SirFozzalot

Yep, can confirm V-Power is indeed 100 RON in Germany, however, V-Power is only 98 RON in Belgium.

I think we will have to wait to hear officially what the RON will be.

Could it just be a re-branding to bring it inline with the rest of Europe?

Neilo

thats most likley, yet still charge us the premium price...

badgersport

The difference between MON and RON. We tend to use RON whereas some other countries use MON, 90 to 93 MON is high octane stuff.

Trout

iTrader: (1)

The in car performance of the new stuff would be consistent with a higher RON.

And it smells way different to original Optimax - sweeter, less like petrol, more organic chemistry set

andy.downes

iTrader: (1)

just a couple of questions if somebody knows the answers..?

1) I have X reg turbo 2000, completely standard, will I see any benefit with the new V-power?

more importantly

2) Will it damage my engine due to it being totally standard?

stilover

Does anyone think that PPP cars would have to be remapped ??

Trout

iTrader: (1)

No and no.

Trout

iTrader: (1)

..and no.

Wurzel

iTrader: (1)

You will not see any benefit in a standard car, what you will see is inconsistant boost, when you nail it the boost will rocket up then back off shoot up and back off causing the car to judder and shake, it will continue to do this until you get the car remapped to take advantage of the new fuel, the ignition can not advance enough and gets confused so backs off, I know this from first hand experience as it is what happened to my MY00 when I started using V-Power 100ron.

Will it damage your engine? no it won't it will just make motorway journeys under acceleration uncomfortable.

Speak to a mapper, ie Bob Rawle and he will tell you in more technical details what I have just told you.

Trout

iTrader: (1)

I would love to here some on here who is more expert than me, however, Classics are passive ECUs.

The new age cars have ECUs that have the ability to advance to take advantage of better fuel. So I am not sure how your ECU was trying to advance to take advantage of better quality fuel.

The Classic ECUs have a set ignition map that can RETARD if it experiences a lot of knock!

Indeed there must be hundreds of classics now running around with VPower in them in the UK and there are no posts on here saying, "Help my car has gone all juddery!".

I'm confused

Edcase

No, I assure you its minimum 100 RON, the whole marketing drive is about it being the most advanced fuel available, benefits above even optimax etc.

SirFozzalot

So I assume there will no longer be any 98 sold, just 95 and 100?

New_scooby_04

iTrader: (4)

I'm not entirely sure that's correct mate, certainly not for the later clasics i.e.99/00s. AFAIK, these will periodically try and advance ignition to take advantage of higher RON petrol, but they do so not as quickly as the new age ECUs, which learn very quickly. Earlier classics will retard ignition if knock is detected, but require a reset to adapt to the higher grade fuels.

I stand to be corrected by the more knowledgable on all of this!

BTW surprised that using a higher grade RON fuel would cause any car running problems, I always though that it would simply be out of the ECUs adjustment parameters and yield no benefit apart form increased DET protection. I'd be interested in learning more about this.

Ns04

Trout

iTrader: (1)

NS04 ,

I am not convinced as I had a MY99 and this was not the case.

The ECU could learn to use worse fuel than the 'intended' map to a very limited extent, hence JDM cars not really doing too well on SUL and very badly on NUL.

The ECU could be reset to use better again to 'lose' it's learning.

I was not aware that the ECU could advance it's map any further to take advantage of fuels, that is the realm of the new age.

I am happy to be corrected, this is my somewhat rusty as it is a long time since I was fiddling with a MY99.

I do agree I am very surprised to hear that better fuel could make a car run badly - we await to be educated.

Rannoch

New_scooby_04

iTrader: (4)

Where's Bob/Andy/Paul/Simon when you need em!

Ns04

silent running

LOL all this bull**** as if Shell are out to do us - an absolutely miniscule group of their customers - a favour and give us better fuel. I notice also not ONE single person who has gone on anything but hearsay and pub talk. All believing that if Shell DON'T make an announcement, it must be good news...

Here's something I DID hear from a SHELL EMPLOYEE last week and furthermore, one who might actually know something about it, not just the Saturday boy in the shop - an OPTIMAX TANKER DRIVER delivering the Optimax. How accurate his words are, I can't say personally because I'm not a sucker that believes you get something for nothing. But it's a plausible explanation for all your excitement, and from a credible source. To paraphrase:
"The new replacement for Optimax is called V-Max or V-Power but it is the exact same octane as the old Optimax. The new name is used to bring it into line with European Shell premium fuel, but the main reason for the change is because of a legal issue with a contact lens solution manufacturer who also use the name Optimax."

Now please give it a rest! If Shell ever make a fuel that will trump everything else out there for less money, I can be damn sure that they will make a song and dance about it. The reason they haven't is because they are changing the name but the fuel is the same. I remember that when Optimax first came out, Shell made all sorts of false claims about how it would improve your overtaking and all sorts of bollocks, completely ignoring that a significant number of cars at that time did not have adaptive ECUs that would use - or need -the extra octane, and therefore their claims were full of crap. They managed to hang onto the claim that their 'detergents' were better for all cars, but the claim that all cars would effectively go faster because of the extra octane were quietly dropped. And I'm not going by hearsay, because I was one of the very people who complained about their bull**** in the first place. Octane is octane, not magic.

Once V-Power or V-Max is introduced and Shell advertise the octane rating and it is some incredible 102 race fuel, then if I am wrong I will say so. But in the meantime I won't gullibly believe that huge firms like Shell give a **** about the tiny minority of drivers who need Optimax in their Jap imports or tuned turbos. It's a 'halo' product to make the rest of Shell's operation look slicker and more motorist-orientated - the exact opposite of say Tesco who treat petrol simply as a commodity. Which is exactly as it should be and the reason why we can now choose to get 99 octane fuel from Tescis for virtually the same as Shell charge for normal 95 RON unleaded.

Sorry for the rant, but it just amazes me that people get taken in time after time.

Gear Head

iTrader: (2)

So are you saying that Andy F is a liar??

Trout

iTrader: (1)

I guess that Bob, Andy, Pat and others must be wrong then. Maybe the cars are just running better because of the warm weather.

Which side of bed did you get out of this morning

Given that Tesco have put out a fuel for such a minority of drivers do you really think that it is not in competitors interests to compete?

You are right, it is a halo product, but halo products are the ones that get coverage on Fifth Gear, evo magazine, Car magazine, etc.

We could all be wrong, you could be right, but there were plenty of people on here posting assured sources that the next UK Scoob would not be a 2.5

Let's get our hats out and see who has to eat one

Gear Head

iTrader: (2)

And Tescos in Gillingham, are charging the same for their 99ron super as what Shell charge for their Optimax.

New_scooby_04

iTrader: (4)

At the end of the day, companies claiming that their products will yield benefits without making appropriate qualifications is nothing new.

But when I hear mappers, with experience of mapping hundreds of Scoobies, who actually see what's happening with the car's ECU and engine saying that fuel does make a significant difference and that Optimax appears to be the best fuel, I listen!

Ns04

jasonius

iTrader: (1)

Not all 'pub talk':

Just to clarify: Last year I was invited by shell to take part in a Q&A session about Optimax. Turned out that the rumours on SN at the time were correct and Shell UK were thinking of introducing V Power here. We were shown some of the marketing they were thinking of using ie. logo's, posters and finally several TV ads (hence the comments about the black stallion in the surf..!)

At the time we were told it was going to be 99ron.

There were a number of fellow SN members who also attended and it was talked about in a thread on here.
We got paid for it too..!

Now if the 23rd ??? is to be believed, wouldn't it make sense for the garages to be stocked up in advance of this official launch date, hence the non committal/unawareness of counter staff..?

So there, some of us do know a bit more than hearsay..!

Edited for typo..

Wurzel

iTrader: (1)

Tell you what Rannoch you believe what you like, I am just saying what I experienced in MY car on V-power, and bearing in mind MY car is no different to any other EU spec MY00 I would assume that 1) all of them would react the same or 2) I had a duff ecu.

I spoke to Bob Rawle about it and he immediately knew what I was talking about and how to rectify it.

I! unlike some do not feel the need to come on here and spout bull**** or scaremongery I tell it how I have experienced it.

sydsnot2002

sainsburys at hempstead is 96.9 for there sul

stevem2k

New V-Power advertising is all over the IMAX cinema outside Waterloo

F1 fuelling team filling up road car.

No specifics though.

Edcase

Yeah saw it this morning, they will also be sponsoring the TV coverage of the remaining F1 races.

FAO Silent Running, mate you are too funny!! If you read my first post, believe me they have and are spending a small fortune in making a 'song and dance about it' you just don't know it yet because it hasn't officially launched!

Also as for assuming people on here are quoting pub talk, how in the hell do you know who is and isn't on this forum? Do you naively assume we are all teenage boys with Subaru posters on our bedroom walls? Or do you think maybe there is also a diverse mix of people including numerous execs and senior execs from a wide range of companies, and who may actually know more details than you do. That's you who found out your info from a delivery driver!

I'm sure he's right at the heart of shells NPD and marketing team

I'm sure Shell are going to spend millions on sponsorship, marketing, media space and a new strap line just to relaunch an existing product under a new name. Anyway, you'll soon see, and I'll soon be back to remind you of your rant

badgersport

Nah, ,you must have imagined it because it's all bullmuck and Shell are simply renaming Optimax because some numpty optician is threatening legal action in case somebody gets confused and washes their contact lenses in petrol - that right silent running?

gaz c

this could be true?????

gaz c

ive had three tanks of new stuff in my car so fare. the strength that it pulls like now is very noticeable.

on three tanks ive asked the cashier on every tank full about the ron and every time they say 102 to 103. and thats three dif cashiers.

C2forWRX

bought normal optimax today. 100.9. the lady had an optimax top on too!

C2forWRX

how do you know its the new stuff?