[Closed] Is Shell V Power worth the extra?

[url= http://www.singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/the-truth-about-supermarket-petrol ]recent thread on similar subject[/url]

Whether or not it is worth the expense, depends entirely on what car you have, since that will determine the results you'll get.

It didn't make any difference in my last car (Focus petrol).

Started using BP Ultimate diesel in my Passat TDi as once it was all I could get. It seems to run more smoothly and gives a few extra MPG - just about enough to offset the extra 4 or 5 p a litre.

I guess if you have a reasonably powerful set of wheels or a modern engine it will help but otherwise probably not.

I use it because it makes me feel superior to the other people filling up with that pikey 4 star.

brother had an import Impreza and the extra MPG he got with higher octaine petrol more than compensated for the extra cost. Possibly depends on how smart your car's ECU is and what state of tune its in- the latest BMW motorbikes effectively re-tune themselves depending on the octane rating of the fuel used.

A mate had an Impreza STI and had it mildly tuned (~330bhp) and the tuner said it was the only high octane fuel that he would recommend and that to get the most out of the tuning he should only use that.
But then again if its going in a 1.0L Fiesta then I doubt its going to do much. In a performance engine I imagine it will reap the benefits.

I used it for a quite a long time with my previous Golf V5 170bhp and I can't say I noticed any improvement - if anything I thought it was worse. However, it did appear that running the car on 95 Octane for a period of several months did seem to lead to a deterioration.

Can't really say on my current car Audi 2.0T FSI - will buy it if I fill up at Shell otherwise just buy Sainsbuy's stuff. But also, based on previous experiences with lower octane petrol I now never really use 95 unless filling up at my Dad's near Liverpool where high octane pumps seems few and far between.

FWIW Audi recommended BP ultimate to me - but I have never used it.

It helps most if the engine is turbo'd or super-charged, IIRC.