What fuel to use? - Ford Forums - Mustang Forum, Ford Trucks, Ford Focus and Ford Cars

image001 · 12-21-2003, 03:44

My current car is an EB II XR-8 1 and I run it mostly on BP Ultimate or occassionally on Shell Optimax, gives me better response time and better ecconomy. I have a BA XR-8 on order and would think I would keep it on those types of fuels. I think they are both 98 Octane. What do you guys use? Also I heard that because the Shell refinery in Geelong and the BP refinery is in Brisbane (interstate either way) they use each others fuels to cut transport costs, is this true? When you fill up with BP Ultimate are you really filling up with Mobile or something like that?

boltos · 12-21-2003, 14:21

Hi , it is true , if you buy bp or caltex fuel in Victoria , it is made at Mobil's Altona refinery ...Bye..

TIKFD6 · 12-21-2003, 15:40

Shell and Mobil are the same.

jemmex · 12-21-2003, 16:14

Unless, of course, the servo owner or the fuel contractor are adding agents or diluting the fuel in some way....

FoMoCo4eva · 12-21-2003, 16:40

Quote:

Originally Posted by boltos

Hi , it is true , if you buy bp or caltex fuel in Victoria , it is made at Mobil's Altona refinery ...Bye..

so is that just victoria?

The MaDDeSTMaN · 12-22-2003, 04:44

As a person who actually works for Shell (well, now we're supposed to call ourselves Coles Express, but nutz to that!), I feel I might be able to add my 2c worth of Optimax to this thread.

TIKFD6, if Shell and Mobile are actually the same it's news to me. I'd be very interested to find out where you heard this from.

jemmex, I know that we simply don't have time to add agents or dilute the fuel at our sites, and even if we did have the time, we wouldn't. I know even if head office told me to, I wouldn't!

If I had a car capable of making the most of hi-octane fuel, I'd use Optimax, but that might be because I know which sites have the newest petrol storage tanks (so there is less rubbish in the fuel), and also I am not afraid to ask when the last delivery was (if it's less then 3 or 4 hours ago at a bare minimum, go elsewhere) and what the results of the last dips (dips are when we check to see how much fuel is still left in the storage tanks for the different fuels, asides from LPGAS, which is read from a meter), and if the tank is starting to get towards the last 20% of it's total volume, I'll go elsewhere - most of the crud you DON'T want in your fuel sinks to the bottom and you're more likely to have it end up in your fuel lines of your car the lower the volume of fuel still in the storage tanks is.

Bottom line, don't be afraid of asking questions when you go to put fuel in your car, after all, you're paying a lot of money each year for this stuff, doesn't that mean you have every right to ask a few questions to ensure you're getting the best value for money and avoiding putting crap in your cars fuel systems?

TIKFD6 · 12-23-2003, 01:01

When i was in Townsville years ago they used to use each others fuel.
I was probably generalising.
By the way it was several Shell employees that told me that.

I agree with what you said about the last 20%, and the settling time.
I have a ittle knowledge in this area as i was an aircraft refueler for 11 years, and having done several courses on sampling and Lab testing there is nothing worse that water or crud in the fuel.

NA Thunder · 12-23-2003, 03:10

I was a strong user of Optimax in the ED XR6 and the AU III VCT but in all honesty, The dude that modded the BA XR6 said to steer away from Optimax and use only BP Ultimate and that's what I've been using ever since...I tend to feel the best punch with BP Ultimate in the BA XR6. Would have never used it until I also heard a rumour that there was too much sulphur content found in Optimax so it was briefly taken off the market. Other people say that's hog wash and the real reason was they mixed the wrong mixture so a lot of fuel was wasted, that's why it was hard to come by earlier this year. Was there any truth in this "The MaDDeSTMaN"?

Both are good. Probably comes down to personal preference really.

The MaDDeSTMaN · 12-23-2003, 03:32

Quote:

Originally Posted by NA Thunder

I was a strong user of Optimax in the ED XR6 and the AU III VCT but in all honesty, The dude that modded the BA XR6 said to steer away from Optimax and use only BP Ultimate and that's what I've been using ever since...I tend to feel the best punch with BP Ultimate in the BA XR6. Would have never used it until I also heard a rumour that there was too much sulphur content found in Optimax so it was briefly taken off the market. Other people say that's hog wash and the real reason was they mixed the wrong mixture so a lot of fuel was wasted, that's why it was hard to come by earlier this year. Was there any truth in this "The MaDDeSTMaN"?

Both are good. Probably comes down to personal preference really.

I remember there being shortages of Optimax at several sites I work at earlier this year. The explanation I heard was that Shell's delivery schedule was in chaos at the time, and that stores were running out of Optimax, Unleaded and even Lead Replacement Petrol. But this could have been the line that they chose to feed those of us who deal with the public as part of our job, after all, if we don't know any better, we can't pass on bad publicity to customers, can we? Or perhaps I'm too cynical?

I can find out, I'll ask tomorrow if I get a chance somebody who is higher up in the company and so therefore stands a better chance of knowing.