Discussion
Having used Optimax almost since day one and with it
being in plentyful supply when I lived in Milton Keynes,
I am now faced with a 30 - 40 miles round trip to the
closest Shell Station.
I had to fill up away from the area at the weekend and
only found a BP selling Ultimate.
With that selling locally as well, anyone here using
it on a regular basis?
Will I notice a down turn in performance?
What's everyone else using?
being in plentyful supply when I lived in Milton Keynes,
I am now faced with a 30 - 40 miles round trip to the
closest Shell Station.
I had to fill up away from the area at the weekend and
only found a BP selling Ultimate.
With that selling locally as well, anyone here using
it on a regular basis?
Will I notice a down turn in performance?
What's everyone else using?
GCerbera said:
Having used Optimax almost since day one and with it
being in plentyful supply when I lived in Milton Keynes,
I am now faced with a 30 - 40 miles round trip to the
closest Shell Station.
I had to fill up away from the area at the weekend and
only found a BP selling Ultimate.
With that selling locally as well, anyone here using
it on a regular basis?
Will I notice a down turn in performance?
What's everyone else using?
I've been thinking about carrying a little bottle of that octane booster stuff in the car incase I'm ever forced to full up on regular unleaded. (Of course, I'm also quite tempted to add it to Optimax, too!)
Normal super will not hurt at all unless you have had the car remapped for optimax by Joolz 
.
Apparently BP Ultimate is just normal 97RON super unleaded so don't buy it in preference to super (still checking this).
Optimax is just a load of additives put in normal petrol and some of the additives are volatile hence the fear that optimax has a short shelf life as well. Somebody wrote to shell and they denied this.
Another factor is how 'clean' the tanks are, i.e. do they switch what is stored in the tanks, diesel one week, optimax the next? Do they purge them in between?
Anyway, super is fine.
. Apparently BP Ultimate is just normal 97RON super unleaded so don't buy it in preference to super (still checking this).
Optimax is just a load of additives put in normal petrol and some of the additives are volatile hence the fear that optimax has a short shelf life as well. Somebody wrote to shell and they denied this.
Another factor is how 'clean' the tanks are, i.e. do they switch what is stored in the tanks, diesel one week, optimax the next? Do they purge them in between?
Anyway, super is fine.
With my 4.0L Chim, I used both ordinary unleaded and Optimax and even octane booted Optimax (but only the once).
All cars are different, and I'm not going down the performance/fuel ecomomy/pops and bangs discussions again, but for what it's worth make of the following what you will:
Less MPG on Supermarket unleaded (by about 2-3 mpg)
21 or so MPG on 95 unleaded (branded i.e BP/Shell/Texaco)
23 to 24 MPG on Optimax.
23 to 24 MPG on Optimax with octane booster
On all the above I noticed no difference in performance or starting or lumpy running,etc, but I know all cars are different and we are talking AJP not RV8 here.
As a footnote, I test drove a 4.2 at the weekend and it was running 95 octane. I have nothing to compare it with, FAAAAAACK!
All cars are different, and I'm not going down the performance/fuel ecomomy/pops and bangs discussions again, but for what it's worth make of the following what you will:
Less MPG on Supermarket unleaded (by about 2-3 mpg)
21 or so MPG on 95 unleaded (branded i.e BP/Shell/Texaco)
23 to 24 MPG on Optimax.
23 to 24 MPG on Optimax with octane booster
On all the above I noticed no difference in performance or starting or lumpy running,etc, but I know all cars are different and we are talking AJP not RV8 here.
As a footnote, I test drove a 4.2 at the weekend and it was running 95 octane. I have nothing to compare it with, FAAAAAACK!
snorky said:That's just not true. Sure, some of the additives are detergents, but Shell themselves admit that it's just NUL + octane boosters. That's why Optimax is cheaper than SUL.
Optimax is 98RON unleaded the only additives are the detergent kind for cleaning the crap out your engine.
I beg to differ - the only thing that makes it different is Optimax is 98 RON ie NUL spiked up with extra toluene during blending. SUL is 97 RON again NUL ( 95RON) with some extra tolly added at blend time. The only additives are for engine cleaning.
>> Edited by snorky on Friday 13th February 10:56
>> Edited by snorky on Friday 13th February 10:56
whatever your preference over Super UL, Optimax and BP Ultimate, PLEASE do NOT use supermarket fuel!!
It is cheaper for a reason and any engine like the AJP will not appreciate it for long. I have read several articles about the general piss poor quality of fuel that the supermarkets buy to be price competitive. For the sake of a few quid a fill up your pride and joy deserves better!
It is cheaper for a reason and any engine like the AJP will not appreciate it for long. I have read several articles about the general piss poor quality of fuel that the supermarkets buy to be price competitive. For the sake of a few quid a fill up your pride and joy deserves better!
The marketing department at BP should be shot!
Fancy new garages and adverts on the tele. They come up with their new peroformance petrol and think hmmm what will we call this then?? Shell have already done the business and are out there with optimax. I know we'll call it Ultimate. Great thinking boy wonder thats feckin original! I almost have trouble fillin up trev with the tacky name and shitty clours its written in. yuk! Fortunaltey Mr Max is just 2 miles away!
Fancy new garages and adverts on the tele. They come up with their new peroformance petrol and think hmmm what will we call this then?? Shell have already done the business and are out there with optimax. I know we'll call it Ultimate. Great thinking boy wonder thats feckin original! I almost have trouble fillin up trev with the tacky name and shitty clours its written in. yuk! Fortunaltey Mr Max is just 2 miles away!
here we go again.... supermarket fuel is EXACTLY THE SAME AS ANY OTHER - at our refinery the Sainsbury trucks fill up out of the same tank as the BP and the Shell and the etc etc tankers.....any evidence you have of rough running on "supermarket fuel" is usually down to how well that individual garage looks after it's storage...
it's essentially illegal to make "piss poor quality" fuel as they are all tested to a British standard ( the number is written on the pumps). We fill up the tankers for numerous different brands all out of the same tank because it doesn't make sense to send a tanker up to Scotland if there is a refinery there and they do the same for us ....
>> Edited by snorky on Friday 13th February 14:12
it's essentially illegal to make "piss poor quality" fuel as they are all tested to a British standard ( the number is written on the pumps). We fill up the tankers for numerous different brands all out of the same tank because it doesn't make sense to send a tanker up to Scotland if there is a refinery there and they do the same for us ....
>> Edited by snorky on Friday 13th February 14:12
I am indirectly involved in the industry too snorky and all I can say is that in my experience that is not the case. Whether its storage conditions or lax quality control I don't know but the supermarket fuel in the SE where I live has had problems.
You will be only too aware of the difficulty in accurately measuring and maintaining a product such as gasoline. The various purchase contracts all stipulate a minimum standard as you rightly say but what goes on outside of that would surprise you.
You will be only too aware of the difficulty in accurately measuring and maintaining a product such as gasoline. The various purchase contracts all stipulate a minimum standard as you rightly say but what goes on outside of that would surprise you.
If you don't mind getting served up a tonk of gronk then go to the supermarket or the backwater filling station and juice up with their NUL. Its Optimax, Ultimate or SUL all the way for me. 
I'd reckon to steer clear of all those "Nitrous-in-a-Can" additives that the Saxo and Corsa boys poor in their tanks before laying some rubber down at the sea front. Its got to be poison for an engine, hasn't it?
I'd reckon to steer clear of all those "Nitrous-in-a-Can" additives that the Saxo and Corsa boys poor in their tanks before laying some rubber down at the sea front. Its got to be poison for an engine, hasn't it?
Tatlow said:Well it was Optimax all the way for me.
If you don't mind getting served up a tonk of gronk then go to the supermarket or the backwater filling station and juice up with their NUL. Its Optimax, Ultimate or SUL all the way for me.
Sadly though I now have no choice as the closest
Optimax is about a 30+ mile round trip and not on
a route I use.
I have found a local selling SUL, but at a greater
cost than Optimax!
I'll simply have to plan the refuelling more carefully
now the luxury of Optimax 2 mins away has gone.
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