Tesco99 or VPower in a 1.4tfsi?

[middlebaz]

I know the fuel thing has been done to death, but I have a slightly different slant:

I have a 1 year old A3 1.4tfsi. To date, I've filled the tank with mostly supermarket 95RON and am pretty happy.

However, after reading some threads I'm wondering whether there's value in using either of these fuels to help look after the engine + give better mpg? I'm not looking for extra oomph, as 11 month old baby in the back seat tends to restrict use of the right foot. Having said that, she's not always in the car and I'm still allowed to have a bit of fun ;-)

Cheers

 

[cloughy]

I used v power in my Beemer 320i to little effect but then it wasn't designed to use the higher octane fuel

I wouldn't touch supermarket fuels apart from 99, your best bet is just to stick to one company like shell and keep the car running on the same fuel, my 2 pence

 

[Sheikh]

Keep it with premium brand normal fuels such a Shell fuelsave etc. If you really want to just put in some fuel additive for a few tank fulls a year to clear the injectors although premium fuel should do this anyway.
On my last car a 318i now this may just be a coincidence but every time I used supermarket unleaded, something went wrong! However on the other hand when i used Shell V-Power it made pretty much no noticeable difference at all.

I know some guys swear by V-Power and the likes so all to their own.

 

[warren_S5]

Unless you are driving it to see the benefit I'm not sure I'd bother. Most have detergents in them now, so unless the car states it is needed as a requirement I think you'll be fine using a premium non supermarket unleaded.

 

[middlebaz]

Wow. Instant response (a bit like an Audi engine)!

I'm on a 400 mile trip tomorrow hence the original post. Tesco is closer than Shell, plus I have a Tesco Clubcard, so I'm tempted to try a few tanks of 99 and see if there's a noticeable difference.

 

[warren_S5]

Car should feel better, slightly perkier, but the ECU will take a couple of tanks to adapt fully to the new RON. If you're really lucky you may even get the odd MPG extra, but Tesco Momentum and V-Power are the two that have been rated by most tests

 

[harvz]

look 4 the cheapest price save your money spend it on your lass/lil 1 be happy and dont worry, nothing will hurt your new tfsi engine... dont use redex dont use anythin extra, keep a good clean combustion thats all u need

I say dont use morrison make coz they use more sulphur content, not a while back they had to fork up the bill for loads of cars they damaged as they used too much sulphur and nakered the injectors of loads of cars. v bad

Also another point to help is to use shell ultra extra engine oils, as they contain cleaning agents to prevent build up.

 

[middlebaz]

I reckon I'll give 99 a go. By time I get there I'll pretty much have used the full tank, then another one to get back next week.

Should have a good idea by then if the exercise has been worthwhile. As long as I'm not going to do any damage to the engine then it's worth a shot (can you tell I know very little about engines?). ;-)

 

[FranA3]

i recommend tesco99 mate i use it and don't use any other really only if i have to use another one there is a BP garage near me but i try and use tesco only

 

[Goner]

Used to use V-Power in the my 1.4 TSI 170 GT Sport Golf, no idea if it made a difference but in my tiny mind it did do.

 

[FranA3]

haha , it makes my car run a lot cleaner and defo gives me more mpg around 6-8 mpg on the d.i.s

 

[Goner]

haha , it makes my car run a lot cleaner and defo gives me more mpg around 6-8 mpg on the d.i.s

Never really tried to see if it made a difference lol, i just used it as i was told it was good and would make a difference and keep the engine running smoother for longer, i think the odd time i might of used normal fuel just to get me to the local shell garage!

Again only from what i've been told though you only see a difference on turbo charged cars?

 

[middlebaz]

OK. So I've completed the trip, there and back, 400 miles each way and two tanks of Tesco 99.

Economy: At an average of 65mph I had enough fuel left for 70 miles. I think that's at least no worse than the same trip previously on 95 octane, maybe a little better.

Running: The engine always felt smooth before and certainly feels smooth now. Impossible to say whether it has improved any.

Power: I don't tend to race the plebs off the lights, so again, it's difficult to tell. I would very much doubt there's an 'extra' 10 bhp at my disposal though!

So, maybe a bit better than 95 but is it worth the extra dosh? I'm not so sure. If I knew for a fact that the additives in this fuel were better for the engine then I would probably stick with it. As it is, I'll fill up with 99 the next couple of tanks and see what I think. At least the Tesco Clubcard will be happy ;-)

 

[Dicko89]

i personally use Shell V Power and only because im running REVO Stage 1 and i was advised to use top end fuel for optimum gains (car soon to be put on the dyno) so stuck to my guns and will continue to do so.

 

[paddy]

My car loves Tesco 99 but then i think its collecting the points

 

[SamA3]

Yeh im running on REVO Stage 1 and was advised the same however my nearest premium fuel is 3 miles away and thats BP Ultimate Diesel and next nearest is V Power a whopping 12 miles away so unfortunately theres not alot i can do

 

[MattyW19]

I use Shell V Power as apparently its 99 RON, where as BP Ultimate is 97. However BP Ultimate is 10p a litre more than Shell V Power, but I use to think BP Ultimate was a far better fuel after using a rubbish one which made my car really slow!

It's all a mind game, but Fran told me that it improves his MPG and it does advise you run FSI engines on 97 RON. I can get about 50 odd mpg when driving economically.. but that doesn't last long

 

[jb0o]

My local Tesco is doing standard fuel at 130 and Momentum99 at 134, 4p over a 55litre tank is a mere £2.20 per tank, and a for you clubcard lovers, an extra 2p onto your clubcard statement


I've found my 2.0TFSI definitely runs better on Momentum99 compared to the standard Tesco fuel and Shells FuelSave.

 

[lil_coz]

I usually top up with V-Power. I was stuck for a Shell garage on the Isle of Wight last week, so went and got Tesco 99 because as it's been said before, it's right up there.

Here's an interesting read.

Thorney Motorsport - Fuel Test Results Update

It's a test they done using V-Power, Ultimate, and Momentum using an M3. They ran the car for a total of 11,500 miles, and run it 65+ times on the dyno to see how it performed.

A short summary of their tests, BP and Tesco produced slightly more power than Shell, but BP degraded MUCH quicker than the other 2. So their choice considering price and quality was the Momentum.

 

[legin]

Just so you realise thats not the BP stuff you get at the pump, the pump stuff is not much cop at all. To answer the original poster I would recommend Shell 95 for your requirement as it has a good adds package. I have said in another thread im in the business. Tesco and Morrison is also good fuel for the price.