermarket fuel unless I've got no choice, but shell by us is very competitively priced anyway.

I don't know how true it is, but I was advised not to keep switching between fuel types because the ECU has to keep on readjusting. You get better figures sticking with the same fuel.

 

[CaptainRAVE]

Its the cleaning of the pump/injectors and lambda sensor/CAT that is most important and the V does this.

This is why I only fill up with v power. Haven't noticed any improvement in mpg, but the car seems more responsive.

 

[markjay]

Only V-Power for me.

It keeps the engine cleaner, and that's all that matters for me.

Can't comment on any mpg or bhp improvements because I didn't look for it and didn't notice any.

Is it worth having a cleaner engine....?

Possibly Yes, if you intend to keep the car for the longer run.

Possibly No, if you keep the car for a year or two then quickly trade it in for another.

Said that... you will get the same cleaning effect cheaper if you only fill-up with V-Power every now and then, or if you use fuel additives e.g. Redex/Millers/Forte etc (the latter is assuming your car is out of warranty, as MB do not officially permit adding fuel additives).

 

[Rashman]

Every 4th fill I take V-power Nitro plus.

lol

That's like saying...

"Every 4th time I take a dump, I wipe properly".

 

[developer]

My manuel (que?) says 98RON so that's good enough for me.

 

[c63chris]

I put 'super' in mine normally. Usually Tesco Momentum 99. Have tried V Power, didn't notice any difference over the Tesco stuff. However the odd time I've put Nirmal unleaded in it doesn't seem to make a difference. The only time I've really noticed was on Sainsburys 97, car was rough on that.