Bushie Posted 21, August 2009 Report Share Posted 21, August 2009 182 does choice of petrol make a massive difference? ie usual unleaded or 95 or premium Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hamstrung Posted 22, August 2009 Report Share Posted 22, August 2009 Drive a 172 and note that the fuel filler recommends premium only. Personally, I stick with 98 octane from Caltex or Mobil. Can't say if it makes a big difference - I would guess I never drive fast enough to find out! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bushie Posted 22, August 2009 Author Report Share Posted 22, August 2009 cheers hamstrung Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
strife Posted 18, January 2010 Report Share Posted 18, January 2010 i spoke to Paul V about this a few months ago. Only ever put 98 octane in the car unless there's no alternative and then 95 octane. the car won't run on that 91 octane ethanol rubbish, you'll have misfires like an old-school lawnmower. the octane rating at the pump is only ever an average. lots of the 98 octane you buy is probably closer to 96 octane, and since the clio should have no lower than 95 in there, when you buy the "95 octane" fuel then you're more than likely getting a little less than that. love your car and it will love you Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
griffyn Posted 19, January 2010 Report Share Posted 19, January 2010 Agree wholeheartedly. Even the '73 Renault in the garage drinks 98, and loves it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colonel Kurtz Posted 18, December 2011 Report Share Posted 18, December 2011 Just a quick question: Does anyone know of any information sources about the availability of 98 & 95 octane petrol outside of capital cities? I'm heading down the south coast of NSW in a few days time, and normally when I'm not sure about 98/95 octane petrol availability I just fuel up with a full tank of Shell V-Power in Canberra which will hopefully get me the distance. However, assuming a full tank is not enough, I'm eager to know where I can find out if smaller/regional towns have any 95/98 octane petrol or not. Thanks, Kurtz. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
portal Posted 18, December 2011 Report Share Posted 18, December 2011 My R26 likes bp or shell 98 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tubbsy Posted 18, December 2011 Report Share Posted 18, December 2011 I'm heading down the south coast of NSW in a few days time, and normally when I'm not sure about 98/95 octane petrol availability I just fuel up with a full tank of Shell V-Power in Canberra which will hopefully get me the distance. Thanks, Kurtz. You'll definitely have no problem in Bateman's Bay and Bega, they're big places, but it's more widely available than that. I'm sure the BP website would tell you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kitestyle2 Posted 18, December 2011 Report Share Posted 18, December 2011 This is 2 years old from another forum, but ties in to what I learnt working at a refinery. I would disagree with this statement >the octane rating at the pump is only ever an average. lots of the 98 octane you buy is probably closer to 96 octane I know that fuel was carefully blended and tested where I worked. There were full time chemical engineers whose job was to continually test fuel to ensure that is was to spec - ie amongst many other things, 98 RON was min 98. Unless there's a hold up or problem in the supply chain, your fuel will be on spec. You're always better using a busy garage than a quiet one. ---------------------------------------- Fuel suppliers in Australia have very strict batch testing requirements, and at no time does a batch of fuel leave the refinery (in Caltex & BP's case) or out of the Tank storage (in Shell's case - as they have been importing all of their fuels into Australia for quite some time now) under spec. If we were blatently breaking the rules and selling off spec fuels, this could endanger lives - especially in the case where we provide Jet fuels. If these were off spec, it could be enough to bring down a passenger plane... Last year (particularily from 12th Dec 2008 till late Jan 09), Caltex refinery had an unplanned shutdown, which cut off 98 RON and some diesel supplies across QLD. There was no rationing at all, there was simply no way to keep up with supply vs demand - especially because it was the Xmas holidays.... For those that don't know, Caltex supplies BP with most of its 98 RON and some Diesel as well (usually to make up short falls in supply). So essentially when you buy BP, you're buying Caltex. The only difference between Caltex & BP is the fuel additives (cleaners) and BP uses a pretty harsh cleaner, which is why you get better econ & performance over a long period. When people make comments on X fuel is better than Y, you have to look more deeply into this. BP and Caltex refine their spec fuels locally, and as a result, these have a higher density which provides a more efficient burn. Shell hasn't been making fuels for quite some time (their refinery has been shutdown and out of operation since early last year). As a result, Shell import all of their spec fuels into Australia, and store in a tank farm. These fuels are at least 4-6 weeks old by the time they get to our shores, and density is considerably lower (infact most 98 RON fuels imported end up around 93-95 RON by the time they have been received in Australia. As a result the density is quite low, Shell have to suppliment these fuels with octane boosters to bring up the octane level again, but the density remains the same. Mobil are in the same situation, however they buy fuels locally - not from overseas. You could be getting either BP or Caltex of a blend of the 2 when you buy Mobil. Therefore if someone asked me what fuel I would use for my 09 STi, my recommended list would be as follows: 1. BP Ultimate 2. Caltex Vortex (98) 3. Mobil (8000) 4. Shell Ultra 5. forget the independants - if they offer 98, its probably from India and shyte IMO. Rather than throwing up eronious statements of grandure, if anyone wants any info on fuels in Australia just PM me. I work for a Fuel refiner in QLD, so if theres something I can't answer, I can easily find out for you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colonel Kurtz Posted 18, December 2011 Report Share Posted 18, December 2011 Champion Tubbsy! The BP website had exactly what you said, so it looks like Cooma, Bermagui and Termeil have BP Ultimate but apparently not Batemans Bay or Bega! Thanks very much for that. I also had a look for something similar for Shell V-Power and the Coles Express website (as opposed to the Shell website, which was where I first looked) has a similar locator. Shell V-Power is in Batemans Bay, but apparently not in Bega or anywhere else near where I'm staying, but looks like I'm covered either way (fingers crossed the BP Ultimate and Coles Express locators are accurate). Cheers, Kurtz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tubbsy Posted 18, December 2011 Report Share Posted 18, December 2011 No worries. I do definitely remember putting 98 in my 182 in Bega, but can't remember which petrol station now. Either way, I spend a bit of time down that way, and premium fuel isn't too hard to come by. Enjoy your trip (I'll be down that way around Christmas), it's a lovely part of the world. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
griffyn Posted 19, December 2011 Report Share Posted 19, December 2011 Kitestyle's quote is probably spot on in most respects excepting one - Mobil do operate a refinery here Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmc2010 Posted 19, December 2011 Report Share Posted 19, December 2011 What does everyone think of the higher octane fuels appearing now? 100 at United and 7 Eleven I think. David Sent from my HTC EVO 3D X515a using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
portal Posted 19, December 2011 Report Share Posted 19, December 2011 10% ethanol? not for me thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Opposite_Lock Posted 19, December 2011 Report Share Posted 19, December 2011 Nothing wrong with ethanol, but RS engines arent designed for it What does everyone think of the higher octane fuels appearing now? 100 at United and 7 Eleven I think. David Sent from my HTC EVO 3D X515a using Tapatalk I really wish BP would bring there ultimate 102 here, remember seeing it at a few BP's when i was in the UK Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmc2010 Posted 20, December 2011 Report Share Posted 20, December 2011 I can't remember the 100 pump showing it contained ethanol. However, can I assume anything that is over 98 at present uses ethanol to boost its octane level? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joeldrobertson Posted 7, February 2012 Report Share Posted 7, February 2012 Damn I pumped half a tank of 91 RON bilge into my RS200 before I realised I had the wrong nozzle. Lord only knows how I got so distracted. Could anyone suggest whether it would be better to mix in some 98 RON or just carefully burn off the 91? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dish Posted 7, February 2012 Report Share Posted 7, February 2012 Joel, perhaps fill up ASAP with 98, then keep topping up once you get down to three-quarters for about 4-5 times, as that should gradually lift the octane rating methinks. Then run it out until the fuel light comes on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanielG Posted 7, February 2012 Report Share Posted 7, February 2012 Could also chuck in a bottle of octane booster? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
griffyn Posted 7, February 2012 Report Share Posted 7, February 2012 Both will help. Car should be OK, don't load the car with few RPM or high throttle openings. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave200 Posted 7, February 2012 Report Share Posted 7, February 2012 Straight to 98 and a bottle of octane booster were good suggestions. At least you had one cheap tank of fuel haha Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joeldrobertson Posted 7, February 2012 Report Share Posted 7, February 2012 Thanks for the tips everyone. I'll give it a try tomorrow. At least you had one cheap tank of fuel haha That's what made me realise I was pumping the wrong fuel. $20 for half a tank! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bremund Posted 8, February 2012 Report Share Posted 8, February 2012 Somehow I've not seen this thread before. Interesting reading especially the post by Kitestyle2 however I think a few things are out of date. A friend of mine is a chemical engineer at one of the refineries in Australia Anyway here are some notes from conversations him - New Zealand's refinery is better than any refinery in Australia, mainly because the NZ Government spent a lot of money updating the refinery. This also means they can make fuel cheaper? - BP's 98 octane is the best in the business, and longer lasting i.e. stays at 98 octane longer than any other 98 octane fuel - I'm not sure that Caltex supplies BP, I was under the impression that BP refined their own 98 - Regular unleaded is 91 octane. If it has 10% ethanol it is 91 octane with ethanol (not regular unleaded with ethanol making it 91 octane). So regular unleaded with 10% ethanol is probably 93 to 94 octane - The Clyde, NSW refinery (Royal Dutch Shell) is still in operation (but won't be for much longer) - Soon 95 will be 95 with ethanol, basically we're in a never ending spiral that there's enthanol in 91, so more people buy 95. So demand of 95 is soon too high to keep up with, so soon they'll add ethanol to 95 (which will probably make it 97 or 98). There are a few other things I'm not sure of, but will have a chat to my friend when I get a chance, and will then share. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rmadrid-182 Posted 8, February 2012 Report Share Posted 8, February 2012 I notice my car tolerates shell 98 better now than 5 years ago, even the RSTuner logs agree. My car getting old and mellowing or has Shell changed the additives in their petrol. Full tank of BP Ultimate is still gives the nicest feeling. If your pottering around town, regularly filling and not going into high revs, 95 is ok. But for my car with a stock map, seat o meter says you get the best power if you mix BP 98 and 95. I try to get around 75% 98 and the rest 95. Ethanol... hmm... remembers Shell had that 100 octane and then discontinued it? From memory someone told me that it was Shell 98 with ethanol in it. I found with the stock map, no increase in performance and the fuel burnt quicker. Be interesting to see what your friend says Bremund. Ask him if the oil companies occassionally change types of additive or percentages based on availability or season. If they do this, then it might be hard to come up with a definitive best fuel for the RS. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alesi Posted 9, February 2012 Report Share Posted 9, February 2012 Anyone still filling up at ex mobil stations, now 7 11? The attendant told me that the petrol is still mobil. Can anyone confirm this? cheers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave200 Posted 9, February 2012 Report Share Posted 9, February 2012 Shell, Caltex ExxonMobil and BP all have refineries here in australia. Shell at Clyde NSW will stop refining in 2013 and will instead be a hub for fuel imports. BP have the highest additives added to their fuels compared to all other brands. It has the longest shelf-life and typically the most consistent RON figure Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave200 Posted 9, February 2012 Report Share Posted 9, February 2012 And yes, 7-11 have an ongoing agreement with ExxonMobil to supply fuel to the forecourts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BUSGO Posted 29, April 2012 Report Share Posted 29, April 2012 It's nice to know that there should be guarantees about what fuel octane you get out of a pump. However, a few years ago, the North Coast of NSW distributor was taking out 91 octane to stations and passing it off as 98. He was caught and faced a very hefty fine. This had been going on for about 6 months and affected stations from near Port Macquarie all the way up to the QLD border. I had copped a tankful in my high powered bike and could tell straight away it was below par. It was no surprise to me when the news got out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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