'Premium' Diesel and Millers

Viking

Insurance co's are crap.
May 19, 2007
2,317
4
Near Richmond, North Yorks
Well, different companies owning the different refineries for a start. Different source of crude oil as a base product makes a big difference (North Sea crude is not as good as Gulf crude). Ultimately I suppose it comes down to money. Total are a global company who are serious about their fuel (from Immingham) whereas Petroplus (from Seal Sands) are a minor player in the game and don't have the resources to do a proper job.

Petroplus use exclusively North Sea crude, whereas Total get better quality crude barged in from the Gulf. It takes less work to refine Gulf crude to the required standard than North Sea stuff, and the cost cutters start screaming if too much is spent on production.

Just my personal opinion of course. :D
 

CJRamze

Proud Seat Owner
Jun 29, 2008
2,014
2
Caldicot, South Wales
Any old crappy diesel & millers is what I use, and my car still runs really well (better than when I try to use premium diesel too!)

If your going to listen to anyone this is your man.
A highly modified Diesel with 260Bhp and hes using Supermarkets finest with millers.

Ditto here it definatly makes a different plus in my area there are no shell garages! None that I've seen anyway and I'm not going out my way to get any.
 

stuartsjg

Active Member
Oct 22, 2008
244
0
Aberdeen
Ive rently started using V-Power with millers, used to use shell standard with millers.

Taking a 3-4 tank average with just shell standard i was getting about 400 to 440 miles per tank. Adding millers took this up slightly but i did notice a quieter engine.

I ran either just standard or standard + millers and never ever got more than 450 miles per tank.

Running now with V-Power and i can get 500 to 525 miles per tank with no change in driving style (if i have lots of smiles, ill do less miles) so id say it has to work.

I think the car is smother with V-Power, not sure how much of a diffirence millers makes just now if your on V-power.

Not tried BP, will do some time.

On the oil source thing, V-Power doesn't come from Oil, its a GTL (Gas to Liquids) fuel where by natural gas is broken down then stuck back together differently to make the required fuel or blend of fuel.

North sea oil is generally considered too valuable to make fuel with as it has a high aromatics content which suits the chemical industries. What cannot be used in these processes gets turned in to fuel.

Allot of the US oil comes out like tar, and isnt worth much!

This is one reason why its almost the same cost to ship fuel to the UK from US and gulf as to make it here ourselves, because of the high cost the chemical people are prepared to pay for the raw oil pushes up the cost of the fuel.

Interestingly, north sea oil wouldn't be economical to produce if it wasn't for the chemical industry's demand for the product. north sea oil costs about $25 per barrel to produce where as gulf/far east oil is less than $10 to produce and both sell for the same price of $50 ish per barrel.

Stuart
 
Jan 22, 2007
2,074
0
some may say lala land....
blimey, only getting 400-450 a tank.
i'd be crying. my 150 has always given me no less that 500-550, will be laughing once i get round to doing the millers as well if you can gain 60 a tank.
 

stuartsjg

Active Member
Oct 22, 2008
244
0
Aberdeen
blimey, only getting 400-450 a tank.
i'd be crying. my 150 has always given me no less that 500-550, will be laughing once i get round to doing the millers as well if you can gain 60 a tank.

The worst i've had was about 350 miles on a tank (Vpower+millers) but there was a family emergency and i had to get home quickly... Needless to say 4000rpm was quite a common place for the needle to be for about 200 miles!

I dont think i need to be too careful to get 500 miles, just not foot flat all the time. My commute is 10.5 miles, 8 of which is a dual carriageway with 6(!!) roundabouts.

On the downhill approaches i knock the cruise off about 6-800 yards from the roundabout and just roll down the hill leaving it in top gear, normally end up still going about 50ish when i break, 3 roundabouts are down hill so thats just over a mile no no fuel.
The other 3 are level and uphill a bit so ill kill the cruise about 4-500 yards away, thats another 3/4 mile no fuel.

So each way im getting 1.5 to 1.75 miles just by rolling, that more than 10% of the journey. It hardly takes any extra time. I probably could roll more on the downhill bits but i don't want to go too slow and make people move.

Having said all that, i will sometimes get a lil' itch and go full power on exit and that sort of undoes the good work done on the entry! If its a nice day ill leave breaking to the last 100 yards... that will get them hot!

Stuart
 

SlipStream

Active Member
Jun 1, 2009
102
0
We need a poll in here:

Normal diesel + Millers
Premium diesel only
Premium diesel + Millers

What's most recommended? I currently use Premium diesel only, because I'm too lazy to put the Millers in, even though it lives in the boot. So wondering if cheap diesel and millers would produce a better mix. I have not noticed much difference since stopping using millers.
 

Swig

Active Member
Apr 30, 2009
52
0
sheffield
From reading the shell website I think V-Power Diesel is a blend of GTL and non-GTL fuel.

"We offer V-Power Diesel containing a GTL component at around 5,000 Shell retail sites worldwide."

"Smaller benefits can be derived from GTL Fuel blended with conventional diesel. For example, vehicles giving a 40% reduction in particulate emissions with pure GTL might give up to 16% lower emissions when using a 20% GTL blend."

http://www.shell.com/home/content/aboutshell/our_strategy/major_projects_2/pearl/gtl_fuel/

According to one website pure GTL diesel is so pure it would be safe to drink?!

http://www.world-gtl.com/about_us/gtl_quick_facts.html
 

Swig

Active Member
Apr 30, 2009
52
0
sheffield
Someone said v power wasn't made from oil as it's a GTL fuel. But it's not pure GTL.

It's a blend of diesel made from oil and some diesel made from natural gas. (And some other additives).
 

Justa

Active Member
Nov 24, 2007
261
2
Derby
I use shell normal and have just started using millers

feels a bit smoother and definitely smokes less - not that that bothers me...

will keep on using it i think
 

happylad

old boy racer
Oct 22, 2008
104
0
benfleet essex
I only get 380 to a tank in my ibiza cupra diesel but then this is all short town journeys to work with a 2 mile blast on an a road on the way home. Only a little tank anyway.
Much prefer millers though my mechanic thinks it is all B*******S anyway and down to how you drive. I have noticed a big change in perforkmance being smoother and get at least an extra 3 mpg over a tank full. performance PETROL makes sense but when I first bought the car I used shell V diesel for 6 months but noticed no adverse diffference when i stopped using it. By the way we have just gone uo to £104.9 per litre diesel here(Rayleigh essex) bugger.
My mate at work wants to get a 1 year old leon cupra petrol!!! Anygood???
:p
 

aaronbromley

TDISport.com Owner
Nov 25, 2004
338
0
Lincolnshire
www.TDISport.com
Where ever possible i try and fill up with Shell, i don't use the Ultimate Diesel stuff, or whatever it is called, but i do often use the Millers Diesel Fuel additive. I noticed the difference using Shell over the supermarket fuel, less smoke, better response and better mpg, with the millers it seems even better.