Which Fuel is better?

[MLCrisis]

Hi guys,

If you try a search on "BP Ultimate" or "Optimax" or even "Opticrap" (which appears in most threads on the subject!), you should get some good background. The thread below gives quite a bit of discussion on the topic with some quite informed views.

Here's the thread.

http://www.skylinesaustralia.com/forums/sh...50&page=1&pp=25

Cheers.

[nemz]

the vortex 98 is great better then optimax, but hard to compare between ultimate and vortex 98, but yeh i voted bp

[Aya]

Gonna try BP and try to feel the difference, if feels bad, go back to Shell...

[Baz]

You do realise that all fuel comes from the one supplier and refinery - BP. They then process and refine it and sell it in two different barrels being - unleaded and premium unleaded. Once sold to all the other companies they then go about adding all there own additives and cleaning agents (probably why you notice differences in why some have higher sulfur content than others) But essentially they all still have the same octane rating as premium unleaded not the 98 RON which they try to advertise with. (I'm not sure but they may add octane boosters to there fuel maybe?)

The reason for the high prices of oil is one reason why fuel is becoming so expensive. Another is that there is no competition amongst other refineries and BP can raise the prices of there barrels of fuel to what ever they like to make as much profit as possible. Thats what I have been told anyway, it's like that over in Perth but may be different elsewhere.

[Maxx]

BP 98 RON or mobil is what i use... BP seems to be better.

There is a servo here that has 100RON racing fuel.  at $1.40 it isn't cheap... i put in 15L and it only lasted 80km.  hehe apparently a mixture of premium and avgas.

where is the servo sell 100ROM racing fuel?

BP is the only fuel i use

[MLCrisis]

Hey, GotBoost, have a read of the thread I put up earlier ..... and bear in mind that most people reading this thread are not way out West, like us.

Having said that, there are a few things that you haven't quite got the right end of the stick on. You are right that in the West, the other fuel retailers have to buy their raw product from BP at Kwinana. As the other thread says, they then add their additives and sell it as their own. I am fairly sure that this happens vice versa in other locations around Australia where there is only one refinery within cooey. But there are a number of refineries in NSW / Vic, so there is competition nationally (so the price argument is a bit more complicated than you suggest).

The main point where you are not quite right is:

But essentially they all still have the same octane rating as premium unleaded not the 98 RON which they try to advertise with. (I'm not sure but they may add octane boosters to there fuel maybe?)

BP's 98 octane fuel, BP Ultimate is a refined fuel - i.e. it achieves its octane rating through refining, not through additives. It is not a 95 octane fuel with additives boosting it to 98. The Mobil 98 octane fuel is the same. On the other hand, Shell Optimax is a 95 octane fuel with additives boosting it to 98. I believe from what others have posted elsewhere that the Caltex 98 octane fuel also achieves its rating through additives.

Here in the West, BP produce the 98 octane fuel at Kwinana, but refuse to sell it on to anyone else. Shell do not market Optimax here, presumably because it is uneconomical to build the plant required to take the raw 95 octane fuel from BP Kwinana and mix it up to 98 octane. Mobil are also left in the lurch, with their lovely 98 octane fuel only available near their refinery over East.

As for which fuel is best, the conclusion from several other threads was that BP Ultimate or the Mobil 98 octane fuel were the best. Not surprising, given that their octane rating is not achieved by additives, unlike the rest.

Cheers.

Such fun.

[Babylon]

i have not used Shell Obtimax yet but i did my own lil test and found out that i get more Mileage from BP premium rather then BP ultimate

i have no idea why.

[Demon]

I find synenergy 8000 (ie mobil) to give the best response and fuel mileage. Shell optimax is crap. BP ulitmate is not bad....

[Sydneykid]

Sorry but this survey is a waste of oxygen. As has been posted a number of times, in this thread and many others, oil companies have refinery sharing agreements. If they didn't then, for example, you wouldn't have BP service stations in Sydney. It is simply too expensive to truck fuel around the country and still compete with local refineries supplying their service stations.

To be of any use at all, you would need to have a a number of individual surveys that are state based. Even that is questionable as day to day supplies can vary in source.

[Sydneykid]

Something to think about;

We have 4 cars, that use around 65 litres of Optimax each per week. Last year they always seemd to run out of petrol on Thursdays. I don't know why, but petrol in Sydney is always more expensive on Thursdays. Maybe because Thursday is pay day for many people. Someone suggested to me that it's because people go shopping on Thursday nights and use their shoppers' discount to buy petrol. Eventually (being a scrooge) I got a a bit peeeed of with paying up to 12 cents litre more, just because of timing.

So one Tuesday (the cheapest day) I filled up one of the drums we use for the race cars and stuck it in the garage. I told the drivers to only fill up on Tuesdays and to fill up out of the drum if they ran out on other days. Plus we always use shopper dockets to get the 4 cents per litre off at the local Shell.

The result, so far this year we have saved over $1K on petrol, compared to if we had bought it on Thursdays and not used the shopper dockets. So every year I can buy a new turbo for one car, and that will make it go faster than using any other brand of petrol.

PS; we have been know to fill up 3 cars and the drum on one shopper docket, just don't reset the bowser between cars.

[geno8r]

So every year I can buy a new turbo for one car, and that will make it go faster than using any other brand of petrol.

lol "I want what he's got mister..."

[FATGTS-R]

PS; we have been know to fill up 3 cars and the drum on one shopper docket, just don't reset the bowser between cars.

I have tried that many times with the work trucks filling 2 or 3 at once with each truck having 3 tanks each with approx 180L capacity so the bowser ends up pumping out about 1200-1500L with a potential $50-$60 rebate. ( the drivers toss a coin for the flybuys, lol)

But in VIC anyway, the dockets are limited to 150 litres from memory and most attendants wont let it happen. On average, we get away with it evry 3rd or 4th time.

[superspit]

OK, so after seeing the poll, and understanding that more than a few people here know what they're on about, I decided to try BP98, again. Well, that's the 3rd and final time for me.!! I'll stick the the smelly Expensomax, and my car will continue to run well. I just don't see anything 'great' with BP98, car goes/idles like crap until it gets rid of the tank. i guess it must be an 'age' or 'tune' thing in each car?. Ayways, each to their own I guess!

[Sydneykid]

OK, so after seeing the poll, and understanding that more than a few people here know what they're on about, I decided to try BP98, again. Well, that's the 3rd and final time for me.!! I'll stick the the smelly Expensomax, and my car will continue to run well. I just don't see anything 'great' with BP98, car goes/idles like crap until it gets rid of the tank. i guess it must be an 'age' or 'tune' thing in each car?. Ayways, each to their own I guess!

I noticed that you live in Melbourne, there is no BP refinery in Victoria.

[Silver'sR33]

My car simply runs better on optimax than ultimate. I've tried it several times thanks to posts like this and it just runs better on optimax. On ultimate it stalls more from the revs dropping and bouncing while idling etc.

I accept that Ultimate may be better in some places/some cars but so is optimax, definitely.

[slow13dude]

Yeah I second that.

Optimax is the shit when you're in Brisbane.

BP just goes through like water.

But Vic and NSW may be different.

[Spook's_Skyline]

ive always used bp ultimate in brisso

[ibuckout2]

running in my vc commodore w/ worked 253, high torque cam, 4 barrel rochie with oversized jets and high flow air filter, i did 2 dyno tests, 1 with optimax and the other with bp ultimate, both using top end lubrication oil in the tank, which provides no fuel character stats. my car pulled 79 horses on optimax, 112 on ultimate 98, i think that speaks for itself!!!! i also found that i get about 45 k's per tank more with ultimate versus normal unleaded

[Sydneykid]

running in my vc commodore w/ worked 253, high torque cam, 4 barrel rochie with oversized jets and high flow air filter, i did 2 dyno tests, 1 with optimax and the other with bp ultimate, both using top end lubrication oil in the tank, which provides no fuel character stats. my car pulled 79 horses on optimax, 112 on ultimate 98, i think that speaks for itself!!!! i also found that i get about 45 k's per tank more with ultimate versus normal unleaded

You live in Perth, that's where the best BP refinery is in Australia, using one of the best oil feed supplies in the world, NW shelf crude. Having been to Perth many times I have yet to see Shell Optimax on sale, have I simply missed it?

[ibuckout2]

i guess so try marmion ave just north of hodges or several other northern subs servos that i know of