read this before filling up on s/market petrol!!

[dazzyvr6 0]

taken off the no-rice forum..not that i use supermarket petrol :lol:

I just finished reading this on another forum, found it rather interesting......

 

"I work with petrol companies, so i'll let you into some lesser known secrets.

 

Super unleaded is a fine fuel, but only if purchased from reputable dealers. Esso SUPER, like BP are about the best you can buy. Supermarket stuff is just LRP without the valve addictive, which itself is just 95 unleaded that has been octane boosted. AVOID AT ALL COSTS. Supermarket petrol is a very dirty fuel. Any engineer of their pumps will confirm that.

I have seen the results of their filters and you get everything from feathers to god knows what flowing through supermarket fuels. EVEN SAND.

 

All Super by law has to be 97 ron, but where its stable enough to hold higher octane, stations are able to advertise its octane as being higher sometimes.

 

Optimax has a variable octane rating, due to its structure its less stable, but leaves the refinery at 101 octiane.

Thats the equivalent to the old 5 star for those old enough to remember it.

By the time you buy it, its closer to around 97.

This is why its octane isnt always stated.

 

Normal 95 or 97 fuels wont lose octane, whereas optimax does, but used fresh, its the highest octane fuel you can buy.

 

All supermarket fuels come from either the Matex or Purfleit refineries for the south east. These only take oil from the eastern block. They are most definately NOT the same fuels as ESSO and such like.

They also remix contaminations for other companies then sell the fuel on via supermarkets as well.

On average, each 50 litres brought from a supermarket will have 8% contaminates, and 9 grams of grit.

I have got 2 test tubes sitting on my desk at work of both ESSO and Tesco regular 95 for simple comparisons when arguing these points with supermarket buyers.

There is a bead in both which on the Tesco tube floats in mid suspension due to the grittiness of its petrol.

The ESSO falls straight to the bottom.

These are random samples taken every few weeks, and the results are always the same.

 

Texaco is a subsidary of ESSO and both use the same petrol.

 

There are basically 3 companies which supply fuel to the UK. ESSO, BP, AND SHELL.

 

Each sells to all the other names you find.

 

JET, FINA, Q8 and a few other smaller outlets all use SHELL.

 

TEXACO and TOTAL use ESSO,

 

Supermarkets use Eastern Block fuels, which are primarily designed for the 91 Ron continent market.

These are upgraded in the UK to UK specs by using Butane gas.

Hence to avoid.

 

BP Ultimate is just its old Super grade cleaned up a bit.

IE. It goes through another filter at the refinery.

Not a bad fuel though, second only to ESSO in quality.

Its Diesel is the best in the world for all you Diesel owners.

 

OPTICRAP. Need i say more. All grades supplied by Shell.

Might as well fill from your local FINA station and pop a bottle of Halfarts octane super duper booster plus in.

 

ESSO 95 and 97 = If you want every pennies worth in quality petrol, look no further.

Get it at your local TOTAL, TEXACO or ESSO now"

[Jim 2]

Says a lot really.. though I NEVER buy fuel from the supermarket so thats not been a problem.

 

Luckily I have a Texaco at the bottom of my road, so thats always been a convenient place to fill up.. I might try a tank of their Super Unleaded next time then :)

[biggrim 0]

Was talking to Joe about this las night funnily enough. Always fill her up with Optimax but looks like that'll change too unless I can get a fresh batch.

[dr_mat 0]

Optimax has the added advantage that it's dead handy for me, and it's cheaper than most of the super unleadeds.. Otherwise I'd be searching out the Esso garages...

[Kevin Bacon 5]

I used to use Esso 97 religiously in my MK1 and MK2 16Vs and they flew on the stuff.

 

Optimax was also handy for me too but they've shut my *really* handy garage down for refurbishment, so I've not got a good excuse to use Esso.

[Bally 0]

Fack!!! I filled up at Tescos y'day! :cry:

[GsixT 0]

Where has this info come from and how reliable is it? I mean just one guy telling us where to and not to buy petrol from. Its all over the forums too.

[del68 0]

A few years ago I used to work at a petro-chemical storage facility in Teesside, opposite a big Phillips Petroleum depot. The place where I worked had a constant flow of tankers filling up to supply garages across the north east. These tankers, or barrels as we refered to them, all came in loaded from Tanks 1 through to 5, diesel, UL95 RON, UL97 RON, 4*, and LPG. The livery on these barrels.........Total, Sainsbury's, Safeway, ASDA, Fox, FINA, Q8, Jet.

 

Basicallyt the supermarkets got thier fuel from the SAME tanks as some of the branded fuel suppliers. Make of it what you will, but I personally have to shop by my wallet, and apart rom the pick up using Super or Optimax I've had no real benefit from using those fuels. Supermarket fuel is just as good as any other I find, normally a few pence cheaper than anywhere else so more fuel for the same £20-£30.

 

Just my tuppence worth! 8)

[NormanCoal 0]

I read that on no-rice, and I got the feeling it was slightly Esso biased, perhaps the author works for them?

 

I dont doubt that there is an element of supermarket fuels being slightly inferior, but my wallet dictates that I use Tesco's and Asda at present. Having said that, when my VR is up and running I shall be trying most of the varients out there

[dr_mat 0]

Times change, what happened a few years ago may or may not be relevant now. The supermarkets are known to be extremely quick to switch suppliers if they can get a cheaper deal. Many of them may well be taking fuel from the big names, but many of them won't be. The "branded" garages, at least, you know what you're getting.

I have no idea if the original post has validity either, so I'm taking what it says with a pinch of salt, but it seems to make sense that you get what you pay for, and cheap supermarket petrol may not necessarily be the same as branded petrol...