Fuels Fuels Fuels

[Wixy]

hello there,

this has been 10weeks in the making. i've been trying out 98oct fuel for 10 weeks, and each 2 weeks i change to a different "brand" of fuel. The ones used are all 98oct avaliable in the victorian fuel market:

1. Boost 98

2. Mobile 8000

3. Shell V Power

4. Vortex 98

5. BP Ultimate

i know i only have a camry, but i really do prefer a smooth, quiet ride, and when i need it, something "extra" when i floor the old man car.

Car: 2002 SXV20R Advantage Camry

Kms: 62,500

Engine Treatment: Nulon E30. Alot of people have sworn by the teflon coating goodness, but me...nfi.

Drive: Freeway (75%) Suburb & City Sprints (25%)

End of Week 2 - Boost 98

Can i say, for 4cents more than ULP, you'd think its a bloody bargain, but haha! think again. it was absolutely $hithouse compared to the other fuels. the main point of using ethanol is the whole reusable energy concept, but marketing it has a high performance fuel is really a bad marketing method. after the 1st 150km i was already looking forward to getting rid of this.

Drive Characteristics of Boost 98:

The most evident characteristic is the un-responsiveness on the pedal, being 98oct anyway. It felt just like using reg ULP at 91oct. Engine high revs are much louder and the pedal tends to vibrate alot, i could hear the screams of my car so bad that i just wanted to drive like a grandpa. Would i buy again? NO. unless i had a really old bomb which supports E10 fuels.

Mileage:

1st week: 42Litres = 450kms

2nd week: 43Litres = 470kms

End of Week 4 - Mobile 8000

8000 has been around for years and years, and i might be wrong, but the formula has not changed since its release? im curious as to who here uses 8000. i personally dont know alot of people who use 8000.

Drive Characteristics of Mobil 8000:

Moderately zippy, if that makes sense. The car is alot more responsive than boost98, but you can tell it has a chunky time delay when want to overtake that road train up ahead. The pedal still vibrates quite a bit when doing high revs, and, i dont know why but are fuels meant to sound differently? 8000 does not scream, but after using other real 98oct fuels, its quite loud. Would i buy again? Maybe...just need to find the right car.

Mileage:

We all know the amount we pay for 98oct fuels offsets the amount of extra mileage we attain. so no great savings there.

3rd Week: 47Litres = 500kms

4th Week: 46Litres = 500kms

End of Week 6 - Shell V Power

Shell has come along way. from bad publicity to contamination. i was so surprised just how well this performed. i used vpower when i was going to lorne for a few days. the car was carrying 4 people (each weighing no more than 70kgs) and had a full boot load of cargo.

Drive Characteristics of VPower:

With a full load at the beginning of week6, i set off for lorne. I'd have to say, this is the most responsive the car has ever been. whats more noticeable is that the pedal does not vibrate at all when u floor it. WHAT MORE is lack of engine noise!!! My girlfriend told me to start the engine b4 going into D...i just looked at her puzzled and said "the car's on babe". usually she can feel the vibration of the car when its on. Whilst on the great ocean rd, i had obsoletely no trouble in keeping up with my friend - driving an evo9. though the car was constantly above 3000rpm i just couldnt hear it, couldnt feel it, i was so amazed. the ride there an back was just as pleasurable as the holiday itself. quite, smooth, responsive, powerful feel.

Would i buy again? YES. this may suit the camry most.

Mileage:

5th Week: 70Litres = 785kms - with 400kms of full load, twisty turns. just so amazed

6th Week: 60Litres = 660kms

End of Week 8 - Vortex 98

Reminded me very much of mobil 8000, so i wont repeat myself.

Mileage:

7th Week: 43.5 Litres = 450kms

8th Week: 44 Litres = 460kms

End of Week 10 - BP Ultimate

I havent used ultimate ever, nor have i pumped up at a bp servo in years, so i had no idea what to expect. aside from this cleaning aspect bp claims it does to your engine, id say i was surprised yet again by the performance. alot of the evo9 forum members in aust use ultimate.

Drive Characteristics of Ultimate:

I would say this is a combo of vortex/mobil and vpower. why? its smooth on the pedal, and very zippy till it makes me motion sick sometimes - seriously. but at the same time, when doing high revs the engine sounds deep and "manly", as supposed to a girl whining and screaming. some of you's might think im nuts, but i do find that different fuels sound different. lets just say i like the sound of ultimate :). performs well on kangaroo starts hehe.

Mileage:

9th Week: 60Litres = 650kms

10th Week: 65Litres = 720kms

I'd say, i would buy ultimate if i wanted to have some "fun", and vpower for the smooth and quietness it offers.

[BlindEyeSight]

Thats a bit of a report you got there,

half those fuels i dont have in Cairns :P

but i use the ultimate in my camry, and Vpower in my other car.

i dont know how true it is but i been told that you have to reset your ecu if you change fuels and run with it for a few weeks to see or get any benefits out of it.

[theDefiant1]

Wow. Dude. Nice work.

[t0y0ta]

you should post that to WHEELS MAGAZINE! :D LOL

nice work!

[MT]

Its good work, but you would need to use it for more than 2 weeks each to make the results more consistant. Also ensure that you drive the same distances and areas because that can play a big part.

Also, it depends what fuel you ran your car on for the first however many km before you started this comparison, as the ecu will learn the type of fuel you use and tune the car based on that. Therefore something else wont make the car run as efficient until the ecu has relearned the fuel map, and also understandably when you get to your normal fuel the car will react significantly better.

And, Mobil 8000 is Caltex Vortex 98, so you dont really need to compare both :P

[wishbone]

wow tht was good mate...btw wat do ppl think abt caltex/woolworths fuel???

[Wixy]

Its good work, but you would need to use it for more than 2 weeks each to make the results more consistant. Also ensure that you drive the same distances and areas because that can play a big part.

Also, it depends what fuel you ran your car on for the first however many km before you started this comparison, as the ecu will learn the type of fuel you use and tune the car based on that. Therefore something else wont make the car run as efficient until the ecu has relearned the fuel map, and also understandably when you get to your normal fuel the car will react significantly better.

And, Mobil 8000 is Caltex Vortex 98, so you dont really need to compare both :P

thanks guys,

thanks mickytee for the heads up re the ecu. the average person would never know about it and how it affects the driving style of cars. i thought because i have a camry, its just whitegoods on wheels so yea, didnt think the car would be so smart and "react" to the normal fuel i use. so now i know!

and re the mobil 8000 and vortex 98, thanks for another heads up, but hey, at least u know i didnt lie and make up driving characteristics before posting!

i honestly didnt know 8000 and vortex are the same...why is that? :blink:

i would love to reset the ecu, if theres a dramatic change in just switching fuels for 2 weeks, imagine what the reset can do - much more mileage? cuz i dont think you can improve on how the car drives. i felt it straight away.

Edited January 23, 2008 by Wixy

[Mr Slippy]

Thats a great report you have done their....Well done.