optimax

[FLAT4MATT]

Oh right so the octane is boosted with additives? Didn\'t know that, I assumed it was a different grade from the refinery - DOH!

That\'s interesting so they all use the same base?

[kev-yorks]

I\'d put money on the fact all your fuel comes from the Stanlow refinery Matt. Even though its a shell refinery if you watched at the gate i bet theres bp and other motors going in there.
Kevin

[Hayward North]

Im wondering if these fuel octain boosters you can buy from the chav shows are on the same track.
Am just learning the ideal octain fule + water/meth mix

If im not mistaken 100ron with when injecting the maximum amount of 50/50 water/meth sems to be the golden point.

Feel free to correct me as im on a learning curve again

[TonyC]

Millers Octane booster does work - speaking from several years experience.

[Timmy]

I used tesco\'s 99 in my Glanza a couple of time and it was causing all kinds of problems the car splutered and timing started retarding. Ran through a couple of tanks of v-power and the performance came back. Octane boosters do work saw some research into it once on the net but for the cost your better off buying v-power to start with.

[FLAT4MATT]

Anyone got any decent reading material on the net?

A 2 min google returned these but I\'d like to know a little more

http://www.greenergy.com/tesco_99_octane/index.html

http://www.shell.com/home/Framework?siteId=uk-en&FC2=/uk-en/tailored/shell_for_motorists/fuels/vpower_p/zzz_lhn.html&FC3=/uk-en/tailored/shell_for_motorists/fuels/vpower_p/vpower_p_about_ga_1602.html

http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?f=57&t=302977

[FLAT4MATT]

So they both have cleaning properties and both (obviously) contain octane boosters (tesco just happens to use a greener one).

Both achieve the same octane rating (99) and therefore should both be the same surely?

I have never noticed any diference between the two, certainly I can\'t see how a slightly different choice of which detergents / octane booster is used would affect the burn of a fuel rated at the same octane.

Explanation of what octane ratings ACTUALLY mean...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Octane_rating

My undestanding is that two fuels of the same octane rating should create the same levels of knock and the same burn if all other things remain constant. As for rolling road days there are too many variables. And as for Timmy\'s car spluttering experience... I can only guess at contaminated fuel?

So (for now) since I don\'t see how two fuels of seemingly VERY simlar blends and THE SAME octane rating could make any noticable difference I\'ll continue to use either or

Has anybody mentioned the word placebo yet?

[kev-yorks]

Octane ratings drop from the moment the fuel is blended the key is to get fresh fuel into your tank. As V power tends to sell better than the other premium fuels then it is more likely to have a higher octane to the end user than say Tesco\'s 99 that may of been in the filling stations tanks a extra week or so.
Kevin

[David Nock (RIP)]

Octane ratings drop from the moment the fuel is blended the key is to get fresh fuel into your tank. As V power tends to sell better than the other premium fuels then it is more likely to have a higher octane to the end user than say Tesco\'s 99 that may of been in the filling stations tanks a extra week or so.
Kevin

Sooo.... if, like me, you don\'t do many miles, does RON 95 fuel also degrade if left in the tank awhile? And is that why V Power at 99 RON seems better for running over a month or so, while the same fuel\'s in my tank? In other words, does 95 RON degrade down to very poor octane levels?

[Prof]

The fuel at out local tesco\'s ships out pretty quick - seems to be a lot of 99 ron users, which means it\'s always pretty fresh.  Same probably goes for the local Shell garages - so I\'ve never had a bad batch of fuel locally.
 
AFR readings for a virtually emptied tank refill were the same as far as I could discern - so both VPower and Tesco produced the same results.
 
I also prefer to fill up early morning or at night, as I\'m convinced you get slightly more in your tank for the money , but that could be just wishful thinking on my part.

[FLAT4MATT]

I also prefer to fill up early morning or at night, as I\'m convinced you get slightly more in your tank for the money , but that could be just wishful thinking on my part.

Every little helps... Forgive the Tesco Pun

[trotter]

Every little helps... Forgive the Tesco Pun

don\'t let the door hit you on the @rse on the way out mate :mmmm

yeah, really funny thing about petrol and garages etc, is that many peeps think that each garage chain processes their own oil (yeah, that\'ll be the big Morrisons refinery!) when in reality its all the same oil feedstock initially and is just sold to whomever wants it. The INEOS refinery at Grangemouth supplies pretty much all the garages in Scotland either directly or indirectly.

[thetera]

Shame we dont know what they add or we could premix our own fuel as well as oil
 
So any idea what they add to increase the octain rating ? ethernol ?

Dunno what they add, but you could try putting in toluene - its what they used in the 80s to run 60+psi of boost on the F1 cars :Giggle

[Timmy]

I think petrol from the pump has to be minmum of what they state so atleast 99ron. Rating fuel in ron is not a very good way of showing which gets less knock. If i remember correctly there\'s another measurment but can\'t remember what it is called.

[FLAT4MATT]

Timmy read the link I posted to wikipedia it explains all about octane ...