Hi Guys,
As I'm sure many other Cupra owners have done, I've been checking out different fuels to see how each of them affect performance, tickover, day to day driving, economy and so on and of course to see whether the premium (98+ RON) fuels are even worth the time for the Cupra.
I've always felt that you can get more communication from a type of fuel you're using with a manual gearbox (which I have) so to help others, I thought it worth mentioning.
So far I've completed just over 3.5K miles and I've had a chance to play around with all sorts of fuels, my thoughts below.
Feel free to add your own thoughts/feedback!
Shell FuelSave 95 RON (or whatever it's called now) / Shell V Power (98 RON)
Economy
Economy was nothing worse that normal. Seemed to hover just over 31 MPG for the general commute to work and averaged 33 MPG across the whole tank.
Tickover
Tickover was a little lumpy if I'm honest. More so, small adjustments to the throttle (parking etc) and booting it during cruising speed made for a jerky response on several occassions through the revs.
Gear changes
Gear changes were painful! Jerky as heck and really made it a chore to change gear especailly from first to second.
What I found surprising is the car didn't prefer or respond well to V Power fuel. Didn't seem any different to the normal stuff. Economy wasn't any better and performance felt no different.
To be sure I tried 3 tanks in a row so the engine had time to adjust - no difference.
I've also tried 2 independent fuel stations whilst on holiday in Devon.
Surprisingly, they performed beautifully! All 95 RON Fuel, too. No 98+ RON fuel available.
Economy was good, gear changes seemed smoother and tickover was a little lumpy but not as severe as with Shell fuel. On rare occasions throttle response was jerky but lesser so than with Shell.
As the roads were pretty hilly and some ridiculously sharp corners, didn't get much chance to really boot it. Plus most journeys involved carrying my Son so driving quickly wasn't exactly top of my agenda.
Tesco Momentum 99
This is by far my favourite fuel so far and if I'm honest, I doubt I'll try anything else.
The car is so much better in every way on this stuff. Better still, it's cheaper than Shell V Power and BP Ultimate too.
Economy
Economy seemed slightly improved, specially on longer motorway journeys. MPG seemed to increase to 33 + MPG.
Tickover
Tickover completely smooth, no lumps no bumps! As it should be, spot on. More importantly the jerkyness from throttle changes with other fuels has been removed completely. I'd even go as far to say throttle response was sharper and the engine seemed more alert too.
Gear changes
Gear changes were so much more forgiving, smooth and just spot on, makes the car so much more enjoyable to drive.
So for me, Tesco Momentum 99 is absolutely my fuel of choice! Surprising really, I'd of always thought Shell would have been suitable (was great in my previous car - Mk6 Golf GT TDI) Plus I get clubcard points too so win win!
Hope this helps some other Cupra owners! Looking forward to hearing other people's thoughts too.
As I'm sure many other Cupra owners have done, I've been checking out different fuels to see how each of them affect performance, tickover, day to day driving, economy and so on and of course to see whether the premium (98+ RON) fuels are even worth the time for the Cupra.
I've always felt that you can get more communication from a type of fuel you're using with a manual gearbox (which I have) so to help others, I thought it worth mentioning.
So far I've completed just over 3.5K miles and I've had a chance to play around with all sorts of fuels, my thoughts below.
Feel free to add your own thoughts/feedback!
Shell FuelSave 95 RON (or whatever it's called now) / Shell V Power (98 RON)
Economy
Economy was nothing worse that normal. Seemed to hover just over 31 MPG for the general commute to work and averaged 33 MPG across the whole tank.
Tickover
Tickover was a little lumpy if I'm honest. More so, small adjustments to the throttle (parking etc) and booting it during cruising speed made for a jerky response on several occassions through the revs.
Gear changes
Gear changes were painful! Jerky as heck and really made it a chore to change gear especailly from first to second.
What I found surprising is the car didn't prefer or respond well to V Power fuel. Didn't seem any different to the normal stuff. Economy wasn't any better and performance felt no different.
To be sure I tried 3 tanks in a row so the engine had time to adjust - no difference.
I've also tried 2 independent fuel stations whilst on holiday in Devon.
Surprisingly, they performed beautifully! All 95 RON Fuel, too. No 98+ RON fuel available.
Economy was good, gear changes seemed smoother and tickover was a little lumpy but not as severe as with Shell fuel. On rare occasions throttle response was jerky but lesser so than with Shell.
As the roads were pretty hilly and some ridiculously sharp corners, didn't get much chance to really boot it. Plus most journeys involved carrying my Son so driving quickly wasn't exactly top of my agenda.
Tesco Momentum 99
This is by far my favourite fuel so far and if I'm honest, I doubt I'll try anything else.
The car is so much better in every way on this stuff. Better still, it's cheaper than Shell V Power and BP Ultimate too.
Economy
Economy seemed slightly improved, specially on longer motorway journeys. MPG seemed to increase to 33 + MPG.
Tickover
Tickover completely smooth, no lumps no bumps! As it should be, spot on. More importantly the jerkyness from throttle changes with other fuels has been removed completely. I'd even go as far to say throttle response was sharper and the engine seemed more alert too.
Gear changes
Gear changes were so much more forgiving, smooth and just spot on, makes the car so much more enjoyable to drive.
So for me, Tesco Momentum 99 is absolutely my fuel of choice! Surprising really, I'd of always thought Shell would have been suitable (was great in my previous car - Mk6 Golf GT TDI) Plus I get clubcard points too so win win!
Hope this helps some other Cupra owners! Looking forward to hearing other people's thoughts too.
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