Do you need super unleaded?

[v8_steve]

This weekend I had to fill the Chimaera with unleaded petrol rather than the super-unleaded I normal use (either that or break down). The car ran and performed fine. Is super unleaded actually needed?

[coachmans]

Following recommendations by Richard Smith of Dulford Automotive (TVR specialist for over 10 years) I've run my Griff 500 on a mix of Optimax and ordinary unleaded. Generally every 2nd or 3rd fill with Optimax and its run fine for the last six years - no pinking or noticeable loss of power (would I notice a 10bhp drop on a 500 ????? I doubt it!!!!)
Anyone else doing the same ??
Chris

[Blackpool Rocker]

I run my 400HC on Sainsbury's super unleaded. I do occasionly
use BP Ultimate/optimax, but the fuel is never in the tank
long enough! ;-)

[grumbledoak]

I doubt it is really necessary for road use - some people just like to 'treat' their cars.
Of course, if you only ever use super, the ecu will learn to like it...

[pupp]

grumbledoak said:

Of course, if you only ever use super, the ecu will learn to like it...

Afraid not. No knock sensing or ignition control on the standard ECU at all.
An occasional tank of Optimax for the cleansing properties for me, with mostly normal unleaded day to day. No pinking, no worries.

[Fire99]

I mentioned this a little while ago. Mine actually ran BETTER on standard than on Esso's Super...
Now i run mine generally on optimax for its quality with the occasional standard fuel..

[that daddy]

yep mines an Hc i can say ive not noticed any change super or regular.ive tryed em all,no pinking flat spots nothing hope this helps,although i do treat the old girl to super every now & then.

[Gaffer]

I was shown 2 test engines at TVR by John Ravenscroft way back in the day.

One was run on normal unleaded, the other on Optimax

The one on normal looked awful, a bit like a smokers lung, the optimax one was a helluva lot cleaner. Both had done the same amount of miles etc etc etc

I even ran my Vitaras on Optimax. I wont run on anything else - unless this VPower comes out.

Claire

[Fire99]

Gaffer said:

I was shown 2 test engines at TVR by John Ravenscroft way back in the day.

One was run on normal unleaded, the other on Optimax

The one on normal looked awful, a bit like a smokers lung, the optimax one was a helluva lot cleaner. Both had done the same amount of miles etc etc etc

I even ran my Vitaras on Optimax. I wont run on anything else - unless this VPower comes out.

Claire

Hi Claire,

Not a bad way to go i'd say.. unfortunately when returning from Silverstone back to Essex i was stuck using the dreaded services and couldn't find a Shell...

And my local shell garage opens late and closes early compared to some of the others so i have to suffer other fuel some of the time.. dammit!

[Gaffer]

I have only once had to put in something else, I just put in enough to get me to the next Shell garage on the motorway and then bunged in as much optimax as I could.

Claire

[that daddy]

that why i use a tankful of super every now & then,thing is those detergents that make super so much cleaner should also be present in regular unleaded,as usual were shafted with low quality fuel thats why injector fouling is so common nowadays especially single point systems they really suffer.then they try to sell us a more expensive fuel,all there doing is saying use this super duper fuel cos regular is shit.

[over_the_hill]

Blackpool Rocker said:

I run my 400HC on Sainsbury's super unleaded. I do occasionly
use BP Ultimate/optimax, but the fuel is never in the tank
long enough! ;-)

I have heard that Sains'os 97 and BP-Ulti are the same stuff. So buy from the supermarket and save 5p+ per-litre.

[Cider Andy]

pupp said:

No pinking, no worries.

That's it in a nutshell. All depends on where your ignition timing's set. Assuming, of course, that everything else is in good order.

Gaffer said:

I wont run on anything else - unless this VPower comes out.

It's the same stuff. It's just that they call it Optimax here and V-Power everywhere else.

[hogbenc]

Mine seams to run pretty well on standard UL but there is a noticeable improvement when I'm fully loaded with Optimax.

Having said that I've just filled her up with a full tank of the Tesco Super UL (99RON) and is going better than ever and also cheaper than Optimax!

[Vesuvius 996]

Optimax now discontinued and replaced with 99 RON V Power

[brummiewedge]

The supermarket standard fuel is nats piss! My Leon Cupra was sooo slow on that stuff, because it could sense knock etc. However their Super was fine went just as well on that as the flash brands.

[dickkark]

ran all my rv8`s engined cars on normal unleaded for years, just put a fuel system cleaner in once a year(wynns) nether had any problems.

[Cider Andy]

Cider Andy said:

It's the same stuff.

They say a week's a long time in politics, but a day's a long time in here: just look how wrong you can be:

ITV-F1.com said:

Shell V-Power, launched on August 23, is a new and improved performance fuel exclusively available at Shell UK forecourts.

Shell V-Power builds on the highly successful Shell Optimax premium fuel brand launched in 2001 and was developed in conjunction with the Ferrari F1 team.

Its unique formulation uses F1 technology to provide road-going cars with even higher levels of engine performance and responsiveness.

Indeed, it contains 99 per cent of the same compounds as the fuel used on the race track by Ferrari – an extraordinary statistic when you consider the differences between the cars!

Actually it was the same stuff with a different name.