I've finally turned blue! But that's Pneumonia for you......
I've finally turned blue! But that's Pneumonia for you......
Member since:28.03.2003
Reviews:34
Members who trust:4
Optimax petrol is very good. It does make your car more responsive . To put my theory to the test, I ran my car on Optimax for 1 year the changed back to regular 95 RON petrol. My car became more sluggish and the MPG came down significantly. From 380 per tank (about 50 litres) to 280. So, the extra 3p per litre could justify this.
Because Optimax is more refined it burns much cleaner and hence, you get a better MPG. This opinion is obviously tying to my car; other people may get different results. The "Optimax" effect will not happen overnight. To really feel a difference you'll have to run it for at least 3000 miles.
However, please don't be fooled that the higher octane rating the better it will be for your car! This is a fallacy. Most UK cars runs on 95 RON, using a higher octane rated petrol will make no effect on your car's performance. If higher octane ratings make a car perform better then 95 RON petrol would have been phased out a long time ago! If you wish to know more then read this bit. If not go to the next paragraph. Octane can withstand pressure well, Pentane cannot. When petrol is refined a mixture of Pentane and octane is produced. The quality of the petrol is defined in its octane rating (95 RON denotes 95% octane: 5% Pentane. Likewise, if the petrol is extra refined you'll have 98 RON 98%octane: 2% Pentane). Now, if a car is set at 95 RON petrol, in the combustion chamber (where the petrol ignites with the spark plugs causing the petrol to become a gas) the piston compresses the chamber where the gas is. The amount of pressure is enough for the octane in petrol to withstand. So, if you think about it, why put a more expensive petrol in your car if the piston will only apply enough pressure for 95% octane? It won't damage your car, but it won't make it go any faster. However, if you put a 95 RON petrol in a car that is set to 98 RON petrol, the piston will compress the chamber too much and the pentane will push the piston down too early causing a shuddering in the drive. This is known as "pinking" or "pinging". This will damage your car. This is why octane ratings are important. I will leave this part of my review because I believe the point of the website is to educate people with your knowledge. Thank you kindly.
Optimax, however, does make a difference but not because of the octane rating but how they have formulated the product; by making it more cleaner burning and putting new detergents in it. It's a great feeling knowing you're cleaning your car as your driving.
The petrol is so clean; it won't bake onto the inlet valves and cause problems near the combustion chamber. When the fuel travels down the fuel line to the engine it cleans there as well. Because the fuel is more refined there are less particles that will clog your fuel filter.
In short, generally good, but it's up to you whether the extra 3p is worth it for your car...?
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A well written piece and ties in with my own experience.
phucco 27.08.2004 13:12
Good Science, I enjoyed your review.
Rabid 29.03.2004 01:20
Its not a new fuel, Optimax is 98 RON compared to standard unleaded which is 95 RON and the 'in a nutshell' differences are that Opitmax is more refined with a few additived added which basically clean the fuel system as you drive (fuel lines, carb, injectors etc) the main reason for any car not liking this more refined fuel are... Your car is so used to running on a lower RON fuel and would need adjusting at a garage to get it tuned to the new fuel to run correctly.
Optimax is not a miracle fuel, you dont just put in your tank and expect to see major benefits immdiately, like most things it takes time to see any performance increases (like better MPG and improved acceleration) Optimax is a far cleaner fuel with less harmful ingredients to both your engine and to the environment, over time if your car is set up correctly the benefitrs of using Optimax will likely be seen, is Optimax worth the extra 3p a litre? in my opinion there is no doubt that yes it is, if not for a cleaner engine, if not for better performance then least for less polution into the environment... you pays your money...
Paul
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