optimax or not

[Toots]

just wondering..how many of you's run your car on optimax or on normal fuel with octain boost in it..

a friend of mine has recomended thatt for the 1.8T it is btr for them to b run on optimax.or with occtian boost in the normal unleaded... basicaly which is cheeper...

 

[jesters3]

Run Optimax (or V-Power as they now call it) on my S3 from day one. Never tried any boosters in the fuel before so unable to comment.

 

[Olly_K]

i'd say optimax, which is now called V-Power

 

[alecblack]

V power has just been advertised in the garage near me and I will give it a try the next time I need to fill up. I have been using the super unleaded at
Sainsburys as its the cheapest super.

Has anyone noticed a difference when moving from Optimax to V-Power due to the higher octane?

 

[vanilla_ice]

I hope I'm not hijacking, but what are peoples opinions on Tesco Super Unleaded for the 1.8T (S3's in particular)?

Cheers,

ICE

 

[killa_z]

i heard a rumour from someone who worked at tescoe saying their petrol is cheaper bcoz its shitter quality, no evidence to support this tho

????

 

[monkeytrousers]

There's a thread like this every couple of weeks!

BP Ultimate for me every time, seems better than Optimax for my car.

 

[A3_Turbo]

Has anyone tried the new shell fuel? 99 octane its not optimax cant remember the name now


Jason

 

[jesters3]

The new Shell is V-Power and has an octane rating of 99. Previously Optimax had a rating of 98 compare to other superunleaded of 97. Since the change to Power the only difference I have noticed is that the car is more raucous going thorugh the gears and likes to be revved to the nuts. However this could be because I felt like a blat so strated to lay it in a bit more.....

 

[vanilla_ice]

i heard a rumour from someone who worked at tescoe saying their petrol is cheaper bcoz its shitter quality, no evidence to support this tho

????

I used to run my previous N/A car on it and it preffered it. I collected my first S3 yesterday and filled up on Tesco 99 and once it started feeding through it was MUCH more punchier than whatever the previous owner had been running it on.

Obviously, I don't want to be running Tesco fuel if it known to be harmful etc.

What does everyone else think?

Cheers,

ICE

 

[Paul-RS6]

Optimax/v-power for me.

No 99 Tesco fuel round here. besides i like the cleaning properties of the Optimax, so i think i will stick with that.

 

[RichA3Turbo]

The reason i use V Power is for the higher octane and for the leaning properties... I don't use anything else unless ABSOLUTELY necessary. My car runs perfectly on Optimax, but like a **** on anyhting else, but on a standard (even chipped car) i doubt you will notice a huge difference.

Rich

 

[jojo]

I've used BP Ultimate, Optimax(not tried V-power yet in my S3 and Tesco's 99RON.
BP stuff seems to make the car most responsive in the midrange department, making it nice to drive around town, but I find it froths up a bit when filling up, so very difficult to get a full tank, I only managed 3/4 full the last time with it spitting out and the fuel pump constantly clicking.
Optimax is better for topend for some reason, but only slightly over the BP stuff, I would say this is the best all rounder fuel.
Tescos 99RON felt like rocket fuel for the twice I filled it up, definitely more go throughout the rev range, most noticeable on motorway driving, but it showed no power increase on my last rolling road session.

These are all my opinions and experiences.

 

[ChriS3]

V-Power with the occasional bit of Millers octane booster when I remember. Most generic super unleaded is the same. Nothing cleans your engine like the Shell stuff.

 

[Adams3]

V- power all the way for me!! Cheaper than i was paying for optimax too, though not sure if this was just a drop in all petrol prices!!

 

[YX1010]

In New Zealand you have the following high octane fuel:

Shell Optimax (95 octane)
Mobil Synergy 6000 (now 95 octane)
Mobil Synergy 8000 (98 octane)
GULL Premium (95 octane)
BP Ultimate (98 octane)
Caltex Techron Premium (95 octane)

I find BP ultimate gives the best results over here - as power delivery is smooth.

I use Wynns RACE octane booster and fine on a full tank (62litres) mixing 98 octane with 2x bottle sof Wynns RACE octane booster makes a HUGE difference. Expect around 102octane with this mix. Good for track days and dragstrips.

 

[ajbroch]

its been optimax in my s3 since i got it.
Seems to have more punch with optimax - as i have had to use others when the stations have been thin on the ground.

or... i could just be being biased.............

i work for shell - the more you guys use the better bonus i will get in April!! Kepp it going!!!

 

[Peloton]

[revive thread]
I've just recently tried out that V-Power gear & I've noticed quite a difference overall. I was 'forced' to use BP Ultimate after a crack appeared in a pipe for the Optimax in my local Shell station (the next nearest one's about 20 miles away). So when I was up in Glasgow the other day & came across a Shell station I jumped at the chance to try this stuff out! What a change! I think I'll be driving those extra miles to fill up with V-Power! Even if it does sound like a cartoon slogan!
[/revive thread]

 

[jbw]

I used to run my A3 1.6 on standard BP Unleaded but made the switch to BP Ultimate about 3 weeks ago. My car purrs so much sweeter now and I get a few more miles out of the tank.
I've also heard rumours that Tesco fuel is filthy and should be avoided where possible but have nothing to back it up.

 

[buckas]

i've heard there's a bp ultimate, which is 102 octane in selected places around london

 

[alecblack]

I have just recently filled up with V Power and I can notice a difference over Sainsburys super unleaded.

V Power all the way for me from now on.

 

[voorhees]

I have started running v-power and have had the car revoed and have the sps3 switch and have upped the tuning thingy as its 99 ron and the car is definitely faster

 

[SanityClause]

I've used Optimax for the last two years, tried BP advance a few times when there was no alternative but noticed the difference when I was able to get the 98 RON again.
Can't say I've noticed any improvement using the V power replacement for Optimax though.

 

[S3 YEA]

Interesting subject this! If I use a full tank of 95RON fuel, its all good... Now... If I fill up on a tank of 98RON fuel, the performance is precisely the same... Absolutely unchanged -anyone who says different is probably kidding themselves BUT there is one biiiiig difference... Using the 98RON fuel, I get a much better fuel economy. This I attribute to the fact that the car knows that 98 burns for longer and therefore gives the engine less at a time to burn (variable valve timing at its best).

Interesting, no?!

 

[god_thats_quick]

That's not variable valve timing, that's ignition advance or retart acording to the knock sensors that will be affected by higher octane fuel.

 

[dickys3]

Interesting subject this! If I use a full tank of 95RON fuel, its all good... Now... If I fill up on a tank of 98RON fuel, the performance is precisely the same... Absolutely unchanged -anyone who says different is probably kidding themselves BUT there is one biiiiig difference... Using the 98RON fuel, I get a much better fuel economy. This I attribute to the fact that the car knows that 98 burns for longer and therefore gives the engine less at a time to burn (variable valve timing at its best).

Interesting, no?!

It will take a couple of tank fulls but there is a difference.

 

[S3 YEA]

It will take a couple of tank fulls but there is a difference.

The economy is instantly realised. For this reason, I doubt that there's a performance difference after a few tanks. I think more likely the S3 adapts its timing to suit the octane of the fuel to equal the same performance levels. Probably anyone who believes there's a performance difference is kidding themself. In a blind test, I bet no one could tell the diff!

 

[noodle]

i don't agree. i ran my 03 s3 on standard unleaded for circa a week and i could notice a difference, and i don't class myself as a real petrol head (no offence meant)
it was while shell was changing over to their new product and my local garage was sold out.. i've also tried bp's higher octane, but at 106p v's 0.94p for optimax there is no comparison for me!

 

[Peloton]

I don't agree either. While I was using BP ultimate I noticed a considerable difference top end. I thought it was just the new wheels I'd put on but now I'm back using Shell, the power has returned. Through the revs there does seem to be a difference but not that noticable but it is definetly unmistakable when I get to silly speeds. With Ultimate, acceleration slows considerably around 120ish while on Optimax/V-Power it stays more consistant from about 100 right up to the limiter. I took into account for head winds & air temps etc as these can effect performance so I gave it several runs, but each time I get up there the result is the same.
Sorry to say but there IS a difference in my car.

 

[stevehart]

Just to add to this,

if anyone gets EVO mag, there is a very interesting article on "super fuels" this month, detailing the differences between each and Rolling Road test results.

Steve

 

[S3 YEA]

Fair 'nuff! I'm outgunned... I notice a diff on economy but not really performance. Having said that, I very rarely boot my car hard... Once in a while only!