[Lorian]

I'm going to be new to Diesel (some day), Having used Tesco Unleaded petrol for years.

I can see our Australian friends seem impressed with Vortex, but has anyone any feedback on power and economy when using:

Shell V-Power
Shell Diesel Plus
BP Ultimate diesel

Or maybe I sticking to the budget Tesco city diesel?

Has anuone tried Miller's Ecomax additive/cetane booster yet?
http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/news/item.htm?id=6706

[Shambles]

I tried V-Power on a couple of consecutive fills last year. It made diddly squat difference to the feel of the motor or perceived economy.

I'm a Tesco diesel user as it's more convenient to fill up when I've done my shop. She's my first diesel too.

[eye30]

This is my first diesel and over the last 2years have tried a variety of brands.

I have found that Shell's "normal" is OK for me, not the V-Power.

Tried Tesco's, Asda's and BP I find the car doesn't run as smooth (I being polite here).

[iThurT]

I've tried the V-Power once and was very disappointed with it. I find 'supermarket slop' just as good (if not better) as any of the 'premium' stuff. I recommend you save your money and use the same.

Mick

[whitbomb07]

One thing to remember guys is that 1/the 1st tank will not perform miracles. It normally takes a few tanks for the 'premium' to take any affect.

Firstly it needs to clean the system and then the ECU needs to learn to make the most of the better fuel.

Throwing 1 tank of fuel in and expecting a notable difference is pointless......... if anything following this principle can lead to worse results overall.........

Give it a few full tanks worth before you judge what the premium can do, you'll be surprised what the difference can make. Lakes has proved this through his usage..........

Only problem is with the improved performance of the premium as a result you can subconciously enhance the right lead foot and as a result lose the advertised economy improvements through the enjoyment of the extra performance..............

Regards

Daniel

[Lakes]

Daniel is spot on, also not knowing much about Shell V-Power, but knowing Shell in general i would prefer to use BP Fuel as here BP in all forms can be trusted. Shell make good fuels too , just some of the methods they use on some of there fuels is not they way i personally like it but BP i have never heard a bad word ( not just the diesel.)
thing is if you are a low mileage person, like if you only do very short trips, you may not notice a great deal of difference. but if you have a few miles up useing normal diesel and injectors are getting carbon build-up, then you use a good batch of pemium diesel and go for say a 4 hour non stop drive averaging say 50+mph , then fill up again do another 5 hours averaging 50+mph , i'll bet you can feel motor smoother and more responcive, also i don't get black soot on the rear of my car on premium, i did on Mobile.

[eye30]

i would prefer to use BP Fuel as here BP in all forms can be trusted. Shell make good fuels too ,

Where I live BP is on average 8ppl dearer than any other brand
 and has an phew, get my drift, odor

[Lakes]

Phew, Eye? how would you describe that? have not noticed but all diesel is phew sort of if you get it on your hands, but so is petrol. some petrol race fuel that oxigentates, is the most phewy of all
Eye would you say after it is in your tank you can smell it? or is it when it burns it smell's? interesting, you have low sulpher?

[eye30]

The smell was during the dispatch into the tank, like a blow back type odor a bit like "warm" eggs butties which have been in your bag all day as you forgot to put them in the fridge.   

Although other brands do have an odor nothing can compare to the BP I bought.

But at the inflated price they charge I steer well away from BP.

[Dazzler]

 Being a cheapskate I mostly use the Woolworths owned Caltex over here with a 4 cent shopper voucher saving per litre. The saving sometimes works out at 6-8cents off the equivilent BP fuel as they have a slightly higher bowser price.

For one reason or another I havent had a fuel voucher when buying my last two tank fulls and BP have been the same price as Caltex on regular diesel (the only one we get here)

As previously mentioned I get a noticeable improvement with responsiveness even on the first tank of BP (and no obvious difference in odour when filling or running)

I realise it is not the premium fuel you guys are talking about but we don't get any premium diesels in Tassie as far as I'm aware and I was going to actually run a poll to see howmany others who use the regular BP diesel notice a major improvement in performance

[Lorian]

I added the new miller's additive Ecomax to my OH's car, primarily to clean it out ready for it's first MOT

• It smells, you can smell it when you pull up
• It does seem to make the engine a little quieter (it's already quiet it's a Pug 207)
• It does seem to have a little more Torque
• I'm not testing any changes it might make on economy
  

I only put the single, not double dose in.

This is a small diesel that spends its time doing only short to middle distance journeys. I think it makes a difference.

[Lakes]

Eye that does not sound good! that fuel could have an Algia groth in the service station holding tank, but not sure how you can tell, but sounds like they do not sell a lot. diesel can go off.
i put an aditive to hopefully stop Algia in the tank but i have no idea if it works or not.
Lorian another guy posted about millers sounds good we don't seem to get it here.

[Lorian]

It seems to have 3 ingridients, a Cetane enhancer, a lubricant, and a cleaner.

If anyone in the UK wants to buy it, I found it a little cheaper on ebay than in halfords etc.

[i30sean]

I was going to ask this question as I always use Shell petrol and was wondering if Shell V-Power Diesel would give better MPG ?

In my bike I only use V-Power (Petrol) when ever possible and I get an extra 9mls per tank (the bike does 9mls per litre) the bike holds 18lts, but V-Power costs £1.20 litre compered to £1.13 so 7 pence more. If I put in around 16litres it costs me an extra £1.12 so it would save me 1 pence not to use V-Power, the bike is much more responsive and smoother with V-Power.

I think I will try a couple of tanks of V-Power diesel and see how it goes.     

i30Sean

[eye30]

A while back shell had a promotion selling V for the same price as ordinary.

To be honest I didn't notice any change but again I'm only doing 15 miles a day so any benefit wouldn't be noticeable.

[2i30s]

isn't diesel in different country's still made using the same recipe.fuel company's ingredients should be the same no matter what country its made or sold in.bio or ethanol based fuels would change i imagine,but premium diesel in OZ or the UK,even in the USA should be made using the same basic ingredients. 

[Lorian]

The additives (cleaning and lubricating agents) vary, and the cetane level.

Also here in the UK V-Power Diesel is from natural gas, rather than oil. I'd use this if it were cheaper.

I'm currently using Tesco cheapo Diesel with Millers EcoMax and the car goes like a rocket. The EcoMax smells a bit though.

[2i30s]

you learn something new every day. 

[Myowni30]

I saw a TV program on the use of standard and performace fuels for both petrol and diesel fuels about 18 months ago. Sorry cannot remember what it was called, but think it was on a Sky channel (not a Sky produced program).

Bottom line was that most engines under 2 litres did not get better fuel econ or performance from the performance fuels. Some smaller engines actually got worse.

There were some exceptions like the Type R Honda's and the Corolla T-Sport because the engines rev to over 8K etc.  I had a Corolla T-Sport before my C30 which I still have, but the T-Sport always amused me when I looked at the engine, on the head casting it said Yamaha. The T-Sport did run better with the performance fuels.

Cars like Aston's, Porsche's etc did produce quite a lot more power with the performance fuels verses the standard fuels, 10-20 bhp.

[2i30s]

those yamaha twin cam heads are hard to find performance part in oz. 

[i30sean]

Filled up today with Shell V-Powr Diesel £1.21.9ltr got 44ltr in so will see if MPG improves!

i30Sean

[eye30]

Filled up today with Shell V-Powr Diesel £1.21.9ltr got 44ltr in so will see if MPG improves!

i30Sean

https://www.i30ownersclub.com/forum/index.php/topic,5323.0.html

[i30sean]

What ever eye30 very pleased with 50mpg  

i30Sean

http://www.hyundaiownersclub.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?id=2535

[eye30]

I see you're has passed the 120ppl as predicted.

see this link:
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/top-stories/2010/03/17/petrol-duty-plea-as-cost-nears-1-20-115875-22116725/

[i30sean]

Yes it was the Shell V-Power Diesel though 

i30Sean

[penak]

Notice that practically all diesel fuel additives are just "snake oils".

The injectors have been designed to stay clean with just normal quality diesel fuel.

For the wellbeing of your diesel car, or the economy, the fuel used has very little if any effect if it meets the minimum requirements. All diesel fuel sold in EU BTW does that, they HAVE TO. Only the cetane rating and lubricity are essential qualities, and the engine is designed to get along with a fuel that meets the minimum.

In petrol cars, using higher RON number (99 in V-Power) can in some cases result better power since the engines have knock sensors, and they can change the ignition timing to prevent pinging. They run on 95 RON, but not optimally. With 99 RON they run optimally.

In diesel cars there is no such easy "on the fly" tuning capability, so generally also special fuels are there just to empty the wallets of customers, or to persuade him to choose certain pumps.

But the condition of the fuel filter is essential. And periodic draining of water from the filter. It depends on conditions, the higher the variation of ambient temperature is across the dew point, the more condensation water there tends to be in the fuel. Any solid particles or water in the fuel are very dangerous to the nozzles and to the high pressure rail pump.