99 Octane Fuel at Tesco

[turboguru]

Hi,

I noticed that Tesco now do 99 Octane fuel. Has anyone tried it? I wonder if it is better than Optimax? anyway check it out as it's only 94p per litre too vs 99p for OM around here.

Cheers

C

[turbobloke]

Tried it and it seems fine, but as the 12 Tescos that stock it are all in the S or SE I only get to fill up when business takes me that way - usually at the Winchester M3 Tescos - so my experience is really with a blend of 99 and Optimax. Tesco customer services say they'll stock it nationwide if sales at the trial sites look good enough.

[Raven Flyer]

Thanks TG, I'll see if my local Tesco is doing the stuff.

Is there anyway to accelerate the ECU octane learning process?

On some cars, you could take the battery off for 20 mins and then hold full load in top gear for 11 seconds plus (mates in the car, up a hill, etc) and it made quite a difference. Has anyone tried to see if the 996 works the same?

[nevetas]

imo the ecu will learn itself about the higer grade fuel.

[big.bad.wolfie]

Raven Flyer said:

Thanks TG, I'll see if my local Tesco is doing the stuff. Is there anyway to accelerate the ECU octane learning process? On some cars, you could take the battery off for 20 mins and then hold full load in top gear for 11 seconds plus (mates in the car, up a hill, etc) and it made quite a difference. Has anyone tried to see if the 996 works the same?

just disconnecting the battery for a few minutes will do. Some I think 190+, up hill, 4 up will be asking for trouble with a Turbo

[roshambo]

I think it learns after a couple of tank fulls.

I read that Optimax not only is high octane (not quite 99) but it also has cleaning additives in it that seem to protect the car - I remember EVO mag did a test & it showed quite conclusively that Optimax indeed does this.

I mean when I ran my Subaru STi I ran it on Optimax with Octane booster (added one bottle every fill up) which gave me 101 RON (98 plus 3) as the Sti imports are tuned & designed to run on japanese octane fuel, which is 100 RON.

If its just down to the RON then I will put the highest in the car - ie Tesco's, but part of me wonders if its still just their standard stuff with more octane booster in it, which will over a time be worse for the car than Optimax which seems designed to be "good" for your car ?

Ro.

[turbobloke]

Raven Flyer said:

Thanks TG, I'll see if my local Tesco is doing the stuff.

According to Tesco Customer Services the trial stores are these :

Bedford 1
Cheshunt Extra
Crawley Hazelwick
Gallions Reach Extra
Gillingham
Lakeside
Ramsgate Manston
Salisbury 2
Sandhurst
Sevenoaks Riverhead
Stevenage
Winchester

Hopefully one of these is near enough

[Raven Flyer]

Ro

I've got a mate who a production manager the refinery on the Thames (near Canvey). They supply most of the SE, irrespective of where you buy it and they also still pump Avgas (100ll) to Stansted and Heathrow, through pipelines.

The stuff coming off the cracking towers is around 120 RON, but its too unstable at this rating (not anymore explosive, but breaks down quickly) so they blend it down to 95. Optimax is 95 with additives and is an average 98.6.

I suspect that Tesco's fuel is the same as Optimax, but they have rounded it up.

If you aren't happy with that, you can always buy your own Toluene

Looks like I'll be driving to Lakeside more often than expected. There's a massive shortage of Optimax in Essex, but more and more BP garages have Ultima.

[911 habit]

In Germany you get Shell V-POWER which is 100 octane, real shame it's not anywhere else. It makes a big difference in my 996TT.

You can always buy some octane boost from Halfords or alike to bring the 97/98 up, which may be cheaper if Tesco is to far to drive!

[cyrus1971]

911 habit said:

In Germany you get Shell V-POWER which is 100 octane, real shame it's not anywhere else. It makes a big difference in my 996TT.

Yes Shell V-Power is rocket fuel in my 996TT too. Really noticeable. I had to fill 95 RON in a country filling station once then emptied the tank followed by a full tank of V-Power (terrible name or what?) and within 2 KM I was getting at least 30 Bhp more than on the 95 and about 15 bhp more than on 98. Obviously just my feeling at the wheel but engine was so responsive too just begging for more right foot.

[turboguru]

The tesco I got it at was not on your list, it is Warfield near Bracknell.

It seems to run well in mine but I will let you know after a couple more tank fulls.

Interesting point about the german fuels as most as 100 Ron and it is meant to run much better. For a lot of cars it doesn't make a major difference but for turbos it seems too.

I wonder if Turbos in Germany are set up to run on 100 Ron as standard?

[roshambo]

Can octane booster be used in 996TT's ?
I used Millers in my STi which gave an extra 3 RON on 98 RON fuel, seems to me that this could be the cheapest performance upgrade ever for a TT.
A case of 10 bottles is about £30 so £3 extra on a tank of fuel, hardly gonna break the bank.

Anyone know about octane boosters & 996 TT's ?

Ro.

>> Edited by roshambo on Wednesday 31st August 10:54

[turbobloke]

turboguru said:

The tesco I got it at was not on your list, it is Warfield near Bracknell.

That's good news, they must be rolling it out on a wider basis already. The list of the initial twelve stores came to me in an e-mail direct from Tesco HQ, so it should be reliable. Hopefully it'll spread wider.

roshambo said:

Can octane booster be used in 996TT's ?

There's no reason not to use high quality octane booster in any turbocharged 911. The compounds used in those can't do any harm of themselves.

[Raven Flyer]

Millers is manganese based and leaves orange powder (manganese oxide) deposits in the manifold and turbo. Although they say otherwise, I would have thought that regular use would kill the lambda sensors just as quickly as lead oxide.

MTBE based boosters burn cleaner.

[roshambo]

Maybe steer clear of boosters then.....

[turbobloke]

Raven Flyer said:

Millers is manganese based and leaves orange powder (manganese oxide) deposits in the manifold and turbo. Although they say otherwise, I would have thought that regular use would kill the lambda sensors just as quickly as lead oxide. MTBE based boosters burn cleaner.

Millers looks to be an organometallic blend if that's the case. Here's an extract from a description of their products:

CVL turbo will increase the octane of commercially available pump fuel by up to 4 RON (40 octane points).

Independent tests have shown that a combination of CVL Turbo and Shell Optimax will give a Research Octane Number (RON) of between 101 and 102 octane.

CVL Turbo provides flame front control to prevent detonation and is suited to all turbo and non-turbo engines where maximum performance is demanded. It will appeal to track day enthusiasts, rally competitors and other forms of competitive motoring where the additional octane is demanded.

CVL Turbo is suitable for occasional use in vehicles fitted with catalytic converters and is compatible with nitrous injection systems. Use Millers Octane Plus for continuous use in catalyst equipped vehicles.

roshambo said:

Maybe steer clear of boosters then.....

There's no need to steer clear of everything, there are plenty of excellent octane boosters that won't harm turbos or cats or sensors or anything else. They come in three main types based on active ingredients: methyl cyclopentadienyl manganese tricarbonyl (MMT) and similar iron-based organometallics are used in some boosters, a list which apparently includes Millers... a second type of booster uses alcohols (I've seen this type in Halfords) while a third employs benzene derivatives such as toluene.

Maybe the biggest problem caused by using octane boosters has arisen through overdosing. Toluene in particular needs to be added in fairly large volumetric ratios to make an impact but it's got a narrow band of effectiveness. A misplaced desire to get even more benefits by adding excess can risk the air/fuel mixture still burning as it exits through the exhaust valve. This is capable of destroying emissions control technology!

Steer away from manganese if you're worried and don't overdose on toluene. I've used the last two types, with alcohols and aromatics, extensively in turbocharged and n.a. cars with cats and sensors as well as turbocharged and n.a. cars without - no problems

[911 habit]

So what would you all recommend is the best booster to use then?

I've tried the STP (orange one) from Halfords @£4-5 ago to add to a tank full - this works but I'm sure there are other ones which are better. The methyl ones are more money and treat a less quantity of fuel. Ahhhhhh methyl……

[turbobloke]

Depending on your o.b. sensitivity index you could do worse than Aldon octane booster. It's claimed to be safe for turbos and cats, and I've used it (it works) without any problems. Just follow the recipe and heed the warnings! Available here or there.