IS PREMIUM DIESEL REALLY WORTH IT?? đž
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- Äas pĆidĂĄn 4. 05. 2024
- After years of planning and scheduling, it's finally here! We've strapped our TT to the dyno to ask the question, is it really worth paying for premium diesels? đ€
With 4 separate fuels and plenty of analysis equipment, it's time to find out...and the results may surprise you!! đ
Tuning your car and want to get more data on your engine? Check out BDN Automotive's cylinder pressure monitor here - bdn-automotive.com/products/c...
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Let us know what you think about this test in the comments section. If you have tested any 'racing' diesel fuels yourself we would love to know!
I also wanna know if there's any "racing" additives
Super interesting test you've made here.
Well I guess it heavily depends on the diesel engine and its ECU. My ol' Golf Mk3 convertible loves OMV Ultimate (non HVO, non GVO, liquid to gas diesel). It performs better and it runs extremly smooth. Ppl even told me that on parking lots and so on xD (other premium diesels are good too but not that good). The biggest changes actually came from using it over at least 10 full fuel tanks worth of driving. It is my daily (and stock!) and it occasionally gets the beans as well. :DDD
It has a fairly simple ECU (TDI gen 1995 - motor code 1Z) and it takes what it gets and tries to avoid the smoking A/F ratio. That's it. Then it limits the torque (to 202Nm) and the boost to 0,9bar. Whatever happens else, highly depends on the fuel.
Newer diesel will have way more controlling and managing stages, which could dampen the advantages of a way better diesel, at least that'd be my guess. And on "racing diesels" I can'
t be asked xD
Thanks for the test - cheers DIESEL POWER !!!
My 09' 1.9tdi pd BXE has been getting Hydra DPB100 for around 6 and a bit years, since 2017 when I first bought the car.
It was sluggish and jittering under throttle so I assumed it was gunk in the injectors etc. It's been working perfectly ever since.
No issues with the turbo or fuel pumps, I think there's a tandem pump3on my engine isn't there?
Anyway all good, I'm not seeing any changes at all in fuel economy and I don't floor it everywhere, but still I've stuck with the Hydra additive and cheaper diesel, which is cheaper than so called premium diesel, so I'm happy overall.
I hope to book my car in with you soon, after I knock a couple of much needed jobs off the to-do list.
Great channel and thanks for your hardwork and passion for diesel engines of the VAG variety. đ
I never noticed the difference with V-power petrol in my cars. But with V-power diesel on my 1.6tdi Fiesta i get around 10-15mpg more over regular diesel. Engine is smoother too.
Need to stick the car on the Dyno and then tune to the fuel and see what can be achieved. Rather than sticking the fuel in and seeing what power can be produced.
The amusing thing about tests like this, is the data will be there in black and white, yet people will still be adamant that their choice is better for reasons.
Yep! Despite the test thereâs still people in the comments arguing over brands of fuel
about the only argument could be made is Costco fuel cus it's cheaper?
I'm driving premium diesel on my daily, according to your comment I'm one of "those ppl" :)
I need to add that driving premium diesel with recognizable differences depends on a lot of stuff.
I'm driving and old 1.9 TDI 1Z (built in 1995) and I recognized the differences after driving approx. 10 car tanks in a row with premium diesel only.
The difference are so significant that even my neighbor asked me about it. He asked what I've done to this ol' engine b/c it runs so smooth.
It is stock, nothing modified except proper maintenance.
Also the power gap I've had on around 3500rpm vanished over time. Which was significant and way above some belief thing to recognize.
On newer cars, especially with common rail systems many of those recognizable advantages might be dampen by the huge amount of management effort of the ECU. My ECU is plain simple: don't go over 0,9bar boost, don't smoke, keep the amount of fuel as similar as possible between all cylinders. Done.
It doesn't care about power output so that 'd be the first property which can change with fuel quality, since it doesn't even get monitored by the ECU. Like many other properties, if the fuel is less prone to smoke, then my ECU will change the A/F ratio differently on a high quality fuel. Since the ECU is super simple in its management. While a newer cars ECU might observe and manage hundreds of parameters and keep the engine at check.
Many fuel advantages (but also disadvantages of bad fuels) are dampen. Additionally you've a ton of parameters in an ECU which are based on "learning factors" during driving. It highly depends on the engine and its ECU what its doing and how it reacts to different qualities of fuel. A proper remapping might be necessary, to fully use the advantages of a higher cetan count and lower probability to smoke. Like setting up a petrol engine to a higher octane count fuel, you might change the spark timing, as an example. Otherwise you wouldn't have any recognizable advantages from the premium petrol.
Frankly a "dump it in and see" doesn't work - as shown in the video (and many other tests).. this mindset might come from the old days with carburetors and petrol engines...
It isn't about "a belief b/c of reasons" it is about doing a proper deep dive in technology and what it actually does. I'm an engineer myself, I might need to add.
@@BruceCarbonLakeriver thatâs a lot of words đ
I fully, whole heartedly, and complete, endorse this comment.
Your base fuel comes usually from the local refinery. It makes sense logistically when you think about it. In Southampton for example, the local refinery is the Exxon (Esso) refinery at Fawley. So you will see Shell, Mobil, Total, ASDA, Tesco etc tankers rocking up to fuel up. The drivers then add a particular additive package to the tank. By the time the lorry has been around a couple of roundabouts on the A326 it is considered "mixed to perfection". However the base fuel for them all is Esso. Only the additive package differentiates them.
Totally agree with you
The fuel is refined to a BS standard anyway to meet the B7 biodiesel pump fuel grade. They can't sell it to forecourts and franchises otherwise. But you're correct, in that a driver of a tanker will usually have additive in the tank before loading or post loading at a transfer station.
I did a delivery to Fawley refinery last week.
I would be keen to know about Costco diesel, they only sell premium diesel. Is it really premium or just the name instead?
@@Lorenzo_Velasquez Will just be the name. The only real difference is the additives that are added in tank on the forecourt or at collection.
For diesels, these only help reduce the gel point to improve burn and reduce carbon build up, help prevent gelling in the injectors, fuel filter and the pump (especially in cold temperatures).
I always thought it was same but with different additives but i am no scientist either way its too feckin expensive Robin gits đđ
Excellent piece of work, Ryan. Considerable time, effort and cost invested in the project is very much appreciated.
Always said this.
To get the most of of a turbo diesel, let it warm up, use plenty of throttle at low-er revs, cane it every now and again, donât leave idling give a few seconds for turbo to stop before shutting down.
Never had an engine/turbo failure, never had black smoke, always had good power.
You need the turbo to cool down for a few minutes if you've been driving it hard or driving on motorway.. It's not about it spinning
@@MyRealName just back off for the last mile is more than adequate. Just standard mechanical sympathy, No need to go over board.
Why canât you idle a diesel? Iâve always done it with no problems.
â@AlmostLastJedi this with short drives is what cloggs dpf
Use plenty of throttle at low revs? so i fuq up my clutch and flywheel early?
People have tried these tests over the years but I don't think anyone has ever gone as In depth as you guys have! Good to know I can continue buying tesco diesel!
Thanks Ryan and the team. We appreciate your time.
This all makes me chuckle, I have a 3ltr 30 year old Toyota. I just fill up at Tesco's because where I live there is nowhere else. Always starts first touch of the key, goes up hills like they weren't there, and I love it.
This made me smile. I bought a 1994 Corolla GXi off a friend years ago for ÂŁ1000. He let me have it cheap because he said the original clutch was on its way out. I drove the car everyday for 7 years with that original clutch đ€Ł only repair, other than standard service parts, was a wheel bearing. Traded against a 2008 Yaris (which was horrible) as we needed a 5 door. Always regretted getting rid it was a an amazingly reliable and fun car.
Ive used normal supermarket diesel all my life but made the change to v power and i can honestly say it feel way more responive then regular diesel fuel. So i will be sticking with v power
Shell diesel was giving me 35mpg but my car ran like cr*p. Switched to VPower got 41mpg but thats started to creep down sat at 38mpg so made a switch to BP Ultimate which now is slowly going back up.
@@bigbossbrixey5484 I too love paying extra for that delicious placebo effect, after swapping to Shell V power extreme ultra deluxe preorder limited edition my car doesn't even need the engine running to move, gets infinite mpg, it's vibration free and it only emits unicorn farts!
Truly is magical stuff.
@@kristoffer3000 đđ€
Although not comparing apples with apples, we can look at the fuelling of HGVs. There engines are as complex in their operation as any comparable car ICE, with sophisticated emission reduction systems. They cover vast distances per annum, far in excess of the average car driver and often work in arduous conditions under high engine loads, where fuel consumption can be measured in gallons per mile! Engine performance is massively important, but to most operators engine performance is secondary to fuel economy. Fuel cost being the largest expenditure to any operator, it would be obvious that any potential gains from using âpremiumâ fuels, especially in economy terms would have been embraced by the haulage industry long ago.
I believe 5hey would only look at cheapest up front cost.
Very true, most big operators will move the tractor units on by 4 or 5 years service so only worry about meeting latest euro standard for minimising access charges and therefore they run cheap fuel as they are not interested in the long term mechanical benefits better fuel and servicing would add to a vehicles life span
When will people understand that Premium Diesel has never been about Performance gains. its all about keeping your engine in top condition. Ive ran my BMW 120d M Sport with 202,000 miles, ALWAYS used Shell V Power Diesel, Engine in prime condition, DPF not clogged once, Injectors are running clean and free. With premium diesel its less about performance gains and far more about longevity of the mechanical parts with the use of detergents that are blended with the fuel.
100% agree
I bought my Chrysler 300c with 62k miles, itâs got a remap and always been run on the cheapest diesel available in my area. Itâs now on 235k miles, never had any engine issues!
On the face of it you have probably wasted thousands more than me on fuel with no real benefit!
Ok to be fair I have a ml7 golf tdi with 400,000 km and always used cheap diesel from good stations. I have never had a clogged dpf or injector problems either. My opinion is how you drive rather than diesel. I drive mainly highway. I think that has more to do with it than diesel
Great comment, using one example is definitely decisive, if you hadnât used v power diesel it DEFINITELY would have had issues, right? đ
Thatâs my understanding too.
Thank you guys... this was a very comprehensive video that must have took you forever to make... very much appreciated đ
I use shell v-power diesel in my standard daily. A friend uses supermarket in his tuned diesel daily. I get less smoke and what appears to be less lag (both have same turbo) and when it comes to services my filters are cleaner! So Iâm continuing to use the V-power. Someone else I know, who drives the same daily vehicle he adds MANNOL Cetane Plus to his Shell V-power and it appears on Road to make a difference again!
FINALLY! Always wanted to see a test on this!
Agreed i saw officially gassed results on the petrol ones and always wanna see the diesel comparisons
cant think of no other team to do this experiment, hats off to you!!
Iâve never noticed any performance difference what ever diesel I used, I have used the Dipetane as it was meant to heat the dpf up quicker and to higher temps. I never had any issues so I assume it worked đ€·đ»ââïž
Love it you use the cheapest fuels in the race car, keepinâ it real đđ»
I think it would be very interesting to come back and also test Shell GTL diesel if you can. Its made from natural gas instead of crude oil, and should in theory atleast burn much cleaner than traditional diesel, great video BTW. :)
BP Ultimate Diesel all the way, highest cetane rating in the UK. Shell V Power has good friction modifiers for the diesel fuel pump, help keep the engine quieter on journeys...
I agree, I do so longer drives and test the brands against each other, BP and Ampol are good in Aust then shell and Caltex.
And with all that, their race car does 6k revs and gets abuse on track, on standard fuel, without any of those issues
@@possle its a race car, not an audi A4.
@@paulken1919 Exactly, it's a strung out race car that gets driven hard, not an A4 cruising down to the shops.
@@kristoffer3000 All the more reason it would show fuel differences and limitations...
What makes a big difference i have found , is rather than spending a fortune on expensive diesel is every couple months i use an engine cleaner , exaust system cleaner , or injector cleaner , oil +filterchange twice a year as i do over, 15k miles a year and fuel filter every year or two, most people dont even do this basic stuff like but its money better spent, bought my current TDI at 150k miles currently put just shy of 20k on it since last july and its running even smoother and gets better mpg than when i got it as i changed oil twice since then and did all the other service bits and run fuel additives when i feel it needs it
Very interesting design of experiment theređ,
I am a fuel test engineer and know just how hard it is to find solid statistically relevant results from one fuel to another. ( harder with diesel, gasoline has the octane difference which does help as well as the longer term gains of additive detergents )
Glad you ran 3x tests of each, 4 is significantly better next time,
Fuel temp and test cell conditioning and barometrics have annoyingly large effects, so the better you can control that the more accurate your results will be,
Going back to your âcontrolâ fuel was a very useful step as you saw.
Conditioning runs before running an actual test run are industry standard - get everything upto same temps and condition before running a measured test đđŒ ( vehicle AND dyno)
What you donât get in your test ( understandably) is a long term gain result ( more premium fuels WILL clean the engine components which will give you better gains as your injectors etc will stay clean, )
Road trials are a nightmare so not even worth bothering with , and with 2 vehicles , forget it - waaaaaay too many variables . So not worth bothering with unless you have hundreds / thousands of hours to waste..
Nice work though đđŒđđŒ
So going from your comments and this very informative test, a tank of premium every 6 months or so is probably a good idea for the feeling system but otherwise use the cheapest stuff you can find?
@bencheetham are you at BP in Whitchurch Hill?
@@fredfred2363 Iâm omni-present đ.. who do you know at whitchurch ( surname only req.)
@@Divefire Iâd recommend more frequent tank fulls or top ups, even the non âpremiumâ Diesel offerings from shell / bp / esso etc will have more detergents than super market diesels I believe and will be beneficial even with a mix of supermarket fuel in yr tank. đđŒ( but it will obviously be more diluted then)
The more frequently you can use a better supplier, the cleaner your engine will get ( and then stay that way)
Brilliant đ
Diesel is diesel, you can boost the cetane rating but realistically it wont make much if any noticeable difference. This test is even run on a highly tuned engine, the fact that theres no difference here proves the point.
Octane rating makes a difference in petrol but diesel is compression ignition anyway. Best thing to do is ensure your injector are clean.
2.0TDI TT with 180k miles on it here, never had engine issues on standard fuels.
True, ppl don't recognize that you actually need a proper remap of your engine for better fuels. Like advancing the spark timings on a petrol engine while using a higher octane fuel and higher compression ratios ^^
for a stock diesel you might consider the cleaning function, but the price difference in my country is huge. Fuel save diesel 31.24 thb vs V-power 46.94 thb
There is very little lube in modern Diesel. This has proven to be hard on things like HP fuel pump valve stems etc... So I have taken to adding like 200cc of 2-stroke engine fuel mix to 16 gallons of diesel. It can't hurt the engine as it all burns and it may help with internal lube. Things like HP pumps and valve stems may benefit from a little lube.
Basic forecourt diesel in the UK and EU is better quality than than most of the world including North America but boosting the Cetane rating still has benefits. A simple test is to compare how much soot is deposited on the back bumper.
I noticed with my vw tdi cetane booster definitely helps combustion and performance.
People seem to struggle with the concept that there is no such thing as Supermarket Diesel, There is Diesel retailed by a Supermarket as virtually everyone in the industry knows đ.
I've been using shell v-power diesel in my BMW f11 530d with a stage 1 remap for the past few months. I read many constrasting articles & reviews beforehand. My mechanic advised me to use as he rates it. I've honestly not noticed the car being any faster, quieter, smoother or better mpg. It costs me approx ÂŁ10 more per month. When my mech mot'd my car he says it was running 'cleaner' than last years mot as some sort of justification that he's been proven correct! đ After watching this video, I think I'll just switch back to std diesel & stick an additive in every now & again
Stick your normal diesel in, without an additive and donât tell your mechanic, I bet he will still tell you itâs running cleaner than it was, just to make himself fell like he knows somert you donât.
what may matter is if there are cleaning chemicals in the fuel that work. otherwise you can compare fuel consumption yourself. The road and the Dyno are not quite the same thing
@@ShalomBrother In theory, should a higher cetane content mean better combustion? If it's clean exhaust you're looking for then you should look for Hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO If you have it in the UK
Superb test lads, thank you for doing this. Proves so many points. Simply use supermarket diesel and use a decent cleaning additive once a month depending on the mileage you do. đ
I thought the only difference was a final filter at the pump. Some stations in Australia advertise the cheapest at truck diesel, but Iâve always wondered why a transport company would sacrifice their very expensive engine if the fuel was inferior. Possibly trucks have better fuel filters.
Top work! Happy with your results. I personally run supermarket fuel with the ehn-99 and I've always felt the car was not faster but felt a bit smoother and eager. Deffo interested in seeing the "race diesel" test!
Perhaps you should consider a diesel boosters are also said to clean particle filters or to make sure that it does not get dirty as quickly
Exactly what I've always thought, thanks for such a comprehensive test, huuuuuuge effort.
I know for a fact that diesel is often "all the same" and tanker drivers often deliver premium diesel to cheap stations if that's what they have on hand. Wouldn't surprise me if a chemical breakdown of those fossil based fuel brands showed they were much the same.
I've done terrible things to euro diesels since 2008, and only use name brand fuel to try and avoid water and algae from slow turnover. The small % of cleaners etc in premium diesel do jack shit compared to actual diesel fuel additives / two stroke, running upper intake cleaner / methanol, and doing physical cleans every year. People think Cetane is like Octane, when they are in fact total opposite. Run what you want, but worry more about the oil blowby and soot build-up in your upper intake tract, makes a far bigger difference.
I found Napthalene and Nitromethane made no difference either, but that's another story.
Iâve for last 12yrs being a diesel driver added 2-EHN to every tank of fuel and 5/6k oil changes, my cars run like new
Great work, Ryan. Thanks a lot for the time and effort, never bought diesel from Shell due to price, usually buy what's closer to me and that's Tesco and Morrisons.
Really thorough and interesting video. Would have loved to have seen a fuel economy MPG comparison, but appreciate the time and considerable effort you put into making this đ cheers
Started using 'fancy' diesel on a Volvo C30 with 120k. Was getting average 51 mpg. By 125k Im getting 55mpg so the cleaning of the fancy diesel has definitely worked. I now run 3 tanks of standard diesel and then one tank of the good stuff.
I've got a V50 1.6D and has 166K miles on it so if it works on your c30 then deffo it will work on mine too. What else have you noticed with the "fancy" fuel?
@@VinDieselS70 same... 1.6D S Drive. The super-diesel did a great job cleaning the engine over around 5k so now i just use normal diesel for three fills and the 'fancy' stuff on the fourth to help cleaning. I use a DPF cleaner additive about two weeks before MOT and drive in 4th for about 10 miles to get a good regen going. đ
@@AndrewGibson22 thank you Andrew. As this is my first Diesel with a DPF all hints and tips are welcome. The previous S70 and V70 D5 didn't have any DPF nonsense.
Mind you, the old S70 was happy with veggie oil from Asda.
@@VinDieselS70 'cough, cough' gut it 'cough, cough' đ
@@VinDieselS70 - I found Costco veggie oil really so much better than most others in my old Mitsubishi Pajero, it had a much higher chip butty and candy-floss aroma level than other regular cooking oils
thanks for running this test fellas
i worked at the plant that made 2EHN and it is already in all fuels that you buy anyway especially diesel, its a cetane improver, and in most injector cleaners and so called performance improvers. not sure if it will give you the boost you might expect. word of warning if you get it on your skin it will give you a headache as it is a vascular dilater.(makes you veins swell up) chemistry to make it uses very strong acids and is made in a way very similar to nitro-glycerine.
Drink some coffee after then as thats a vascular restrictor
after 20+years of running diesels the only additive i use now is millers Diesel Power Ecomax easily an extra 50miles on a tank on long runs & no fancy diesel in the vehicles neither, local garage stuff in most cases. good very involved test tho lads with the sum up V-Power helps but at a cost.
Lucas upper cylinder lubricant does the best job. I've tried so many and this one comes out to be the best.
Iâve tried Ecomax too for the 2EHN component. I have seen no difference in range, but subjectively a Toyota diesel felt sharper and slightly less clattery. On a Mercedes 220, no difference at all.
Ecomax works out around 3.3ppl (pence per litre) at 1000ppm treat rate. Somewhat less than other pump options.
If the additive you use cost around a 10er you will get at least 50 miles off that in diesel so its pointless
Same. And Iâve tested different ratios, drives, types and settled on millers for every tank woth tesco standard. All logged and various runs and drive styles over 70k miles and 2 cars. The price point is about break even for cost vs extra mpg but for all the claimed benefits and me having 0 issues with dpf, injectors, starting i will continue to use for the foreseeable!
Thanks for this test, I now fill up at Tesco, before did some time filling up in Asda and I seemed to get less mileage out the full tank.
Thanks for doing this. I'm one of those who's always just gone for the cheapest diesel available. I'd always get told how I'm missing out on power, or it would run better on premium or I'm killing my engine using supermarket fuels. On the occasions I did use premium I never felt a difference in power, responsiveness or noticed any difference in sound or fuel economy so I went back to good old supermarket fuel. It's nice to finally see some actual data to back up what I thought and what I've felt when switching between standard and premium, i.e, no difference.
You might not feel it, but there is a difference for sure. A semi blocked injector over a couple years will not produce the same power as a clean fully working Injectors
I was gonna start using premium diesel as Iâve seen people banging on about it. Iâve always used supermarket diesel and thanks to this video Iâll carry on using it. Thanks guys for saving me money, great job Darkside đđ»đđ»đđ»đđ»
Fascinating and very useful video, lots of data!
Btw, on a different point, I had a 2001 e46 330d, bought it in 2010 with ~88k miles on the clock, sold it to a mate in 2018 with 192k, he then took it to 220k and it was still running great. ~95% of the fuel I put in it was supermarket fuel. (For the record, at the point he took it to 220k, he then just let it sit and rot for 2 yrs, and then it was scrapped 12/2022 đą, RIP my old 330d). ND51 XGC, should anyone want to check the mileage & MoT history.
Heating oil with a dash of hydraulic oil for lubrication and upping the compression always goes well.
Great work guys, not just with this extensive test but all your other content too!
My daily commute is my trusty Smart Forfour diesel with a sensible custom rolling road remap. She's 20 years old, 215k miles on the clock. Sure it's nothing special to most, but i love my quirky cars.
For the past 15 years of ownership I've predominantly used supermarket diesel. Reason being there are no 'big brands' close or en route to work, I would need to divert to fill up with say Esso or BP.
Very occasionally filled up with Jet diesel if taking a different route, but mainly use Asda or Sainsbury's.
The car has been very well looked after, with oil changes every 6000 miles using correct spec' oil MB229.3.
Running the original mechanicals inc engine, turbo and gearbox.
Starts every time sun or snow, still pulls like a train, doesn't smoke and passes the MoT each year with lower than it's rated VED band emissions.
I do use Miller's diesel additive every few tank fills. I'm unsure if actually benefits the car, but can't do much harm other than the formulation stinks.
Many thanks Ryan a very informative video.
Iâve been running the cheapest diesel since I started driving decades ago with no issues so unless I get some solid proof of an advantage in premium diesel I will not change because in my personal opinion the only benefit is a bigger profit to the manufacturer of the dieselâŠ.
Very interesting test and really useful outcomes. Great work Ben and much appreciated. Thanks a lot and continue the good work.đ
Who's Ben?
I use V-Power for the additives. My dad did a 6 year experiment on V-power versus normal diesel by recording every fill up for that time. After using regular Shell diesel for 3 years then started using V-Power. There was a marked increase in MPG (don't know about power) that offset the extra cost. This was 10 years ago mind. This was on an AMF 3PD.
So is it fair to say that one should basically fill up the exact same way you use cleaning additives, i.e. every other tank? Meaning one tank regular, one tank premium?
Sad wxxker
Your old man sounds a right laugh
Why would air/fuel ratio change? That doesnt make sense. Most of the cars don,t have flex fuel sensors to measure the octane on the diesel. I will burn the same amount no matter what diesel you habe.
@@MrSamueladerach I can only imagine that the additives allow a better burn? Shell claim better mpg but I am not sure why they say that. The V-Power is a powerful cleaner and on my vintage motorbikes I use it and keep the tanks topped up as you can see clearly how it keeps everything mint. With high pressure pumps and injectors maybe this makes a difference.
Same with oil people insist on paying over the odds for oil paying for brand names.
"you wanna know what I think"? I think it's really good of you to take the time and effort bringing us this vid. Half hour vid ... I'd bet my arse you spent far longer videoing it all. Personally when I was using Shell V-Power in mi' 3litre A4 I couldn't get it to smoke anywhere near if at all, when compared to Supermarket diesel. OH MANY MANY THANKS.
A test like this is long overdue â€ïž
I've used v-power for the last 12,000 miles and don't know about power, but it does clean the engine out the more you use it.
My mpg has slowly got better the more I used it. So it's clearly cleaning the combustion chambers etc.
It no good using it just now & then. It an accumulative effect, ie the more you use it.
I've run my car on v power diesel for the last 10 years it's runs perfectly. I used to run my small work van on v power it once said 915miles to empty on a 55 litre tank.
The company said were not allowed to use premium fuel so it got shell fuel saver. When it adjusted to the fuel it felt like the turbo had failed I was on the motorway going 70mph and suddenly had less power I could barely pull over 50mph. It slowly improved but after I had to work the engine much harder. I only showed 575 at best with a full tank and the power was very on/off and surged back and forth it was horrible to drive. I now have an electric car and it's lovely.
@@chrishart8548Sounds more of a van issue than the fuel, higher cetane diesel is not going to give you 35%+ of extra fuel economy, thatâs utterly ridiculous.
@@TrueSkyl1n3 you can't believe the distance to empty number anyway but it was very impressive to see 915miles. I did get it as low as 372miles once. That was foot to the floor everywhere for that tank of fuel
It's atmospheric preasure making the biggest difference and tyres heating up
Thanks for doing this test.
I logged the fuel consumption over 180k miles on two 330d BMWs. I ran one in supermarket diesel for 20k miles, and had issues with poor throttle response, which required BMW to do a lot of internal cleaning of various components. For the remaining miles, I initially used branded standard diesel, then switched to premium whenever I could get it, and the spreadsheet showed a consistent improvement in mpg on the premium fuel - maybe not the first tank after some standard fuel, but certainly thereafter. And certainly enough to justify the extra price. BP seemed to have a slight edge over Shell, which seemed better than Esso.
More recently, I havenât been quite so meticulous with my records, and run 4x4s, with a much lower annual mileage. My default fuel is premium; I think the vehicles are more economical (but lack numeric evidence to support this claim, and clouded by my current driving various in type and distance), the cars seem to run smoother and start better on premium, and for sure the mpg is much better when towing heavy trailers.
Thatâs just my opinion of course đ.
just out of interest, when you say 'premium', do you mean branded regular diesel (i.e. 'premium' brand) or the full fat poncy V-Power type fuels? When I had a bimmer I used to run a tank of the BP equivalent of V Power now and then, normal BP probably 1 in 3 tanks and supermarket the rest of the time. Not sure if I ever saw and particular improvement in anything, but then I wasn't paying that much attention either, and I got rid of it after about 37k. Now I don't do so many miles and run a Focus 2 litre tdci (160bhp version) and I hate it so it gets supermarket only since it doesn't deserve anything else đ
@@stevepettifer4896 By premium I mean Shell V Power or the the BP equivalent. I know there are so many variables and so many opinions, but I personally never saw the benefit in running an occasional tank of V Power and standard fuel the rest of the time. Somebody else mentioned that premium diesels store better - thatâs my belief too (no evidence of course), and given some of my vehicles are left unused for extended periods of time, it adds to my personal argument đ.
I use the premium in the T6. While loads on forums bemoan the EGR and DPF I've never had that issue. Of course run times and servicing will vary too but fuel with more detergents will surely keep the entire system cleaner over time?
I would add for mpg I find premium worse.
The more I think about this, the more my brain hurts. Now Iâm wondering about the impact of different fuels on the need for DPF regeneration, and therefore impact on oil dilution rates. And then how different diesel fuels might affect engine oil when oil dilution occurs. I am going to stop thinking about it đ.
I will say this: when I was in Italy with my 1.2 diesel fiat, the cheap diesel I filled the car up with, didn't help me up the mountains on my way back home. So maybe the real thing is in the tolerances of some fuel stations.
The main advantage of premium diesel is all about cleaning your engine, especially injectors, not making more power. And there is a big difference with my car starting on freezing winter mornings when i use regular diesel, versus when i use premium diesel. If you live in a cold country where temps fall far bellow freezing i would strongly recommend using premium diesel in winter. Premium diesel has also much lower freezing point than regular diesel.
Interesting points
Cold flow improver is not part of the additive mix.
There is zero difference in cloud point and cfpp for premium diesel. Where the fuel comes from decides this.
@@BRMCaptChaospremium dinosaurs were used mate đ
@@BRMCaptChaos âââ ââ ââ ââ Depends on weather, some actual data from a place with freezing winters about the CFFP of Diesel:
-summer:
@@petermolnar8667 we donât have a winter premium spec in the 590 annex. So we go to -15deg C. In reality, pre war, east coast UK was predominantly RUS fed with CFPP c. -22 to -26 Deg C. The problem being the CFPP was induced by cold flow improver, so one would have a -5deg c cloud point with a -25deg c cfpp, basically it was rubbish.
Thank you for doing this video and finally settling this the amount of times Iâve heard people bang on about better performance better emissions with V-Power etc is annoying I put Texacoâs premium diesel in my 2.0 tdi Audi and found it didnât seem to run as smooth as Tesco fuel but I can honestly say there was zero benefit and it was ÂŁ1.80 per litre compared with Tesco at the time being ÂŁ1.44.9 per litre
All good stuff đđ Iâve never believed the hype about V Power Fuel . Being a Truck Driver who has had professional training on how to get a 44 ton Truck to do 8 mpg from 7 mpg itâs absolutely about your right foot and nothing else .
Great test!!!
Thx
This is our race car, we use the cheapest fuel we can buy for itâŠ..tells you everything you need to know.
very thorough. great stuff
Hello. I use Shell V-power only. The truck runs very smooth at idle and overall a better performance. It is said that the injectors will last longer compared with cheap diesel. 50.000 km difference Bosch said. I have a 2010 Ford Ranger 2.5 tdci, tuned as good I could do about 372 bhp and 700 rwNm. Could be more, but I declined smoke.
Awesome test, Iâm an Aussie diesel mechanic who used fo drive fuel tankers, itâs all just marketing BS! Would love to see some JET A1 tested, I donât think itâll go any better, just out of curiosity! Iâve ran a couple of CRDâs on jet and noticed no difference
From Jan 2004 upto June 2013 I was using a Mitzi Pajero (not for racing) as my daily drive... twas a '94 2.8 (4M40 engine) man TDI SWB... over that time and with variable funds, I tried a wide variety of brands of diesel... and including veg oil from the super markets at 40ppl...but, you know...a lot of peeps cottoned on to that ..hence the price of veg oil sharply rose to the same 2005/6 price of diesel... apx ÂŁ1.35 at the time...but it did improve the running (not bad in the summer) noisy slap and regular filter drain, but a manageable chip shop!
After better paying work came along with stop out money and travel expenses paid...I stopped using texaco, bp, esso, murco, total, Tesco, morissons, sainsburys, and veg oil and started using shell v-power....and for a vehicle that previously got me around 24/25 mpg around town and 34/35 mpg on the open road to getting 30/32 around town and 40/42 mpg on the open road....bonus!
Another improvement was swapping out the genuine parts air filter for K&N....what a difference!...something I would recommend for any internal combustion engine!
When I had my Mondeo st tdci I ran shell vpower diesel and it made a big difference, not in cleaness or power but I did get more mpg. About 55 instead of 50 without changing anything else.
But did the extra cost negate the extra mpg? or was the vpower cheaper overall?
I would say vpower diesel makes a big difference in some cars. My 1.6 hdi runs like a dream with vpower diesel. Standard cheaper diesel it has no power and less mpg. But then my avensis I wouldn't say it makes any difference
The only fuel Ive ever noticed a difference with was some biodiesel years ago on a bosch pumped 306, it wasnt so much more power, it was how much less smoke it produced, it was enough to be able to turn the fuel pump up more for the same levels of smoke. it also had the added side effect of raising the boost another 2 psi at peak.
Used to build filling stations and was quite involved in the process of buying / selling fuel. I can tell you the condition of the forecourt is far more important than the brand. All fuel comes from the same refineries, the additives difffer. A poorly maintained forecourt is far more likely to lead to dodgy / contaminated fuel & cause issues than supermarket fuel. Supermarkets make very little profit on fuel. Their margins come from people visiting the shop before/ after theyâve filled up. Worth millions per year per store.
Seems like for the cost of the Shell VP you'd be better off to just buy regular diesel and put a concentrated additive in every tank
The box diesel must be for private use. No business use can use red diesel now. HVO has no colour, it literally looks like water and hardly any smell. I work for a national firm using HVO in very heavy equipment and big engines and when our delightful government removed the tax duty relief on red diesel, the transition over to White diesel was essential.
We've noticed a reduction in power across most vehicles with a rise in fuel economy (apparently). We had trial's before we switched over from red diesel to HVO and everything appeared to be positive at the time.
We are seeing fuel pipes rotting out now and I think there is some pump and injector issues starting to happen.
As a fuel industry person. All branded diesel with one exception is the same as unbranded diesel. Exxon/Mobil is the exception because they have a unique formulation of additives that can be tested for.
Very disappointed you never added costco
This was an excellent video, thank you for going to all that trouble, must of been quite tedious at times, but it has exposed the myth that buying supermarket fuel will kill your engine sooner than branded fuel, I was pleasantly surprised to see that the power outputs were basically the same, as well as the average mpg, so I will stick with Tesco and add my own fuel additive as usual, which is supposed to keep the injectors clean etc etc.
I buy my diesel at Costco, it's the cheapest place to buy, and they ONLY do super diesel.. and it's still cheaper than ordinary diesel everywhere else....
Mondeo Mk4 2.2 diesel 200K miles
Some people seem to be unlucky enough to have a fussy engine in their vehicle. My car doesn't give a toss what fuel I use so I must be lucky I suppose?. I use whatever is cheapest & have had no issues in 20 years with the same car - all year round. Get a decent car & then you can use which ever fuel you like.
Shell V power is GTL so distilled slightly different, this gives a slightly higher cetane number which means it runs cleaner but slightly lower calcific value.
My Re Mapped 535d running 390 hp has been on a diet of Shell Vpower since 40000 miles and now at 270000 never had an injector problem and still runs sweet as a nut !
That's the "rub"...... time and effort "most people" don't bother with it. Good luck to them and every continued success to you, spent your money getting your car where you want it then run it on cheep fuel??? Most people simply don't care. 535d NICE.
That proves literally nothing about the fuel though. For all you know you could never have an injection problem on nomal diesel.
The 1986 diesel engine in my boat has been running for 36 years with no injection issues either, and its been ran on the cheapest shit available, red diesel that's been sat in tanks for too long etc.
Exactly that - I always filled up with premium on all my cars. 1.5dci has been running since 60k sitting at 215k with nothing needed other than regular servicing.
My 4.2TDI & 2.0TDI run sweet as too.
@@ceirwan Well all fuel is the same.....
@@AmeriaUprising Had a 1.9 tdi that clocked 750k km and only ever put the cheapest stuff, nothing ever went wrong. I'm sorry but only fools put expensive diesel in cheap car, why did you buy a cheap diesel car if not for lower running costs as you're doing a lot of miles?
I would never use the supermarket fuels, especially Diesel as Tesco where I live have been known for damaging engines due to water in the fuel.
I used Sainsbury's own diesel for ages coz I got Nectar points but then I got the dreaded diesel bug due to the water vapour and heat so it actually benefits getting higher grade fuel.
I've heard "all diesels the same" but maybe the storage and systems involved differ thus supermarkets having lower standards thus higher water ingress within the fuel?
my dad has always told me, its just oil. it will all be the same. Where as petrol is a completely different result.
Absolutely fantastic video, love this stuff!
Could I ask for your opinion on whether using Ultimate/Vpower over years would equate to less wear on the vehicle?
We would say not
very interesting video and as you said at the end of the day diesel is diesel they all have additives to make the fuel burn cleaner foe emissions reasons and lubrication . i think shell V power is just a way of getting more money off you at the pump the best way to look after your diesel engine is regular oil changes .
When I bought my TDV8 RR last year, I filled it with `premium` on the way home. It went better from that moment on. Months later, and with a new fuel filter installed, it's even better.
Former owners only bought theirs from a supermarket `Sainsbury's` I think.
I love that people will watch this, see a thorough test using a dyno and good process; and still argue they are right. We ran a Merc 300TD on veg oil 50/50 diesel and it made exactly no difference to how it drove. Diesel engines aren't fuel limited like turbo petrol engines are.
Astra CDTi. 80k on the clock. Prem diesel gives me 50 - 70 more miles per tank. I don't use premium diesel every time but when I do it clearly moves 50 - 70 more miles before the red light comes on.
red diesel with a little bit 2stroke oil runs well 200thousand km.
Why add 2 stroke? Itâs exactly the same as âroadâ Diesel just has a dye in it I thought?
@@danieltait123 2T oil adds lubrication due to the sulphur content thus helps the injection pump đ
Carbon build up is terrible with 2 stroke.
â@@DarksideDevelopmentswhat do you mean?Sorry my native language is german
Great test I used to shell v power but changed to texaco dispel had the same effect . But had any noticed that some stations when you fill up the performance changes . Iâve just stuck to one station
I've ran many cars on normal diesel and then switched to premium(VPower/Excellium), they do run smoother on it! Don't believe the consuption to be measurably better
If you have a chrome history at the back of the exhaust pipe, HVO Diesel can be an advantage, it soots less And you don't have to worry as much about the particle filter. I have googled there should be HVO Diesel in the UK to buy
A few years ago I used to get the v-power for my euro 4 transit, a noticable mpg improvement, checked regularly,.
In the Euro 5 diesel relay I've covered 50k in 18months, absolutely no difference in mpg whichever diesel i buy,
Better buying the cheapest and adding, additive or some 2stroke occasionally
If youâre filling up at the pump diesel has to meet BS EN590. Regardless of brand, your diesel probably came from the same refinery whether itâs from a supermarket or shell, BP etc.
The additiveâs to the fuel are the same additives you can buy concentrated in a bottle off the shelf, some of the motoring âpuristsâ refer to it as snake oil. Yet they unknowingly fill their tank with it every week đ€Šââïž
Be interesting to see a comparison on engine oils. People use cheap oils that clog. Shell Helix Ultra is made from a gas base rather than crude ( info from shell when I sold oils) burns cleaner. I change my oil a 6k
Need a shed of a pd to test.
Ive used kerosene,new and old veg, hydraulic oil, red, engine oil.
Kero and engine oil mix was probably the best for cost and ease of use(cold starts), but every motor was lethargic with anything but diesel in it.
It all depends what you can get cheap/free, id guess at 150,000 miles covered using 'alternative' fuels.
I ever ran a CR on kero/diesel mix, it only caused issues when kero ratio was over 1-1 as i started getting pump-rail pressure differential faults, this was on a 2.0 renault van.
Interesting as I've got a renault 2.5dci and I've tried a 50/50 diesel/kerosene in winter and 50/50 new veg/kerosene in summer and never experienced those issues
Fascinating video lads. Thanks. One question, from a carbon build up point of view, is V-Power with it, or is it more sensible to chuck some carbon cleaner in every few tanks (normal road driving)
I use 2% two stroke 1%redex diesel cleaner. What i am quite careful about is not putting contaminated fuel in diesel being hydroscopic.
So fir 2 stroke you put in 2ml per 100 litres diesel? Which 2 stroke do you use?
2ml per litre mineral two-stroke đ
I had a Hyundai i30 diesel. Swapping from supermarket fuel to Shell (standard, not premium), the average fuel consumption readout changed by a couple of mpg, which I put down to something in the diesel.
Would love to see how some JET-A1 does in this same test, maybe get some for the next round...and maybe stack that against red diesel and heating oil, I've seen all three run just fine in diesel vehicles over the years.
Red diesel does not excist except from adding a little red collar into blank diesel...
It might f.. up your diesel pump. Since JET-A1 is actually not known (and needed) for lubrication. The Diamond DA62 uses JET-A1 for its diesel engines and her pumps are additionally lubricated for that qualification. A typical self-lubricated diesel pump (means lubbed by the diesel) simply would die with JET-A1..
British army was using JET-A1 in every vehicle in the 2003 Iraq invasion. We had starting issues when hot and a serious lack of power in everything. Trucks had to be started on fly spray! (White death).
It ruined entire fleets of vehicles.
@hoodhangerz4315 that's interesting, was any additives added for lubrication?
Interesting, i am using BP ultimate at the moment and it seems to reduce the frequency's of the regens, i am hooked up to vag dpf app , i would be interested to know the longer term effects on the egr valve ect
excellent video
a delivery driver said they go to the refinery for multiple companies, they have a key ring with a bunch of credit cards on it, they look the order up, select the credit card to match, shove it in and the machine dispenses the additive for that company, the base fuel for all the companies was all the same, The no name discount fuels get no additive package, so your really not saving anything in the long run.
Well that depends how good the additive is. If it makes the engine run smoothly and cleaner and improves mpg its more than worth it.
In my experience, on an old high-mileage tired engine, with premium diesel i could feel the engine running smoother and it marginslly improved mpg by around 1. On a new diesel engined car i could not notice any difference. It was already running smoothly and mpg was unaffected
Nice test đ Often wondered myself if mixing 2T and methanol would be a good homemade additive.
Love this sort of video. đ
A Diesel engine will run on any fuel that can be injected into the cylinder including powders like coal dust & flour the problem always lies with the injection pump & injectors they need some thing that will lubricate & not foul up!!!
Thanks for all the hard work. I started watching the video to see if there was an mpg increase. Doh!
Please can you do one showing if there is?
It's something we can look into doing, may take a while though!
9:15 I agree, when I was testing fuel economy after remap I def drove differently to see it go down LOL
I use peak oil diesel supreme which is cheaper than supermarket fuel and has the additives in, itâs cheaper because itâs a small local oil supplier. I put ehn99 in too. No issues so far been using it a year.