Australia: Shell Optimax EXTREME

[agctr]

Shell is about to release a new fuel onto the Australian Market which is called Optimax Extra which will have a guaranteed 100RON Rating for extra punch and to assist high performance cars including grey imports from Japan. Unsure what the cost will be but I would say u will be paying a premimum over the Optimax prices we pay now. I would say a few cents above this level. Not much more as Optimax as a 98RON rating.

Just to give u an idea, Japan runs 103RON Rating, so we are still a tad behind but improving.

Unsure what the roll out will be but will be limited to METRO Fuel stations and only a handful will sell to guage the market's response.
Remember where u heard it first. http://www.m3forum.net/m3forum/images/smilies/thumbsup.gif
Ada///M.

[dmcgowan]

Adam,

From the stuff I've seen it is an E5 blend - thats how they get the 100 RON but I'd guess that the calorific value is down as a result - i.e. it'll rev harder without pinging but you'll use more of it! Sneaky gits!!!!!

I think it is a Coles Express product whilst they work out attractiveness / uptake...



Darren

[agctr]

Will be interesting to do a few test runs with both.
Ada///M.

[matters]

Could well be wrong but I thought optimax was 99 ron. Caltex's and BP's premiums, 98.

I will be buying 100 ron fuel if it becomes available conveniently. Historically I get better milage using the better fuel. Oh, and a noticable improvement in performance. Someone once told me (could have been BS) that the higher ron fuel is denser and as a result the car uses less of it to get the same detonation.

cheers

[agctr]

From the information I know, Optimax has a maximum RON level approved by the Government for commerical use of 98, the same level as the other fuel companies. Unsure how commercially available EXTREME will be but there will only be a handful of fuel stations in both Sydney and Melbourne that will carry this product for the moment. Pricing has not been released as of yet.
Ada///M.

[dmcgowan]

To the best of my knowledge, anything that advertises as 98 RON must be 98 RON when pumped so it wouldn't surprise me if a fresh batch was 99 RON? But IIRC Ultimate, Synergy, Optiping are all 98 RON

For 95 RON vs 98 RON, I understand that not only do the 98 RON have higher octane rating but also higher calorific value - this drives the mpg achieved more than RON. This 100 RON product has 5% ethanol so it should have a lower calorific value hence you should burn more offset by the efficiency a higher RON fuel gives you - which I think is only at high RPMs...

Net result? I'm not sure a GT/WRX can change timing to take advantage of 100RON (does anyone know for sure?). I reckon you won't notice the mpg difference but you will notice the 5-7% price premium!!!!!!!!!

I do have to say - this is a bloody clever marketing idea from Coles / Shell. Think about how E10 was marketed as cheap crap and no-one bought it. Market it as 100RON E5 and look what happens. Very clever move...

[agctr]

Yeah have to agree with you on that one Darren.
I think I will be sticking as a Optimax Boy.
Ada///M.

[matters]

Agree also. thanks for the insight. optimax for me..

cheers

[dmcgowan]

The GT may be a different kettle of fish, but I would NEVER put Optimax in the B4 (hence the Opti-ping jibe above)...

No idea why but the Shell 98RON product doesn't run well at all in the B4 and a quiet word at STi@Docklands will always have you steered in another direction. I usually use the Mobil Synergy (*000?) or BP Ultimate - no real discernible difference for me...

If you check out the WRX forums you will find lots of (silly) argy bargy re BP vs. Mobil but almost unanimous agreement that the Shell 98RON and Subarus don't mix well.

[Gumby]

When will Shell be releasing that stuff across the ditch? At the moment the best they offer is 95. BP has 98...

Dave.

[agctr]

I dont know, I run Optimax in my 2.5NA and runs great.

Unsure Dave but if I hear of anything, I will let u know. As I said above, I will be sticking with 98 the 100 looks to be pure marketing.
Ada///M.

[fan42025]

Sorry to though a possible spanner in the works but doesn't the 98RON ONLY warning under the fuel cap mean what it says? Any chance of voiding the warranty if one uses any other RON (higher or lower)?

[agctr]

I dont think it will actually void the warranty as such but it will just make the GT PING more if u use less. Its an unknown re the 100RON as we have never had anything higher than the 98. When using bad fuel the engine management system adjusts the engine so it wont be damaged, meaning there may be a step down in power. With 100RON u would think it would work in reverse but again, this is an unknown. If the LibertySTi is tuned on Optimax, well that is what I will be using, the 100RON may not only damage the STi but may also damage my wallet.
Ada///M.

[dmcgowan]

Fan,

I'm sure that more RON won't hurt (apart from your wallet!) - it's a minimum specification anyway. I don't believe that the ECU can "take advantage" of higher RON as I think it only has an ability to wind back when it detects issues. Based on my experience with the B4, I'd not rely on the ECU either - Optimax could make the B4 ping under load almost the whole time.

Adam - you sure the engine tune was done on Optimax? Vin et al are the biggest critics of that fuel I know?

[agctr]

I agree re the backwards work on the ECU.

Unsure about the Optimax statement, works fine on my MY012.5NA so who knows. I would have gathered they used Optimax as I would say it would be the fuel of choice for most of the Subaru supporters that dont frequent boards like this. But who knows ????
Ada///M.

[dmcgowan]

Adam,

I doubt you'll ever have probs with Octane on a n/a motor. It's the high rpm turbo environment that causes the issues and I'd have thought most WRX / B4 / GT owners are aware of it. The B4 was particularly susceptible and most modded WRXs have similar issues.

I don't believe it has been as big a problem for the 2.5 l or the GTs given how little air time it gets on the WRX Club or Yahoo forum.

Cheers,



Darren

[agctr]

Thanks for the headsup mate.
Ada///M.

[hifiandmtb]

Watching the V8 Supercars at Phillip Island right now & they had a short promo for Shell Optimax Extreme - DJR have tested it & found it improved the peak power output on their race car. I reckon they'll be running it as the control fuel in next year's championship.

[agctr]

LMAO.... I was about to post that too.
Yeah thats good but has been tuned with the fuel in mind.
Thanks for sharing.......
Ada///M.

PS I would call u by yr name but have no idea what it is.

[hifiandmtb]

It's the quick or the dead with wireless broadband on the TV couch! :)

Steve

[agctr]

LOL same same same........
Thanks Steve.
Ada///M.

[hifiandmtb]

Seems as if Ingall is finally going to be the bride this year! ("Always the bridesmaid, never the bride"). Lowndes' drive-through finished off the challenge.

[agctr]

Yeah its been a up and down season this year. HRT man myself so its over till '06. U will have to come down for the GP next year.
Ada///M.

[hifiandmtb]

I LOVE how emotional Ingall was at the end - it's nice to see someone so passionate about what they have achieved!

[agctr]

Yeah its been a while and when u eat, sleep and dream of driving and then winning, its a lot of years in the making.
Ada///M.

[Gumby]

Adam, You're okay with 91 assuming the NA Aussie spec motor is the same as the US spec. 100 RON will only be of real benefit if your ECU is tuned for it - with respect to Turbo users. COBB for example has a 91 and 93 octane tune with their accessport (RON+MON/2) the 93 map features an extra 5hp.

Dave.

[Gumby]

BTW, Any objections to changing the name of this forum to New Zealand / Australia? Does anyone know the League score? Or the Rugby vs the Welsh?

(OT apologies)

Dave.

[agctr]

Yeah thats what I feared re the tuning to 100 but will have to wait and test I suppose.

No idea the score in the Rugby but yeah I see yr OT point lol
Ada///M.

PS Dave U da man. U will have to go to the V8's next year in NZ as well. Chad might sponsor me to fly over... yeah right... lol.

[AlpineRaven]

No good for EJ22 series, waste of money for EJ22.
Cheers
AP

[AndrewCowley]

Optimax = Craptimax. The Holden guys at www.ls1.com.au (http://www.ls1.com.au) hate the stuff with a passion. They tune their ECU's for 98 and then find the engine pings it tits off when they use Optimax whereas they have no troubles with the "true" 98's (Caltex, BP and Mobil). Very simply, don't believe a word when Shell tells you it is 98. Is isn't.

[matters]

Andrew, I tend to agree with you. Optimax is not the fuel it was or that shell claims it is.

[AndrewCowley]

Bottom line is if your car needs 98 RON then you will have mixed results with Optimax. It is also known in some circles as Optiping.

[agctr]

Have been told on the sly to go with Mobil with the STi, sound advice too from what I read.
Ada///M.

[fan42025]

I'm also staying away from BP after I've tried Caltex. Can't use Mobile as they are rare around where I am.

[dmcgowan]

Hmmmm, well the GT STi's have all been delivered with a full tank of BP Ultimate??? My bum-ometer could never detect a difference between Mobil Synergey 8000 and the BP Ultimate but even blind, deaf and mute freddy would notice Shell Optiping in the B4.

I haven't tried the Caltex 98RON - to be honest the Caltex 95 PULP was a bit dodgy in my MY98 WRX so have never been back...

Darren

[agctr]

Thanks for the heads up on this 1 Darren, have been hearing whispers about Optimax for quite sometime so I will be making the full switch to Mobil. My Dad has an Audi allroad 2.7TT and he said that he has noticed the difference since swapping, bit more power and better fuel economy. I have been using Optimax in my current MY01 but being NA I dont seem to get the pinging effect that most of the other T's have.

Lets us know yr thoughts Darren.
Ada///M.

[dmcgowan]

Well based on the first tank, no pinging with BP Ultimate! We regularly swap between the local BP and Mobils and I can't tell a difference (it's usually my wife filling up so I'm a blind tester effectively)!

I doubt any n/a motor would have the issues with pinging but I believe the XR6T and HSV guys are equally shitty re Shell fuel. Amazing if it does have this groundswell of negative comment though? I think it is definitely the most promoted / well known fuel but seems most performance makes advise staying clear of it???

[agctr]

Unsure why this type of publicity is going around especially when it is such a highly published brand and what it stands for etc etc. The idea was to get a lot of the performance vehicles using this stuff because it was "all that" so to speak. They certainly accomplished market share and the good name, Im sure this feedback is getting back to them, just hope they can turn it around.
Ada///M.

[matters]

Adam, having spent some years working for shell, I doubt it. But I would be very happily surprised. Its about mkt share and preservation. 80% of those that use the fuel exclusively will stay. A 10-20% turnaround is acceptable to a major as they continue obtaining new customers.

happy new year everyone.

cheers,

[dmcgowan]

Interesting matters - is it just a car club beat up or is there real widespread enthusiast concern with Optimax? It was certainly a problematic fuel in our B4 but they were a difficult car for pinging anyway?

[agctr]

Hmm will just have to see how this plays out but it must be a serious concern as we all know how news spreads, especially the bad stuff. But Im sure Shell is well informed and knows the rumours.
Thanks Matters.
Ada///M.

[jaspert]

Don't know about net rumour or what . This is my personal experience before i found and joined any car forum.
I had two tank full of Optimax soon after i bought my GT and i remember the engine didn't rev as smoothly and felt quite listless for a while after.
I have been staying away from Optimax since. No such problem with BP Ultimate and Mobil Synergy 8000.

jasper

[agctr]

Thanks Jasper for the feedback.
Personally with my NA 2.5 I have had NO issues whatsoever. Since the purchase of my MY01 in 2001, I have only ever filled it with Opti. BP twice only because I was going to run dry from a long distance trip. So my experiences have been good but I ATM dont own a turbo so can really comment on that.
Thanks again.
Ada///M.

[dmcgowan]

Adam,

I honestly doubt Shell worry about it, but Optimax's bad rep is many years old. Must be something to do with how they make it?


Darren

[matters]

After 2 tanks of BP ultimate my seat of the pants gauge tells me the 3RB runs better. It has better take off from idle and is less choppy when coming off the accelerator. I think I'll be giving Opti a miss from this point. Shame, as the local Shell servo is definately the most convenient.

cheers

[agctr]

Agree with yr last statement, its the most convenient for me also.
Ada///M.

[agctr]

Quick note, as from a few threads on the WRX Forum in Oz, most of the guys have tried and like either BP or Mobil over Shell. With more choosing to stick with Mobil over time rather than BP. This also has to do with a shortage of Ultimate from BP.
Ada///M.

[fan42025]

Caltex is good too.

[agctr]

So have u noticed any differences using Caltex over the other varieties ?
Ada///M.

[fan42025]

Yes, I did. More power, snappier response, less turbo delay. However, it could have been the last of the bad batches of BP I used prior to switching that caused the difference. I'll switch back to BP to see if it changes. One thing about BP is there are more of them around where I live - even more than Shell, which is why I used them in the first place. Caltex are almost as rare as Mobil around here.

[agctr]

Thanks for the report.
Hmm same here in Melbourne, Shell is only like 2 mins away where Mobil is a good 15 Mins +.
Ada///M.

[fan42025]

Swithed back to BP yesterday and noticied no difference. So, it must have been a bad batch before, or BP are finally doing a better job with the fuel.

[agctr]

There were a few concerns in Q4 of last year but looks like they may have resolved these issues. Thanks for keeping us in the loop.
Ada///M.