What fuel do you use in your MG Maestro Turbo?

[Andy]

As per title Be going back up in a few weeks need to take some fuel up in a jerry can as the tank seems very empty. Need enough fuel in the tank for the engine to be tuned over every week while in storage. Use to only use V Power in my Subaru this work fine in the maestro and do people put any sort of additives in? Been up today after work in the sunshine with a friend from work to have a look over it, even had a drive round the farm, very interesting with no brakes lol. Needs a few things doing other than the service/brakes but I am happy with it cant wait to get it on the road next year. Seems to have been lowered far to much as well hear the tyres catching on the arches thats going to have to be rectified.

[matthewsemple]

Have a look at this site which explains what to do when you keep a car in storage:

http://www.theaa.com/motoring_advice/laying_up.html

I don't think turning the car over means that you start the engine. If you look at the advice it suggests that you take the spark plugs out - so you won't need any fuel for that. Nowhere does it say to start the engine.

Ask a hundred blokes in the pub this question and probably 95% or more will say that you should fire the car up every week. However unless the car is run for 15 to 30 minutes and reaches its operating temperature there isn't much point. You probably won't have the time or the fuel to do that. Also running the engine when the car is stationary is not a terribly good idea. So, I'd say that you should prepare the car for the storage as suggested by the AA site but don't start the engine.

[Andy]

Cheers for the link I will take that on board.

[E_T_V]

Mine gets fed diet unleaded. It runs just fine on it.

[Andy]

Whats diet unleaded?

[E_T_V]

95 RON rather than optimax etc which are 97 or 98 RON

[Andy]

Or right, I have Google'd it but couldn't come up with any results but I do remember reading somewhere that someone used V Power along with some additive. Does it basically run on anything?

[philippope]

The engines can run on unleaded without problems, no additive needed as valve seat recession will not be caused by unleaded. You might notice a performance increase by raising the octane-either through an additive or by choosing super unleaded at the pump.

[Andy]

Cheers for clarifying that. When the cars going to be used it will be drinking V Power then. Good quality fuel none of that supermarket crap.

[Jeff Turbo]

Cheers for clarifying that. When the cars going to be used it will be drinking V Power then. Good quality fuel none of that supermarket crap.

Not at approx 240 miles to a tank

[E_T_V]

If you are lucky

They are designed to run on 97 octane but they run happily on 95 octane fuels as they have a knock sensor.

[Captain Slow]

As an aside Dan, does the same go for my 2.0 carb NASP? I've noticed it's slightly thirstier but "happier" feeling and a bit torquier on 97RON than is it on supermarket 95. Could this be because 97 is what is was designed for, and would even higher octane fuel offer more of the same? I understand Tesco offer a 99RON fuel, which I'd like to try.

[matthewsemple]

Tesco's 99 RON fuel is called Momentum 99 - it is the joint sponsor of the MG6 BTCC car along with their KX energy drink. Hence MG KX Momentum Racing.

I used to use LRP fuel that was available after four star was withdrawn. Lots of people didn't rate it and there were lots of silly myths about it however I found that it was much more economical and as it only cost 2p a litre more it worked out cheaper than 95 RON unleaded. I suspect most of the people that criticised it had never tried it. When they stopped selling LRP the only high octane fuels were eye-wateringly expensive, I stopped using it. I now use unleaded in my MG Maestro 1600 with the Redex lead-replacement additive and simply unleaded in my MG Maestro Turbo.

[E_T_V]

Unleaded in an O series is fine. 95 RON will cause the ecu to knock the timing back a little via the knock sensor but will run just fine as my turbo does (essentially the same ECU with a different map in it. I think the late MEMs ecu's were mapped for unleaded from the start.

[matthewsemple]

I think the late MEMs ecu's were mapped for unleaded from the start.

Except the MG Montego Turbo with MEMS. No MG Turbo sold in the UK was ever approved to run on unleaded fuel.