Mark Smith

As a rough guide, my wifes 2008 suzuki swift 1.5l gets about 10 days use out of $70 worth of 91 octane (currently $2.19l) She attends clinics all over Chch and does a fair few Km's - next time we fill I'll measure how many Km's it covers.

alanmacc

I drive a 3l BMW and a full tank will cost about $120 from that I get around 550km split between open road and round town driving, not too bad

Tom1983

I drive a 2.6V Volkswagen Passat and it usually costs anywhere between $100 and $125 (most i've paid) to fill the car up here without any discount.

I'm going to note how many kilometers I can get out of it next time before deciding whether to go onto the 95 fuel instead of the current 91 fuel I use. Usually I get through a full tank in 10 days

On a comparison, i'm spending around the same amount that I did back in the UK when I had an Audi A3 1.6 with fuel. I can't compare it to the clio as I had a diesel engine back then and used to travel over 160 miles to work and back daily

Caz8NZ

ummm i'm going to be a girl - Tom1983....whats the difference between 95 and 91? I always thought that it was just better for the engine.

I drive a 1997 1.8 subaru and get on average 400km out of the tank which is about 40 litres.

Tom1983

Apparently it's a more advanced unleaded fuel 95 than 91. It's a bit more expensive but does good

Barnsley_Matts mechanic friend will be able to inform you better than me

Caz8NZ

yeah thats the thing - what does more advanced mean! If it means I will get much more mileage out of it i might consider buying it.....otherwise doubtful its worth it on a 15 year old!

Robbie2010

If your car is designed to run on 91 octane fuel you will not get more mileage by using 95 octane fuel!

http://api.viglink.com/api/click?for...13468108610433

If your car is designed to run on 95 octane fuel the engine electronics will deliver the best performance possible when you use that rating. If you use a lower octane fuel then, if you have a newish car, the system will often compensate for that situation and allow the engine to run without inflicting any damage...and an increase your consumption.

Ex Aucklander

Been driving around USA the past few months petrol here is under US4 a gallon. Food also is significantly cheaper than NZ.

Milk US$3.30 a gallon
Capsicums $1 each or cheaper
Rock melons 2 for $2.50

L'Oreal hair colour US$7.49 in NZ it costs NZ$27

The same brand nail polish US$5.50 in NZ I pay NZ$23

The Americans complain about the high cost of living here, I tell them to go live in NZ then they'll have something to really whinge about.

Bo-Jangles

Actually I've said it before but never mind I'll say it again until I am blue in the face - it seem many people look at the present exchange rate and are therefore under some illusion that UK salaries translate at a straightforward 2:1 in NZ$ to £s.

There's no comparison, we're earning and spending only NZ$ regardless of what the exchange rate says it looks like.

Who is kidding who? If anyone thinks that $100k in NZ translates somehow by magic into an equivalent of earning UK £50k then they are absolutely blooming dreaming. If you're earning NZ$100k you're still earning $100k if the exchange rate moves up or down.

hazeandsteve

95 burns hotter and more explosively than 91.
Your engine is designed to deal with the stresses exerted upon it by the fuel it's designed to run on.
Running a 91 vehicle on 95 will mean your engine runs hotter and under greater stresses.
You get more bang for your buck, which is nice to know when you're in a hire car while yours is getting the big end bearings replaced for a couple of grand.

simonsi

YES!!!!!

Bellasmum

That will be why my mechanic OH has told me to make sure I fill my car with 91 only as suggested on the petrol cap.

Mark Smith

I struggle to find 95 locally and end up putting 91 in my 2 stroke scooter (recommended by Aprillia to use 95) - good/bad/not an issue?

simonsi

Ummm, well not quite. Actually, 95 (higher octane), burns more slowly compared to 91, hence needs more advanced ignition settings so you can extract more useful energy from it via the piston movement as it burns for longer....

Most modern engines will mechanically run on 89 upwards, with benefit stopping around 98 (highest commonly available octane globally these days). The engine management will make best use of any fuel put in within this range, adjusting the ignition settings to suit. This means that putting 98 into my Toyota Estima 3.0 gets approx 8% better fuel economy than running on 91....which just about equates to the price difference last time I looked.

Don't put a fuel into the engine of a lower than recommended octane (ie 89 when the handbook states 91), as it may mean the engine can't adjust the ignition far enough to prevent damage (won't be big end/bearing damage, most likely head gasket or piston failure if anything).

simonsi

2-strokes are generally so low-tech it won't matter If anything it will tend to run hot and may "pink" (pre-ignition = BAD). So may be wise to run an octane booster if you are worried....or see if the ignition can be retarded, many scooters would be used in less-than-ideal fuel countries so I'd be surprised if it can't be altered to remove the worry. Some have a plug on the ignition control module, put in one way = 95 fuel, reverse it and it runs on 89 etc...