Which fuel

General discussion of the BMW R1200RT/R1250RT
Capt Sisko
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Re: Which fuel

Post by Capt Sisko »

Doctor T wrote: Thu Apr 10, 2025 4:19 pm The cheaper the better.
Talking of which I paid £1.269 per ltr on Sunday and a garage in north Shropshire is currently selling it for £1.239
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Glenn
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Re: Which fuel

Post by Glenn »

Essar Grindley Brook?
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Re: Which fuel

Post by Capt Sisko »

Glenn wrote: Thu Apr 10, 2025 6:35 pm Essar Grindley Brook?
That's the one, but I filled up on Sunday at Nesscliffe (which is also Essar) I was all but passing the door. There's also a Essar station just up the road from me (Cross Houses) but it's an expensive one. I can't remember the exact price from when I drove past yesterday but it was definately well into the top half of the £1.30s for unleaded. I guess it's down to the owner of the individual site.
Last edited by Capt Sisko on Fri Apr 11, 2025 10:00 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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Re: Which fuel

Post by Doctor T »

Just filled up in Selsey Asda. noticed it had gone up 2p to £133.97. It will go down as it does when the kids go back to school.
That is the problem with living close to Europe's largest camping and caravan site. As soon as it's holiday time, the prices go up in the village. Bloody Grockles
Trust me I am a retired Doctor and lecturer at Oxford University of Structural and Mechanical/Electrical engineering.
May the shaft be with you
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Re: Which fuel

Post by Glenn »

Asda in Telford has been £1.337 for the past week or so, but 20 miles away in Cannock Asda is £1.277
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Re: Which fuel

Post by 1gewehr »

Hmmm, yesterday I filled up with 93 octane for $3.19/US gallon, so about $.85 per liter. So, about .76 pounds UK, or .88 Euro per liter. So, gas here is about half the price of gas in the UK. Bigger difference than I thought.
Our price includes $.44/gallon state and federal tax.
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Re: Which fuel

Post by Strat Tuner »

Steve398 wrote: Mon Feb 27, 2023 4:48 pm I used the posh stuff until the prices went crazy then I went to standard, tbh I don’t notice the difference other than at the till!
I'm considering doing the same. In sunny So. Cal, the avg price for "Premium" is $5.25 (3.94 British Pounds) per Gallon!! (Forgive me for not knowing what the difference is between a gallon and an imperial gallon let alone what a Litre is!)

Best price on "regular" gas here is $4.39 / Gallon. (11 April 2025)

I've read that low grade gas explodes at lower compression ratios. Engines that use a "high" compression ratio might experience gasoline firing off before it should.

Right now, I'm thinking the difference in price between a "regular" tank of gas vs "premium" just isn't worth worrying about.
Switching would only save me $3.60 (2.75 pound sterling) per tank. I avg about 1000 miles a month on the BMW and FJR respectively.
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Re: Which fuel

Post by Capt Sisko »

1gewehr wrote: Fri Apr 11, 2025 8:03 pm Hmmm, yesterday I filled up with 93 octane for $3.19/US gallon, so about $.85 per liter. So, about .76 pounds UK, or .88 Euro per liter. So, gas here is about half the price of gas in the UK. Bigger difference than I thought.
Our price includes $.44/gallon state and federal tax.
In the UK there is a tax called 'Fuel Duty' and it is charged at a fixed rate, currently 52.95 pence per litre. On top of this there is what I belive you call Sales Tax, (we call it VAT) and that's 20%, but because of the way the government calculaltes the tax VAT then gets added again on the final total. We have a tax on tax! If unleaded sells for between say £1.20 to £1.30 per litre, the combined duty & taxes typically account for about 65% of the current selling price.

FYI
1 US Gallon = 3.7854 litres. Let's call the UK selling price is £1.30 per litre, then 1 US gallon of unleaded would cost £4.92
At the current exchange rate £1 = $1.30 so £4.92 equates to $6.43 per US gallon.

Given that the oil per barrel price is global and US petrolium plants can't cost significantly less to run than UK ones, it seem that your government isn't being so greedy as ours!
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Re: Which fuel

Post by Strat Tuner »

Capt Sisko wrote: Fri Apr 11, 2025 10:35 pm
FYI
1 US Gallon = 3.7854 litres. Let's call the UK selling price is £1.30 per litre, then 1 US gallon of unleaded would cost £4.92
At the current exchange rate £1 = $1.30 so £4.92 equates to $6.43 per US gallon.

Given that the oil per barrel price is global and US petrolium plants can't cost significantly less to run than UK ones, it seem that your government isn't being so greedy as ours!
Wow!!!
The evil "government" in my case is the state of California not the Federal.

As a Californian, I'm used to holding bragging rights for the most expensive gas of all!!

I concede this title to my friends in the United Kingdom!


NB: petrol sold on "American Indian" reservations has NO tax.
I fuelled up on the Pala reservation today for $4.40/US gallon (0.86 British pounds for 1 litre premium petrol)

It's a crazy world.
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Re: Which fuel

Post by Doctor T »

We are not meant to have any spare money in the UK. To make sure we haven't any extra cash, the government jumps in and taxes tax. We even pay tax when we're dead. The government is rich, and the people are poor. :| :|
Trust me I am a retired Doctor and lecturer at Oxford University of Structural and Mechanical/Electrical engineering.
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Re: Which fuel

Post by scunny12 »

Yes but its sunny in Scunny today, the Gov did something right at last. Blast Furnaces are very dangerous places having spent a year working on the cast house floor a few decades ago.
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Re: Which fuel

Post by Strat Tuner »

I guess we digress...

What gas to use? Low octane or High?

I'm encouraged by those who say use cheaper gas.

1) no engine damage
2) no performance decrease

Consider compression ratios.
Yamaha FJR .........10.8 : 1 (87 octane)
BMW r1200...........12.0 : 1 (91 octane)
Does the 1.2 compression increase merit better gas?

Probably not, but BMW has shamed me into paying for it anyway. I know I'd feel like I was damaging something if I didn't.

Times like this, I wish I were a qualified engineer.
Absent that , I'll have to trust that German engineering team.
:-)
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Re: Which fuel

Post by Doctor T »

scunny12 wrote: Sat Apr 12, 2025 10:52 pm Yes, but it's sunny in Scunny today. The Gov did something right at last. Blast Furnaces are very dangerous places, having spent a year working on the cast house floor a few decades ago.
I haven't heard the news. Did they step in to help?. We need BSC in the country. RIP, Port Talbot.
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Re: Which fuel

Post by Doctor T »

Strat Tuner wrote: Sun Apr 13, 2025 3:01 am I guess we digress...

What gas to use? Low octane or High?

I'm encouraged by those who say use cheaper gas.

1) no engine damage
2) no performance decrease

Consider compression ratios.
Yamaha FJR .........10.8 : 1 (87 octane)
BMW r1200...........12.0 : 1 (91 octane)
Does the 1.2 compression increase merit better gas?

Probably not, but BMW has shamed me into paying for it anyway. I know I'd feel like I was damaging something if I didn't.

Times like this, I wish I were a qualified engineer.
Absent that , I'll have to trust that German engineering team.
:-)
Cheap fuel will not damage your engine. E10 may damage rubber seals on older cars and bikes, it doesn't damage modern silicon seals.
Trust me I am a retired Doctor and lecturer at Oxford University of Structural and Mechanical/Electrical engineering.
May the shaft be with you
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Re: Which fuel

Post by scunny12 »

Doctor T wrote: Sun Apr 13, 2025 12:49 pm I haven't heard the news. Did they step in to help?. We need BSC in the country. RIP, Port Talbot.
Yes Gov took control to stop Chinese from sabotaging the furnaces, actually stopping them from entering the plant.
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