Which Fuel is better?

[superspit]

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

Hi, and Sorry SK, I don't follow?

I can purchase BP98 at anyone of a numerous stations locally.........or are you implying that we here in Vic get a second rate version of BP98?

As someone else here said, BP goes through my car way too quickly.

Regards,

Mark.

[Niroth]

Have read the thread and got some questions... I've done my own testing with fuels and have found:

Ultimate makes the car run smooth and clean, but i get 300 clicks out of a tank.

(Got an exa with a arebuilt CA18DE, 4-2-1 headers and 2.25" all the way)

Vortex, I dont know if this is the good stuff, its just marked as "Vortex" not gold or 98 or anything, car runs ok, nothing amazing though, seems to have a little slower reaction times, acceleration doesn't seem as good, but I get an extra 30-50 kms from a tank??

Optimax is just pure crap here, I put it in my CBR250RR and the damned thing literally wouldn't start.

Our mobiles dont have synergy, just regular unleaded.

Won't touch any of the safeway or wollys fuel, makes me shiver just driving past them.

Why is it though, that lower quality fuels, ie. standard premium or octance boosted fuels, as opposed to refined fuels, give better economy. What sort of effect long term would you get using lets say a standard primus fuel, (95 RON) or maybe the Vortex, which is from you guys say, boosted to 96 RON and not actually refined to 96, compared to always using the 98RON Ultimate? Obviously a higher octane rating gives you a more complete combustion stroke, but what other affect does using ashitty fuel have on your car/engine?

I've looked around in other place on the web, lots of epople are saying the same thing about the addatives to the optimax and vortex, and although it gets me a few more kms, I think I'll switch back to BP. It's more convinient too.

Jase

[jasin66]

I think it's time for "A Current Afffairs" or "Today Tonight" or similar to do an indepth sorry and solve the question once and for all. I personaly use Optimax as it's the only 98ron in town but i would think there's a good chance all 98ron of being very similar to the point of no differance.....Gimme that Jap fuel baby!

[FATGTS-R]

Sydneykid, as superspit alluded to are you saying that BP 98 in VIC is something else?

I actually just became suspicious of this possibility as I was coming over the westgate bridge and looking over into Altona, where the refineries are they have painted up one of the larger storage tanks with the BP ULTIMATE logo for all and sundry to see when driving over it. But from what I understand, the only refinery out there belongs to MOBIL????

[Guerilla]

Read my sig.

[Broken Linx]

here in adelaide i would have to say it depends on which service station you actually go to i've tried mobil synergy 8000 from several different locations and the result is the same full tank:150-180k's; shell optimax got good mileage but no power i got about 250k's to a tank;

i wont try vortex because we don't have gold; finally Bp Ultimate when i first got my car i was getting 400k to a tank now i'm lucky to 300k to a tank the worst i have got is about 250 but i get resonable power

[Sydneykid]

Hi, and Sorry SK, I don't follow?

I can purchase BP98 at anyone of a numerous stations locally.........or are you implying that we here in Vic get a second rate version of BP98?

As someone else here said, BP goes through my car way too quickly.

Regards,

Mark.

Hi Mark, this subject has been discussed so many times in so many threads. I am not going to tell the whole story again, if you want more than this post do a post search, "Sydneykid" and "refinery".

Oil companies have a policy called "refinery sharing/exchange" because it is simply not economical for each oil company to have a fully equiped refinery in each state. Refineries need volume to make money, it's that simple. Do a Google search on "oil refinery sharing", you will find ALL oil companies in Australia refinery share.

The bottom line for you is, there is NO BP REFINERY IN MELBOURNE, so do you think they ship it in, millions of litres per week in tankers? Like hell, they refinery share and buy (swap) the fuel from a local refinery. If you want to know what refineries are in Melbourne (don't forget Geelong) look it up in your yellow pages. When you buy fuel at a BP servo, chances are you will be pumping fuel from one of those refineries not a BP refinery.

The 4th paragraph from this page on the BP Australia web site tell it all....

"A particular feature of the Australian oil industry is the practice of refinery exchange, in which refining companies exchange products in various locations to minimise distribution costs. For example, BP supplies other companies in Perth and Brisbane and in return is supplied with product in Melbourne, Sydney and Tasmania."

[Robo's]

Hi Mark, this subject has been discussed so many times in so many threads.   I am not going to tell the whole story again, if you want more than this post do a post search, "Sydneykid" and "refinery".

The bottom line for you is, there is NO BP REFINERY IN MELBOURNE, so do you think they ship it in, millions of litres per week in tankers?  Like hell, they refinery share and buy (swap) the fuel from a local refinery.  If you want to know what refineries are in Melbourne (don't forget Geelong) look it up in your yellow pages.  When you buy fuel at a BP servo, chances are you will be pumping fuel from one of those refineries not a BP refinery.

Your right, my brother works at the Mobil Refinery in Melbourne and constantly sees BP trucks drive in.

[DaGr81]

the dude that quoted 150km - 200km for synergy 8000... wtf? thats 65L for those 200kms, ~3L per km geez, ive always used 8000 and always get upwards of 350kms a tank , + having mates at mobil i also get atleast 10bux free fuel a week which is like buying 8000 at less than a dollar a litre

[DaGr81]

lol i mean 3kms a litre =p

[scott]

Bp & mobil use the same refinery so i am told my opinion i get better fuel economy with shell.

I have worked on v8 supercars they all run optimax 600+ hp most of there time open throttle no pinging.

also worked on a x hrt vs running as a sportsedan we buy optimax from a number of the big shells never a problem also a 740hp nascar with hrt injection no problem with shell.

Also a good tuner should have no problems tuning no mater who's fuel as long as it is not old as it does go off.

Most of us are just running around in lightly modified street cars like me and for daily drivers there all to me fairly similer , i just use the one as i i like to use the same as with my oil etc etc.

Just my $ 1.12 worth less my coles discount.

[slow13dude]

I've been using Mobil Premium for the past 2 tanks and can tell you I get better economy than all the other fuels I've tried.

So in order of most responsive & best fuel economy to least, here's my results:

Mobil Premium

Shell Optimax

BP Ultimate

Haven't touched Caltex because it's not 98 RON here (Brisbane).

BP Ultimate noticeably has less fuel economy and responsiveness.

For those of you that think they're all the same, my wallet, odometer and experience says you're wrong.

[FATGTS-R]

I was always told to get my fuel from a servo that was always busy hence turned over a lot of fuel due to a going off thing. But I guess a downside is getting fuel of the bottom of the tank.

But how long will fuel last before its performance starts to wither?

[Sydneykid]

I've been using Mobil Premium for the past 2 tanks and can tell you I get better economy than all the other fuels I've tried.

So in order of most responsive & best fuel economy to least, here's my results:

Mobil Premium

Shell Optimax

BP Ultimate

Haven't touched Caltex because it's not 98 RON here (Brisbane).

BP Ultimate noticeably has less fuel economy and responsiveness.

For those of you that think they're all the same, my wallet, odometer and experience says you're wrong.

There are 2 X Mobil refineries in Australia, Altona and Adelaide, but none in Queensland. So next time you are at your favourite Mobil service station ask the owner where they get their Synergy 98 from. My bet is the BP Bulwer Island refinery, since Shell don't have a refinery in Queensland ether.

[2rismo]

I've always had my best results with Evolution 98 which is supposed to be an imported whole fuel from Singapore, (although I'm yet to have this verified). Now that they don't sell it in the gong any more, I am left with Optimax which has been great (or so I thought).

I used Mobil 8000 at Powercruise and holy CRAP what a difference. Massive reduction in knock on the chassis dyno and the black dyno compared to Ploptimax.

I am a new Mobil convert - very happy indeed. Motor took 3 degrees more timing with LESS occurence of knock as measured on the PFC commander AND the stethescope.

Adrian

[KIL.08S]

has any one seen the comparisons in the latest Autosalon magaziene? they took 5L from mobil, bp, shell and caltex. each in fresh uncontaminated containers and the results in sydney were as follows:

SYNERGY: 98.5 RON

ULTIMATE: 98.5 RON

OPTIMAX: 98.6 RON

VORTEX: 98.5 RON

the cheapest of all the fuels was also optimax.

This was tested on a random mid-week morning and the fuels were tested at a labority nationaly accredited to test for octane levels.

thats my contribution to this argument.

[DaGr81]

seen it but optimax makes my car feel sluggish and the article also stats that 98ron has a possibility of improving ur cars performance, the octane rating is not the only thing that improves ur cars performance, theres more factors in the fuel involved, u could have 100 octane and the other ingredients in the fuel could be low and ur car will go shittier than normal unleaded

theres more than just RON to be aware of

[heyhey]

Living in QLD i can only comment on what goes on here.

I have contacts in the fuel industry and know that all DSL, ULP and PULP come from the same place. Each fuel distributor has a depot at Brisbane, Gladstone, Mackay, Townsville, Cairns ie the major ports. This fuel is pumped from a ship into each depot's storage tanks and so is exactly the same fuel. Where this fuel is loaded from is most likely different each time.

The 98 octane fuels are different. This fuel is transported by truck to either a storage tank at the depot, or directly to the service station. Bp Ultimate comes directly from the Brisbane refinery with their octane boosters and other additives already mixed. I'm not certain about how other companys mix their 98 octane fuel.

From what I have heard, BP Ultimate is the preferred fuel as there have been people who have complained of gummed up parts when running on Optimax.

It's up to the person on what type of fuel they run. Personally I would get my car tuned on one type of fuel then stick with that.

[Myles]

BP Ultimate seems to be the best I've tried.

Vortex 98 doesn't seem to last as long for the same amount while Shell Optimax has an off smell to it.

[MarkE]

I'll believe it when someone goes about this scientifically ala Julian Edgar on Autospeed.