Super Unleaded Price

Topped up yesterday with Esso premium and was astounded at price of £134.9 ltr, normal unleaded was £107.9! When I asked why such a differential the cashier had no idea. Any one else paying extortionate prices?

Nope, it dipped to just under £1 pl a few days ago. Now it’s gone up an astronomical amount to £1.01 pl.
Ordinary unleaded of course, wouldn’t dream of paying £1.34 for the wonder stuff but I’m tight.:grin:

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:laughing:
We are coming back to the fuel debate of Supermarket V Others!
Filled up on Tuesday at 99.9 pence per litre. :+1:
Sainsbury’s normal of course. :wink:

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Just a quick ask for a newish forum member, but more importantly as of tomorrow a new MX5 owner.

We have bought a 2012 MX5 2.0ltr Venture and was just wondering about the best option of refuelling the car.

Would it be better on the super unleaded or is that more towards vehicles that have had upgrades or tuning work done.

As far as I am aware our vehicle is a production line standard model with no alterations or mods.

Any advice most welcome.

Thanks

Richard Wood

I knew it would crop up. :wink:
In my honest opinion Normal unleaded is just fine, that is from me who had the standard car and upgraded it.
Mine is a 2013 2.0 sport tech nav.
My mate has exactly the same car as yours and always uses standard 95 RON too.
Others will say differently, which of course is what a debate is about. :+1:

I’m using 99 RON in both our 5’s just because it’s cheap…so may as well give the tank a treat" but for absolutely no other reason other than it’s relatively cheap as chips.
Smells nicer too as you fill up so that’s a bonus. :thinking:
For now. When The New Normal resumes, since they are hardly classic Lambo Espada V-12s, they will revert to a diet of 95 RON.

Momentum 99 is about 105p in Tesco.

At that price and with the engine having a knock sensor, meaning the ignition advance will be greater with the 99 octane rating, I reckon why not??

99 RON on the Mk1 as it is the 114bhp import 1.6 with the timing tweak and you notice the difference.
95 RON on the Mk4 as the electronics will dynamically adjust timing to avoid “pinking”. That’s needed as the addition of ethanol can affect performance.

Here in waterlooville sainsbury unleaded still 99.99 per litre still under the £1.00

I normally use the regular unleaded and it seems fine. However as I was filling my Mk1 for the first time in about 6 months, I treated it to super and put in a bottle of injector cleaner, as I know that petrol does go off, so a clean will not do it any harm. I will then revert to regular…

I don’t quite understand what you are saying here. Ethanol raises octane numbers and the only real issue is with some elastomers in older cars fuel systems which it can degrade

Yeah, sorry it was a quick comment rather than an explanation; ethanol increases octane rating but isn’t as fuel efficient and as we use E10, there isn’t much of an effect.

Yes, you are also correct about older fuel systems and in a few years we will be using a higher ethanol mix and our Mk1’s will have issues with the reaction of the fuel with piping etc. When we go to E15 that’s when problems will occur.

Users in the U.S. are having their cars modded to accept E85 which is a very high ethanol mix that gives worse fuel mpg but is cheaper to buy.

So, again, sorry for my “one liner” and I didn’t mean to sow confusion!

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Haha.
I’m looking to take advantage of the knock sensor by giving more ignition advance and hopefully more power with the 99 and you’re looking to take advantage of it to retard enough to prevent pre-ignition with the 95.

I have been in the habit of logging fuel use for some years. Arround 2007/2008 I noticed a drop in my cars’ performance and fuel consumption, checked ignition system etc, no improvement. A few weeks later I filled up at a place I didn’t normally use, performance restored! I then discovered that the government had started sneaking alcohol into petrol.
I have used the expensive petrol ever since, it gives 5-10 percent better fuel economy. Alcohol does have an anti-knock effect, BUT, a lower calorific value than proper petrol. This has been confirmed by on a few occasions when I have used low octane when the more expensive fuel has not been readily available.
It probably has less effect on more modern cars that are mapped to use adulterated petrol.
Sadly, even the high octane is now contaminated with alcohol as well.

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Thanks for the responses, I was only really trying to gauge the cost of super unleaded, it would appear that the West Winch Norfolk Esso station is a rip off.

@brams - I paid 134.9 pence per litre earlier this month for Shell V-Power 99 octane, at my local petrol station in Barnet, north London.

You certainly are being ripped off at 134.9 pounds per litre! :nerd_face:

It’s only 106p-ish per litre in Falkirk for 99 RON right now if you hunt.
Drive a few miles up the A9 and it suddenly rises to £1.20 + in rural areas but it’s always been that way.
Anyway, when I burn off the full tank ( with a bottle of very expensive Forte fuel system conditioner) I did the other day in the Mk1, it’s back to cheap stuff as it’s had for my 14 years ownership. It’ll be getting a good Italian Tune-up up to the famous “Bridge over the Atlantic ocean” soon to empty it.

“Bridge over the Atlantic Ocean”?
The only bridge that I can think of that comes anywhere near that description Rob is the bridge to Skye.
Or is there another that I’ve overlooked?

It’s a bit of a play on words CB.
https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/clachan-bridge-bridge-over-atlantic.
I spent much of my childhood hollybags in Balvicar if we were not camping in Lyme Regis.
My grandfather used to work in adjacent Easdale when he was young.
Something to do with the slate quarry I believe.
Easdale became the Far from the Madding Crowd homestead of Princess Diana’s mother, where I think she passed on from.
She worked (for fun I presume) in the Easdale Toorist Tat shop.
Offered me & Jen tablet decades back to try and we were clueless who she was.
Met her a few times…just a normal well spoken lady.
Lovely person. We sent a condolence letter to Di’s brother when Di died and were amazed a few months later to receive a hand written response from him. Still have it.

Tesco Momentum 109.9p/litre today in Horwich.