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V-Power Diesel


Sponge
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I've been using it pretty much solidly for nearly a year and I can't say I've noticed any difference to my mpg.

Once or twice I've had to fill up with regular diesel and it does feel less lively and seems to chuck out more **** when I floor it. But if I'm being honest, it could all be in my head. So, like bazza_g, I'm happy to believe the advertising that it's keeping my engine in better condition. Afterall, it only adds a few quid to each tank. All I do is eat 2 less (or is it fewer :)) bacon buttys at work each month to fund it. :roflmao:

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Once or twice I've had to fill up with regular diesel and it does feel less lively and seems to chuck out more **** when I floor it. But if I'm being honest, it could all be in my head.

Mine was definitely not as smooth or 'up for it' the one time I put Sainsbury's diesel in it one time when I was running on vapour +++

As for things that could be in our heads - I would swear mine feels quicker on a full tank than when I've got 1/4 or less remaining - sense would say that less fuel = a lighter car though surely?

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As for things that could be in our heads - I would swear mine feels quicker on a full tank than when I've got 1/4 or less remaining - sense would say that less fuel = a lighter car though surely?

I used to think that in my 1.8T.....

I've not used ultimate or 'V' Power yet, but I may do next time I fill up.

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It is just an additive, it is also added to the regular fuel when the pumps are being filled.

When it was 2-3p a litre more it may have been wort it, but now it is costing £6 more per fill up you are better off adding Millers, does the same thing and that is only a pound a tank.

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It is 10p per litre more here and I usually end up putting approx. 60 litres in my tank when I fill up, which with my crappy maths equals £6?? :)

There was an interview talking to one of the bosses of BP once when they were discussing how different fuel companies share fuels, so all BP and Shell garages may have Shell only up in Scotland, and down in Wales they may all have BP, just easier and cheaper for logistical reasons. When he was asked if this was fair as people would pay a premium to get say the Ultimate he explained that all the additives were added during the fillup, so it was always regular unleaded 95ron, but the additives are what made it BP Ultimate or Shell V Power.

I am sure that the additives in V power are slightly different to the additives in Millers, but at the end of the day we are using these to achieve the same result.

It used to be that adding Millers was no cheaper than just putting better fuel in, but it is now £9 for 10 fills compared to £6 per fill up using the fuel with the additive in.

Just another option.

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It is 10p per litre more here and I usually end up putting approx. 60 litres in my tank when I fill up, which with my crappy maths equals £6?? :)

It was my understanding that V-Power Diesel was 6p per litre more than Shell's regular diesel and that was regardless of where you are in the country. Obviously not. +++

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ffs why do people not do some research before posting rubbish. Shell V Power diesel is completely different from other diesels as it is produced using special GTL technology at special refineries the first of which Shell built in Malaysia to convert natural gas into high performance diesel. It is gradually being rolled out in the UK but is still fairly scarce even here in the South East. Of the 4 Shell garages I use in London 2 have it and the other 2 do not. I have tried a number of diesels in my Mini Cooper Diesel and to date Shell V power diesel and BP Ultimate have delivered the most miles per tankful. The engine also seems to run better (smoother and more keen to rev) than on normal diesel fuel. Both Shell V power and BP Ultimate diesel do cost more than normal diesel fuel. In the Shell case it seems to be 6p per litre at the moment which works out at ~£2 per tankful on the 30+ litres I normally get in the Mini tank (max tank capacity is only 40 litres on the Mini Cooper diesel)

With regard to some of the comments about fuel companies sharing fuel, this does occur mostly on normal unleaded petrol generally where logistics make it easier for the fuel to be obtained from a nearer refinery. If this happens then the tanker driver adds the additives into the tanker as it is refilled at the refinery. This practice does not happen with Shell V power super unleaded. The only refinery which produces Shell V power in the UK is at Stanlow in Cheshire and this explains why Shell Vpower is not widely available across the whole of the UK. The same single source scenario applies to Tesco Super 99 which is produced by Greenergy for Tesco.

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Well and truly remprimanded!!! ;)

I am sure that the additives in V power are slightly different to the additives in Millers, but at the end of the day we are using these to achieve the same result.

I still stand by my comment though, the only reason I put this in or BP Ultimate is to get a smoother engine and better consumption, I found Millers did as good a job, if not better.

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ffs why do people not do some research before posting rubbish.

What, like, er, reading stuff? From places like, er, the internet? Maybe automotive fora?

If you've got something to say then say it. If we all learn something as a consequence, then great. But there's no need to go off on one. :rolleyes:

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What, like, er, reading stuff? From places like, er, the internet? Maybe automotive fora?

If you've got something to say then say it. If we all learn something as a consequence, then great. But there's no need to go off on one. :rolleyes:

In the words of Michael Winner "Calm down dear it is only a ....."

Gizze understood that I was commenting on his post about V Power petrol and did not take offence. I was impressed with his response and ;).

My comments were not directed at your posts and as my post states I have detailed some information about Shell V Power diesel and petrol that maybe of interest to people who read here.:)

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  • 3 months later...

Not read the entire thread, so I apologise if I am reposting, but did anyone see 5th Gear tonight?

They had some Citroen C4 diesel and they put it on a RR. They tested it with supermarket diesel and it came out at 155*bhp. With Shell/BP premium stuff it came out at 161bhp*.

(* think I got the numbers right)

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  • 1 year later...

It's been a while now and any indications that I was getting improved mpg seem to have disappeared. (It looked like I was getting 4mpg more for a while.)

According to the figures (you can check the data by clicking on the mpg in my signature) I'm getting the same out of V-Power as I was out of regular.

Fuel:

Shell V-Power diesel 37,6 MPG (Imp) 15.145 mi and 403 Imp.gal

Diesel 37,5 MPG (Imp) 15.080 mi and 403 Imp.gal

So, performance? I can't say with any confidence. I suppose I'm what you might call an 'Eco-Driver', so don't floor it very often. I've been driving on V-Power for so long, that it's habit to buy it now. I could switch back to regular and compare, but I cba tbh. :o I'm happy in the possibly misguided belief that it's better for my engine. :grin:

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  • 1 month later...

I like it, and feel I get noticeably more 'oomph' in my 3.0 TDI, while BP Ultimate is smoother than normal diesel but doesn't give the same grunt.

I'm used to one or the other now and find it very distressing when I can't find them and end up putting bog standard Esso or Texaco diesel in - sounds much rattlier than either Shell or BP premium fuels, and (compared to VPower Diesel) lacks power comparatively.

It may be all in my head of course, but the price difference is fairly trivial anyway as someone pointed out. The only drawback usually is finding the stuff (e.g. on the M6 to the Lakes, Charnock Richard has it southbound but not on the northbound side - wtf).

One thing that bugs me - why is it that service stations all have their KFC/M&S/Burger King signs up to say what junk food they have available, but none of them specify which oil company provides the fuel?

Is this is a deliberate plan by govt or someone, and if so why? I'd much rather think "ah, a BP one, I'll nip in here and see if they have Ultimate" earlier in the journey, than end up in Texaco because I'm nearly out.

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  • 4 weeks later...

Heh, I agree.

I recently installed CoPilot Live 8 on my WinMo phone and one of the features shows fuel stations near your location (or any location you wish). It shows the company, e.g. Shell, BP, and the price too. I've not used it in anger yet. But on a recent journey into Wales (pre-CoPilot) I was hunting around for ages trying to find a shell garage for my V-Power fix. Now it'll be a piece of cake to find the nearest and/or cheapest one to my current location. Nice.

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  • 1 month later...
  • 5 months later...

I filled up (from 1/3 of a tank) with V-Power last night and it cost me 144.9p per litre! At this price I may reduce it's use to every other tank.

The cashier had a double-take when he saw the balance for just 41.50 litres of fuel.

Slightly off topic, but Shell have just built a brand new station (on the existing site) near me. It's only taken a few months, but it's a great improvement on the old one: more lanes, more pumps, better/bigger shop. And it looks like all the pumps have V-Power. But the one thing that grabbed me was the noise from the pumps - there wasn't any. They were silent.

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Slightly off topic, but Shell have just built a brand new station (on the existing site) near me. It's only taken a few months, but it's a great improvement on the old one: more lanes, more pumps, better/bigger shop. And it looks like all the pumps have V-Power. But the one thing that grabbed me was the noise from the pumps - there wasn't any. They were silent.

Our local Esso has just done the same, I also noticed how quiet the pumps were!

My Galaxy costs me £95 to fill up at the moment, on regular diesel, twice a week, which means I'm £60 a week worse off than I was just over a year ago.

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