Premium fuel vs Regular fuel

[kaanage]

Interestingly in the USA the standard grade is only 87 Octane and in one place 86. Premium is 91. Must be slightly different rating to here perhaps.

Our octane numbers are RON (research octane number) while the US use (RON + MON) / 2. MON (motor octane number) is usually about 8 - 10 points lower than RON so their 87 is about the same as 91 here and their 91 is equivalent to 95 here.

[dylan8]

I always try to put 98 in the bora.
Feel there is better economy and performance.

Same in the 6n, will put 98 in for long drives back to the country with better results. I can only imagine the gains are better again if you had a' performance engine'

[warrick]

have to go along with the others,98 = more klms per tank.used it on my last 3 cars with positive results. also being cleaner cant hurt the engine in the long term. performance wise i dont think there is any real advantage unless you have a modified motor.
cheers
warrick

[brad]

OP hasn't actually said what car / engine he has.

When I had the 2.0L NA Mk3.5 it ran best on 95ron e10.

The 1.8tsi has always given the best cents per kilometre with 98ron - in stock or tuned form. For me, best mileage is from Shell 98 but the others aren't far behind.

If I want maximum power then 100ron e10 is fantastic. E85 is even better but eventually you get a CEL because the o2 sensors don't like the oxtgen rich nature of ethanol.

[JustCruisn]

I did the test in my Mazda 121.
From 91 to 95 not much better KM, but resulted in higher overall price per KM.
Then to 98 I found the extra KM reduced the cost per KM. 20% increase in KM but only 12% increase in price. So I stuck with that.
I only run the VWs on 98 as per the sticker.

[Elmura]

If your engine is standard, refer to the minimum octane required for the specific car. Higher octane won't produce more power unless the computer is tuned for it - it is a slower burning fuel that resists detonation. For an engine in good health, putting higher octane than specified should not benefit much relative to increased cost.
However, you should not put lower octane than specified else poor performance, economy & worse will be the result.

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[wai]

A higher octane rating will mean it can resist detonation more. This would allow the ignition timing to advance more than standard, and this can give you a higher BMEP which will result in more torque.

The problem is that the ECU must be tuned to do that, if not, you will not see any appreciable increase in power.

Now, the only reason I would go for PULP95 is if the only standard ULP you can get is E10. The reason is that E10 will see your consumption go up by around 10% because ethanol has around 30% lower calorific value. As a result, you burn as much fuel as you were with just ULP, plus you are burning 10% ethanol.

The engine needs to be retuned for E10. When ethanol burns, the oxygen atoms are released, and this leans the mixture out. The combustion temperature is higher because of this, and you can have issues.

When I had my Hiace, I tried E10. The engine was rough and pickup was bad. I ran the tank low and filled it with PULP95. The difference was amazing. The engine was smooth and throttle pickup was excellent, just driving out of the service station.

So, you will not get any more power, but if it gets you away from E10, then go for PULP95. No point in wasting your money on PULP98.

[brad]

Why would anyone run 91ron (either e10 or otherwise) in a modern VW vehicle? WTF?

[wai]

Why would anyone run 91ron (either e10 or otherwise) in a modern VW vehicle? WTF?

If that is what the manufacturer recommends, then there is no issue with it. E10 however is a politically concocted attempt to appease certain lobby groups, and is not something I would ever recommend.

[brad]

If that is what the manufacturer recommends, then there is no issue with it. E10 however is a politically concocted attempt to appease certain lobby groups, and is not something I would ever recommend.

That's not the question I asked.

I don't think there has been an VW vehicle in the past 15 years that has had a factory fuel recommendation of less than 95 ron.