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Few quotes from another site, hope you find it useful.

Originally Posted by astramod
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 4 star 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.

Quote:
Originally Posted by astramod
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.

Quote:
Originally Posted by astramod
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

Kinda out of date as that Opticrap was replaced by VPower months ago.

And sounds more like someones grievence with Shell and supermarkets then actually real lol.

Shell, BP and Texaco have the highest quality fuel, closely followed by Esso according to various sources.

Humm food for thought,
i guess this is what most of us have heard this
but never layed out in a away we could read / understand.

And for you petrol guru's have a look
at this topic about fuel i posted a while ago.

Some people just have too much time on there hands.


Click me

Good points raised StationMiek
and food for thought.

I think most peeps who just dont understand petrol,
follow the cheapest price.

Some how come Shell "opticrap" consistantly made more power on independant tests than any other fuel, and also caused less engine knock than any other fuel

I think someone has a problem with Shell, as its commonly regarded as one of, if not the best fuel.

I will actually go out of my way to avoid supermarket fuel, and I never put any thrugh the civic while I owned it. I used to work at a petrol station, and I remember my dodgy boss's delight when he dropped the BP name and could start selling supermarket fuels. It was so much cheaper yet he'd sell it at the same price lol. It was apparently imported from Switzerland at 91RON and then 'beefed up' with octane boosters

Oh, and for anyone wondering the cheapest fuel at the moment is at the Shell garages on Borough Rd in Birkenhead, A41 in Rock ferry, and A41 in Bromborough, all at 84.9ppl for petrol.

I used to use tescos petrol, but ever since i read a topic on here about how crap supermarket petrol was, ive been using shell 95 ron and ive noticed a difference.

go to www.petrolprices.com for the latest petrol prices, and subscribe to get daily updates

Tesco and Morrisons lorry's both get their petrol from Stanlow.
I dont know if they then take it away and use their own additives, or mix it with european fuel, but they definately fill tesco tankers at Stanlow! However I think its been mentioned before that they use the same tankers for diesel/unleaded/vpower, and so it can become less pure.

prefer shell meself but that may just be in my head,but i'm sure if feels "smoother" runnign on sheel,especially the Optimax,ive not tried V-power yet. I refuse to believe tesco fuel is 91 octane with butane in,and what the hell is tesco99 octane then? more butane?

These posts quoted??? Fact or some1s opinion. Independant and adjudicated tests required IMO.

Guy who wrote this actually tests the fuel in petrol stations (it's not just what he's heard), he's unbiased.