Using sub-standard fuel and steps to mitigate the problems

[Ridowh 8]

Hello all,

A post on our club’s FB page earlier today, about fuel prices, got me thinking about what useful steps could be taken by us in an attempt to minimise the risk of the possible negative outcomes of using cheap fuel, 95RON, or fuel of a poorer quality than Shell V-Power when filling up the tanks of our pride and joy.

I realise that not all of us will be able to continue using Shell V-Power 99RON. I am fortunate as I don’t work and do a tiny mileage each week, some of which can be avoided. Others among us may have to travel 1000+ miles a week because of work and commuting etc. Not all those travelling for work are able to claim back their petrol expenditure. My most recent fill up, at my local Shell, saw prices of V-Power 99RON at 178.9 pence per litre  I have seen prices at other Shell outlets (I use the PetrolPrices.com website and also the app) of 187.9 pence, and I honestly don’t think it will be too long before us GT86/BRZ owners will be facing the 190.0p, and then the 200.0p per litre milestones. What worries me is that once we cross each threshold, the big oil refinery companies will consider consumers become normalised, and, rather than dropping prices back down if possible, they will continue to hold the price, Or raise it further. This might occur even more so with what could be considered the ‘luxury’ fuel types as there will be far fewer numbers of customers that absolutely have to use those fuels, and therefore far fewer making complaints.

Has anyone had any experience using any kind of octane enhancers, fuel cleaner additives, or entire fuel system/injector cleaners, or decarbonisation additives etc.?

It would be really interesting to know what kind of technology and products exist out there that might be helpful to those of us that have to use cheaper, poorer quality, and 95RON fuels out of necessity. I or Rodney have never had any experience of these things, save for using the additives required for running unleaded fuel in a vehicle (vintage minis) that hadn’t had its valve seats modified, and I imagine that there has been a significant number of advances in this arena in the last decade or so.

Does anyone have any thoughts on all this?

Are there any economists amongst us that have any knowledge/predictions about where our fuel costs might be trending in the future?

[MartinT 514]

I use Sainsburys super unleaded 97 now because it's much more convenient for me and cheaper. I average 500 miles per week. The mpg is currently reading 33.2 (Harrop supercharged).

I put some Lucas fuel additive every 2-3 fill-ups to keep the fuel system and injectors clean and that keeps it running sweetly.

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[Conscript 45]

As long as you don't have any modifications, then just put 95RON in. The car may lose a little top end power, but if you're using it to commute, you're barely going to notice.

I've see people on the Facebook group claiming that the car MUST have 98RON as a minimum because "it says so on the petrol cap". Which isn't true (at least for my model year) - it says "Use 98RON fuel", but that's because it's recommended - there's no suggestion that you must ONLY use 98RON, or that anything less will cause your engine to explode. If you refer to the handbook, it does state quite explicitly that 98RON fuel is recommended for the best performance, but that 95RON fuel can be used with no detrimental effect other than slightly reduced power - but obviously, the inside of a petrol cap is a bit small to relay all that information so they just put "Use 98RON" on it. 

If you're looking to save some money, which is perfectly understandable especially when doing high miles, then I'd just switch to 95RON and not bother with additives personally. Obviously this may not apply to modified vehicles which have been mapped specifically for higher octanes. 

[MartinT 514]

The difference in feel between 95 and 98 RON in my car is obvious and I won't use 95 unless I'm desperate. I may be 'only commuting' but I bought the BRZ to enjoy the commute more

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[Conscript 45]

59 minutes ago, MartinT said:

The difference in feel between 95 and 98 RON in my car is obvious and I won't use 95 unless I'm desperate. I may be 'only commuting' but I bought the BRZ to enjoy the commute more

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Fair enough. When I said "only commuting" I had in mind the sort of commute I used to do which was 80 percent sitting on the motorway in flowing traffic...I occasionally used 95RON and never felt much difference. 

[Varelco 211]

If in doubt, consult the good old manual;

Fuel types

EU area:

Unleaded gasoline confirming to European standard EN228, Research

Octane Number of 98 or higher

Except EU area:

Unleaded gasoline, Research Octane Number of 98 or higher

If unleaded gasoline with an octane rating of 98 RON is not available,

unleaded gasoline with an octane rating of 95 RON may be used with no

detriment to engine durability or driveability.

 

[Neil-h 29]

15 hours ago, MartinT said:

The difference in feel between 95 and 98 RON in my car is obvious and I won't use 95 unless I'm desperate. I may be 'only commuting' but I bought the BRZ to enjoy the commute more

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That’s probably more throttle mapping than fuel though. The crap fuel map Mark put in my car slows the throttle response by around 10% at lower speeds (higher engine loads i suppose) and also limits the max revs to 4500ish RPM. Fortunately I’ve only ever had to use it once (during the fuel shortages) as it’s not a lot of fun.

[86iain 44]

I used to mainly use Sainsbury's 97, did so over 3 years with zero issues that I could see.