Fuel Additives - When is it too much?

Technology in driving is becoming more dominant...
Silk
Posts: 386
Joined: Sat Oct 03, 2015 9:24 pm
Location: South Glos.

Re: Fuel Additives - When is it too much?

Postby Silk » Sun Feb 28, 2016 5:12 pm

angus wrote:it also buggered small Vauxhall (amongst others) engines.


I think you'll find driving them was enough to do that. Cars were not very good in the 80s, as I recall.

User avatar
akirk
Posts: 1659
Joined: Sun Sep 27, 2015 6:58 pm
Location: Bristol

Re: Fuel Additives - When is it too much?

Postby akirk » Sun Feb 28, 2016 5:51 pm

I add additives for my LR - but then that still expects leaded petrol :)
for the z3 there is a noticeable difference in engine and mpg if using standard / super petrol - the engine asjusts based on the RON and effectively reduces power on low rated petrol - but never put in additives...

Alasdair

User avatar
pete g
Posts: 51
Joined: Sat Nov 07, 2015 8:41 pm
Location: Bristol

Re: Fuel Additives - When is it too much?

Postby pete g » Sun Feb 28, 2016 6:56 pm

I tend to agree with Silk, there might be a marginal gain but mainly Placebo effect I reckon...
Can have cleaning effect esp in older engines as stated above.
This would not apply to a 370z feed on V power though.

ps. What is this wonderful stuff I must try some... ;-)
Br1stol IAM National Observer
IAM Motorcycle
MSA - Bristol Pegasus MC.

hir
Posts: 590
Joined: Mon Sep 28, 2015 1:16 pm

Re: Fuel Additives - When is it too much?

Postby hir » Sun Feb 28, 2016 6:58 pm

trashbat wrote:
TripleS wrote:By the way, I stopped using supermarket fuel several years ago, and now only use normal grade diesel from BP, Esso or Shell, which appears to give better fuel economy than the supermarket stuff.

I'm fairly sure Esso is exactly the same stuff as supermarket fuel. BP probably the same. Shell is at least different.



I was on the isle of Wight a couple of years ago and pulled-up at a BP garage only to find that they were out of 98 octane BP Ultimate. I made inquiries at the kiosk asking about when the next delivery of BP Ultimate was expected. I was told (and I paraphrase)... "Not until Thursday. We're expecting a tanker with high octane fuel over from the mainland on Thursday".

I drove on for a couple of miles and found a Shell garage. As I pulled up to the Shell V-Power pump there was a sign which said "sold out". I made inquiries at the kiosk asking about when the next delivery of Shell V-Power was expected. I was told (and I paraphrase)... "Not until Thursday. We're expecting a tanker with high octane fuel over from the mainland on Thursday".

So, is Shell and BP fuel the same, or isn't it? I suspect that on the Isle of Wight it might be.

My understanding is that all the fuel companies, supermarkets included, have fuel swap agreements. I was led to believe that Shell V-Power was the only one that didn't. But, on the isle of Wight maybe Shell V-Power is what is sold as BP Ultimate. Shell V-Power is 99 octane whereas BP Ultimate is 98 octane. So it would probably be acceptable for BP to sell a fuel that was 1 octane higher than advertised, whereas not acceptable for Shell to sell 98 octane instead of the advertised 99 octane. So BP might be selling Shell V-Power?

Of course another explanation is that in fact two tankers, one from BP and the other from Shell, sailed from the mainland on that Thursday. Who knows, it's a mystery?

Silk
Posts: 386
Joined: Sat Oct 03, 2015 9:24 pm
Location: South Glos.

Re: Fuel Additives - When is it too much?

Postby Silk » Sun Feb 28, 2016 7:27 pm

pete g wrote: What is this wonderful stuff I must try some... ;-)


Huile de Serpent. ;)

fungus
Posts: 439
Joined: Sun Dec 13, 2015 5:26 pm
Location: Dorset

Re: Fuel Additives - When is it too much?

Postby fungus » Sun Feb 28, 2016 8:30 pm

angus wrote:Dave, the "spirited" drive probably did as much (or more) good than the additive


A few years ago my wife was having a spot of bother with her Peugeot 306 turbo deisel. The local deisel specialist advised her to drive in third gear on one of the local NSL dual carriageways at 70mph, keeping the engine on the rev limitter.

Before an MOT I always give her car ( she prefers deisels) a blow out by driving it on the rev limitter for a couple of minutes.

Nigel.

Jonquirk
Posts: 334
Joined: Tue Sep 29, 2015 6:48 pm
Location: Guildford

Re: Fuel Additives - When is it too much?

Postby Jonquirk » Sun Feb 28, 2016 9:05 pm

All you ever wanted to know about fuel additives used in the supply chain:

https://www.atc-europe.org/public/Doc11 ... -10-01.pdf

TripleS
Posts: 227
Joined: Tue Sep 29, 2015 5:39 pm
Location: Briggswath

Re: Fuel Additives - When is it too much?

Postby TripleS » Mon Feb 29, 2016 6:03 pm

angus wrote:Dave, the "spirited" drive probably did as much (or more) good than the additive


Well I can't be absolutely sure of course, but the car normally gets spirited drives at reasonable intervals in any case, but I'm inclined to feel the additive at least made some useful contribution.

TripleS
Posts: 227
Joined: Tue Sep 29, 2015 5:39 pm
Location: Briggswath

Re: Fuel Additives - When is it too much?

Postby TripleS » Mon Feb 29, 2016 6:11 pm

trashbat wrote:
TripleS wrote:By the way, I stopped using supermarket fuel several years ago, and now only use normal grade diesel from BP, Esso or Shell, which appears to give better fuel economy than the supermarket stuff.

I'm fairly sure Esso is exactly the same stuff as supermarket fuel. BP probably the same. Shell is at least different.

Edit: they may add additives at the station, I have my doubts, but additives shouldn't change your fuel economy.


Well thanks all the same, but I find it very hard to believe that supermarket fuel is of equivalent quality to the likes of BP, Esso and Shell. As you will be aware, this is a subject that gets an airing in various driving forums from time to time, though we never seem to get a clear answer on which we can rely.

TripleS
Posts: 227
Joined: Tue Sep 29, 2015 5:39 pm
Location: Briggswath

Re: Fuel Additives - When is it too much?

Postby TripleS » Mon Feb 29, 2016 6:15 pm

Silk wrote:
angus wrote:it also buggered small Vauxhall (amongst others) engines.


I think you'll find driving them was enough to do that. Cars were not very good in the 80s, as I recall.


Well of course they were not as good as the cars of today, but if you treated them properly they served us quite well. At least that was my experience going back to the 1960s, let alone the 1980s. Did you ever consider learning to drive properly? :P :lol:


Return to “Technology”

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 19 guests