Is it worth refueling with more expensive fuel?
At gas stations, in addition to unleaded gasoline with an octane rating of 95 and 98 and classic diesel fuel, you can often find so-called improved fuels.
Advertising is tempting with the information that thanks to "stronger", and therefore more expensive gasoline, we have better engine performance and cleaner exhaust gases.
The following products are on the market: Verva (Orlen), V-Power (Shell), Suprema (Statoil) and Ultimate (BP). What is their superiority over conventional fuel? Well, these are fuels that actually contain, among other things, less sulfur, which makes them more environmentally friendly, and the use of additional lubricants reduces wear on internal engine components. These are the undeniable advantages of these types of fuel, but we do not expect that after refueling our car will have the characteristics of a Formula 1 car.
Tests carried out under laboratory conditions show a slight increase in engine power, but the differences are so small that the engine can react in this way even to changing weather conditions.
According to the Institute of Oil and Gas experts, enriched fuels do improve engine performance and life, although care should be taken when using them in older generation engines, where a "flushing out" effect can occur, which in practice seals the engine, ensuring its proper operation and lubrication. .
“And let's not fool around with more octane. The greater their number in the fuel, the slower it burns, and therefore more resistant to the so-called. detonation combustion. Due to this property, an excessively high octane rating can cause the fuel to burn too late, which can even lead to reduced engine power. Only vehicles equipped with a knock sensor are able to automatically adjust the ignition timing depending on the type of fuel. As for the octane rating of the fuel, it is best to follow the instructions contained in the car's owner's manual, advises Marek Suski, head of the engine department of one of the services in Warsaw.
According to the expert
Dr. English Andrzej Jařebski, fuel quality expert
– It is a myth that there is an opinion that premium fuels are imported by their distributors. This is only true for V-Power Racing fuel offered by Shell, the rest comes from Polish refineries.
Premium fuel differs from standard fuel in several key respects: it is mostly high octane fuel with an octane rating greater than or equal to 98, while premium diesel fuel typically has a cetane rating greater than or equal to 55 than standard diesel fuel.
In addition, the selection of appropriate components in the formulation of improved gasoline fuels reduces the harmfulness of exhaust gases emitted from the engine exhaust system.
From the user's point of view, the most important difference between Premium and Standard fuels is the amount and quality of enrichment additives such as anti-corrosion, cleaning and detergent additives. Cleaner engine interiors mean lower emissions, better valve closure, and fewer self-ignition problems, which can improve engine performance.
