Mk5 Polo GTI petrol advice

[The DOG 20]

Hi guys, I'm picking up a Mk5 Polo GTI this week and will be doing so track work with it. Does anyone know if super unleaded petrol will make much of a difference over normal unleaded? And if so how much power will be gained?

[Belle427]

It won't gain you hardly any power but most people that use it report the car generally feels smoother and more responsive.
It supposed to have cleaning properties too but that is debatable.
The cost is the problem, for your usage I'd just stick with normal fuel, maybe add a tank of premium now and again for its claimed cleaning properties.
Tesco momentum 99 was always quite reasonably priced but has gone up, I've used it without issues.

[aka_kerrly]

If the car is completely standard then the ECU will realise when you are using super unleaded and the engine is likely to run a bit smoother /slightly more eager but you won't be getting notable hp gains. The advantage of the super unleaded is it burns with more energy than standard fuel hence mpg improvements are also possible.

If however the engine is modified and ECU remapped accordingly then yes there can be gains from using better fuel but you run the risk of having a worse performing on standard fuel. Depending on how aggressive the maps timing/fueling is you may find with lower quality fuel you get pre-ignition /detonation which can be a BIG problem.

In general I run 99ron super unleaded in the form of Tesco momentum or shell optimax wherever possible.

[The DOG 20]

That's great information guys. Thanks very much for your help. Much appreciated 👍