[jusdorange]

Do you use it ?
Make a difference in power? MPG?

[Meds]

I always try and use Shell V-Power. I think there has been plenty of debate around whether it adds any value.

Originally Posted by jusdorange

Do you use it ?
Make a difference in power? MPG?

[Dave_3]

Some people notice a difference, from what I have seen over the years it seems people find it more noticeable on the 6 cylinder cars.

I certainly notice a difference on the 6 cylinder diesels I have owned. More stable, smooth part-throttle acceleration, quieter running. Never had any problems with DPFs.

Best way is for you to try it yourself.

D.

[JohnM]

Shell V power always for me

Don't worry the cheapskates will be along soon

[boom77]

Not had my current car long enough yet, but on my old A4 (3.0TDI Quattro) didn't see any noticeable difference in MPG between regular and premium proper diesel (BP, Shell, Texaco), but did seem smoother with the premium (Ultimate and VNitro).
On the few occasions where I needed to fill up and only supermarket diesel was available, I did see a fairly noticeable drop in MPG of around 4-5 MPG. Probably all the chip fat in it

[Torquein]

I never noticed a difference in 4 pot diesels I've had nor in the 6 pot x5 but that maybe because it sounded like a sick tractor anyway and mpg was 20s. Given it didn't seem to help any I didn't often waste the extra cash, will give it a go though in the new car.

[rjberry]

I've used primarily Shell premium diesel with the occasional tank of Texaco premium for both the 320d I had and now for the 335d.

MPG wise I don't see any difference and I don't really expect to. I pay for premium to keep the engine cleaner and give it that extra longevity that I will no doubt never benefit from.

The engines do seem to run smoother and have a bit more urgency about them when you do push on. It may all be placebo effect but at only an extra £5 a tank it's not going to break the bank

[Rich9600]

I live about 200 yards from a BP filling station. So, I always use this.

In my previous E90 320d I went from using only bogo BP to using every 4th tank BP Ultimate after a run to France when I fuelled up on cheap French Super Diesel. The return trip was no more economic, though there was quite some extra weight in the boot...

However, when it got home the car was running so sweetly. It was so much quieter and smoother. I put Regular Diesel in until the effect seemed to reduce and then back to a Super Diesel for a tank. It wound up being every 4th tank to maintain most of the benefit.

Probably just enough to maintain the clean and lube from my long run with the stuff. It also seemed to run 1-2 mpg better after the long run and 1:4 filling regime. Possibly reducing the frequency of DPF regenerations?...

With my new 330d I've been only running it on BP Ultimate. My work run is probably a little short for a big Diesel, 11 miles each way. So, I figure it can't do any harm posh fuelling a car I intend to keep a while. Particularly with DPF issues in mind.

I'm at 1400 miles now. I'll probably do a few thousand more on Super Diesel before mixing in some Regular Diesel. I'm driving it normally now, though I figure the posh fuel should aid the extended run in.

[dopper99]

I've found all the 6 cylinder diesels I've owned are more responsive with BP Ulitmate - so I always put it in. Tried Shell V power and found it made no difference at all, felt like normal diesel.

If it didn't make any difference (ie BP), I wouldn't put it in. No idea about mpg as I don't put normal diesel in to compare it.

[robbiep]

I usually use Shell premium fuel.

Does it improve mpg, or help with engine longevity ? I don't know.

But I own my car outright, it cost me £30k. Premium fuel costs me about £5 extra per tank, or roughly £3 per week (£150 a year). When you consider that I also get my oil and oil filter changed every 9k miles, my car probably costs me close on £3k a year (including 'base' or 'cheap' fuel) to run, plus depreciation. An extra £150 really doesn't matter, especially if it does help to improve my fuel usage, or leads to less wear and tear on the engine

[....,,,,..,,..]

Originally Posted by dopper99

I've found all the 6 cylinder diesels I've owned are more responsive with BP Ulitmate - so I always put it in. Tried Shell V power and found it made no difference at all, felt like normal diesel.

If it didn't make any difference (ie BP), I wouldn't put it in. No idea about mpg as I don't put normal diesel in to compare it.

Pretty much same here, use BP ultimate as garage is just down road and the others are weird branded local stuff. Also get nectar points.

I tend to use normal diesel for a bit then have a few months on ultimate and do notice a difference in how car feels.

Both BMW and Mondeo alternate and both feel different after a couple of tanks.

I was led to believe ultimate also contains different 'cleaning' agents within the diesel that help injectors etc.

How much is crap information, I don't know.

[bmnut]

Is this discussion only about premium diesel?
I'm one of those ( apparently dying breed these days ) petrol heads 'cos I love the sound it makes and my fingers don't get covered in oil every time I fuel it! ( There are NEVER any disposable gloves at the filling stations I seem to choose!)
For the record Shell V Power unleaded makes engine feel more responsive, sounds a bit smoother running, improves mpg marginally (about 2mpg generally) and as far as my previous E92 335i coupe was concerned meant it didn't 'pink' like buggery going up and downs the hills and glens especially 'Bealach na Ba' ( for those of you who know it....Highland Pete?...).
Must admit haven't used anything but V Power in the 435i as yet over 5k miles to see if it would do the same and probably never will......I hate the sound the 'knock sensor' causes the silky six to make when it is woken from its slumber.

[Pablo68]

Originally Posted by bmnut

Is this discussion only about premium diesel?
I'm one of those ( apparently dying breed these days ) petrol heads 'cos I love the sound it makes and my fingers don't get covered in oil every time I fuel it! ( There are NEVER any disposable gloves at the filling stations I seem to choose!)
For the record Shell V Power unleaded makes engine feel more responsive, sounds a bit smoother running, improves mpg marginally (about 2mpg generally) and as far as my previous E92 335i coupe was concerned meant it didn't 'pink' like buggery going up and downs the hills and glens especially 'Bealach na Ba' ( for those of you who know it....Highland Pete?...).
Must admit haven't used anything but V Power in the 435i as yet over 5k miles to see if it would do the same and probably never will......I hate the sound the 'knock sensor' causes the silky six to make when it is woken from its slumber.

This is a primarily diesel drinkers forum, however I am one of the minority petrol sniffers as per yourself.

I try to put Shell V Power in when I can but I have also used the odd tankful of ASDA special, and in reality I haven't seen any difference on the 335i.

I used to have a heavily modified vRS TSi (by heavily modded I mean Stage 2+ to 310bhp with HPFP, custom downpipe etc) which was tuned for 98/99 RON fuel and so ran best on Tesco Momemtum and Shell V Power by a significantly noticeable margin, both in terms of power output and economy (lol). It was dynoed on Momentum and showed 312bhp Max Power whilst on supermarket gunk it ran 305bhp max.

Would I bother running a leased diesel on "Premium" diesel? Nope, especially not a 4 banger.

[....,,,,..,,..]

Originally Posted by bmnut

Is this discussion only about premium diesel?
I'm one of those ( apparently dying breed these days ) petrol heads 'cos I love the sound it makes and my fingers don't get covered in oil every time I fuel it! ( There are NEVER any disposable gloves at the filling stations I seem to choose!)
For the record Shell V Power unleaded makes engine feel more responsive, sounds a bit smoother running, improves mpg marginally (about 2mpg generally) and as far as my previous E92 335i coupe was concerned meant it didn't 'pink' like buggery going up and downs the hills and glens especially 'Bealach na Ba' ( for those of you who know it....Highland Pete?...).
Must admit haven't used anything but V Power in the 435i as yet over 5k miles to see if it would do the same and probably never will......I hate the sound the 'knock sensor' causes the silky six to make when it is woken from its slumber.

Yeah know the road, lived up that way for 10 years, some fun driving in summer, some interesting driving in the winter lol.

If they did an X drive 328i then would have one.

[teaston]

I personally cannot see any point in buying premium Diesel these days, since the European standard EN 590 came in, all Diesel sold in Europe has to have a Cetane value of at least 51, and any higher is of no benefit to modern engines.

I will continue to use Tesco diesel as it is competitively priced, i get clubcard points from it and i get fuelsave from buying our groceries at Tesco. Plus it's the closest station to our house!

[chiark]

Shell and BP seem to make no claims about the improved power of their premium diesel fuels any more, however they both do major on the benefits of the cleaning stuff that's in there.

Mine's had 2 tanks of Shell V-power, and it'll keep getting the premium stuff. Like Robbiep I own the car rather than have a PCP or other deal on it, and I intend to keep it for something daft like 10+ years, so I'm paying a little more to keep things running as well as possible for as long as possible.

Incidentally, I'm starting to get my head around the performance now . Still quite shocked by the torque this thing puts out, but I'm starting to crave a little more top end...

[G82Dude]

From a petrol or diesel perspective, all fuels are manufactured to BS regs - with the base fuel shared across the likes of BP, Esso, Shell, Sainsburys, Asda, Tesco et al or variations thereof.

Petrol wise, I never saw any real difference on an M3 (E46) using super unleaded or supermarket stuff. Likewise my old (N53) 330i.

But you pays your money and you takes your choice. Supermarkets wouldn't sell as much as they do, if it's crap...

[Tengocity]

No objective measurable benefit for premium fuels that I've found, in terms of economy, but I do use a tank of it occasionally for the engine cleaning benefits. Not sure I believe them but certainly can't do any harm!

[teaston]

Originally Posted by chiark

Shell and BP seem to make no claims about the improved power of their premium diesel fuels any more, however they both do major on the benefits of the cleaning stuff that's in there.

Mine's had 2 tanks of Shell V-power, and it'll keep getting the premium stuff. Like Robbiep I own the car rather than have a PCP or other deal on it, and I intend to keep it for something daft like 10+ years, so I'm paying a little more to keep things running as well as possible for as long as possible.

Incidentally, I'm starting to get my head around the performance now . Still quite shocked by the torque this thing puts out, but I'm starting to crave a little more top end...

Maybe, just possibly branded fuel could be better for cleaning properties than supermarket diesel. But i'm definitely not believing the difference between branded standard & branded premium.

Shell’s standard priced FuelSave Diesel is, in their own words "designed to help improve your engine’s performance, and enable your vehicle to run more efficiently. It contains a powerful detergent, designed to help clean up and control harmful fuel system deposits in fuel injection equipment in modern diesel cars, helping to restore engine performance."

And about V-Power Diesel they say it’s “designed to remove existing deposits, to help restore and maintain performance so that your engine can operate at its best, help to deliver more power… helping your car achieve its full performance potential.”

So what is the difference!?

[Torquein]

I'm just not that organised to fill up at the same place every week (every other week in the new car I predict ) it's just wherever I am when it needs some juice. I also put it off as I hate that you have to hold on to the dam pump, why do they remove the catches on the nozzle in the UK, they don't in the US?

[JOHNBMWM5]

Originally Posted by Tengocity

No objective measurable benefit for premium fuels that I've found, in terms of economy, but I do use a tank of it occasionally for the engine cleaning benefits. Not sure I believe them but certainly can't do any harm!

Funny you say that, I have put premium fuel in the M5 till two tanks ago were i used SHELL 95 and no difference in performance or economy to me
The M5 from BMW UK I had for a week was filled with 95 ron and went well as BMW will not put 98 ron in there cars, so I can use the cheaper stuff if I want to, I don't keep cars more than 1 or 2 years anyway .
PS) best MPG I ever got was with ESSO 97, it beats them all, just not in my area.

[Mattjkilo]

My experience of premium fuels is two fold:

The most relevant to this forum is the latter which is it's use in cars. Most cars are designed to use the 'normal' fuels and so in some cases if you look around the subject on google many engines actually perform worse when fuelled by premium alternatives. From a cleaning/longevity perspective I cannot add any value. Many of the super spec'd Evo's for example actually REQUIRE the use of premium petrols as they are so finely tuned the use of 'cheap' fuels drastically effects the power curve.

Second exposure: MOTORBIKES! I actually got better throttle response from using cheap fuels when I was riding the likes of my CBR600RR and GSXR750 but with the BMW S1000RR it was the opposite case.

IMO it certainly depends what the engine has been designed to run off. Perhaps BMW have assumed those with 6 Cylinder engines are predominantly made up of the 'car enthusiast' type and therefore designed their engines for use with premium fuels....but perhaps not.

What I use: Cheap stuff, I'll never own the car more than 3 years and if I'm perfectly honest if I wanted the extra percentile difference in power delivery (if any) I would have gone for a bigger engine....