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boho
PostPosted: Sat Mar 18, 2006 8:16 am 
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Hi all,

Matt O (tpo) reccomended i use Optimax in my Rover as apparently Britain run a higher Octane standard than we do. So, i've been running it on Optimax (98 Octane) with no trouble.

But now i've seen this new Optimax Extreme (100 Octane) stuff coming out and was wondering if i should make the switch?

:?: What benefit is there to running a higher Octane fuel? Will i even notice it in a 1275?

One more thing, i noticed under the bonnet the other day that there is a little sticker of a Fuel Tank with '95 RON' written on it. Now the Shell Aus site (http://www.shell.com/home/Framework?siteId=au-en&FC2=/au-en/html/iwgen/leftnavs/zzz_lhn3_3_0.html&FC3=/au-en/html/iwgen/shell_for_motorists/fuels/dir_fuels_0715.html) says that there new Unleaded 95 is 95 RON...

:?: So why shouldn't i just be using their this 95 RON unleaded? Do i need the Optimax at all...?

I understand that if i change my Octane level i'll need to have the Mini re-tuned to avoid "ping"-ing so will a change even be worth the effort?

Sorry for all the Q's, guys but thanx in advance for all ur help...
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MrBob
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PostPosted: Sat Mar 18, 2006 8:28 am 
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Personally, I'd steer clear of Optimax. It is a good fuel, but for seome reason fouls plugs something chronic.

If you have to get premium anyway, you might as well get one of the other 98 octane fuels. You may or may not notice a performance gain, but the 98 fuels are also higher density (or so they tell you), and you do seem to get better mileage out of them, so they aren't any more expensive per km.

Most people on here would probably agree that BP Ultimate or Mobil Synergy are the best fuels, Caltex Vortex 98 is good too, and Optimax is OK sometimes but it will foul your spark plugs with constant use.

My 2 cents.

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adeee
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PostPosted: Sat Mar 18, 2006 11:18 am 
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Avoid the 100 octane stuff. It has ethanol in it to get the octane that high, and ethanol isnt good for mini's.

Article taken from http://www.fcai.com.au/

Quote:
Carburettor Equipped Engines

Vehicles made before 1986 vehicles were predominantly equipped with carburettors and steel fuel tanks.

The use of ethanol blended petrol in engines impacts the air/fuel ratio because of the additional oxygen molecules within the ethanol's chemical structure. The oxygen content of ethanol is 34.7% which causes the engine to run lean. Being a mechanical device for supplying fuel to an engine, carburettors have a limited ability to compensate for this additional air. The consequences of which are the potential for pre-ignition, which will not only impact driveability but may also lead to engine damage.

Vehicles with carburettor fuel systems may experience hot fuel handling concerns. This is because the vapour pressure of fuel with ethanol will be greater (if the base fuel is not chemically adjusted) and probability of vapour lock or hot restartability problems will be increased.

As a solvent, ethanol attacks both the metallic and rubber based fuels lines, and other fuel system components. Materials compatibility is a critical concern and unless the fuel system components have been selected on the basis of compatibility with ethanol, there is the serious risk of loss of function, resulting in the failure of plastic components in a fuel system.

Ethanol also has an affinity to water that can result in corrosion of fuel tanks and fuel lines. Rust resulting from this corrosion can ultimately block the fuel supply rendering the engine inoperable. Water in the fuel system can also result in the engine hesitating and running roughly.

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boho
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PostPosted: Sat Mar 18, 2006 11:25 am 
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Thanx for the Adriane, that's really helpfull. :D

However, mines a 1992 Rover. Does that article apply?

No offence, hon... :oops:
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adeee
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PostPosted: Sat Mar 18, 2006 11:28 am 
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um... The site said rovers were fine, but i wasnt trusting the list that said which ones could or not too much as the only mini mentioned is the BINI.

and i didnt know you had a rover :oops:

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boho
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PostPosted: Sat Mar 18, 2006 11:30 am 
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Sweet. Thanx heaps, hon. Have fun tonight and i'll definitely meet you all at the British Euro Car Show on April 30 if not before...
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Mini Mad
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PostPosted: Sat Mar 18, 2006 11:35 am 
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You shouldn't need to get your car tuned to run on different fuels. Your car being a 92 SPi? would have an ECU that can make these changes for you and adjust the timing accordingly.

Also your car would have a knock sensor which can stop pinging if it arises.

I doubt you will find any performance gain running 98RON, you might get slightly better fuel mileage. The car has to be tuned to make the most out of the higher octane fuels and being a standard rover mini it is tuned for economy, not performance.

Some of the guys here HAVE to run 98RON because they are highly modified and run really high compression ratios.

Stay away from Ethanol, even being a 92 model, your engine still dates back to 1950!

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boho
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PostPosted: Sat Mar 18, 2006 12:32 pm 
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Mini Mad wrote:
Stay away from Ethanol, even being a 92 model, your engine still dates back to 1950!


So you're saying stay away from ALL Ethanol? Even Optimax?

Did you see the Shell Link i placed above with the 95 Ron Unleaded? What about that or don't bother and just use standard Unleaded?

I must admit, the knock sensor is comforting...
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Mini Mad
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PostPosted: Sat Mar 18, 2006 1:18 pm 
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Yes, all ethanol, it eats at the rubber components of the fuel system and attracts water, AFAIK Optimax doesn't contain any ethanol:

http://www.shell.com/static/au-en/downloads/fuels/tds/shell_optimax_tds.pdf

http://www.shell.com/static/au-en/downloads/fuels/msds/shell_optimax_msds.pdf

And i can't find any mention of it on Shell's website.

IMO you'll be fine running on whatever fuel you choose to use, most people don't notice the difference, unless they drive it hard or on the track or whatever.

Standard fuel is around 91RON, I run minimum 95RON (Caltex Vortex (also comes in 98octane)..

But mostly BP Ultimate, Vortex98..

Shell 95 would be fine, 95 is what i would use day to day, track days or a fang up the road i'll put some 98 in or if there is no 95..or if 98 is cheap..

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boho
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PostPosted: Sat Mar 18, 2006 1:25 pm 
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Shell 95 would be fine, 95 is what i would use day to day, track days or a fang up the road i'll put some 98 in or if there is no 95..or if 98 is cheap..


Awesome! TPO also mentioned using an Octane booster for "fangs up the road" instead of buying 98 RON stuff...

The sticker inside the hood actually states "95 RON" in big RED letters and TPO was prob just using Optimax cos there was nothing closer to 95 then. Now there's Unleaded 95 (for Shell) and the others you mentioned so i might give that a shot.

Thanx heaps to everyone for all their help on this thread. 'Tis greatly appreciated. :D
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Mini Mad
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PostPosted: Sat Mar 18, 2006 1:29 pm 
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Octane Booster is overrated, i haven't heard any good reports about it, most do nothing. Stick to 98 if you want to thrash it, it's proven to work ;)

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Mick
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PostPosted: Sun Mar 19, 2006 7:31 pm 
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Location: Under the bonnet son!
I remember reading an Autospeed article where they tested all the octane boosters. For you dollar, you barely got a 1 to 3 point RON increase. Some of these boosters cost up to 30 dollars as well!

Best bet was simply to go to supercheap and buy their acetone thinners, you can mix up to 30 percent but beyond that was a waste and started to slow things down. I can't remember what the expected return was though. Maybe I'll buy 98 when I need it instead of pissing about with thinners....

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