[auto_buzz]

Hi All, I got my 1.8 Petrol Elite delivered this week and I wanted to get some feedback regarding what fuel to use. My old car was a VW Golf and I always used BP Ultimate or Shell V- Power. The dealership told me that I can use any grade as long as it was 91 Octane or above. Do any fellow i30 owners recommend running 95 Octane? Is the engine also designed to take 95 or 98 fuel of does it need to be just 91? Thanks so much... Loving the car...

[The Gonz]

  fellow Melbournian. No damage is done by going up in octane as far as I understandi it but since I'm a Diesel guy now I haven't kept up. If you meet the minimum, you'll be fine. Extra octane may just be extra dollars. Once the brains trust here confirm whether the engine does any better with higher octane - or that it is so finely tuned it may do worse - do your own trial of economy versus cost, or perhaps someone here already has.

[Phil №❶]

Higher octane fuels are slower burning and in some cases, can stress the exhaust valves in older type engines. I would expect that modern petrol engines are capable of accepting any higher level as Gonz has suggested, but whether there are performance / efficiency benefits, would need to be determined by yourself.

[Surferdude]

I've been happily using 91 octane in mine for 4 years, come October this year and over 60,000 klms.
No issues and I can't justify the extra $$ for 95 or 98.
I'm reliably informed higher octane gives marginally better fuel economy but the difference is more than offset by the extra cost.

[Dazzler]

 

Congratulations on the new car...

I am sure there are some fans of higher octane fuels on here as they can in some cases keep the valve gear and injectors cleaner with their premium additives.

However, you can just get an injector cleaner added at each service or do it yourself from time to time if you feel the need.

[Surferdude]

^
True dazz.
For my last few cars I've just added some fuel injector cleaner in a full tank of fuel every 4 - 6 months. Seems to do the job.