1.4tsi 122bhp or 2.0tdi 140bhp

[CharlesCourtney]

Thanks for this...I will double check the brochure tonight myself but if I recall it sounds like they are saying the same for the 1.4TSI (122) as they said to you for your golf plus (because of knock control normal is ok but you get the best results using super)

Dealer just back and said use super-unleaded

The Technical Data manual under the 90 kW (122 PS) TSI says fuel "Super RON 95"

The fuel filler on closer examination says "min 95" and the Tips and Maintenance says :

"You may use petrol with a higher octane number than the one recommended for your engine. However this has no advantage in terms of fuel consumption and engine power"

In my old 55 plate 1.6 FSI there was a definite difference between 95 and 98 - with the 95 there was knocking and I did get better MPG with the 98 which just about covered the cost difference in the fuel.

But the new 1.4 runs fine on 95.

[iallen1@btinter]

I have just got the mk 6 1.4 TSI SE, the garage say you can run it on either and if you use unleaded just know and again use super unleaded, they said on some of the earlier TSI engines they did pinc a bit but new software stop this, i have just filled up tomight and all the tesco super unleaded pumps were out of order, so i put unleaded in and it seems fine

[knt]

Super unleaded also contains substances that's suppose to clean the system as well.

[iallen1@btinter]

is it worth sticking with normal or super

[bilen123]

Can this be a big issue - not for consumption but for engine reliability?
The 1.4TSI's have not been aroung long so we have no history to go on.

If you use normal all the time then longer term (+4yrs) you might damage your engine??? that's the debate
If you normal and fill up with Super every 5 fills then this might be mitigate any impact
If you use super all the time then you should enounter no issues (as it's recommended)

I guess it boils down to how long you envisage keeping the car - me 5yrs+ so I can't take the risk of using normal just in case it does have an impact (I'm not a mechanic so I can't see what impact though)

[CharlesCourtney]

Can this be a big issue - not for consumption but for engine reliability?
The 1.4TSI's have not been aroung long so we have no history to go on.

If you use normal all the time then longer term (+4yrs) you might damage your engine??? that's the debate
If you normal and fill up with Super every 5 fills then this might be mitigate any impact
If you use super all the time then you should enounter no issues (as it's recommended)

I guess it boils down to how long you envisage keeping the car - me 5yrs+ so I can't take the risk of using normal just in case it does have an impact (I'm not a mechanic so I can't see what impact though)

Please don't take this as me having a go, but it is of interest, and I would like to find out what the correct answer is here.

As I said, in Sept 05 i got my first VW a 1.6 FSI (Golf Plus SE) and it was clear that it ran much better on 98 than 95. Now I have the 1.4 TSI I have switched back to 95.

Having read your post I have done some Google'ing and found this http://www.petrolprices.com/about-fuel.html :

Using Super Fuels

One of our users commented that using higher octane fuel than your engine requires actually gives no benefit and may be a waste of money. This is because virtually NO engines require 98 RON over 95, and the market for 'super' fuels seems to be based on people's misunderstanding of octane ratings and the placebo effect of filling up with 'more powerful' fuel - making motorists think their engine is running better in some way.

What do the fuel companies say then, to justify the "increased power" claims for the super grade fuels? Some companies say that while all fuels contain cleaning additives, 'super' fuels contain more or better detergents to keep the injectors cleaner than standard fuel. Others say the fuel is a few percent denser which gives slightly more power per litre. These benefits may be marginal though in comparison to the extra cost involved so it is worth ensuring that your engine will actually benefit before filling up.

Given that I still can't see how if the manual says 95 is fine you could be doing damage to your engine - why would VW go to the bother of saying 95 for some and 98 for others if 95 might damage to your engine if VW had any evidence to this effect then they would just say in the manual just use 98, why take the risk.

If anyone wants to use 98 then use 98, but if you believe you are getting an advantage in terms of fuel consumption and/or engine power then even VW say you are not (see my earlier post from the Tips and Maintenance manual).

[bilen123]

No offence believe me, the more information the better - just hope other poeple comment to get a consenus.
I do agree with you that normal should be ok, but why are dealers recommending super?

When I pick mine I bet they put in normal unleaded!!

[CharlesCourtney]

No offence believe me, the more information the better - just hope other poeple comment to get a consenus.

I would also like more info - please if anyone has it post it or a link!

but why are dealers recommending super?

I Don't know why the dealers recommending super, but this is my 6th new car and on 3 of the 6 (none VW as it happens) the dealers have got basic technical info wrong about the car when doing the hand over - one question I always ask is about "Running in" and have on 3 occasions been told "No need to do that" only to get the manual out and it clearly state you should.

[engineermk]

Guys,

The cleaning additives in the fuel are no related to the octane rating. They vary from brand to brand. So, with regards to engine longevity, you can run on 95 or 98 RON. Sticking to oil company fuels (Shell, BP etc) is a better bet than supermarkets.

All current engines should run on either 95 or 98 (or even 91) RON fuel. The knock sensor will detect the pre-ignition and retard the ignition accordingly. On wide open throttle accelerations you may feel the difference between 98 and 95RON, in normal day to day traffic i doubt you'd notice it, just as I doubt you notice a significant difference in fuel consumption.

My last three VW Audi have all recommended 98RON but I've always used Shell & BP 95 RON with no ill-effects over 180.000miles.

[bilen123]

Thanks for this....will is normal I think
Going back to the previous comment - do we need to run these cars in?