V Power

[Jacob]

My local Shell garage no longer does Optimax and has moved on to V-Power. (Not sure if this is a nationwide switch over)

 

I have filled up twice now and I am convinced that there is a difference in how freely my car will rev over 4,000 revs - not by much (has always pulled strong at high revs) but by enough.

 

Any other experiences?

[johndglynn]

My local Shell garage no longer does Optimax and has moved on to V-Power. I have filled up twice now and I am convinced that there is a difference in how freely my car will rev over 4,000 revs - not by much (has always pulled strong at high revs) but by enough.

It's been called V-Power in other countries for ages, is it really going to be all that different I ask myself as a 95-only user. Roy M is a good guy to get in on this; he has done thousands of miles in his 3.2 on Optimax.

[Von Twinzig]

My local Shell garage no longer does Optimax and has moved on to V-Power. (Not sure if this is a nationwide switch over)

 

I have filled up twice now and I am convinced that there is a difference in how freely my car will rev over 4,000 revs - not by much (has always pulled strong at high revs) but by enough.

 

Any other experiences?

 

Interesting.....I had the same thing happen last weekend. Filled up with V-Power and I commented how much better the mid range felt over Optimax.

[jevvy]

I always use optimax even before the 3.6 swap. Having been a sad b4stard and keeping carefull records of miles and fuel used and trying different fuels in different situations I can say that for both the 3.2 and the 3.6 I actually get more miles per tank and also it does give the car an extra "zing" feeling compared to normal unleaded and other super unleaded. Cos of the extra miles per tank and the extra zing I feel that its worth the extra pennys - pretty sure it works out even in the ned cos of the extra miles.

 

Learnt from my scooby days I understood that:

Standard unleaded is typically: 95 RON

Typical super plus is: 97 RON

Optimax is at LEAST: 98 RON

 

I might give the V-Power a whirl and add it to my saddo spreadsheet

[Von Twinzig]

 

Oops.... Have I posted this in the wrong thread?

 

P.S. Sorry Jevvy!

[jevvy]

set myself up tbh - what do I expect when I post things like "keeping carefull records of miles and fuel used"

[nick]

From August 24th Optimax is no more, all shell forecourts are now selling V-power which is rated as a 99RON fuel. There is an article in this months EVO which shows a standard 996GT3 producing 381.9bhp on 97RON bp fuel and once re mapped to run on V-power gave 430bhp!!

 

I have read several articles over the last few months re higher octane fuels and the general opinion is if you have a car with a performance engine then you should use as higher an octane as possible for maximum performance.

 

My daily drive is a Saab 93 Aero which drives like a dog on regular fuel but the optimax bought her to life like you wouldn't believe, likewise with my 911sc which have always ran on Optimax. First used V-power on the way home on Sunday from Eynsham and I swear she has been much perkier since, like you have all said seems to rev much better at the top end.

 

Cost I think is negligable, I worked out that £30 worth of standard unleaded at a rate of 30mpg would get you 11 mile further than £30 worth of Optimax so not much difference really. Give me the performance, I will walk the last 11 mile!!

[johndglynn]

set myself up tbh - what do I expect when I post things like "keeping carefull records of miles and fuel used"

Mate, I don't know how we never bumped into each other in the two years I had my car before I met you, but I'm glad you are here, proper anorak's anorak you are and it's always great to know 'one is not alone'

[Tripe]

I've not tried the V stuff however filled my scooby up with a tank of that high octane Tesco petrol the other day and I could swear that as a result it's more pokey than the Optimax I usually use.

[AirCooledExcellence]

Mate, I don't know how we never bumped into each other in the two years I had my car before I met you, but I'm glad you are here, proper anorak's anorak you are and it's always great to know 'one is not alone'

 

Ahhh, JG's got a mate, at last

[jevvy]

not sure if I feel better or worse!

[AirCooledExcellence]

not sure if I feel better or worse!

 

Hint: You should be feeling worse, MUCH worse

[jevvy]

proper lol now!

[johndglynn]

Yes, much worse but strangely better lol

[Von Twinzig]

John - Perhaps we need a new symbol to show degrees of anorakability...like so...

 

 

....a bit like the spanners in PCGB

[johndglynn]

Degrees of sp-anorakability you mean mate

 

I love it, someone do the graphics - red raincoats all round

 

Spanorak Number One reporting for duty

[topcarrera]

I've not tried the V stuff however filled my scooby up with a tank of that high octane Tesco petrol the other day and I could swear that as a result it's more pokey than the Optimax I usually use.

 

I've alternated between Optimax and BP Ultimate. I certainly don't think the Optimax is better in my car and if anything I prefer the BP stuff. Reality is its probably impossible to tell. I did a trackday at Bedford earlier this year and ran on Tesco superunleaded for the first half of the day - the car flew!

[Richard Bernau]

Unfortunately, in our cars without adaptive knock sensing etc (actually no knock sensing) there is no benefit in running higher octane fuel other than in getting more resistance to knock. Using the greater resistance to knock, you can advance your timing a tad and lean out the AFRs for more hp but this requires timing to be reset manually and a rechip. On cars like Saabs with trionic ECU and presumably 997GT3s, the knock sensing will retard/advance for octane automatically and so a 99RON will make more hp than a 97RON - hence the results of the EVO test. Of course ECUs all have a safety margin built in and what WRC did to the GT3 to get 430hp was to erode some of that safety margin. This is the same thing that Steve Wong (and others) will do when they remap a chip for use with Optimax/VPower etc. Because our 3.2s have no knock sensing, there may be even more safety margin built in than for current models - not sure about that.

 

The main benefit of these new uber fuels for our cars is the additive package which will result in a cleaner engine. I swear that after a long fast run - like coming back from Spa - my car felt so much faster when I jumped in it the next weekend (I guess it was no longer full of tyres, jacks, tools etc which helps). Similarly, after a run in the family TT wagon, it feels much freer and stronger in the midrange. So, a good clean out in the form of a long fast drive will make the car run better/stronger. Stands to reason a good fuel that cleans things up will do the same. Perhaps that is part of what we are feeling?

 

Having said all that, I will be trying a tank full of VPower for my next fill to see if there is any difference I can feel.

 

RB

[ClubSport]

Unfortunately, in our cars without adaptive knock sensing etc (actually no knock sensing) there is no benefit in running higher octane fuel other than in getting more resistance to knock. Using the greater resistance to knock, you can advance your timing a tad and lean out the AFRs for more hp but this requires timing to be reset manually and a rechip. On cars like Saabs with trionic ECU and presumably 997GT3s, the knock sensing will retard/advance for octane automatically and so a 99RON will make more hp than a 97RON - hence the results of the EVO test. Of course ECUs all have a safety margin built in and what WRC did to the GT3 to get 430hp was to erode some of that safety margin. This is the same thing that Steve Wong (and others) will do when they remap a chip for use with Optimax/VPower etc. Because our 3.2s have no knock sensing, there may be even more safety margin built in than for current models - not sure about that.

 

The main benefit of these new uber fuels for our cars is the additive package which will result in a cleaner engine. I swear that after a long fast run - like coming back from Spa - my car felt so much faster when I jumped in it the next weekend (I guess it was no longer full of tyres, jacks, tools etc which helps). Similarly, after a run in the family TT wagon, it feels much freer and stronger in the midrange. So, a good clean out in the form of a long fast drive will make the car run better/stronger. Stands to reason a good fuel that cleans things up will do the same. Perhaps that is part of what we are feeling?

 

Having said all that, I will be trying a tank full of VPower for my next fill to see if there is any difference I can feel.

 

RB

 

I have Dyno evidence, that no matter what I did, the Optimax / V power allowed the car to produced more (~1 or 2) hp more than with the BP Super Fuel. When I contaced the technical rep @ BP, he was not at all surprised by this. Hence the new 102 octane Fuel (which I saw being used in anger @ the trade day @ the Autosport show.) Trouble is, I think it's a little pricey ! (and moreover is really better suited to adaptive knock sensing that the open loop system we have on the 3.2.