Which petrol is better? replied by balance_else_complacent @ Wed, 28 May 2008 22:50:36 +0800

balance_else_complacent — Wed, 28 May 2008 22:50:36 +0800

I think me and some forummers here want to know this :

Caltex 98 vs Esso 98 vs SPC 98 vs Shell 98

what is the diff?

in otherwords,

does the brand makes the petrol different?

Which petrol is better? replied by pprince.quan @ Wed, 28 May 2008 02:07:04 +0800

pprince.quan — Wed, 28 May 2008 02:07:04 +0800

I'm riding a bike and i'm using shell V-power but it's really a big difference whether i use 92, 95, 98 and now v-power. maybe it's cause bike have lower horsepower but the main difference i realise is that changing gears will no longer give me the jerk that i will face when i use 98, and at gear 1, i do not have to drag my engine for it to hit RPM 8 and u can see the difference when u stop at a red light and there's a 400cc bike next to you and when u move off, u are just next to the bike. aniway i'm riding a honda sp 150cc.

Which petrol is better? replied by balance_else_complacent @ Tue, 27 May 2008 22:29:58 +0800

balance_else_complacent — Tue, 27 May 2008 22:29:58 +0800

Originally posted by alleggerita:

1) I think it is absolutely fine to pump fuels from different companies. But people just don't like to change company, dunno why. Petrol is petrol, no difference in chemical make up even if it's different companies like Shell, Caltex, Esso, etc. The only diffference is the RON rating.

The only thing that's going to harm the engine is too low octane, causing the engine to knock. So be sure to read your car's manual to find out what's the lowest RON rating your car's engine can take. Usually the higher the capacity the engine is, it will need fuel of higher RON rating. Small engines maybe minimum RON92, bigger engines maybe minimum RON95.

2) Not too sure whether Shell or Esso is better. But a lot of people say Shell's petrol is more powerful, no matter is it RON95 or RON98.

Ya lor, I also heard some say Caltex more power than another brand I cannot say for fear for my life.

What is the official answer?

Are petrol say 98 unleaded the same whether bought from Caltex, Esso, SPC or Shell?

If there is some difference, can we have the official scientific answer please?

Which petrol is better? replied by FirePig @ Tue, 27 May 2008 01:58:18 +0800

FirePig — Tue, 27 May 2008 01:58:18 +0800

I just look at shell singapore, caltex singapore and SPC's website and apparently, all three of them are selling petrol at the same price. (not counting discounts and cards)

But Shell V-power is more expensive while Caltex's techron is at the same price as normal shell and SPC's fuels. I do not have info on exxonmobil. Since i currently have not yet applied for a credit card, i think pump anywhere also the same...discounts are around 5-6% whereever i go.

Which petrol is better? replied by alleggerita @ Tue, 27 May 2008 00:38:30 +0800

alleggerita — Tue, 27 May 2008 00:38:30 +0800

Originally posted by devils1988:

alleggerita, u jux said that bigger engine need higher RON.

But y the lancer ex 2.0 need MINUMuM RON 92 wheareas the lancer ex 1.5 need a MINIMUM RON 95? I got those information from my car manual.

The 2.0-litre engine you are talking about in question is from the NEW Lancer. So maybe the engine has a lower compression ratio and has anti-knock function, enabling it to run on lower octane fuel. I'm not sure, but compression ratio might be one of the factors.

Which petrol is better? replied by devils1988 @ Tue, 27 May 2008 00:22:28 +0800

devils1988 — Tue, 27 May 2008 00:22:28 +0800

alleggerita, u jux said that bigger engine need higher RON.

But y the lancer ex 2.0 need MINUMuM RON 92 wheareas the lancer ex 1.5 need a MINIMUM RON 95? I got those information from my car manual.

Which petrol is better? replied by veron soh @ Fri, 09 May 2008 22:16:24 +0800

veron soh — Fri, 09 May 2008 22:16:24 +0800

Actually ALL petrol in S’pore is already very high in standard,it is really much better than those petrol sold in Vietnam,Indonesia,Laos,China,Burma,Philpines & India…etc

Which petrol is better? replied by Exige60 @ Fri, 09 May 2008 15:15:50 +0800

Exige60 — Fri, 09 May 2008 15:15:50 +0800

Caltex!!!

Shell is also not bad...esso also good

Which petrol is better? replied by sinicker @ Fri, 09 May 2008 12:19:13 +0800

sinicker — Fri, 09 May 2008 12:19:13 +0800

my dad swears by Shell.

my brother want to make him change to Esso but dad is very hesitant. heh.

Which petrol is better? replied by Zarks @ Fri, 09 May 2008 09:53:00 +0800

Zarks — Fri, 09 May 2008 09:53:00 +0800

hm allegrita can be trusted more than other peeps here cuz he got good basic information lor. obviously hes working or studying regarding petrol matter

Which petrol is better? replied by 小白脸 @ Fri, 09 May 2008 02:58:34 +0800

小白脸 — Fri, 09 May 2008 02:58:34 +0800

damn, my car runs on batteries

Which petrol is better? replied by soleachip @ Fri, 09 May 2008 02:50:59 +0800

soleachip — Fri, 09 May 2008 02:50:59 +0800

Vpower is pretty good. It runs very smoothly. No idea whether it was psychological but I had to slow down several times because we were exceeding the speed limit unknowingly.

Which petrol is better? replied by SexFrenzy @ Fri, 09 May 2008 02:25:11 +0800

SexFrenzy — Fri, 09 May 2008 02:25:11 +0800

I swear by shell V power, you can really feel the extra horsepower when you are racing the engine at redline.

Which petrol is better? replied by tomsss @ Sun, 27 Apr 2008 02:51:58 +0800

tomsss — Sun, 27 Apr 2008 02:51:58 +0800

after all the explaination... i guess the focus now should be on which of the petrol companies here offer the best rewards :lol:

Which petrol is better? replied by alleggerita @ Sat, 26 Apr 2008 22:04:58 +0800

alleggerita — Sat, 26 Apr 2008 22:04:58 +0800

Originally posted by caleb_chiang:

got different meh?

read all the posts before you lor.

Which petrol is better? replied by caleb_chiang @ Sat, 26 Apr 2008 20:39:58 +0800

caleb_chiang — Sat, 26 Apr 2008 20:39:58 +0800

got different meh?

Which petrol is better? replied by Naughtius Maximus @ Sat, 26 Apr 2008 19:55:12 +0800

Naughtius Maximus — Sat, 26 Apr 2008 19:55:12 +0800

As mentioned, most petrol types are fairly similar. The key is not to be a heavy-footed driver. Don't floor the accelerator every chance u get. I'm using Shell 98 too, V-Power on occasion. Too pricy and pointless. Got buddies who say SPC was okay but that was years ago. Now everyone is bumping prices...

Which petrol is better? replied by NoobBOY @ Sat, 26 Apr 2008 18:13:46 +0800

NoobBOY — Sat, 26 Apr 2008 18:13:46 +0800

Properties of fuels => A good gasoline should have:

1) A Proper Volatility

2) High Octane Number

3) High Calorific Value

4) Good Flash Point

5) Good Fire Point

Which petrol is better? replied by alleggerita @ Sat, 26 Apr 2008 17:49:47 +0800

alleggerita — Sat, 26 Apr 2008 17:49:47 +0800

I don't see how sloshing of fuel in the tank will affect FC. Unless he's talking about the unstable supply of fuel to the engine. Which in any case, also won't increase FC. Just my own opinion.

Which petrol is better? replied by Matthiessen @ Sat, 26 Apr 2008 17:46:35 +0800

Matthiessen — Sat, 26 Apr 2008 17:46:35 +0800

Originally posted by alleggerita:

Another common misconception, I believe there's no problem mixing fuel of different octane rating in one tank.

And I believe in the latter. Keeping the tank full will only add weight to the vehicle and increase FC. Keeping fuel in the tank low will keep weight down and reduce FC. Just imagine your tank is 50-litres, 50-litres of petrol weighs about 45-48kg I guess. About the weight of a passenger already.

But I also believe that the difference is not that drastic.

That was my take initially until one old guy at the workshop said it really depends on how you look at it because with fuel sloshing about in the tank, apparently the lesser fuel left, the more violent the sloshing, FC is affected as well.

I have no idea how accurate that theory is, a little warped maybe?

Thanks for the tips.

Which petrol is better? replied by alleggerita @ Sat, 26 Apr 2008 17:39:22 +0800

alleggerita — Sat, 26 Apr 2008 17:39:22 +0800

Originally posted by Matthiessen:

Will it damage the engine if I mix different grade of petrol in one tank? Say half 95 and I choose to top up with vpower or techron platinum?

There are also different theories saying FC is better if you make a habit of keeping the tank full. Others say FC is better when you keep fuel amount on the low. What are your thoughts?

Shell offers the discount sometimes if you pump Vpower between 7-11pm on certain days.

Another common misconception, I believe there's no problem mixing fuel of different octane rating in one tank.

And I believe in the latter. Keeping the tank full will only add weight to the vehicle and increase FC. Keeping fuel in the tank low will keep weight down and reduce FC. Just imagine your tank is 50-litres, 50-litres of petrol weighs about 45-48kg I guess. About the weight of a passenger already.

But I also believe that the difference is not that drastic.

Which petrol is better? replied by Matthiessen @ Sat, 26 Apr 2008 17:34:08 +0800

Matthiessen — Sat, 26 Apr 2008 17:34:08 +0800

Originally posted by alleggerita:

But no harm pumping V-Power occasionally to let it clean away the carbon deposits in the engine. In SG's start-stop traffic conditions, very easily will have carbon deposits build up in the engine.

Equivalent for V-Power is Caltex's Techron Platinum.

Will it damage the engine if I mix different grade of petrol in one tank? Say half 95 and I choose to top up with vpower or techron platinum?

There are also different theories saying FC is better if you make a habit of keeping the tank full. Others say FC is better when you keep fuel amount on the low. What are your thoughts?

Shell offers the discount sometimes if you pump Vpower between 7-11pm on certain days.

Which petrol is better? replied by alleggerita @ Sat, 26 Apr 2008 17:29:35 +0800

alleggerita — Sat, 26 Apr 2008 17:29:35 +0800

But no harm pumping V-Power occasionally to let it clean away the carbon deposits in the engine. In SG's start-stop traffic conditions, very easily will have carbon deposits build up in the engine.

Equivalent for V-Power is Caltex's Techron Platinum.

Which petrol is better? replied by Matthiessen @ Sat, 26 Apr 2008 17:26:31 +0800

Matthiessen — Sat, 26 Apr 2008 17:26:31 +0800

Originally posted by alleggerita:

I recommend you calculate just how much fuel can you save when compared to using Formula95. Then see how long you'll need to break even from spending extra paying for V-power. If it takes too long like 2-3 years, forget it. Stick with Formula95.

I've never heard of engines getting damaged by fuels of too high octane. Only too low an octane will damage the engine due to engine knocking. In UK, they even have RON100 fuel. Heard it makes the car much more powerful than pumping RON98 fuel.

Added: I believe high octane won't damage engine. Because an engine with minimal modifications (mostly modifications to the fuel supply line only) can take methanol as an alternative fuel. And methanol can reach RON115.

Doesn't sound like it's going to make much difference in the end. Guess I'll try it out for a month. If cost differences are not worth it, then it makes sense to stick to 95 since petrol costs are escalating so quickly!

Thanks :)

Which petrol is better? replied by alleggerita @ Sat, 26 Apr 2008 17:23:05 +0800

alleggerita — Sat, 26 Apr 2008 17:23:05 +0800

Originally posted by Matthiessen:

Quite true. Advice from some folks at the petrol kiosks once said there is no need for high octane petrol unless it's for continental cars.

And the reason why continental cars usually need fuels with higher octane rating is because they usually have large engine capacities like the 525i, S350, 730Li, A8 3.2, etc.

But even the smaller capacity continental cars don't necessarily need fuels with high octane rating. Like the 320i, C180K/C200K, Golf 1.6/1.4/2.0, etc. RON95 should be more than enough.

For my father's Kia Picanto 1.1, only RON92 is needed. For my uncle's S40 2.4i, minimum is RON95, RON92 might cause knocking.

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