I'm sure I've read some discussions on OOf about different petrol brands and qualities, but I haven't managed to locate any of them using the search facility.

I've always thought there was no noticeable difference between any brand of petrol when put into a V6.  And, according to the manual, regular grade (95 octane) is what you are supposed to fill up with.

A couple of months back, due to a special offer from Airmiles, combined with an unusual (for me) driving schedule, I was tempted to fill up with Shell V-power petrol.  I immediately noticed a dfference in the way the car behaved.  Quieter, more power and, amazingly, far better fuel consumption, especially on short journeys.

Two possible explanations occur to me:

• I am delusional
  
• the engine management system hasn't been working - ever
  

The economics are marginal - at 7p per litre more than regular, the improved mpg probably isn't enough to justify a permanent change.

Anyone got any observations?  Or can you point me to a previous discussion on this topic?

there are mixed opinions.

I like it, occasionally, or if I know a lot of spirited drivign coming up.

i find it definately smoother and more responsive, dont tend to get better mpg....probably driving style related.

I do find it better, but probably not worth the cost, but use as an occasional treat.

my head internals were VERY clean when the heads were removed, which is a bit of a testement to good petrol, and occasional fuel system cleaner products.

I find that the additional MPG benefits are cancelled out due to the extra power making me plant the right foot more often ;D ;D

Can't give a value judgement at the  moment as my Omega isn't working too well.

Nice to see you posting again J 8-) :y

Desperate Den wrote on 09. Nov 2009 at 12:08:

Can't give a value judgement at the  moment as my Omega isn't working too well. Nice to see you posting again J 8-) :y

What's the problem, Zulu? Can't see any posts about it in the Help section!
:-? ;)

Nickbat wrote on 09. Nov 2009 at 12:11:

Desperate Den wrote on 09. Nov 2009 at 12:08: Can't give a value judgement at the  moment as my Omega isn't working too well. Nice to see you posting again J 8-) :y What's the problem, Zulu? Can't see any posts about it in the Help section! :-? ;)

I haven't posted anything yet Nick.  The car isn't used very much - about 1000 miles from the same time last year - and about 1 month since it was last driven.

The battery runs down, the engine doesn't fire up immediately, the management light comes on - and on this occasion has remained so - although the car seems to be driving ok.

jereboam wrote on 09. Nov 2009 at 11:18:

I'm sure I've read some discussions on OOf about different petrol brands and qualities, but I haven't managed to locate any of them using the search facility. I've always thought there was no noticeable difference between any brand of petrol when put into a V6.  And, according to the manual, regular grade (95 octane) is what you are supposed to fill up with. A couple of months back, due to a special offer from Airmiles, combined with an unusual (for me) driving schedule, I was tempted to fill up with Shell V-power petrol.  I immediately noticed a dfference in the way the car behaved.  Quieter, more power and, amazingly, far better fuel consumption, especially on short journeys. Two possible explanations occur to me: I am delusional the engine management system hasn't been working - ever The economics are marginal - at 7p per litre more than regular, the improved mpg probably isn't enough to justify a permanent change. Anyone got any observations?  Or can you point me to a previous discussion on this topic?

I have a friend with a Volvo V70 (high pressure turbo) and he reckons the better juice more than pays for itself when he's blatting up the M1.

Not a V6, not an Omega but has 4 wheels and goes like stink.

i definitely used to notice the mig was a bit peppier on the v-max  :y

I've noticed a small but significant increase in mpg using Shell ordinary, but can't justify the extra mileage to the only garage in our area supplying it and only do if i'm going in that general direction :(

Never noticed any difference with the Mig before, haven't tried in anything else especially with the difference in price and my current average MPG of 10.3 MPG, it can't be justified  :-[

I am not sure about the shell stuff but  I put some of the BP ???? stuff in mine and the car did seem to run so much better  :y 

The Met. banned their drivers from filling up with optimax etc last week.They said that after research had been conducted it was found to give "no discernible benefit" and was therefore a waste of taxpayers money.
I tried it in mine and didnt notice any difference at all apart from a lighter wallet. ;)

As has been said before, whether higher octane petrol makes any difference depends entirely on your engine.

A high compression or turbocharged engine will almost certainly need high octane fuel to avoid going into knock retard and reducing power. So of course every Subaru driver will tell you it's fantastic. ;)

On decent 95 RON petrol, most Omegas probably don't knock, and therefore there is little benefit in going higher octane. The 10.7:1 engines are probably quite close on 95 RON, though.

Higher octane fuel often contains a greater proportion of additives, and sometimes Ethanol, so often has a lower calorific value, which undoes any gain in power unless it's substantial.

Kevin

I've run on Shell for the last 6yrs main reason being I always believe in giving Miggy the best.I know its cleaner than most other petrol, and yes,most definitely I can always tell the differance in performance. As has already been said BP Ultimate seems to come near on the performance level.Could it be that the adaptive ability of the ECU needs a few tank fulls to really feel the benefits? A few months back my local Shell station drew my attention to Shell Drivers Club (after useing them for years >:( ) They gave me a swipe card that you use at any Shell Station every time you buy Shell V Power to get petrol points for vouchers or other benefits,at least its a way of reduceing some of the extra cost.You can find all the details on www.shell.co.uk/driversclub  or customer services 08459006008   

i did a test not so long back i reset the trip computer to zero  put 20 quid in of normal petrol from tesco set cruise to 60  went as far as i could round york ring road till it had o miles left  then tried that 99 octain stuff from the same tesco did same again to see if there was any difference bit more power but not a lot did the same with total bp shell and jet . Total and jet came out the same as they use the same petrol and diesal  jets super unleaded  is totals exciliam as i was told by the jet garage bp was a lot better bp ultimate was even better i found the standerd shell was about the same as jet and bp standerd petrol but the v power did give lot more power but less mpg (but lots of fun when i put it my suzuki 600 bandit front wheel dont wanna stay down)   the bp ultimate came out on top more mpg and litte more power but not as much as v power hope this helps :)

Desperate Den wrote on 09. Nov 2009 at 12:29:

Nickbat wrote on 09. Nov 2009 at 12:11: Desperate Den wrote on 09. Nov 2009 at 12:08: Can't give a value judgement at the  moment as my Omega isn't working too well. Nice to see you posting again J 8-) :y What's the problem, Zulu? Can't see any posts about it in the Help section! :-? ;) I haven't posted anything yet Nick.  The car isn't used very much - about 1000 miles from the same time last year - and about 1 month since it was last driven. The battery runs down, the engine doesn't fire up immediately, the management light comes on - and on this occasion has remained so - although the car seems to be driving ok.

Sounds like you have very minor problems.  :)

As I've mentioned before, I use V.Power all the time now, I used it in the MR2, and when I got the Omega I used standard petrol for the first couple of weeks, then switched to V.Power, I noticed the difference, smoother, and more power. Don't know about economy though, I've not checked that, but V.Power is a cleaner fuel as has been mentioned, so, whatever is best for the engine is what goes in. :y

I've not noticed much difference between supermarket or BP / Shell in my V6. It tends to average 30-31mpg on my usual commute with whatever I put in.

and cleaning properties....

http://www.omegaowners.com/forum/YaBB.pl?num=1258052938/0#0

bri cox wrote on 10. Nov 2009 at 03:14:

i did a test not so long back i reset the trip computer to zero  put 20 quid in of normal petrol from tesco set cruise to 60  went as far as i could round york ring road till it had o miles left  then tried that 99 octain stuff from the same tesco did same again to see if there was any difference bit more power but not a lot did the same with total bp shell and jet . Total and jet came out the same as they use the same petrol and diesal  jets super unleaded  is totals exciliam as i was told by the jet garage bp was a lot better bp ultimate was even better i found the standerd shell was about the same as jet and bp standerd petrol but the v power did give lot more power but less mpg (but lots of fun when i put it my suzuki 600 bandit front wheel dont wanna stay down)   the bp ultimate came out on top more mpg and litte more power but not as much as v power hope this helps :)

;D ;D Even im not mad enough to do that! ;)

Ian_D wrote on 13. Nov 2009 at 12:38:

bri cox wrote on 10. Nov 2009 at 03:14: i did a test not so long back i reset the trip computer to zero  put 20 quid in of normal petrol from tesco set cruise to 60  went as far as i could round york ring road till it had o miles left  then tried that 99 octain stuff from the same tesco did same again to see if there was any difference bit more power but not a lot did the same with total bp shell and jet . Total and jet came out the same as they use the same petrol and diesal  jets super unleaded  is totals exciliam as i was told by the jet garage bp was a lot better bp ultimate was even better i found the standerd shell was about the same as jet and bp standerd petrol but the v power did give lot more power but less mpg (but lots of fun when i put it my suzuki 600 bandit front wheel dont wanna stay down)   the bp ultimate came out on top more mpg and litte more power but not as much as v power hope this helps :) ;D ;D Even im not mad enough to do that! ;)

That's some dedication to the cause ;D :y

I have noticed a small performane and mpg gain from my mig with optimax.When I put it in my 650 Bandit it also saved on front tyre wear as it was more skyward than usual. :y

Kevin Wood wrote on 10. Nov 2009 at 00:02:

A high compression or turbocharged engine will almost certainly need high octane fuel to avoid going into knock retard and reducing power.

I always used to think that until I saw the SuperKaos Hayabusa Turbo......18lbs of boost on standard petrol without a problem....and yes, that speedo is calibrated in MPH  :)


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=agR_5XCvyhQ

Quote:

I always used to think that until I saw the SuperKaos Hayabusa Turbo......18lbs of boost on standard petrol without a problem....and yes, that speedo is calibrated in MPH  Smiley

I want one for my Westfield. :-*

How they survive that sort of tuning beats me. Not being opened up for more than a few seconds at a time perhaps?  :-/

Kevin

Kevin Wood wrote on 14. Nov 2009 at 11:56:

How they survive that sort of tuning beats me.

Them Busa lumps have more respected predigree than most realise Kev.

A "mild" tune is 350 or so BHP, a "mid" tune yields 500 BHP, and they can easily (and reliably if you do the job properly) make 700 BHP.

Yep,they are unburstable those engines.Performance Bike mag.Built a 700 bhp version a few years ago.Those japs are very clever engineers.
A mate of mine had an early Busa,took it to mainland europe and held it flat out for over 5 miles,it was reading 220 on the speedo. :)

Suzuki have been building bullet proof performance engines since the 80s the last troublesome TSCC engine was the 250/400 twins with head cracks, after this - bullet proof