1.4 petrol

So any benefits from higher octane fuel?

My last 1.4 was 10 years ago so I can't remember!

There are benefits but they are marginal.

In my view if you can afford to fill up with "super", "premium" or whatever higher octane fuel then it is worth it.

The engine will run smoother, have a little more power and is likely to be slightly more economical, but not hugely.
Will the extra cost of he fuel pay for itself? I doubt it, but your engine life might be longer due to less "detonation" or "pinking" as it is also known.

Modern engines automatically increase the timing advance when higher octane fuels are used and that can bring about a nice little increase in performance.

So if money is tight, the occasional fill up with higher octane fuel is worth doing, if money is not a factor then I would recommend higher octane fuel each fill up, especially those super unleaded fuels that also have a cleaning effect on the system too.

Steve B
 
Cheers Steve, money isn't the factor just benefit. I notice the 1.6 has 97/95 on the fuel cap but the 1.4 has 95/91 ... Not that anyone in the UK sells 91, so it got me wondering if the 1.4 commentates for the 97ron fuel.
 
Cheers Steve, money isn't the factor just benefit. I notice the 1.6 has 97/95 on the fuel cap but the 1.4 has 95/91 ... Not that anyone in the UK sells 91, so it got me wondering if the 1.4 commentates for the 97ron fuel.

I believe that the RON is not quite as precise as it should be, so if you buy 97 RON it may be actually 95 sometimes and 99 other times, plus the ECU on the cars has some variables too, so if I was running a 1.4 I would use the higher RON available at the pumps.

When drag racing I used to add serious octane boosters and they would result in a significant power increase (due to being able to run a more aggressive advance on the timing), so I am a fan of higher octanes.

I know the 1.4 is no race car, but the principle is the same, the higher the RON the less detonation/pinking and that is good (especially if the ECU compensates for it, which at 97/99 RON, I believe it does).

Steve B
 
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