Spoilt for Choice
What are all those fancy new fuels really worth?
Consumers are being left in the dark about whether slick, new petrol formulas are worth the money, experts say.
Fuel giant Mobil, has released a reformulated range of petrol products dubbed ‘‘synergy fuels’’ containing ‘‘new and improved’’ additives. The company claims the mixes can reduce vehicle emissions and improve fuel economy, engine responsiveness and performance.
BP also said its Unleaded 95 is a ‘‘special blend’’ designed to bring a knock-free performance to unleaded cars with a high-octane requirement.
While Z Energy’s premium fuel ZX, features a ‘‘friction modifier’’ and cleaning additive, its website said, and Caltex 95 techron is said to clean engine parts.
But this week, University of Auckland school of chemical sciences senior lecturer Duncan McGillivray said if additives were not known, it was very difficult to determine whether the claims were founded.
Mobil will not share its list of additives because they are commercially sensitive and neither would BP. Caltex did not give details of the additives it uses, and Z Energy did not respond to Sunday Business questions by the time of going to press.
Consumers meanwhile are spoilt for choice at the pumps.
Mobil’s new range includes a new Supreme Plus premium 98, promising to ‘‘unleash the car’s potential’’ and protect against corrosion. A Supreme premium 95 claims to have 20 per cent more additive. The ’’extra’’ unleaded 91 is good for fuel economy says Mobil and ‘‘extra’’ diesel helps clean the vehicle’s fuel injectors.
‘‘It’s impossible to judge whether there’s value in this,’’ McGillivray said. Premium petrol with higher octane levels contained more energy which would power a vehicle for longer, he said.
‘‘Because engines are so finely tuned, having good quality petrol really does make a difference.’’
But any difference would be subtle, he said. ’’Most of it is probably about feel good factor.’’
Some of the additives used in petrol were basically soaps which could help an engine run more smoothly.
‘‘It will do good things for your car, but it’s just so hard to put a price on what that is worth.’’
The New Zealand Automobile Association petrol watch spokesman Mark Stockdale said premium petrol contained additives with cleansing properties which were said to improve the life of an engine.
‘‘That’s something that’s difficult to measure and not something you would notice in the short term,’’ Stockdale said.
High-octane fuels did have marginally higher energy levels than lower grades, so fuel economy may improve slightly. But past tests by the Association, indicated motorists received little or no financial gain by using 95 octane in a car configured to run on 91, despite an improvement in economy.
‘‘It’s absolutely advisable to use the minimum octane that the manufacturer requires.’’
About 80 per cent of all petrol sold in New Zealand was 91 octane. The rest was 95 or 98, he said.
There was nothing wrong with motorists putting fuel in a vehicle of a higher grade than what the manufacturer recommends, he said.
‘‘There is no harm whatsoever in doing that,as long as you understand that it’s going to cost you more and the benefits of doing that may be difficult to measure in a real time sense.’’
Any perceived performance benefits drivers noticed was likely the result of a placebo effect, he said.
Premium 95 generally costs 9 cents a litre more than 91 and premium 98 costs another 8c on top of 95, he said.
On Friday, Mobil was selling 91 for $1.75 a litre in Auckland.
All fuel arrived in New Zealand in the same state and only changed when petrol companies put additives in for the local market.
The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety released findings this week showing United States motorists wasted $2.1 billion in 2015 buying premium fuel for cars that do not require it.
AAA researchers said they found no benefit to using premium fuel in a vehicle that only requires regular-grade fuel.
‘‘Drivers see the premium name at the pump and may assume the fuel is better for their vehicle,’’ AAA spokesman John Nielsen said.
Marketing expert and managing director of Evolve Marketing, Brandon Wilcox, said fuel companies were failing their customers by not disclosing what additives were used.
‘‘From a marketing perspective it’s absolutely imperative to disclose what’s in there because at the moment it’s just some kind of voodoo,’’ Wilcox said.
Mobil country manager Andrew McNaught said research showed 20 per cent of customers were looking for engine performance and economy from the fuel.
The new fuels contained up to seven additives developed by Mobil scientists and were the biggest upgrade to Mobil’s offering in well over a decade, he said.