Shell Optimax Vs New Bp Fuel (ultimate)

[swales_p]

Hello all, ive been using Shell Optimax ever since i found out i was using the wrong fuel in my beloved tubbie (dont laugh please!!) :ffs:

Anyway, seeing as i was running out of fuel (whoever said it would improve fuel consumption is telling PORKIES!!!!!) i popped into the nearest garage and yep sods law it was a BP one. Therefore, i put the new BP fuel (i think its Ultimate) in my car and woo hoo, maybee 75% psychological BUT its definitively an improvement even on optimax, oh its cheaper 2!!!

Just thought id share this with yas all.

Anyone had this experience?

Cheers

[matt5cott]

I hear Optimax is the only 98RON fuel, BP ultimate is just rebadged super unleaded or so im told.

I use Optimax whenever possible, and ultimate if in dire need of fuel (so far only once)

[Hedgehog Dodger]

BP Ultimate is 96/97 ron if your lucky!

The thing with Shell 98RON is that they only use Shell Optimax tankers to transport it in.

BP dont, so they cant gaurantee the 97RON they say.

[Karma Supra]

What makes me laugh is that people think optimax is some kind of miracle fuel......

I use regular super plus proper fuel that has ashelf life of more then a week, and isn't full of bunny hugger cleaning additives

[Bibbs]

and in europe EVERY station has 98 as standard ..

And opti is the best as it the closest to 100ron that the !Removed! use ..

[tooyoung]

How about the states? I noticed they were writing about 87 RON

[Bibbs]

How about the states? I noticed they were writing about 87 RON

yeah .. the yanks use real rubbish stuff, but when you have a 7 liter V8 pushing 150bhp .. and it costs 20p a litre ..

[Treuno]

I no i havent got a MR2, but i use Optimax plus silkolene octane additive which works out at over 100ron!! An f**k me its awesome! Cant afford to do it all the time tho! A 1L can of Silkolene is more expensive than a tank of fuel!

You do have to alter your timing as well, when you put it in! Worth it tho! :)

[kalmr2]

any super is good fuel but i was told by dastek that they notice a difference in torque with a car on optimax but only if the car is used daily

like KARMA SUPRA says about a shelf life and all that

[Karma Supra]

I all boils down to the molecular structure, and how the RON system works.... Optimax pretty much bypasses the regular octane ratings, so on paper its more, but in reality its not much good.. like racing a "high bhp" honda, up a hill.

Tell me, has anyone here got a knock/det display in there car here, and has used optimax????

Then there is the shelf life... petrol goes off in your car... it looses octane.... it varnishes....

optimax does it far faster then anything else.. so by the time you get it in your car, even if it WAS close to 100.... its not anymore

But for some reason everyone thing it makes their car run better, buy it if it makes you happy.. I used to use it religously, and if I used anything else reset my ecu so the car was adjusted to optimax as I thought it was friggin wonder fuel...

[BLOODUK]

I started using BP ultimate lately as the the garage doing optimax is closed for Store work , i havent noticed a difference AS of yet

[DeusMR2]

It varies across the country I've found, simple as that. Some people claim ultimate is better, some claim optimax is and some claim standard super unleaded is. End of the day it all depends on the car (even within the same make and model), how you drive it and the history of the car itself. Theres just so many factors, and i think the only thing we'll all ever agree on is that anything is better than 95RON! (for turbos at least)

My experience of fuels on my rev 2 turbo since ive had it:

first the history: imported in 2000 and the previous owner only ever used Optimax.

Total/Jet/Esso/BP 95RON: rough low end acceleration (1500-3000rpm), generally gutless and would only boost to 7psi before i fitted an mbc. Very poor economy even though its the cheapest.

Total 98RON: Surprisingly(?) good, hits full boost but still rough at the low end of the rev range. Poor fuel economy.

Esso 97RON: Not as good as total 98 and is more expensive £/ltr around here!

BP Ultimate: Same as Total 98RON for me but generally not as consistent at hitting full boost and holding it there. I've tried 2 different BP stations and both were like this. Also inconsistant with low end acceleration: can be rough sometimes but other times its fine.

Optimax: My car honestly loves this stuff, the difference is noticable as soon as i pull out of the forecourt. Engine feels a LOT smoother/quieter and the transition to full boost is perfect. Low end acceleration is very smooth and gradual aswell,no rough spots - very rev happy! I get the best fuel economy with this stuff, miles ahead of the rest.

Ok im goin on and on now so i'll stop shortly! I do around 20miles a weekday, 15 of which are on the north circular (dual carriageway in nw london) and I've tried £20 (lasting about a week) of each of the petrols over the last few months and for me optimax was clearly the best. I only use anything cheaper if I cant afford it!

Sorry for the long post but I think the question "what fuel is best for my car?" varies on far more things than what model it is.

[Treuno]

Shelf life never came into for me because the way i drive the fuel doesnt have time to breathe! I used to drive my '86 every day and get through a tank full every 2 days! Bearing in mind it is only a 45 mile round trip to my work and back home! :) (90miles! AAAAAHHHH) Great mpg!! hehe

My car never saw below 6000rpm unless it was not warmed up yet! 7700rpm was where she lived!

[dawolf]

In theory Optimax should be the better fuel but I've not noticed any difference between the two.

I tried Aldon Automotive's Octane boost in my Fiesta RS Turbo and it definitely helped, it claimed to add about 3-4 octane points to the fuel hence giving more bhp. It cost £10 so couldn't afford to buy it much and it was horrible stuff to handle coz it was full of chemicals. It worked well though!

[mergli]

How about the states? I noticed they were writing about 87 RON

In the states they use an average of the RON and the MON or the MON and the SON or something like that, anyway that's why they'll be talking about lower figues (iirc Optimax has a MON of 86).

[Karma Supra]

Shelf life is still an issue as this stuff "goes off" so fast, buy the time it GETS to your car, the octane level is down!!

Maybe it depends on the turn over of the individual garage, and how much optimax is used in that area....

Since optimax came out, I have had a 2 twin turbo soarers, a supra turbo, a supra twin turbo, an n/a supra and an two n/a mr2s (one jap, one uk)...(not including the runarounds, comedy lada, ford pube and a polo) the only car that seemed to benefit from optimax was the probe, but they run lumpy at the best of times... the 3 twin turbo imports seemed happyest on esso super, but where I live that fuel has the greatest througput!!!!!!

Even on regular esso super plus in the Mr2, I notive the diference between "fresh" fuel, and fuel thats been sitting there for a week in the car, the engine revs freely and seems smoother, with a notable low end power increase...

Actane additives on super seem to work well, but I have read articles on the effeccts of long term use od octane booster.. so am not that sure about it!!!

Has anyone here had any experiance with toluene/fuelmix???? apparenty that stuff is the dogs...and cheaper then regular fuel!!! Just hard to come by!! (don;t use it with N2O!!)

[daktari]

Used to use Toluene mixed with 2star years ago. (Had access to loads of the stuff...FREE ) in motorbikes. Used to melt pistons quite frequently (2 strokes) But they used to run exceedingly well on the stuff. Not heard of it being used in 4stroke engines tho. :D