I use whatever I come across first when needing a refill, although I did avoid the local independent for a while after watching them pressure wash the forecourt.
When it was 20p off I used Tesco but otherwise its usually Esso or Shell as that’s what I’m passing.
MPG seems about the same, certainly not enough that I can say equivocally one way or another that one is better but I’ve noticed that every now and again my car seems to “miss” with Shell and Tesco but seems fine with Esso. Ran it on BP a few times and that was noticeable, again not from a MPG view but performance wise.
Related, my uncle runs his Ford Ranger on diesel and cooking oil and he can tell when he’s got cooking oil in because it goes a lot better as in seriously better. Higher calorific value so to be expected. Shame its not as economically beneficial as it was last year.
robroy:
Are you certain that is absolute fact, and if so what are your sources,
MK1 Eyeball from delivering empty metal drums to the research department at Stanlow. Go there for example and you’ll see supermarket tankers lining up to fuel from the same points as everyone else as you pass where they fuel up.
Its even longer to Stanlow from Holland than to Immingham. Incidentally tracking ships by AIS on aprs.fi, its interesting how many tankers are running between Aberdeen and Immingham.
And just how many due you KNOW FOR A FACT there are Conor ?
Worked on tesco and asda fuel tankers and both fill up at stanlow as do texaco/shell/bp sainsbury//morrisons/co-op and uncle tom cobbly an all.
It is all down to additives, my loading card would only allow certain additives to be injected when loading, shell card would allow all additives to be loaded.
All out of same loading arm but controlled by a very techie style box.
without the additives it’s just all the same product.
Is it possible ur diesel ran smoother from supermarket fuel due to their more liberal use of biodiesel? They add 10 % in the summer and 5% in the winter.this summer however due to its intensity and longevity I saw a Morrisons substituting upto 18%.
raymundo:
And just how many due you KNOW FOR A FACT there are Conor ?
Just for the hell of it I have just checked Marine Traffic for tanker movements between Aberdeen and MingMing… None, nada, zilch! And none going back either or berthed in either port. Granted it’s at the masters discretion if the AIS is switched on or off (for reasons of security or sensitive commercial interests)
Years ago I worked on small coaster tankers just around the ports of the UK and Holland. We would load at maybe BP Immingham then tip at Texaco Milford Haven or Shell Falmouth or Stanlow. Then we might reload in the same port ie. Texaco Milford Haven and go back to BP Immingham with another grade or product.
It was rare to go from Shell to Shell or BP to BP.
Sometimes we put the additives in at sea and the red dye in Diesel.
I don’t know if this all happens now 'cause this was 35 years ago.
Mostly bog standard supermarket petrol in the bike, bog standard supermarket diesel in the Mazda2 and the van, Bike Mazda sometimes get treated to the posh stuff, van might get a bit of redx or similar added to a tank now and again. I did see whether there was much difference in mileage but found cost wise everything worked out about the same per mile
gezt:
Worked on tesco and asda fuel tankers and both fill up at stanlow as do texaco/shell/bp sainsbury//morrisons/co-op and uncle tom cobbly an all.
It is all down to additives, my loading card would only allow certain additives to be injected when loading, shell card would allow all additives to be loaded.
All out of same loading arm but controlled by a very techie style box.
without the additives it’s just all the same product.
So does anybody know what the additives are and why the branded fuel suppliers feel it’s worth the cost of adding it to their fuel and not the supermarket fuel?
Had a Clio RSi just filled up near work, Shell no problems. Changed job started filling at Morrisons then car would be a nightmare to start, could drive an hour then stop and wouldn’t start for 20mins, had to carry around jump leads and a spare battery, messed about with it changed things etc… still no difference for a few months got sick of it just used the motorbike.
When winter was coming back thought better get car on the road, put some BP petrol in went for a MOT, car ran fine, no problems. Tried Morrison’s again exactly same problem again, so back to BP never problem again, heard this happen with a few cars, some really don’t like whatever additives they are using or not using.
Old Vauxhall 2litre DSI i have just now runs fine on anything, its prefers Morrisons diesel to Shell stuff, think more biodiesel in Morrisons fuel. Accidentally when i was going down south to visit family filled the DSI full of the expensive performance BP diesel stuff, i did notice a difference more responsive and slightly better fuel consumption but not worth the extra 10 pence a litre. Usually add in some injector cleaner/octane booster every few tanks espec if going a long distance trip.
Another problem i guess would be how clean the garage tanks are, local garage here i was speaking to the woman she was saying there was a problem with their diesel, had been closed awhile now new owners just got diesel and about 5 cars had filled up then promptly broke down.
I actually ran my race bike on a dyno once to see what the difference was between supermarket and V power. Same bike, same dyno, same day the V power gave 4bhp more. Not a great deal I agree but in a scenario where 1000ths of a second count I used to use it all the time.
When running my Sprinters I’d regularly get 100 miles per tank more on the expensive as opposed to supermarket stuff, but it’s horses for courses really. I do once remember when I was on tankers and delivering fuel additive to Hemel Hempstead talking to a boffin employed by BP and he told me that for pure quality no other fuel could match Shell. Make of that what you will.
Today I voted with my wallet. See below…
Life was once so much simpler. 2,3,4, and 5*, you knew you had a posh customer if he could a afford a car that took only 5.
Plus we used to get Green Shield stamps. There was a healthy blackmarket in those; us boys on the pumps would get our beer money selling the stamps that some customers ‘forgot’ to collect. I was on night shift then. £1 an hour. Happy days.
As a side note. The garage I worked at in north London in the late 70’s was branded as a Shell station but was operated by a very large group that was also into property deals. 75% of the time we would get our deliveries from a Shell tanker. Sometimes though at about 3 in the morning an unmarked tanker from some outfit in east London would turn up and fill the tanks. Us on the night shift were under strict instructions that we had to turn off the lights on the main Shell sign when selling the ‘other stuff’ 
the maoster:
I actually ran my race bike on a dyno once to see what the difference was between supermarket and V power. Same bike, same dyno, same day the V power gave 4bhp more. Not a great deal I agree but in a scenario where 1000ths of a second count I used to use it all the time.When running my Sprinters I’d regularly get 100 miles per tank more on the expensive as opposed to supermarket stuff, but it’s horses for courses really. I do once remember when I was on tankers and delivering fuel additive to Hemel Hempstead talking to a boffin employed by BP and he told me that for pure quality no other fuel could match Shell. Make of that what you will.
Today I voted with my wallet. See below…
Is that tesco? Sorry it won’t fully display it on my phone . If it is that’s more expensive than the BP I used yesterday . A couple of Pence cheaper was the BP.
Whilst on is sort of subject I never add any redX or anything but thinking of Doing so to give it a good clean out. Like I said its a 4 year old Eco megane diesel I have had it from new and never added anything before
Sorry didn’t see the 20p saving. Well worth it in that instance then
htfc1984:
Sorry didn’t see the 20p saving. Well worth it in that instance then
Yeah the 20p makes it worthwhile filling up there. 15 miles down the road in Lincoln or Grantham the pump price is 4 or 5 ppl cheaper, but as there isn’t a Tesco fuel station in Grantham it’s a moot point tbh.
the maoster:
I actually ran my race bike on a dyno once to see what the difference was between supermarket and V power. Same bike, same dyno, same day the V power gave 4bhp more. Not a great deal I agree but in a scenario where 1000ths of a second count I used to use it all the time.When running my Sprinters I’d regularly get 100 miles per tank more on the expensive as opposed to supermarket stuff, but it’s horses for courses really. I do once remember when I was on tankers and delivering fuel additive to Hemel Hempstead talking to a boffin employed by BP and he told me that for pure quality no other fuel could match Shell. Make of that what you will.
Today I voted with my wallet. See below…
was your bike setup for the different fuel or could it adjust itself?
A blueprinted and very lightly tuned Blade Stevie. Different maps for diferent circuits and weather conditions, but that was as far as it went fuel wise tbh. Obviously when you start using high octane race fuel you need a totally different set up, but £50 odd a gallon made me shy away!
the maoster:
A blueprinted and very lightly tuned Blade Stevie. Different maps for diferent circuits and weather conditions, but that was as far as it went fuel wise tbh. Obviously when you start using high octane race fuel you need a totally different set up, but £50 odd a gallon made me shy away!
how old fella? the later ones have a knock sensor, so they’ll adjust themselves (within parameters)