DavidM

A little while ago EVO magazine did a nice test of running certain cars thourght their paces using Optimax and ULP fuels. They had a very large table of data doing all kinds of rolling-start acceleration tests and found that when the cars were runnings on Optimax they produced better times. Though, the times were bettered by fractions of a second ... so nothing you could possibly feel (but maybe something that a clock on a track would reflect). Here's the thread I posted on this a while ago and it has a bit more detail on the article:

https://www.s2ki.com/forums/showthread.php?...?threadid=69711

Besides that WRX club of NSW did a dyno test on a few cars from the clubs. 1st they run with regular ULP and then with Optimax. They found that when running with Optimax they were dynoying about 2.5% more power. I did not witness this ... just heard this from the NSW WRX-club president (or somehting like that).

RedRover

[QUOTE]Originally posted by chris_barry
[B]The dyno guy where I tune my race engines recommends Mobil Synergy when you want to use PULP. It produces good horsepower and doesnt foul the plugs. When you are adjusting mixtures you set load points on the rich side and then lean out gradually till you get the air/fuel ratio you want. Optimax can condense on the plugs and if its bad enough can really throw the mixture out due to very slight misfires. The Mobil tends to keep the plugs cleaner.

toms2k

[QUOTE]Originally posted by danprice
[B]

Well I guess it wouldn't hurt to try a few tankfuls of Mobil Synergy. Has anyone here in Melbourne used it much?

slick

[QUOTE]Originally posted by danprice
[B]

Well I guess it wouldn't hurt to try a few tankfuls of Mobil Synergy. Has anyone here in Melbourne used it much?

jatmon

Blackie, I have the same issue as you. My fuel card is only for Caltex or Ampol. The guy who I brought my S from had been using BP Ultimate hence I have continued filling up with that... it just means that it's a big hassle every month totalling my receipts and submitting an expense claim for it.

I think I will give Vortex a try one of these days (for convenience) if it really isn't going to improve the life of my car or anything running on 98 RON instead of 95. Question is, are there many servos in Melb with Vortex available? I know that even Ultimate is only available in the newer BP stores.

jatmon

[QUOTE]Originally posted by toms2k
[B]


I used Synergy before - not sure, but probably 30-40% of the stations in Melbourne (I live in Eastern Suburbs).

AusS2000

I love the sticker on bowsers at 7-11 (which strangely enough are open 24 hours). It says "NO ETHANOL" in big letters the 'added by 7-11' in small letters.

Blackie

Wow this is a bit of a resurgence in this thread. I have used Vortex for 90% of the time and only put in Optimax, Synergy or Ultimate whenever I can't find a Caltex. They are quite common and I usually go to the one near work anyway so locating one isn't a problem. Even whe using the other brands at 98RON I really can't tell the difference between them and my S2K's usual diet of 95RON. The ambient temperature, the extra weight of luggage or a passenger, and your current 'psyche' would have a more pronounced effect on the SOTP feel of acceleration than the extra 3 octane points. Fuel consumption is debatable as it depends on my driving style and number of kms travelled on highways, etc.

At the end of the day, my lazy arse means I can't be bothered filling in expense claims every month for petrol so the Caltex card gets the gong everytime. If I'm 2.5% lower on peak power then so be it. Anyway, isn't a little ethanol good for the car and the environment? However given the choice for a new petrol card, I would probably opt for Optimax only due to a balance between performance and number of stations available. Otherwise I heard on numerous counts that Mobil Synergy 8000 is actually the best of the 3.

RedRover

Perhaps the question I should have asked earlier is..........

What service stations are available close to Winton & Phillip Island?

At the moment I've been using the Shell servo at Benalla and the Shell Service station at Lang Lang. What else is available at the Island? Is there a Mobil with Synergy in Cowes? A BP with Ultimate?

What about Benalla? Where do the Synergy, Ultimate & Vortex users fill up for Winton?

AND, please forgive me for another dumb question, but what affect does it have when you mix brands? EG if you've got half a tank of Brand A and you fill up with Brand B.

billyblue

Back to the original question: Is 95 octane ok? I believe the answer is yes. Reason? Aust engines are (supposedly) running slightly lower compression compared to OS as when the car was being speced for OZ, 98 (let alone 100) octane was not available; hence we get "only" 176kw compared to 180kw of other markets. Not sure if there has been a running change to car to restore the lost power now that 98 is (almost) the norm.

I seem to recall that the Shell in Cowes has Optimax.

I've been running Optimax since day 1, except for 1 fill of Shell Premium at Robe a couple of years ago. Guess that means I'm happy with it.