Evo Magazine Fuel Test

arcamalpha

arcamalpha

arcamalpha

Associate
Joined
18 Oct 2002
Posts
1,145
My uncle told me the Evo Mag did a review of Optimax/Ultimate/Tesco99 a month or two ago. I tried looking on their website but can't find it.

Anyone got an electronic copy?
 
Post up your email addy chap.

It's very wordy & still leaves many variables for anything conclusive.
I was suprised to find that the new M5 didn't adjust to the different typres of fuel, boggo 95 RON performing the same as Ultimate/OptiPlop and 99Ron.

evo's advice... "if your car feels friskier and smoother-running on a particular fuel, use it. Mind, if that fuel wasn't Optimax, and having seen the evidence of its cleaning abililites, we'd still be inclined to use a tankful every few fill-ups."
And also use 'busy' petrol-stations to get fresher fuel.
 
Yeah I wouldnt mind reading that too

[email protected]

Reason being when Optimax wasnt available I used Tesco 99 ron and I had some really lumpy idling in the mornings, and occasional hicups when driving along. The engine just didnt run right.

Since swapping back to Optimax everything is back to normal
 
i have a little engine 1.3 polo, but tesco petrol makes my engine run well lumpy in the morn, sounds ruff as u like and bp runs sweet as a nut dont see how it can make much diff they are both 95ron are they not?
 
I find that if I put standard petrol in my 2.0 Zetec engine, it loses 50bhp.

As soon as I put Optimax in, it has 200bhp and will do 0-60 in 5 seconds. I find paying 95p for Optimax in bog standard, mass produced, non performance orientated engine really worthwhile. It makes me feel special standing at the Optimax pump, putting it in, pretending I've got a Jap car that needs 100 ron - I notice the Saxo drivers etc feeling the same way ;)
 
Stonedofmoo said:
Yeah I wouldnt mind reading that too

[email protected]

Reason being when Optimax wasnt available I used Tesco 99 ron and I had some really lumpy idling in the mornings, and occasional hicups when driving along. The engine just didnt run right.

Since swapping back to Optimax everything is back to normal
Click to expand...

Thats odd because mine runs fine on Tescos 99RON in fact, I couldnt tell the difference between that and Optimax :confused:
 
[TW]Fox said:
I find that if I put standard petrol in my 2.0 Zetec engine, it loses 50bhp.

As soon as I put Optimax in, it has 200bhp and will do 0-60 in 5 seconds. I find paying 95p for Optimax in bog standard, mass produced, non performance orientated engine really worthwhile. It makes me feel special standing at the Optimax pump, putting it in, pretending I've got a Jap car that needs 100 ron - I notice the Saxo drivers etc feeling the same way ;)
Click to expand...

Its funny then how some non-jap cars read 'Super Unleaded Only' - perhaps you just choose not to read the labels ;)
 
Type_R said:
Its funny then how some non-jap cars read 'Super Unleaded Only' - perhaps you just choose not to read the labels ;)
Click to expand...

Whoosh straight over another one's head.

Fox must be laughing in to his cornflakes.
 
They did a similar test between different types of petrol on Fifth Gear.
The conclusion was for high powered cars like imprezzas and evos its worth using the high RON stuff as u gain a few hps but for the rest its not worth it.
 
Thats odd because mine runs fine on Tescos 99RON in fact, I couldnt tell the difference between that and Optimax
Click to expand...

I know mate. At first I put it down to some problem with the engine such as old spark plugs or possibly a dodgy maf or lambada sensor. But the fact is as soon as I swapped back to Optimax it's been running perfectly, and when I posted it up another R owner said he was having the same problems.

He too is swapping back to Optimax to see if it cures it for him as well
 
I use the Tesco 99Ron at the moment, mainly because my manual and a small sticker in filler cap says Super Unleaded is preferred.
 
I posted a while ago about problems I was having with my T4 using 99ron fuel I wasnt sure if something was failing(i.e.coil pack) or it was the fuel(it started happening after 2 or 3 tank fulls). From the replies I got on here people seemed to think my car was cutting boost even though the car didnt seem to be boosting any harder, I now think the car was cutting the ignition probably due to det. Anyway went back to Optimax and all is fine again now.
 
I use BP Ultimate normally on my 2.0l megane coupe. Just recently I had to fill up on tesco normal petrol (didnt have enough petrol to get to the BP garage) and its been running quite rough and really idling badly in the mornings. Just gone back to BP Ultimate today and the car is running a lot smoother and sounds better.
 
[TW]Fox said:
I find that if I put standard petrol in my 2.0 Zetec engine, it loses 50bhp.

As soon as I put Optimax in, it has 200bhp and will do 0-60 in 5 seconds. I find paying 95p for Optimax in bog standard, mass produced, non performance orientated engine really worthwhile. It makes me feel special standing at the Optimax pump, putting it in, pretending I've got a Jap car that needs 100 ron - I notice the Saxo drivers etc feeling the same way ;)
Click to expand...

Thats a bit harsh!
There is plenty of science behind higher RON fuels, and to some cars which can take advantage, the difference can be quite large..
Smart Roadster Coupe, not my bag, but 98/99 Ron fuel makes a measurable difference in performance..
Even my old Astra GTE16V had a knock sensor, and so always advanced the timing as much as possible, hence was able to take advantge of higher RON Fuels, ditto the Corrado VR6..


The EVO article was a little open ended.. it's best to find a decent forum for your particular car and you should get some more valid information...
 
Optimax makes my car far more economical. I get about 30mpg using normal unleaded, but with Optimax i get as much as 38mpg. I used to struggle to get 280 miles out of a tank, now i can easily get 340.
 
The 1.9XU in the 309 and 205 GTis should only be run on four star or super unleaded, at least 98 RON IIRC. Either that or you retard your ignition and loose performance. Quite a few cars designed for unleaded expect high RON petrol too.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom