View Full Version : Tesco's Petrol
I been hearing from a few people that the fuel in Tesco's petrol station, is a far cheaper fuel than the other petrol stations use in wick eg. Dunnets, Richards... Im not meaning in price i just mean quality...
Tesco's cheap fuel is meant to have less or none of the additives that the others use..?
Anyone any more clued up than i am..?
Naefearjustbeer
13-Dec-06, 00:57
THis story rears its head quite regulary. As far as I am aware all fuel in Scotland comes from the same refinery. I do not know if other brands add additives or not. I appear to remember that many years ago shell used advertise its fuel on the merits ofs its additives. I don think they do this any more. What I can say is that the MPG I get from tesco fuel is as good as if not better than any other brand. Performance is no different, But then Again I have a deisel car not a sporty petrol model where I can imagine fuel quality would make more of a difference. As for the effect it has on the internals of the engine I do not know but as most modern engines will outlast the body and other components I dont think I have much to worry about with my cheap tesco fuel.
Yea i think that it will affect the performance petrol cars a lot more if it hasn't got the good stuff in it.. I guess Tesco are trying to be Green Friendly so i suppose they might not be putting in some of the good stuff.
But i have heard from a few people that it will affect you car in the long run if you use Tesco's gear, but again i guess this only applies to the performance cars...
Antediluvian
13-Dec-06, 01:07
Petrol in Scotland comes from lots of different places depending on who sells it. Tescos use a company called Greenergy which sells itself as using bioethanol high octane products including rolling out a new high octane brand currently used for some some racing tournaments. When it comes down to the energy released this has more to do with your car than the petrol, Octane 94/95 petrol has to produce a certain amount of energy to be called such, if anyone doubts it they should report them to trading standards who can perform a very simple test to check.
The octane number doesn't include the influence it has on your engine, but if your engines coked up anyway you'll get a performance decrease.
If you look at the "stars" on the ratings I think you will still find a British Standards number. Pump fuel has to conform to set standards which are laid down.
The reason was that at one time you got such descriptions, depending on the brand, as "Extra", "Super", "Premium" etc., which told you absolutely nothing.
To stop the confusion the "Star" system was brought into force so when you went to the pumps you knew exactly what standard of fuel you were buying.
The different "additives" which were added were simply gimmicks used as an advertising ploy to persuade motorists to buy a particular brand.
In effect, it was no different to the claims made for different brands of Washing Powder.
Any of you ladies marry your husband because he used Daz? :lol:
So really theres not that much of a difference in the fuels at all, maybe a wee bit here and there..
I have heard that on Tesco's website, somewhere at some time there was a bit about there fuel and how it was a bit different than the others, but now i cant remember what i got told at the time...
aaaaaa my memory is going...!!
Some of the additives are used because they reduce wear on your engine. I'm not sure how useful this is. If you sell your car after a few years, you'll be unlucky to have to repair any such damage during your ownership. This is very true for those people who buy their car new or nearly so. How many people have to replace piston rings or such? I only have once and that was because I seized a piston.
Praetorian
13-Dec-06, 18:34
Tescos petrol has a designation of Octane 95. I don't know what the Octane rating over other garages/petrol stations are. I personally don't see any performance problems in filling up with Tescos petrol. What it has done is force others to lower there prices albiet in Wick. So would you sell better quality petrol at the same price of your competitor or change your supplier??
I am not sure about petrol but certain additives added to it will give you more mpg and i know in diesel a lot of the additives act as a lubricant to reduce wear in the fuel pump if these additives are not put in it will wear the internal parts of the pump.
I am not sure about petrol but certain additives added to it will give you more mpg and i know in diesel a lot of the additives act as a lubricant to reduce wear in the fuel pump if these additives are not put in it will wear the internal parts of the pump.
Yea so i guess that applies to Tesco's Petrol too if they dont add some of the additives.
So in the long run you will wear you engine.. but i guess thats only if they dont add some of them...
What are we supposed to glean from this thread?
That Tesco's fuel has something mystical wrong with it?
What a load of ignorant tripe!
Antediluvian
14-Dec-06, 03:29
That Tesco's fuel has something mystical wrong with it?
Take what you want from it, Orger asked a question some people made posts?! Nobody has said anything bad about Tescos fuel in this thread, if anything its generally supported.
Nobody mentioned mystical effects, additives are chemical, the influences are positive(arguably) in terms of reducing CO2 emissions and maintaining engine life(by reducing damage caused by coking). What has been highlighted is that companies add similar additives(chemical not mystical), which is based around adding more oxygen into the firing chamber to improve the efficiency of the burn and therefore reducing CO2.
Simplyfying the reaction to save on me writing a paper on the subject, but petrols main constituent is octane, although fuels use combinations of everything from pentane to decane. Considering only Octane
2C8H18 + 25O2 -> 18H2O + 16CO2
Which basically says that in the complete combustion of octane CO2 and Water is produced, now engines aren't that efficient and incomplete combustion results in carbon and carbon monoxide being produced as such
aC8H18 + bO2 -> w(a,b)C + x(a,b)CO + y(a,b)CO2 + z(a,b)H20
here incomplete combustion generates w and x fractions of C (which is bad for your engine) and CO which is poisonous and generated in large quantities in poorly tuned engines. The fractions is controlled largely by the ratio of a and b, although the state of your engine also influences performance including timing, airflow, sparks and coking.
Now the 2 main types of additives are those intended to improve the octane number, including benzene and toluene, which significantly help to boost performance, and are required as the ratio of alkanes drags the octane number down, however these are seriously harmful to health and environment in even minor quantities. The other type of additives are those intended to improve the burning fraction a and b by increasing b by adding oxygenated compounds including ethanol, bioethanol(sugar cane) and ether chains, they also act as minor octane boosters.
As octane numbers are fixed for the fuel you buy, the only difference is in the additives and what you want to burn. Its a little more complex but thats the jist. Asking the companies what makes their fuel better than a competitors and you will probably get a nice advertising leaflet with all the plusses but a cut down science. There are companies who keep records of petrol(and diesel) compositions and can advise likely C/CO/CO2/NOx/SOx emissions for an ideal engine, but what comes out of your exhaust depends on the condition of your engine.
Most people will experience minor differences between fuel sources, too minor to notice. If, however, you are an "every little counts" type of person then there is scope for an extra percent or 2 power or reducing CO2 emissions or reducing engine wear, but unfortunately a thermodynamical synonym kicks in and you don't get anything for nothing, you could get more power at the expense of prducing more CO2, or reduce CO2 at the expense of your engine. Specifically tescos claim lots of good things about their fuel in terms of reducing CO2 emissions, But different vehicles will experience different performance/environmental impact ratios.
There are differences between fuels, if you care about a 2-3% here or there, then its worth looking into further, if it doesn't bother you, then its not going to matter.
Certainly nothing mystical about it though.
THis story rears its head quite regulary. As far as I am aware all fuel in Scotland comes from the same refinery. I do not know if other brands add additives or not. I appear to remember that many years ago shell used advertise its fuel on the merits ofs its additives. I don think they do this any more. What I can say is that the MPG I get from tesco fuel is as good as if not better than any other brand. Performance is no different, But then Again I have a deisel car not a sporty petrol model where I can imagine fuel quality would make more of a difference. As for the effect it has on the internals of the engine I do not know but as most modern engines will outlast the body and other components I dont think I have much to worry about with my cheap tesco fuel.
shell dont do it now as i can remember when [ im positive it,s shell] took out a fuel that was leaner greener&better for your engine with some secret additive. it cost them millions after the additive burnt all the valves in the cyl heads of most of the engines it was used in .?but i was talking to one of the managers in tesco and he told me that they get the gas from the same place as the rest of the garages. Scrabster. but i personally dont believe him
i was talking to one of the managers in tesco and he told me that they get the gas from the same place as the rest of the garages. Scrabster. but i personally dont believe him
why not? why would he lie?
why not? why would he lie? seen the tankers enering tesco,s. they are not local, not from scrabster. but im not bothered i get my gas from the elm tree for the same price as tesco
[lol]
seen the tankers enering tesco,s. they are not local, not from scrabster. but im not bothered i get my gas from the elm tree for the same price as tesco
[lol]
Even though the Tree screwed you for years with an un-necessarily high price?
Even though the Tree screwed you for years with an un-necessarily high price? its easier to go to the tree than to tesco. anyway they all screwed all of us .[evil]
Not Tescos. they really have,nt had a chance yet.? only joking
[lol] :lol:
The Pepsi Challenge
14-Dec-06, 17:40
I earn so much money it doesn't bother me a bit. I also come from the planet Ogo.
its easier to go to the tree than to tesco. anyway they all screwed all of us .[evil]
Yea i agree John far easier going to the likes of Elm Tree and Dunnets, Tesco's too far out the road for me (im just lazy hehe). At the moment the prices are near enough the same through out the town.. So there good enough for me... But i suppose the good thing with Tesco is there open to 12.00pm with a person and then open the rest of the time with you card.....
I earn so much money it doesn't bother me a bit. I also come from the planet Ogo.
Alright for some, im Skint... any chance of a Sub...? :lol: :lol:
tesco gets their fuel from grangemouth refinery which is bp, as i see the tankers coming out of the refinery every week ,as i work in the area :cool:
The Pepsi Challenge
14-Dec-06, 19:04
Alright for some, im Skint... any chance of a Sub...? :lol: :lol:
Sure, what would you like on your sandwich? I've got chicken and sweetcorn, or BLT.
Oh dang i hate chicken and sweetcorn, ill just take the BLT please.... [lol] [lol]
I remember a wonderful additive from years ago which was wonderful for your car. It was called Molybdium.
It was doing very well for a long time until somebody found out that the molybdium disulphide which it contained eventually broke down to produce, amongst other things, Sulphuric Acid.
Lead was a necessary "additive" in petrol until not many years ago. "Petrol without lead will definitely ruin your engine and burn out your valves!"
Try getting hold of leaded petrol now. But I haven't heard of an epidemic of burned out valves!
I remember a wonderful additive from years ago which was wonderful for your car. It was called Molybdium.
It was doing very well for a long time until somebody found out that the molybdium disulphide which it contained eventually broke down to produce, amongst other things, Sulphuric Acid.
Lead was a necessary "additive" in petrol until not many years ago. "Petrol without lead will definitely ruin your engine and burn out your valves!"
Try getting hold of leaded petrol now. But I haven't heard of an epidemic of burned out valves! the valves & valve guides in modern unleaded cars are now much harder, to cope with unleaded gas. but the lead additive did make a much sweeter running engine. you can still buy leaded substitute to add to your fuel. the stuff that vintage & veteran car owner,s use
but it isnt really necessary on the modern motor ;)
the valves & valve guides in modern unleaded cars are now much harder, to cope with unleaded gas. but the lead additive did make a much sweeter running engine. you can still buy leaded substitute to add to your fuel. the stuff that vintage & veteran car owner,s use
but it isnt really necessary on the modern motor ;)
ps forgot to mention doing this will ko your cat
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