I HAVE OWNED MY NEW WRX FOR 3 WEEKS AND HAVE USED REGULAR UNLEADED FUEL. I KEEP READING ON THIS SITE AND OTHERS ABOUT SHELL OPTIMAX AND OTHER HIGHER OCTANE FUELS. SHOULD I BE USING THESE IF I WANT INCREASED PERFORMANCE ECONOMY ETC AND IF I SWAP FROM ONE TO THE OTHER WILL IT MATTER OR AM I BETTER OF JUST STICKING TO REGULAR FUEL.

BY THE WAY I MAY BE HAVING PPP FITTED NEXT YEAR CAN ANYONE ADVISE ON FUEL CONSUMPTION FIGURES WITH THIS MOD(I KNOW IT IS BORING BUT I HAVE TO USE MY WRX EVERY DAY AS WELL AS WEEKEND TOY)SO NEED HALF DECENT MPG.ON THE M/WAY.

Boothy, I've had my WRX 03 PPP for one month now and done 3000 miles, I get 28mpg with mainly motorway driving at 80mph ish and down to 20 mpg mainly A and B road driving, the problem is you want to put your foot down! i use Optimax and have never used anything else, apparently the higher octane returns a better mpg which should cover the cost differential. Standard Unleaded is supposed to be OK but recommended particularly if you have any mods like PPP. If you use lower octane fuel the ECU may restrict the boost according to techy members of this web site. Can't comment on non PPP WRX but get it done ASAP - you wouldn't believe the difference (I test drove a non PPP WRX)!

Have fun,

Macka

P.S. Some say the MPG goes up when the motor is fully bedded in??

MPG will improve slightly when car is run in compared to brand new, but that tends to be cancelled out by the fact you drive it harder when it's loosened up.

If you run even a standard WRX on normal unleaded, it will produce less power, and use much more fuel - primarily down to the engine retarding the timing and running less efficiently. Use superplus or optimax, the increase in fuel economy pays for the extra cost of the fuel, and the car goes much better too. IIRC prodrive quote something like 15bhp less power running the original MY01 PPP on normal unleaded as opposed to superplus/optimax. Should be a "no-brainer" - use superplus or optimax whenever you can

I find my 03WRX PPP runs better on Esso SuperUnleaded than Optimax. I have tried both for long periods and find I get more stuttering/hesitation in the lower part of the rev range when accelerating using Optimax.

I know others prefer Optimax - I can't explain it but I know what works best for me ;)

Optimax all the way.

hi ive just had mine re-mapped and many other things get some optimax in your scooby and you will never use standard again

when i first got my scoob i was using 95 ron tesco juice and was told optimax would give me better performance and mpg, true, it gave better performance but to really enjoy better performance you end up ragging around all the time thus giving you better performance but ****e mpg, also told de cat was great for the same 2 reasons, done that and exactly the same cenario, now enjoying the scoob like never before but paying for it but i suppose thats a trade off you can either like or lump. Personally i would never use anything but optimax, have tried bp ultimate and thought it was pants.

andy :D

Think I will try optimax, as i only get 140 miles out of a tank of normal unleaded in my my03 wrx, I've owned 2 imprezas and never managed more than 160 miles out of a tank.

i have manage to get from dorset to north york on a full tank of optimax about 240miles not going slow. optimax rules!!!

6 Pot. You must drive like a nutter;D. I get between 210 -270 (best) and I don't exactally hang around.

I used regular for the first couple of thousand miles and sometimes felt like it had no boost, haven't had that problem since using Optimax;).

I have WRX03 with PPP would never dream of putting 95 ron fuel in it!! Whats the point of driving a performance car and putting a lower grade fuel in it. All Subaru performance figures for the 03 WRX are based on the vehicle being run on 97 ron fuel using 95 ron will mean you are some way off the claimed 225ps performance figures, still you pays your money and makes your choice. I get between 210 to 260 miles per tank of Shell Optimax and have used that exclusivley from day one.

Regards

John