(G) Fuel...supermarket or brand

Fuel...is there any difference between supermarket fuel( in my case diesel) and brand fuel like Shell, Esso etc.

The reason I ask is that when I was truck driving I used to see supermarket tankers coming out of the same refineries as the brand tankers, obviously they don't necessarily fill from the same tanks, but is there any difference.

Personally I fill up at supermarkets because it's cheaper..but am I being penny wise pound foolish.

I would be interested in your opinion, is it based on fact, experience or just hearsay.

I use Tesco Momentum fuel. There are debates all over the Internet about the different fuels and their additives, some prefer bp and shell. I've read that tesco momentum is almost as good as shell v-power. You'll get a lot of mixed opinions on this one

IMO, supermarket fuels are fine to use and cheaper.

I do notice a difference when using Shell over Morrisons.

I did a blind test with my other half - full tank of Shell followed by a full tank of Morrisons - reverse of the same route. She thought something was wrong with her car because it used noticeably more fuel.

I can't remember who gets their fuel where - think Sainsbury's was Shell, Tesco from BP and Morrisons was Esso?

I might be wrong (Probably am)

I've been a driving instructor for 9 years now, so have used a lot of fuel. (Fill up 2-3 times per week) For tax I have to record personal mileage, so have kept records of all fuel used. I've used most supermarket brands and Shell and Esso, but never recorded any significant difference. This is all regular unleaded in Corsas, Fiat 500 and now Fiesta.
However, the Panda has used almost exclusively Esso so far this year and seems to be running very quietly and smoothly, although fuel consumption has not changed.

If you choose the premium grades, you will pay more and are unlikely to save that in better fuel consumption.

IMO use whatever is convenient.

When we used to have the multipla, It thoroughly disliked Asda + Morrisons Diesel, much preferred Shell or Esso. Interestingly enough, it wasn't big on BP either, but it never ran as rough as it did on Asda fuel.

So IMO, yes there is a difference, at least in diesel... Haven't ever put Asda or Morrisons in the panda, so I've no idea about the petrol.

They may all fill up at the same refinery but what about the addition of additives that is specific to each brand? I presumed this was added at the refinery after the tankers had been loaded with the regular fuel.

Personally, I avoid supermarket fuel - and tend to stick to my local stations, namely BP or Shell.

well i refuse to use Texico. Purely as when I put 8l (I put 8l per week) it ran ran out sooner. I don't know why. I use JET - lasts ages, BP & Tesco.

I vary between Tesco and Maxol diesel, as it's cheaper than BP.

I avoid Sainsbury's even if there's loadsa money off vouchers. My car drives like it's missing something and chuffs thick black smoke out the back end with it... Would cost me more in the long run with fuel additives required for cleaning it out...

try and stick to one brand it can take the ecu more than a tanks worth to adjust its self learning, so switching fuels often isnt good especialy if using the posh petrol stuff some are 99 others 97

You might want to have a read of this thread too:
https://www.fiatforum.com/leisure-lo...5-v-power.html

Thanks for all the replies...

The general opinion seems to be that using better fuel doesn't improve the mpg but does improve the way the engine feels and performs, maybe it pays in the long run with cleaner injectors etc, so I may just try a couple of tanks of the "posh stuff" and see for myself.

Another train of thought concerning diesel engines and the varying lifespan of egr valves, could fuel quality be a contributing factor?

I'm sure there will never be a definitive answer to this subject, so it will probably come down to "you pays your money and you takes your choice".....depending on how thick your wallet is feeling at the time!

Thanks again

Few years ago, EVO magazine ran their fast fleet on v-power for 6months.
They had the engines analysed with a scope before & after and they were considerably cleaner and less coked up internally.
Dyno results showed minor improvements on the high performance cars, but little if any on the average car.

I use shell unleaded on the 100HP and V-Power on the supercharged mx5 as it was mapped & timed on its EMB piggyback ecu for it.

Most significant difference is in my wallet!

Yes, there is a difference and normally it's worth the premium for higher octane fuel at the pumps as you get that back in better MPG as well as other benefits in better "driveability". It does however depend on the car - and luckily for us Tesco did a test last year with their Momentum 99 fuel and one of the cars they used in the test was a Panda 1.2. Full tech report with results is here:

http://www.tescopfs.com/content/down..._12_0311_2.pdf

Another issue is the inclusion of 5% Ethanol in petrol, that can be a problem in cars built before 2007 and in all cars left for more than a few weeks as it has a very short shelf life. It is getting more difficult to avoid Ethanol, I think Texaco are the only major that don't add it.
It is possible petrol with 10% Ethanol might appear here later this year, certainly avoid that, has caused all sorts of problems in Europe and the States. Ethanol is added because it is seen as a green fuel in the supply change, it has no benefit at all for the end user.

What would have been the result doing outbound & inbound trips on the same fuel?
The surface wind at Humberside is nothing (variable 2 knots) now – but this afternoon forecast to be 080 degrees @ 10 knots.
What other conditions were variable – traffic?

031040Z

The difference between outbound & return trip mpg figures will often be at least 10% due to the wind alone.

I'm not saying there isn't a difference between supermarket & Shell fuels, just that you'll need to do something much more sophisticated to measure it.
And yes, the percentage of ethanol they chose to add on the day will make a much bigger difference than the brand of feedstock they started out with.
The only difference between brands is the additive pack, which is usually added at the point of delivery. Bulk petrol is a commodity product and the different retailers will source it from whatever refinery is most conveniently situated with respect to the final delivery point to minimise the cost of transportation.