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**Aryan** · 04-05-2009, 10:59 AM

News Approved.

Yes, I also saw this news this morning, which made me think- Is using those "premium" fuels really worth it, or are they just charging us 3-4 rupees extra for nothing!

**MavericK46** · 04-05-2009, 11:43 AM

Ditto.
Read the article on the front page of The STOI. Evidently, if one latches onto a pump that sells apparently 'unadulterated' stuff, it seems to be a better option to tank up on the regular variety over the premium stuff.

P.S : Any idea as to why Shell choose to price even the regular unleaded Petrol higher than the other players..?
Is it because they procure the Petrol from national refineries and hence have lower retail margins..?

**Mindgrinder** · 04-05-2009, 12:02 PM

all i know that most auto gurus say if your car is not specialised for some high octane fuel. Use 1 litre for every 2 litre of normal fuel. Only thing i know about premium fuels is that they might be less adulterated.

As far as shell is concerned its a private player somewhat like Reliance, Shell has own refineries in Burma.

**shark80** · 04-05-2009, 12:59 PM

Originally posted by Aryan View Post

News Approved.

Yes, I also saw this news this morning, which made me think- Is using those "premium" fuels really worth it, or are they just charging us 3-4 rupees extra for nothing!

3-4 rupees? man! they still charge 70 bucks for speed 97 here in Blore.. this thing is a real eye opener, do they really work? do they maintain their respective octane levels they charge for? or is the improvement mere psychological?

**pranay** · 04-05-2009, 02:11 PM

I am one for the xtra premiums or the Super Shells. By paying 4-5 bux more I easily get atleast 2-3 kms more in city and 4-5 kms more in highway for a litre. Also, the fuel burns smoother and there is a noticeable difference while cranking the throttle. I don't know what they put, but I assure you the difference is not 'psychological'.

**HydBiker** · 04-05-2009, 02:16 PM

I think we have to make it clear that only High Octane fuels available (from PSU players) are Indian Oil XtraPremium - 91 Octane and Bharat Petroleum Speed 97 - 97 Octane. Others (Speed & Power) are regular octane (89 or 87, based on location... am I right with these numbers? if not, someone pls correct me) petrol with additives.

I said it many times that I prefer to add Iftex now & then into my tank than spending money on those premium fuels.

Also, after the price cut the cost difference between regular fuel and premium fuel in Hyd is Rs 2.50.

I know that my car ran much better with XtraPremium or Iftex.

My RX100 used to start in 2 kicks every morning when I used speed... else it needs close to 10 kicks.

My Victor heats up and behaves wired with Speed & Speed 93 but is forgiving with XtraPremium.

**shark80** · 04-05-2009, 02:34 PM

Originally posted by pranay View Post

I am one for the xtra premiums or the Super Shells. By paying 4-5 bux more I easily get atleast 2-3 kms more in city and 4-5 kms more in highway for a litre. Also, the fuel burns smoother and there is a noticeable difference while cranking the throttle. I don't know what they put, but I assure you the difference is not 'psychological'.

**HydBiker** · 04-05-2009, 02:49 PM

^^^ the additives are no natural stuff. they are chemical compounds made in labs. they came out into production only because the makers found them better in some kind of tests. Which is why it becomes important to quantify the claims and prove them. Well, this is being an optimist.

As a customer, I'd like a reliable body like the ARAI to certify the claims. Also, if the additive makers are not giving out the test results... then they are hiding something... may be the fact that the additives are not worth the premium!

Also, not every additive would suit every condition & engine...

**Raccoon** · 04-05-2009, 04:45 PM

Originally posted by HydBiker View Post

I think we have to make it clear that only High Octane fuels available (from PSU players) are Indian Oil XtraPremium - 91 Octane and Bharat Petroleum Speed 97 - 97 Octane. Others (Speed & Power) are regular octane (89 or 87, based on location... am I right with these numbers? if not, someone pls correct me) petrol with additives.

I said it many times that I prefer to add Iftex now & then into my tank than spending money on those premium fuels.

Also, after the price cut the cost difference between regular fuel and premium fuel in Hyd is Rs 2.50.

I know that my car ran much better with XtraPremium or Iftex.

My RX100 used to start in 2 kicks every morning when I used speed... else it needs close to 10 kicks.

My Victor heats up and behaves wired with Speed & Speed 93 but is forgiving with XtraPremium.

Strange observations...

I was told that normal speed is 91 octane. Though I don't have this in writing... don't know if its 100% true. Whats the source of your info?

Requiring 2 kicks instead of 10 is incredible! I'v noticed no real difference in this respect in my bikes.

I prefer to use ordinary petrol from a BP COCO + IFTEX... or Shell Premium (Shell dosen't supply ordinary petrol in Pune

) Does anybody know any other COCO bunk in Pune?

Its good that questions are being asked about this... I wonder how they were sleeping for so long!

**anvancy** · 04-05-2009, 05:34 PM

like it or not we have 2 qualities.

fooling others easily.

and getting ourselves fooled easily.

the consumers ie us fall in the later category very easily.be it fuels,parts,bikes,u say it.

when somebody tries to intervene he/she is stopped dead there.

**setuniket** · 04-05-2009, 06:01 PM

Read this new article in TOI, Delhi Edition. Its surpising as well as interesting..

-Oil companies and additive suppliers havent been able to prove the benefits of additives and have been selling it with alleged misleading Advertisements.

-Remember at one point of time, we consumers were virtually forced to buy premium fuels(when crude touched its record high), regular fuel wasnt available in any fuel pumps..

OTOH there are some people who have felt change in mileage or refined engines.

Now it entirely on the MRTPC to order and ARAI to test and prove that such premium fuels have any benefits as claimed by the companies, if not then stop advertising.

OT

http://petroleum.nic.in/autoeng.pdf

http://petroleum.nic.in/newgazette/GN%20No.511%20dtd%2029-12-98.pdf

Acc to the link above, Euro-III cities have 91 and 95 for regular and premium fuel

**DeAdReNaLiNe** · 04-05-2009, 08:12 PM

Originally posted by HydBiker View Post

^^^ the additives are no natural stuff. they are chemical compounds made in labs. they came out into production only because the makers found them better in some kind of tests. Which is why it becomes important to quantify the claims and prove them. Well, this is being an optimist.

As a customer, I'd like a reliable body like the ARAI to certify the claims. Also, if the additive makers are not giving out the test results... then they are hiding something... may be the fact that the additives are not worth the premium!

Also, not every additive would suit every condition & engine...

I second the opinion to get ARAI certification coz dunno about you guys but none of my bikes (Pulsar V1 and CBF stunner) have shown any noticeable difference...even after prolonged use of these fuels(Xtrapremium and speed 97). Not in mileage and vibrations...nothing.

**pranay** · 04-05-2009, 09:58 PM

Originally posted by shark80 View Post

I must tell you I use nothing but shell premium for last 4 years apart from occasional speed97. I feel good when i use shell premium, even better when i use speed'97.
• But then, is there a way to quantify this? Courts asked fuel companies to do this, they couldn't, that brings another question.
• Are they true to their claims about their respective octane levels? in speed'97, does it really have 97 octane in it?

I think it boils down to the consumer. Try it. If you don't find there is any difference. Then do not use it.

I have not used Speed 97, as I have not found any noticeable difference from Speed. Though I must admit I have not used more than 2 or 3 liters of it.

Originally posted by anvancy View Post

like it or not we have 2 qualities.

fooling others easily.

and getting ourselves fooled easily.

the consumers ie us fall in the later category very easily.be it fuels,parts,bikes,u say it.

when somebody tries to intervene he/she is stopped dead there.

I think this can be made a very generalist statement. We are being taken for a ride everyday. Anything we consume. Includes food.

I wanted to know the SBK owners/import vehicle owners perspectives on this, as I think this can be made more directly applicable to them. Their vehicles would need a higher octane fuel than the regular 87/89 octane fuel being sold.

**svjhonda** · 04-06-2009, 11:47 AM

Thought provoking. If these premium petrols are actually 'premium' with better quality of fuel and additives that enhance combustion, then why dont they have any tests or documents to certify this?

Rightfully, ARAI should conduct a test on all fuels to check whether they are worth the dough. Or maybe oil co's will supply ARAI with proper premium fuel so they get certified and later keep selling lower quality fuel tagged as 'premium'. ARAI should conduct surprise tests from fuels across various bunks.

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