What type of petrol in a S3?

[Leegaryhall]

Picking my new S3 up next week.
can I just use standard unleaded from any garage or must it be like v power premium stuff?
Also what is the general rule of thumb for running in a brand new car?...just dying to pick it up and stick the auto in sport mode!

 

[Peeb]

Use the best petrol you can get. V power etc which is 98 in Australia. Not sure what you get in UK. do not use the cheap stuff. The RON rating is inside the fuel cap.

Let it warm up ie oil temp 80 degrees plus then drive it hard. Not up up the red line every time but lots of high gear foot to floor stuff. Also lift off and let it coast. Down hill in second or third is good. You will need to be in manual mode for most of this. Use the fuel consumption read out. If it says zero down hill your doing it right. Do NOT sit on the motorway at constant speed. The rings won't bed and oil will get past them.
If in doubt, read the manual.

Enjoy.

 

[veeeight]

You can use normal unleaded (95RON), but you won't get the best out of it in an S3.

Best to use 98RON, in the UK this means Shell V-Power, or Tesco Momentum 99.

The engine ECU will adapt to take advantage of >98RON.

 

[warren_S5]

Even on the older EA113 engine (predecessor to yours), the engine can feel lazy when running 95RON. I had a dealer car whilst mine was in for service and it felt lacking in immediacy of response with 95. Not night and day difference, but it just didn't feel quite as sharp. If you've got the money to buy an S3, don't go and blight the cars ultimate performance for the sake of a couple of pence a litre.

Also don't switch between fuels, choose one and stick with it if you can as it save the ECU from constant y having to go through adaptation.

 

[Joetidman]

V Power all the way

 

[pat15312]

BP Ultimate or Shell V Power will do you fine, just make sure you pick one and stick to it if you can, as mentioned already by warren_S3.

There is no run in on cars anymore! Just gently get the car to 90degC and then enjoy!

 

[veeeight]

BP Ultimate is going to be better than Regular Unleaded, but in the UK it's only guaranteed to be min 97RON.

 

[The Challinor]

Always used Tesco momentum and been impressed, club card point as well + fuel save haha

 

[Flibble]

Tesco Momentum and VPower are both 99, so are the best of the super unleaded fuels. Mine's been on Momentum so far as Tesco tends to be more convenient for me than Shell.

 

[SockToy]

And there's no problem switching between vpower and momentum, right?

 

[Flibble]

They're the same octane rating, so pretty much just a different detergent package. The base fuel is probably from the same tank at the refinery.

 

[Dylock]

I've had my s3 since August and only run it on 95, as far as I'm concerned it runs well. But I am happy to be proved wrong so believe it or not I'm getting a new one which I collect on Thursday so I'm going to run this one on premium for at least 2k and see how it is.

 

[Flibble]

The manual and petrol cap label specify 98 for best operation, so that's what I go by. 95 works and won't cause damage, but I'd rather have the extra horsepower of the good stuff.

Fifth gear did a test a while back where they got 6% extra power on an Impreza and 3% extra on a golf GTI with shell optimax (the forerunner of vpower). More interesting was that they got an extra 11% torque in the Impreza with optimax over boggo unleaded. Would certainly explain why some cars seem to drive better on super - 10% torque is the sort of thing you would notice.

 

[Ashmcblue]

Looks like I will be putting better fuel in mine now. Does anyone know if the higher octane produces better fuel economy?**

**because when I'm not launching it about I wouldn't mind a bit of that : )

 

[Audimad]

Why do people buy expensive cars and put cheap fuel in them? I always use Shell V-Power and i'm regularly getting 40+ mpg.

 

[Ashmcblue]

Why do people buy expensive cars and put cheap fuel in them? I always use Shell V-Power and i'm regularly getting 40+ mpg.

I don't know. They must all be idiots.

 

[lee_fr200]

Either that or possibly those that use these cars for work might not be able to afford to use the more expensive vpower or if you have a fuel card you may have to go where the company states, we have to run our vehicles using morrisons fuel and I don't know why but it eats fuel filters on our vans and cars (diesel) then they won't start in a morning but the bosses say it's the cheapest way to fuel the vehicles

 

[Flibble]

I use Tesco Momentum mostly, VPower as a backup (since it costs more).

 

[Scotty2011]

I noticed on my old car (Focus RS mk2) that I got more miles out of a tank with a higher octane Fuel, not a lot, maybe 20-30 per tank. And that was driving it with a heavy right foot! There car definitely felt more responsive. I have only used V-power since day one in the Audi, I didn't ask for a tank of fuel from them as I assumed they will have filled with 95 so wanted that out as quick as. Id say it is well worth paying that wee bit extra for a higher octane fuel. Get the most out your S3!!

 

[JohnM100]

Looks like I will be putting better fuel in mine now. Does anyone know if the higher octane produces better economy?

I have used VPower/Nitro+ and Optimax in various guises in turbocharged cars over the years.

Better Economy? Yes. But not a huge difference and agree with other posters for approx 20-30 miles a tank. That pretty much offsets the increased price.

Without it, car doesn't feel as smooth but also feels a little lacking in power especially near the top end. It's not a change you really notice with VPower or other super unleadeds, it more that you notice something lacking without it.

John.

 

[S3Alex]

Obviously the car will run on 95RON fuels,just as it will run on 98 or 99RON,but as has been said,it will adapt to lower RON fuels,and likely run less timing as a result,and if you uprate the power at all,using one of those tuning boxes,or whatever's available currently for the 8V,then you should always use the higher RON fuels.

 

[Soulboy]

Double post..... Ignore.

 

[Soulboy]

I notice the difference if I Switch from VPower to 95.
Really seems to lack punch.

 

[Leegaryhall]

Cheers for that guys,
Just filled up with V Power Nitro+.......£1.38.9 a litre.....ouch !

 

[Ashmcblue]

264 miles on my last tank. 26MPG.

The above was normal fuel and the tank I've just filled is V Power Nitro +

I usually drive a lot of motorway miles but that was a lot of fast drives and short journeys as it was over the long weekend.

 

[Alex EA888]

Picking my new S3 up next week.
can I just use standard unleaded from any garage or must it be like v power premium stuff?
Also what is the general rule of thumb for running in a brand new car?...just dying to pick it up and stick the auto in sport mode!

Hello I Just bought an S3 2019 s tronic
What should I watch out about the car how should I drive it;
And what tips do you have for me;
Thank you

 

[Damo S]

My old japanese imports definitely ran better on super unleaded, and seemed pretty lumpy on 95 particularly supermarket fuel. I know there shouldnt be any difference between branded and supermarket fuel in theory (same refinery, whatever) but there is. Similarly, my s3 is mapped to run on Tesco momentum 99 fuel, but to me it feels better when I put v power in it, same ron but it feels a little smoother and a little more lively. With turbo cars you should always put the best fuel you can in (better fuel = less chance of detonation when things get hot). With normally aspirated engines it matters less, unless they are ridiculously tuned.

 

[The_Ironist]

I always use Tesco Momentum as a balance. V-Power is quite a jump in price over this for what is probably marginal difference vs the jump from 95 to 99.

 

[jdp1962]

The debate has moved on slightly from the original thread because now, it’s not just the octane rating that’s different, it’s the ethanol content. Regular 95RON is 10% ethanol (E10) whilst 98 or 99RON is typically 5% (E5). For me, there’s no decision: Shell V-Power all the way.

 

[8YARWY]

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Matt Titanium]

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I've had my S3 six and half years, have a stage 1 map and have run it on everything from standard cheapo 95 RON Jet petrol to V Power.
I can honestly say I detect no difference in fuel consumption, smooth running or performance between whatever is in the tank and would defy anyone to "feel" the difference on the road between 464.2 and 456.5 BHP.
I'll pay an extra £3-4 a tank for cheap "premium" with the promise of extra detergents, etc, but not £15 extra every fill-up for VPower.

 

[8YARWY]

I've had my S3 six and half years, have a stage 1 map and have run it on everything from standard cheapo 95 RON Jet petrol to V Power.
I can honestly say I detect no difference in fuel consumption, smooth running or performance between whatever is in the tank and would defy anyone to "feel" the difference on the road between 464.2 and 456.5 BHP.
I'll pay an extra £3-4 a tank for cheap "premium" with the promise of extra detergents, etc, but not £15 extra every fill-up for VPower.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk