98 Octane - In a Country Town

[BakeTheTank]

Hey guys,

I know this question has been asked many times before for all commodores, but after searching the forum, I cannot find my question being answered directly. So please dont explode!

I live in a small country town, where the best fuels around here i can get are the:

1. Shell 98 V-Power
2. Mobil 95

For a VYII S does anyone know which fuel would be better to run on, because the closest BP is 100kms away.

Cheers.

[Cameron P]

v-power isnt that bad! i'd prefer bp ultimate.. but v-power is almost as good

[TMM]

V6s are only tuned for 95. Using 98 in a V6 will just cause unburnt fuel to be dumped into the exhaust (thus causing your exhaust tip to turn black faster ) and actually produce less power. It isn't a bad idea to use 98 once in a while though because it tends to have a higher concentration of detergent then 95 or 91.

[Cameron P]

oh wow, i use 98 all the time.. and i get black shit around my tips.

so im just wastng my money huh

[nathanVY]

V power is great, I find its a bit better the BP ultimate, personally i'd rate ultimate one of the lower "premium" fuels and would go for V-Power or Mobil before BP.

If your car isn't tuned for 98 octane then you're wasting some of it's potential, not a complete waste though because it does help you car run smoother etc.

[BakeTheTank]

Thanks fellas

[1991_Vn2nV]

V6s are only tuned for 95. Using 98 in a V6 will just cause unburnt fuel to be dumped into the exhaust (thus causing your exhaust tip to turn black faster ) and actually produce less power. It isn't a bad idea to use 98 once in a while though because it tends to have a higher concentration of detergent then 95 or 91.

Regular unleaded doesn't have additives such as detergent like the 98 octane ranges do. Thats also why they tell you not to expect any difference between regular unleaded and BP Ultimate (or Mobil Synergy 8000 or Shell V-Power or Caltex Vortex 98) on the first tank. Rather 2-3 tanks depending on the age of the engine.

[WogBoyz]

Id go bp i used it in my v6, didnt run right on v power, plus a tunning place up here prefers to tune to bp as they said its good quality and more consistant in quality then other fuels, getting my v8 tuned on bp next month

[DUK13Y]

Ok now I'm going to ask the noob question but I think it should be asked cause I like to call myself a car guy and people think I know everything, which is just stupid. So when somebody asks me what is the difference between normal fuel and premium, all I can say is that the premium has a higher octane rating and burns better and cleaner. How right/wrong am I? What is the big difference between the regular and premium fuels? Worth buying? Thanks guys.

[1991_Vn2nV]

Ok now I'm going to ask the noob question but I think it should be asked cause I like to call myself a car guy and people think I know everything, which is just stupid. So when somebody asks me what is the difference between normal fuel and premium, all I can say is that the premium has a higher octane rating and burns better and cleaner. How right/wrong am I? What is the big difference between the regular and premium fuels? Worth buying? Thanks guys.

To be branded as a premium unleaded fuel, they have to meet stricter criteria in regards to the fuel quality and how clean/how much pollution the fuel emits. Which is in part the reason for the higher cost, as they have to be further refined. But the gap between a standard unleaded and a premium unleaded has decreased dramatically in the last decade or so, with the rules for regular unleaded tightening considerably. Other than that, 95 premium is just a higher octane as well (95 obviously compared to 91 for most regulars) and the 98 octanes have more octane boost again, but also contain an additive mix which is made up of detergents and, for lack of a better word, seperators, designed to keep the particles that the fuel cleans from your valves etc. from sticking together so that they pass throught the engine safely. BP Ultimate and the likes rely on cleaning your engine to increase performance, acceleration and response and to decrease emissions. Thats why they reccomend 2-3 tanks before you get the full benefit, and thats why they suggest ongoing use to also get the full benefit. One tank, or every second tank or one tank a month, as alot of people use it, is just a waste. Its not designed to give instant benefit.

March is 'fuels month' at BP outlets, so you should find a new range of pamphlets on BP Ultimate in most corporate or 'On the Run' badged stores so feel free to drop in and have a read and fill up with BP Ultimate lol

[DUK13Y]

ah ok then. You work for BP? Well with the fuel prices the way they are at the moment, I'm not sure if its worth running a stock ecotec on premium. Good to know the difference at last though.

[Brett_jjj]

I will only use 98 octane in my VS V6, it runs a lot better on the 98 octane fuel.I mainly use shell V power.The BP ultimate around here,up in the bush,must go off fast,Ive tried it a few times,over a few months and it always runs crappy on it,so i just use the shell fuel.I also sometimes use caltex vortex 98.Its not too bad either.I get better running and better fuel economy with the 98 octane fuel as it uses less of it.Ive done a tune now and it takes further advantage of the higher octane fuel as the ignition timing can be wound up more before pinging/detonation occurs.And all unleaded fuels will burn black at the exhaust pipe,not like it was a few years ago when running on super fuels, leaded fuel would run a light grey colour at the exhaust pipe if it was running right.It even mentions in the back of the VN handbook about how unleaded cars will run black at the exhaust,not grey like the older cars did .Years ago when running super fuel ,if the exhaust was black,it meant it was it was poorly tuned,not these days though.

[dirt drifter]

brett_jjj. u didn't get the dodgy bp ultimate from the bp right at the southern end of town on the new england hwy did ya? i only ask cos i've filled up there many a time and never had a drama.

however in saying that i've only got a standard compression 5L and afaik its not tuned for hi-octane only

[Brett_jjj]

brett_jjj. u didn't get the dodgy bp ultimate from the bp right at the southern end of town on the new england hwy did ya? i only ask cos i've filled up there many a time and never had a drama.

however in saying that i've only got a standard compression 5L and afaik its not tuned for hi-octane only

Yeah,Ive tried the ultimate fuel from there a few times, and Ive also tried the ultimate from the other BP servo over town,both servos are owned by the same people, and it always seems to be the same,it doesnt seem to run as good as the shell or caltex 98 fuels for some reason.It seems to run more like the normal 91 octane fuels.