Optimax Rating

[Adam43]

Does Optimax have a rating? Is it 97 like 'super unleaded'?

Just curious, although I use it because I was to be like Michael or better still a yellow fish

[GTV27]

Its 98 in Oz

[AussieV8]

I don't use anything else but Optimax..

[GTV27]

BP Ultimate also seems to work OK

[Amaroo Park]

I too am a fan of Optimax. If you buy fuel in Sydney it only comes out of 2 refinerys. Caltex and Mobil come out of the old Ampol refinery at Kurrnel and Shell and BP from shell at Rose Hill

[Mattracer]

I don't need PULP

My old boot's mill runs just fine on the "ordinary" stuff.

[spanner]

I was told that it was a 98, hence all the marketing gumf about it being more powerful.

[Adam43]

We use it in the racer, where we think it makes a difference. It's very difficult to tell and we've never done back to back tests or stuck it on a rolling road. If it's good enough for Micheal...

[carrera]

Have also started to use it in the racer, it feels just a tad more responsive. Or have I been brainwashed by the ads?

[D-Type]

Originally posted by spanner
I was told that it was a 98, hence all the marketing gumf about it being more powerful.

It only makes a difference if you tune for it.
In Kenya if you took your car from Nairobi (5000 feet) to the coast you had two choices - reset the timing or switch from "Regular" to "Super" otherwise she pinked like hell. At high altitude, "Super" (98 in those days) made no difference unless you reset the timing.
Similarly putting in Avgas (100 octane) won't make any difference unless you re-tune.
Possibly modern "intelligent2 engines with anti-knock sensors etc may be able to do this for you. If so, note my signature line

[Logrence]

You don't have one.

[Adam43]

Logrence, I do have one, I hide it in the sugar bowl! :confused:

D-Type. You are right, things do need tuning for the fuel. Expecially if you go from Regular to 100 octane! However, I'm not sure it's such am issue with our straight 6 Jaguar engine and the small change between super and Optimax. It was designed to run unleaded at first and probably super and optimax is more similar to what it was originally intended for. Additionally the engine has been running on Optimax for ages now and all set-up was done with that running through it's viens!

[kmchow]

Shell(??) Optimax in Canada only has a 93 Octane. The highest is 94, sold by Chevron.

[rocket]

Originally posted by kmchow
Shell(??) Optimax in Canada only has a 93 Octane. The highest is 94, sold by Chevron.

jeez thats crapy, whats the RON of standard fuel then

[kmchow]

I think our posted octane numbers are the average of the two gasoline ratings? OTOH, our gas is cheaper here in NA so I guess we have to lose out on something. As well, our gas is NOT low-sulphur. We won't have mandatory low-sulphur fuel for another 6-7 years I believe.

[coln72]

Dont know about optimax. My old ute pinged its head off on it (the old girl was designed to run on good old leaded fuel). Couldn't get over 80kmh towing where on leaded fuel it would quite happily cruise on 110kmh.