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Supermarket Fuel

Discussion in 'Technical Help' started by Symon Moore, Aug 9, 2018.

  1. I have long believed that there cannot be any real difference between supermarket and unbranded fuel and the big boys and I’ve certainly never had any problems filling up any vehicle with Sainsbury’s fuel, but a mate of mine swears that it’s different And I’m ultimately asking for trouble. Does anyone have any evidence of this because the Internet generally seems to back up my view?
     
  2. Ford specifically tell you in a cars users manual not to use Morrisons fuel because of the high level of ethanol.

    Supermarket fuel is not as refined or have as many (good) additives as branded fuels as I understand it. I can tell the difference (or think I can) between normal Shell unleaded and the super duper Shell unleaded in performance and tank range.

    Ps. Thread moved
     
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  3. There are 6 refineries in the UK with a majority of fuels (petrol, diesel, heating oil and Jet) coming from them. It's pumped around in pipes for onward distribution and by sea to other distribution points around the UK and Ireland. You don't see many of the main brands owning the refineries now.
     
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  4. That is correct but I'm told (and prepared to accept at face value) that you get a higher percentage of petrol per gallon from the big brands. Tesco, Sainsbury et al who are big enough to source there own concoction, use a higher percentage of bulking additives. At a non sponsored event, the efficiency of different brands of petrol and why they are different was a major presentation and I no longer buy fuel at a supermarket station unless there is no option. Andy
     
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  5. Fair enough, I genuinely don’t know & just fill up whenever & wherever I need to. Odd that’s there seems to be no definitive answer for most of us though.
     
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  6. I always try to use the Super or Premium grades in my bikes, as they contain no ethanol, so I am lead to believe !
     
  7. I use unleaded :)
     
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  8. I fill up wherever I can to. I've felt the car/bike "pep" up a bit on super, but not noticeably. There's ethanol in just about everything now. Not sure on quantity per brand, but it's there and the only thing I'm aware of is they're not allowed above a set %.
     
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  9. And i have to double check everytime at the pump which vehicle today...... diesel or petrol:worried:
     
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  10. You'd be bolloxed in the States then as the green pump is diesel and the black one is unleaded.
     
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  11. Diseasal !!! Arghhh :eek: Fuel of the devil, it's for cooking chips. The end :D
     
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  12. That's vans for you:(
     
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  13. Some pumps have a small circle with either E5 (5%) of E10 (10%) labels on them, but not many.

    I used to use BP Ultimate in my Streetfighter as most (but not all) of the research I did into it pointed to it having no ethanol present. It was listed on the BP website at the time as being ethanol free.

    By a sort of freak aligning of the planets, now all of my bikes have alloy fuel tanks, apart from the Hyperstrada, but that has an internal type tank. :upyeah: So I'm not as concerned these days.
     
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  14. paranoia on my part:upyeah:
     
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  15. This is an extract from Shell's website:

    "Ethanol is a renewable non-fossil fuel. It’s made using byproducts from the sugar industry, or from grains like wheat, sorghum or corn. As part of the UK government’s commitment to energy sustainability and emissions reduction, the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation (RTFO) Order regulates biofuels use for transport and non-road mobile machinery.

    In accordance with this Order, “major suppliers of fossil fuels” are required to ensure that a specified percentage of the road fuels they supply in the UK is made up of renewable fuels from sustainable sources.

    “Major suppliers of fossil fuels” are those that supply at least 450,000 litres of fuel a year, which includes Shell. (For the latest information on RTFO targets and European fuel specification requirements, please refer to the Department for Transport’s website.)

    The RFTO target is typically met through the use of bio-derived ethanol in petrol and Fatty Acid Methyl Ester (FAME) in diesel, which are blended into Shell’s UK fuel products in compliance with current UK fuels specifications (up to 5% ethanol in petrol and up to 7% FAME in diesel fuel). This means that, in the UK, Shell regular unleaded and Shell V-Power unleaded are likely to contain some ethanol, but it will not be present at more than 5% (in accordance with current UK specification requirements)."
     
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  16. Incidentally "up to 5%" means about 3% in practice, so far.
     
  17. My Mini Cooper s only likes shell v power I have tried Tesco super but she splutters quite a bit

    In all my other non sporty vehicles and my SS I used sainsburys fuel with no problems
     
  18. With shell V-Power unleaded there is now 10% ethanol added & the same with BP Ultimate unleaded possibly more I am told all depending on which depot-supply in the UK its pumped from, & this 10 % is going to increase in the coming years, this sucks as it ruins fuel tanks, its best using a stabiliser added to your petrol during winter storage ["fill your tank right up add stabiliser Store for winter "], & especially if you have any classic bike with carbs.
     
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  19. Esso synergy plus dosent contain ethanol except in Devon, Cornwall and a couple of other areas I use this in my Classic bikes
     
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  20. I have just phoned Esso in Yorkshire & was told that the Esso Synergy Supreme 97 Does contain ethanol.. around 10%
     
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