Shell Optimax to change it's name

Stonedofmoo · 10 Aug 2006 at 09:55

It will probably remain similarly priced to Optimax.

Overpriced then

merlin · 10 Aug 2006 at 10:00

Optimax is indeed 98.6 minimum at the nozzle.

Wouldn't surprise me if this is the exact same stuff with a new name.

DreXeL · 10 Aug 2006 at 10:32

merlin said:
Wouldn't surprise me if this is the exact same stuff with a new name.

That's what I though at first, but if that's the case, this makes no sense:

Shell are in the process of running down stocks of Optimax to a level where V-Power can be mixed.

If it's the same, why would they run down stocks of Optimax first?

siztenboots · 10 Aug 2006 at 11:13

New Shell Profit Plus.

TBH the Tesco 99Ron is better, and I'm saving the planet everytime I put my foot down

Stonedofmoo · 10 Aug 2006 at 11:36

siztenboots said:
New Shell Profit Plus.

TBH the Tesco 99Ron is better, and I'm saving the planet everytime I put my foot down

It's not. The RON may be slightly higher but the MON rating is lower which frankly is just as important. And not all cars like the bioethanol addition.

Zip · 10 Aug 2006 at 11:37

Stonedofmoo said:
It's not. The RON may be slightly higher but the MON rating is lower which frankly is just as important. And not all cars like the bioethanol addition.

Damm straight.

It amost killed our car

pinkaardvark · 10 Aug 2006 at 11:46

I find it odd that people are buying it because it has "cleaners" in it. Shell/Esso/BP have been advertising cleaning additives in their petrol for as long as i've been out of nappies(which is quite a while and no I aint got no adult nappy fetish). So when optimax came out did the petrol companies stop putting it in normal fuel or something?

Zip · 10 Aug 2006 at 11:47

pinkaardvark said:
I find it odd that people are buying it because it has "cleaners" in it. Shell/Esso/BP have been advertising cleaning additives in their petrol for as long as i've been out of nappies(which is quite a while and no I aint got no adult nappy fetish). So when optimax came out did the petrol companies stop putting it in normal fuel or something?

IIRC Optimax is just more refined. I could be wrong though

burns · 10 Aug 2006 at 11:59

Stonedofmoo said:
It's not. The RON may be slightly higher but the MON rating is lower which frankly is just as important. And not all cars like the bioethanol addition.

Bioethanol can also corrode the fuel lines in some older cars I believe.

siztenboots · 10 Aug 2006 at 13:42

burns said:
Bioethanol can also corrode the fuel lines in some older cars I believe.

"Some older vehicles may find slight deterioration of certain metals, rubbers and plastics in the fuel system when using bioethanol-petrol blends. However, overseas experience shows this risk to be minor. If a vehicle is more than 10 years old or is not in good condition, a mechanic may need to inspect the vehicle. This includes checking for water in the fuel tank (and, if necessary, cleaning out the tank and fuel lines) and checking the condition of fuel hoses and seals." excerpt from http://www.transport.govt.nz/biofuels-440/

I can only speak for my own experience and my own car/s (VXT220), Tesco 99RON SUL is noticeably better, RON MON whatever. If Tesco sold BioDiesel I would not hesitate to use that in the TDCI diesel too.

digitalwolf · 11 Aug 2006 at 23:09

siztenboots said:
"Some older vehicles may find slight deterioration of certain metals, rubbers and plastics in the fuel system when using bioethanol-petrol blends. However, overseas experience shows this risk to be minor. If a vehicle is more than 10 years old or is not in good condition, a mechanic may need to inspect the vehicle. This includes checking for water in the fuel tank (and, if necessary, cleaning out the tank and fuel lines) and checking the condition of fuel hoses and seals." excerpt from http://www.transport.govt.nz/biofuels-440/

I can only speak for my own experience and my own car/s (VXT220), Tesco 99RON SUL is noticeably better, RON MON whatever. If Tesco sold BioDiesel I would not hesitate to use that in the TDCI diesel too.

They only sell the 97RON unleaded at our local tesco. This not as good as optimax I take it?

digitalwolf · 11 Aug 2006 at 23:21

Zip said:
How odd, that metallic Tinkly noise you mentioned is what i get in the Subaru L series 1.8 litre when i put my foot flat.

Im gonna have to go and try optimax now to see if it stops it

Im gonna feel like such a pleb filling that car up with Optimax

Mine makes that noise too!!!!

I'm going to fill up with optimax tomorrow and see if it goes away

andi · 11 Aug 2006 at 23:28

It'll make little to no difference in a VTR.

digitalwolf · 11 Aug 2006 at 23:29

It says in the manual "we recommend this car is filled with 98ron petrol".

It must do something???

andi · 11 Aug 2006 at 23:39

So does mine.

Try it if you like, but I'll be very surprised if it makes any noticable difference, and staggered if it makes any difference worth the extra money. It's worth it on turbocharged tuned engines, but not really on a 1.6 NA.

Matt82 · 11 Aug 2006 at 23:53

on 95, i can feel mine knock the timing back. annoys the hell out of me to think i lose timing etc so i use tesco 99 sul. mine seems to love that

hsp70 · 12 Aug 2006 at 00:42

siztenboots said:
"Some older vehicles may find slight deterioration of certain metals, rubbers and plastics in the fuel system when using bioethanol-petrol blends. However, overseas experience shows this risk to be minor. If a vehicle is more than 10 years old or is not in good condition, a mechanic may need to inspect the vehicle. This includes checking for water in the fuel tank (and, if necessary, cleaning out the tank and fuel lines) and checking the condition of fuel hoses and seals." excerpt from http://www.transport.govt.nz/biofuels-440/

I can only speak for my own experience and my own car/s (VXT220), Tesco 99RON SUL is noticeably better, RON MON whatever. If Tesco sold BioDiesel I would not hesitate to use that in the TDCI diesel too.

Tesco does infact sell 5% mix biodiesel, but only in the south east and a few other places at the moment. It replaces their standard diesel and they strangely enough don't advertise the fact

http://www.tescocorporate.com/biofuels.htm

This is an reply to an email someone got when they enquired

Thank you for your email.

I have checked and can confirm that stores in the south east of England which is
east of a line running from Southampton to Kings Lynn, will sell Diesel
containing up to 5% bio Diesel. This is around 150 filling stations. These sites
wil consistently sell Bio-Diesel. We are also selling Bio Diesel in around 30
stores in the North West which is from North Wales and Lancashire/ Merseyside
area. Some of these stores will receive a mixture of Bio Diesel and standard
diesel.

Thank you for your time.

Kind Regards

Narain Varun Rao
Tesco Customer Service

Overlag · 12 Aug 2006 at 01:02

DreXeL said:
That's what I though at first, but if that's the case, this makes no sense:

If it's the same, why would they run down stocks of Optimax first?

its probably within a few % of being the exact same make up, but they wouldnt want a 50/50 mix in there tanks because people could complaine they not getting the fuel they paid for...

theres probably just a few extra / less chemicals in it, and the ron has gone up .4?

Its the same when i change fuel.... run it down to last bar before changing.

Ive tried tesco super when they had a 5p off per litre deal on... it DID seem to make a difference (1.25 fiesta lol), Not in speedy performance, but maybe more smooth,, i dunno, there was a difference but i cant explain it...MPG was better tho. But after 3 tanks or so, as someone else said above, my car started to run a bit strange when idle...

I just put back some 95oct back in (did 500miles today, drained my last tank of super) and the car is already smoother at idle..

Maybe i should try Vpower?

Alibaba99 · 12 Aug 2006 at 09:05

pinkaardvark said:
I find it odd that people are buying it because it has "cleaners" in it. Shell/Esso/BP have been advertising cleaning additives in their petrol for as long as i've been out of nappies(which is quite a while and no I aint got no adult nappy fetish). So when optimax came out did the petrol companies stop putting it in normal fuel or something?

Optimax and BP Ultimate contain more advanced blend of cleaning agents than standard fuels.

Optimax also contains further agents to help the fuel burn and increase engine response. It was interesting in the EVO fuel test that most drivers prefered the cars when running on Optimax even though the Tesco 99Ron fuel gave the highest power figures.

Avalon · 12 Aug 2006 at 09:40

I noticed in the cold/wet the bike started better with 97+ RON, it always revved smoother ran nicer but this isn't always the case, i've had bikes that hated it. It was especially noticable with the Renegade's on but I always found Morrison's/Sainsburys to be the same price for 97RON as Shell/BP was for 95. In the Meganne it doesn't make any difference but that's not exactly surprising.

Shell Optimax to change it's name

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