UK fuel, what do you use?

[Wills2]

Powerkit! Does it need anymore.

[M5essex]

Originally Posted by Wills2

Powerkit! Does it need anymore.

you'd think not... but like i've always felt, the M5 CP has more oomph mid range in 3rd to 5th.

the power kit deals with that nicely kicking out 620hp and 649 lb.ft...! and in the mid range too.

i've just come to the conclusion that im never satisfied with what i've got once i'm used to it!

[E90potentialbuyer]

Originally Posted by Wills2

V power, it doesn't seem to like anything else.

V power has the highest octane rating (99) of any standard fuel along with the Tesco stuff but I won't put that in, all the other supers are 97ron.

(to the US guys those are UK ratings different to yours)

The UK ratings are not (R + M)/2 but just the R number. It's not that the U.S. Fuel is of a lesser quality. Our 93 octane is similar to your 98 and 99 octane. as you said, the ratings are different but the fuel is the same.

When I travel, I equate:
- US "regular" 87 octane with Europe 91/92
- US "plus" 89 octane with Europe - well with nothing (since its a blend) but closest is 95 in Germany
- US "Supreme" 92/93 octane with 98/99 in Europe depending on the brand.

Thanks

[JOHNBMWM5]

Originally Posted by steveM5-UK

Okay new to the M5, picked her up last week and loving it. The power and noise is sublime.

Question though. Which fuel are you all using, standard or premium?

1st 2 tank fulls I've used Shell V Power.

Doesn't it really make any difference and is it worth the extra £5 ish a tank full (typical Scotsman lol)

No joking aside, I've no issue with the added cost, but is it better for the car? And is there anything better than Shell V Power?

I use Tesco 99, or ESSO 97, or Sainsburys 97, all are good, SHELL for me is no good and does nothing for my M6 GC CP.
The best fuel for my M5 and M6 is ESSO 97, both cars love it.

[Wills2]

Originally Posted by E90potentialbuyer

The UK ratings are not (R + M)/2 but just the R number. It's not that the U.S. Fuel is of a lesser quality. Our 93 octane is similar to your 98 and 99 octane. as you said, the ratings are different but the fuel is the same.

When I travel, I equate:
- US "regular" 87 octane with Europe 91/92
- US "plus" 89 octane with Europe - well with nothing (since its a blend) but closest is 95 in Germany
- US "Supreme" 92/93 octane with 98/99 in Europe depending on the brand.

Thanks

Yes I'm aware of that hence my post, I wasn't suggesting US fuel was of a lesser quality just that rating was calculated differently.

[steveM5-UK]

Originally Posted by JOHNBMWM5

I use Tesco 99, or ESSO 97, or Sainsburys 97, all are good, SHELL for me is no good and does nothing for my M6 GC CP.
The best fuel for my M5 and M6 is ESSO 97, both cars love it.

I never knew Esso or Sainsburys had a higher Ron fuel! So looks like Shell and Tesco for me, Tesco being easier.

Thanks for the input guys, much appreciated.

[Wills2]

Originally Posted by JOHNBMWM5

I use Tesco 99, or ESSO 97, or Sainsburys 97, all are good, SHELL for me is no good and does nothing for my M6 GC CP.
The best fuel for my M5 and M6 is ESSO 97, both cars love it.

Interesting as the 97 RON stuff doesn't even allow the car to run at full power.

This is all subjective of course but the 97RON fuels from whoever have always felt flat.

[rjn21]

Stock F10 M5 is mapped for 98 RON (~93 AKI). Fuel of a level higher than 98 RON will not of itself make any difference as the ignition advance is maxed at the detonation point of 98. Car will run fine on 95 RON (~89 AKI) but will retard ignition advance slightly due to the higher knock susceptibility of 95. That will slightly decrease mpg and slightly decrease performance. The economics are such that the mileage increase is not recovered from the premium fuel. You may or may not convince yourself you can feel a difference in performance between 95 and 98. As between brands, it does all come from the same refinery (there are only 6 in the UK) and then atop the tanker goes a squirt of branded additives. At the moment tesco 99 and shell v power are the highest national forecourt RON fuel available in the UK. Personally I use Tesco 99 in F10 m5, Porsche turbo and a Ferrari, based on store location, price, club card and availability of Amex accepting pay at pump pumps. Otherwise Shell, then (rarely) another brand's 97. BP 102 was phased out a while ago - very expensive and no stock car could take advantage of it's 102 RON.

[JOHNBMWM5]

Originally Posted by Wills2

Interesting as the 97 RON stuff doesn't even allow the car to run at full power.

This is all subjective of course but the 97RON fuels from whoever have always felt flat.

Not at all, 98 recommended so 97
My M6 GC CP feels well on the 97 fuels. Esso 97 has shown the best in my M5 and M6 consistently, it's just not local enough.
Tesco 99 easier to get in my area.

[Dionysus]

I stopped using supermarket fuel a long time ago due to the lack of cleaners, friction reducers & corrosion inhibitors. This may have been addressed by now, however, the Tesco/Morrisons 'contaminated' fuel fiasco did nothing to improve my confidence in supermarket fuels.

I run the M5 on V-Power Nitro+ and will go out of my way to use it (I even ignore motorway prices). I did run a few consecutive tanks of BP Ultimate 97 RON, which was, I believe, the zero ethanol version. In comparison to Shell, even for the third tank full, idle was uneven, engine not as smooth at low speeds but seemed more reactive to small throttle inputs. Exhaust was slightly more raucous as a result. Fuel economy at steady 60mph cruise increased by 2mpg with BP (which is why I suspect zero ethanol).

As rjn21 eludes to, it's all subjective; for me the differences between V-Power & Ultimate were minor but not insignificant. I'd rather have a smoother sounding/responding engine.

One strange thing I have noticed is that on the rare occasions I ran the fuel level to the reserve, with the CP exhaust the engine would act as though it was misfiring when the car was descending a steep gradient (fuel at front of tank). With the MPE exhaust it no longer does this (just runs smoothly). At the same time, even after a 2-3 hour steady cruise my oil temperature gauge constantly fluctuates with the MPE; it never did that with the CP exhaust.

IMO, there are no right or wrong answers with regards to which fuel you use in the M5, even 98 vs. 95. There are a lot of variables - driver (personal perception as well as how you drive/what response you want), environmental conditions, any modifications to the car, how long you intend to keep the car, etc. Unless you have some reason to dislike the fuel you are currently using, I would just stick with it.

If you want BMW AG's view (for whatever reason they have chosen to), read this regarding oils & extrapolate if you wish: -

http://www.shell.com/global/products...-supplier.html

[bigfra]

Originally Posted by M5essex

I'll probably get told off for posting P cars on this part of the forum...

Looks good mate, i love porks. Put a deposit down for a gen 2 991 GT3

[BMWSKI]

So do people see much increase in MPG by using 'better' fuel? What MPG are you all getting on average?
TIA

[MCarsFan]

On an quality vehicle like the M5, I'm kind of surprised any one would use anything but Shell.. or its equivalent. Supermarket fuels in the long run probably don't have the same additives that a quality fuel has..just my 2 cents..when I lived in London I definitely noticed a difference between using supermarket fuels and Shell, BP and Caltex, both in performance and fuel consumption on my M3.

[Blackraven]

Esso and Total seem good as well.