FUEL! Optimax, Ultimate, or Synergy 8000

[R33vit]

I used Optimax once, in my Lawn Mower

[krawler]

Funnily enough, we have totally opposite experiences :S

Optimax the car runs fine, gives (relatively) ok fuel economy, smells nice when it burns....

Ultimate it keeps misfiring, stalling at idle and gives really bad economy.

Bizzare huh?

So yeah, we use optimax.

My laser runs on whatever bowser I pull up at, be it optimax, LRP, ULP or PULP. Havent tried diesel yet, but I dare say it will run on that too ... 1980s ECUs give no fark for fuel. Or o2 sensor readings. Or more than one map. My ECU is no more advanced than some little chinese kid with an abacus.

[s15_is_sx]

I use Synergy. My friend use to use optimax on his BMW motorbike and it started stuffing up. He took it to BMW and they told him to stop using optimax. Now it runs fine on either synergy or Ultimate.

[GTRgeoff]

Since optimax is plentiful nearby, and where i shop i get discount vouchers (no plugs) I tuned on Optimax. Sure it may be the worst choice of the 3, but if you tune for the good stuff and get caught out it could be an expensive error. I actually found Mobil 8000 pretty good but they are consistently way more expensive and have no discounts.

With 220rwkw I don't need to hunt for a couple of kw extra on fuel type, but if the difference was 50kw I would consider it.

[Rudager]

optimax, 1 becuase i CBF driving to the other side of town where the ultimate is dispensed, 2 it's the only other 98Ron stuff in the area, and 3 cause the car runs perfectly fine on it.

[gtst25]

Ultimate

[riggaP]

He said that they tested fuels and for the best tuning results it was.

1. Ultimate

2. Synergy 8000

3. Optimax.

:werd:

Ultimate is tops. I went off Synergy when I got a bad batch but its up there. I wont go near Opticrap.

[INASNT]

what the list of lcoations of ultimate in victoria?

[Sydneykid]

Haven't you guys ever heard of Refinery Sharing? There is not one refinery for every brand in every city, so the petrol companies share.

You really need to check out your local supplies. Just because it says "Shell" on the servo doesn't mean that all the petrol sold there came from a Shell refinery. In Qld, WA and SA, Shell don't have 98 octane enabled refineries, so my understanding is they buy it from BP. Being Kwinana in WA and Bulwer Island in Qld. In NSW and Vic it is the reverse, the refinery at Clyde produces something like 25% of Australia's total petrol and the Geelong refinery produces about 50% of Victoria's petrol.

Mobil have 2 refineries in Australia, at Altona in Vic and Adelaide in SA. Only Altona is 98 ron enabled and it produces ~13% of Australia's fuel. In comparison Adelaide is a small refinery, doesn't have the technology to produce 98 ron and is currently not operational.

So my understanding is;

In Qld, WA and SA all Optimax, Ultimate and Synergy is refined by BP

In NSW and Vic all Optimax and Ultimate is refined by Shell

In NSW Synergy 8000 is refined by Shell

In Vic Synergy 8000 is refined by Mobil

As for Caltex/Ampol, the company owns and operates two fuel refineries, one at Kurnell in Sydney and the other at Lytton in Brisbane. Neither of them are 98 ron enabled. So I will leave Vortex out of further discussion. :Bang:

Bottom line, I don't think you can say that Optimax is this and Ultimate is that and Synergy is something else, it really depends on from where it is sourced.

I have told this to a number of people and some doubt it and quote all sorts of reasons why it can't be so. My answer is go to.......

http://www.bp.com.au/refineries/refineries...es.asp?menuid=d

and read up on Refinery Sharing.

Hope that helps

[BNR32]

how long has BP ultimate been around for? I have used optimax for about 3 years and have had no problem with it, in fact i wont use anything else, unless you guys prove me otherwise. I tuned my car on optimax and it made 323.5 kw at all four wheels with no problems..... Im shocked to see that there are so many people against optimax. Silverwater Automotive certainly dont have problems with it...

BP Ultimate is a newer product yeah?

TG

[GTRgeoff]

well pointed out SK. I was more simple in my requirements....shell is plentiful so I tuned on that.

[geno8r]

So some people are saying there is a more consistent 98 octane in Ultimate, my dyno tuners think the same about Ultimate as their experience with Ultimate is that it has allowed them to tune harder.

I am getting my car Re Dyno tuned in about 2 weeks once the guys are back from Jamobree. I'll post the results between Optimax & Ultimate.

Until then i wont dis optimax but will certainly take in consideration to a lot of negative stories i've heard about Optimax and not a single negative comment about Ultimate.

Ultimate will do me fine, I wish there was a good 100 octane fuel at the pump, i'd love to use that....

[riggaP]

Haven't you guys ever heard of Refinery Sharing? There is not one refinery for every brand in every city, so the petrol companies share.

You really need to check out your local supplies. Just because it says "Shell" on the servo doesn't mean that all the petrol sold there came from a Shell refinery. In Qld, WA and SA, Shell don't have 98 octane enabled refineries, so my understanding is they buy it from BP. Being Kwinana in WA and Bulwer Island in Qld. In NSW and Vic it is the reverse, the refinery at Clyde produces something like 25% of Australia's total petrol and the Geelong refinery produces about 50% of Victoria's petrol.

Mobil have 2 refineries in Australia, at Altona in Vic and Adelaide in SA. Only Altona is 98 ron enabled and it produces ~13% of Australia's fuel. In comparison Adelaide is a small refinery, doesn't have the technology to produce 98 ron and is currently not operational.

So my understanding is;

In Qld, WA and SA all Optimax, Ultimate and Synergy is refined by BP

In NSW and Vic all Optimax and Ultimate is refined by Shell

In NSW Synergy 8000 is refined by Shell

In Vic Synergy 8000 is refined by Mobil

As for Caltex/Ampol, the company owns and operates two fuel refineries, one at Kurnell in Sydney and the other at Lytton in Brisbane. Neither of them are 98 ron enabled. So I will leave Vortex out of further discussion. :Bang:  

Bottom line, I don't think you can say that Optimax is this and Ultimate is that and Synergy is something else, it really depends on from where it is sourced.

I have told this to a number of people and some doubt it and quote all sorts of reasons why it can't be so. My answer is go to.......  

http://www.bp.com.au/refineries/refineries...es.asp?menuid=d

and read up on Refinery Sharing.

Hope that helps

But just because they are refined in the same place doesn't mean they're the same product surely? Shell spent millions on developing Opimax. Why would the others do the same when they could've just borrowed the recipe off Shell? Panasonic, Technics, and Digitor (Dick Smith brand) are all assembled in the same factory but produce very different products in terms of looks, reliability etc.

[Sydneykid]

But just because they are refined in the same place doesn't mean they're the same product surely? Shell spent millions on developing Opimax. Why would the others do the same when they could've just borrowed the recipe off Shell? Panasonic, Technics, and Digitor (Dick Smith brand) are all assembled in the same factory but produce very different products in terms of looks, reliability etc.

OK let's go with one example only, sulphur content. People tell you that Optimax has higher sulphur content than Ultimate. It rots your engine, destroys your paintwork, makes your car smell like a dunny etc etc. Well the reality is excess sulpher comes about from two related reasons. Firstly the source crude that you get and the cracker technology that you use. They are related because old technology crackers can't use low sulphur crude.

Adding a few secret herbs and spices does not magically reduce the sulphur content. You have to upgrade the refinery (at a cost of many tens of millions of dollars), then you can use low sulphur feed and bingo you get lower sulphur content in the finished product.

Since BP admit to using Shell refinered fuel in NSW, it is therefore impossible for BP fuel to have lower sulphur content than Shell fuel in NSW.

Before the chemical engineers rip into me, yes I have simplified this down for the readers. Hopefully not too far for the experts.

Make sense?

[riggaP]

Of course it makes sense. But doesnt prove that they're the same final product.

In my experience I can say that Ultimate is this and Optimax is that because it is what I have observed when using the fuel. To say Ultimate and Optimax are the same fuel besause they come from the same place doesnt make sense because I have experienced otherwise.

[mcnamg]

i remember on today tonight (yea i know very reputable) that some petrol companies add something to their fuel to identify it.

is this true and could this be why even tho the fuels are the same effects are different?

[Sydneykid]

Of course it makes sense. But doesnt prove that they're the same final product.  

In my experience I can say that Ultimate is this and Optimax is that because it is what I have observed when using the fuel. To say Ultimate and Optimax are the same fuel besause they come from the same place doesnt make sense because I have experienced otherwise.

My real world experiences, we have 5 cars that use PULP and 3 of them see the dyno fairly often. I have used Ultimate and Optimax in each of them many many times, we have a very large Shell and a large BP nearby so the fuel is always fresh. In the last 6 months or so, the BP has had Ultimate, previously we used 100% Optimax. Since using Ultimate, I have never seen or felt any difference, on the dyno, driving daily, on the track, in the fuel filters when we replace them or on the spark splugs when we pull them.

Bottom line;

1. oil companies refinery share (it's a fact)

2. additives don't change the basic supply (if it has excess sulphur from refining, it will have excess sulphur when it goes into your tank).

3. personally I can't see or feel any difference

So we now buy according to the price when we need fuel, Tuesdays is cheaper at BP and Thursdays is cheaper at Shell. You can make your own judgement.

PS; remember this is Sydney fuel, I have obviously not done this in Perth where Ultimate is demonstrably superior, both from a crude sense and refinery technology. I would always use Ultimate in Perth.

[heartbrkr]

Seeing as Shell and Safeway offer the 4c off coupons, and Shell sell optimax, is only thing i use.

Ignorance is bliss.

[geno8r]

BP Ultimate vs Optimax DYNO PROVEN RESULTS!!

Hi

I had my car re dyno tuned today... You can view the results @ this thread.

http://www.skylinesaustralia.com/forums/sh...ead.php?t=52977

Cheers,

[U:i:D]

yeah, ultimate is the way to go.

I find my car idles real rough on optimax, runs like absolute sh*t too