Regular Diesel vs BP Ultimate/Shell V Power

[tonyb17]

Hi All.

Im new to the site and have had my DS3 for just over 2 months now. Apart from an injector failing last week i've had no issues and love the car to bits.

I own a 2011 DSport 1.6 HDI diesel

My question is has anyone tried using super diesel in there cars?

So far i've only used normal when filling up but after the injector failed i did some reasearch i found out they claim to clean inside the engine to stop faults/damage and increase MPG. I don't intend to always use it as its extra money but a full tank or so here and there should help a little bit shouldn't it? I know some cars don't respond well to premium fuels so wanted to get some advice before filling up.

I figured this would be a good place for advice as you all will of had your cars longer than me and or have more experience with them.

[BenS]

Don't think this engine absolutely requires premium diesel, however I would always advise using quality fuels e.g. Shell/BP regular diesel, as it is a more constant fuel grade than supermarket fuels.

[streettweeks]

I used premium diesel most fills when i had my 110. You haven't mentioned whether you have the 90 or the 110/115. Not like it matters too much but the 115 is a bit more pokey and might benefit more from the premium fuel. However my advice would be avoid cheap shit diesel like supermarket grade which tend to contain more biofuel which don't do engines any good, especially injectors. I would stick to Esso / BP / Shell even if it's just their standard stuff. Everybody has a different opinion on fuels and the only person that can decide what is best for your car is you. For e.g. people swear that the THP 155 must be ran on Vpower. I've ran mine on BP Ult, Shell V Power and Momentum 99. and then standard fuel also from BP and Shell and Esso. I've found that Momentum is the best for my car and runs superbly over all the others. If i put standard petrol in it i ALWAYS notice the difference especially at the top end.

[tonyb17]

Thank you both for your responses.

I didn't know that about supermarket fuels, i have a BP garage just round the corner nearer than supermarket and a Shell just a little further down so will start using those instead.

I have been running the tank down in preparation of filling up with the super so maybe just sticking to BP/Shell normal is a good idea. I guess if i filled a tank with BP ultimate then when that was almost empty filled up with normal BP it would be a lot better than filling with supermarket pumps as both same brand

[Mr Softie]

I've had my HDI 90 for about 5 weeks and most of the time I used supermarket fuel. I've recently been using BP ultimate and noticed a big difference. Less lag/Less of a dead spot in the lower revs, better torque, and better MPG. Ultimately as others have said anything beats the supermarket fuels.

The other option is additives, there's one I borrowed from my dad, AR6800 I think it's called and it helps too if you don't want to spend on the ultimate stuff.

[BenS]

Supermarkets get fuel from wherever is cheapest so they can keep the prices down. This means that the supplier, quality, and contents vary considerably from time to time.

Named brand fuels come straight from the relevant refinery and so are a guaranteed level of quality and consistency. The premiums offered by them increase the purity and octane number for a more knock-free and cleaner burn, plus they have additives to aid the working parts.

[EwanWhoseArmy]

Supermarkets get fuel from wherever is cheapest so they can keep the prices down. This means that the supplier, quality, and contents vary considerably from time to time.

Named brand fuels come straight from the relevant refinery and so are a guaranteed level of quality and consistency. The premiums offered by them increase the purity and octane number for a more knock-free and cleaner burn, plus they have additives to aid the working parts.

Is knocking really an issue on Diesel ? I always thought diesels were less dependent on fuel quality than petrol cars consideiing that in theory you can one on chip pan fat

[BenS]

Is knocking really an issue on Diesel ? I always thought diesels were less dependent on fuel quality than petrol cars consideiing that in theory you can one on chip pan fat

I was writing it from the point of view of both fuels, but I think you're right.

[Bill the Badger]

The Vplus type fuels have an enhanced chemical package added to them (the Ocane rating [RON] of petrol in now done at the refining stage because its cheaper for the refiners to do it that way rather than add a chemical octane booster) which will improve the cleaning of injector nozzles and importantly for diesels add extra lubrication to the deisel pump where the lubrication is supplied by the fuel!

I worked at a company that ran over 1,000 high mileage vans and i asked the tleet engineers what they did, fuel wise, on their own personal diesels and they all said that the alternated tankfuls of normal diesel with Vpower or equivalent. A friend of mine always bought the cheapest supermarket diesel for his Xtrail and at 50,000 miles had to stump up £1,800 for a new fuel pump.

I personally think the bottom line is that is you intend to keep a car for a long time its a good idea to invest in decent fiel, however if you plan to change a car frequently the put any old rubbish in it (particularly if its under warranty).

I have run a few high performance cars in my time, e.g. Impreza WRX, and the user forums are always full of questions about fuels, so do what you are comfortable with and can afford. I also run a diesel Land Rover and always use Vpower because i plan to keep the car a long time.

[tonyb17]

Thanks for the responses, i am going to stick with BP from now on, apart from when on holiday i will use Shell ass there are loads of Shell abroad.