Reply to: Supermarket fuel

[landl]

I've noticed x litres of fuel from supermarkets (Tesco and Sainsburys) doesn't go as far as x litres from a 'High Street' petrol station, over the same journeys and driving conditions.

...could this be explained by the fact that you're more likely to have a boot full of shopping and some passengers (not in the boot hopefully) when you're filling up at the supermarket...

[landl]

BP makes more profit from selling coffee in their stations than it does fuel for your car!

...although this is just the result of some clever manipulation of the ownership of the various elements of the supply chain to remove the visible profit from the retail layer...

[VectraMan]

What they can't say is they produce more power, because they don't. Only if your engine is designed to run on 98 Octane will it produce more than 95, and I bet you can't tell the difference in a blind taste test.

That's another widely believed myth. Modern cars have ECUs that adjust to a range of octane ratings.

I did a proper test with 95 in my S2000 once, and apart from generally sounding a bit rougher, I found doing the same 100 mile trip I could only get 270 miles out of a tank instead of about 320. Which not only meant the super was cheaper, but also meant I could make it home without filling up half way.

[Spacecadet]

RE: Supermarket fuel: is it good enough?

You know what? Every time something has gone wrong on one of my cars, I've put fuel in it beforehand. Well, I've visited the petrol station for the last time. No more "filling up" for me, and no more breakdowns either!

Is that our Timberwolf?

[MrRobin]

There really isn't any difference. There are so many variables to fuel consumption that it would be extremely difficult to do a comparison under normal circumstances (i.e. just driving around day to day)

The only reason supermarket fuel is cheaper is because they want to encourage you into the store at the same time where they will make the real profit. Same with the big oil companies and their attached convenience stores. BP makes more profit from selling coffee in their stations than it does fuel for your car!

[Paddy]

2007 United Kingdom petrol contamination - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Supermarket fined after overcharging on fuel for 9 months - PetrolPrices.com

Are you getting all the petrol you pay for? - Two Pennies Worth

RE: Supermarket fuel: is it good enough?

[Dearnla]

In the good old days (anyone remember them?) supermarket fuel was supplied off the spot market in Rotterdam and didn't contain the additives that branded fuels did.
I recall reading in the Telegraph Honest John's reply to an old couple complaining that their Honda Civic wasn't running right because they had used cheap petrol for 65k miles (serves 'em right, the skinflints).

These days, there's not supposed to be much difference, which is why there's no difference in price (not round my way, at least) or fuel consumption and also explains why the majors are trying to flog us the fancy fuels that are supposed to do our engines good.

What they can't say is they produce more power, because they don't. Only if your engine is designed to run on 98 Octane will it produce more than 95, and I bet you can't tell the difference in a blind taste test.

[BoredBloke]

Using Shell all the time ever since BP decided to leave local petrol station, I guess they ain't in business of selling fuel anymore.

They are - the one in our village used to be Shell and changed to BP. If you look around you'll find loads of BP stations.

[Paddy]

A few times I have notice the first squirt from the pumps has delivered nothing, lost about 500ml.
Other times I have seen air pockets and bubbles.
Diesel often has water added through condensation in storage tanks although some oil companies have been accused of adding water as it is very profitable to do so

[Troll]

Many moons ago I was working with a contractor chappie who had a Fiat sports car - the FIAT dealership had advised him not to use Supermarket petrol in his car - which was the first time he (and I) had heard anything like this mentioned

As long as the fuel is to the correct BS/EN regulations there shouldn't be any difference and I believe the supermarkets sign deals with the big players which would also suggest same stuff just re-badged
AtW used to swear by paying for the premium diesel with extra cetane i have never seen any benefit in doing so and will continue to use my exclusive blend of paraffin and engine oil in my trusty 4x4 (a mere joke m'lud)

Anyone remember the Shell cleaner fuel of the late 90's that fooked up your engine?

[NickFitz]

Nope.

In the old days, supermarket fuel was not having the detergents added to the same way. According to a tanker driver I worked with in a local petrol station as a kid.

These days, Texaco fuel may well end up at any other company, hence there is not a seperate pipeline for individual fuel retailers in the old days. Eg, DHL serve the same fuel to many companies, including Jet and other supermarkets.

I reset my fuel economy display at every fill-up from wherever I get it from - supermarket, shell, etc, and NO difference at all.

The detergents and such are added at the point when the fuel is pumped out of the tanker. A tanker driver may deliver half his load at a branded site and the other half at a supermarket, but the additives won't necessarily be the same. To be precise, they slot a card in which controls which additives and in what proportions are added as the fuel is pumped out. The supermarkets get a different card to the branded sites.

[wobbegong]

You sure its not just because its getting colder?? colder weather denser air = more fuel burned

Possibly, although it's not really that much colder at the moment than it was in October and November.

[AtW]

Using Shell all the time ever since BP decided to leave local petrol station, I guess they ain't in business of selling fuel anymore.

[NorthWestPerm2Contr]

Yep - Shell has always been the best in terms of quality. The engine stays clean and you get better mileage. I have a diesel and a petrol and I think it is more the case for petrol than diesel.

[Wilmslow]

A couple of months ago the guy in front of me in a Tesco petrol station was remonstrating about how he filled up the previous week but didn't get anywhere near the miles from the same quantity of fuel he usually bought elsewhere (his demands for a management investigation into the calibration of the pumps predictably fell on deaf ears).

Well I thought I'd keep any eye on my own fuel usage, and it seems there might be something in it.

I've noticed x litres of fuel from supermarkets (Tesco and Sainsburys) doesn't go as far as x litres from a 'High Street' petrol station, over the same journeys and driving conditions.

Anyone else noticed this?

Nope.

In the old days, supermarket fuel was not having the detergents added to the same way. According to a tanker driver I worked with in a local petrol station as a kid.

These days, Texaco fuel may well end up at any other company, hence there is not a seperate pipeline for individual fuel retailers in the old days. Eg, DHL serve the same fuel to many companies, including Jet and other supermarkets.

I reset my fuel economy display at every fill-up from wherever I get it from - supermarket, shell, etc, and NO difference at all.