Scottish Optimax, ok for you ?

[andrew_forrest]

Anyone suspect the recent quality of our Scottish Optimax ?

My 03WRX has taken a dislike to it lately. I have a number of maps for the car for 95Octane/ Optimax and Optimax plus booster.

On my Optimax only map that the car has been running happily on for the past six months, after last fill up it almost immediately switched down on to the low octane maps, suggesting it was not happy with the fuel ?

On further investigation the ignition timing had also retarded some 4 degrees due to knock detection.

I also had a customers car in recently that was only happy to run what I would call 95 octane timing advance.

Just wondering if this is just a localised batch (wrongly filled storage tank?) or if it is more widespread ?

I know some of the tuners down south had a few cars let go shortly after the Hemel Optimax shortage, they blamed that on the new batch of  fuel.  I'd be surprised if that would affect us up here as we are supplied from Grangemouth I believe ?

Andy

[col666]

My V5 Type r went pop yesterday[] Wonder if i should put a claim in against Shell!

I know Gumball had a problem with some dodgy fuel down south recently.

Col.

[weeb]

i filled up in falkirk and edinburgh (just round corner from hillend) and it was ok! although last tank i got from kincardine had the knock light lit up!

[dougster]

A letter in this months EVO magazine points to the fact that religiously filling up with particular branded petrol doesn't guarantee what it says on the tin!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm sure the same magazine recently tested some different brands but I missed the issue as my subscription had lapsed.

[st3ph3n]

Well I've filled up 4 times since the 1st. Bellshill on the 1st and then the 3rd, then once south of Preston yesterday morning and then Happendon this afternoon on the way home

I can't say I've noticed any difference in performance in my car at all. It's been driven pretty hard too - the run to helensburgh on Thursday night, then a trip down to Blackpool yesterday and back up today at COUGH mph on the M6/74.

[irish al]

Havent noticed any problems with the petrol but plenty of other problems

with the car.

Sent an email on Sat so its in your inbox []

Al

[RA Dunk]

cant say ive noticed any diffrence up here (aberdeenshire)

[Gumball]

STI8-

Car was dynod at 403/344 in September 2005

Car was dynod at 375/331 10 days later 2005

Car was dynod at 355/310 in February 2006 taken off due to det

Car was dynod at 357/293 in March 2006 and showing det once again

Car could dyno at 330/270 in July 2006 showing more det?

Car could dyno at 299/250 in December 2006 with melted pistons?

My car has had £6500 spent on it since purchasing it 11 months ago and is a seriously valuable commodity based on the starting figure of £20,000 to buy it. Interest/Finance charges cost £2500 over 5 years. It costs me £800 a year to insure and my annual fuel bill is circa £6000.KH, Crail, Dyno days, car shows, runs are over and above this.

Lets say then that my car costs me- £35,800 Thats leaving out an oil change every 3000miles and servicing.

I have a serious paranoia just now about the future for my STI and the problems that happen such as a loss in power and detting everytime we progress through the year. Its not all doom and gloom and potentially has as i mentioned a few weeks ago been loaded up with nasty texaco fuel disguised as optimax in Keele Services which has caused the ECU to retard/wind back 3-4 degrees having picked up danger/det. A clever bit of technology no doubt. Can this happen so easily??

What i do wonder is am i paying 102.9p for a litre of sh@t thats breaking my car or is something more sinister at foot?????

It has felt slower for a short while now and i want to know........is it going to get back to the way it was? or are the critics going to get their enjoyment knowing that i have modded my car in pursuit of the power that goes onwards and upwards rather than backwards and downwards?

If shell are advertising and charging for 98ron 102.9p fuel then i hope they are selling it and putting it into our tanks!!

The very least they can do is realise that at the moment my car has 20lbft less torque than it did before i spent £3000,

 

[jcscoob]

Good post !!! []

[FastScooby]

i wonder if this is what happened to mine... a lose in 10 bhp... reset the ecu tonight and its now going like the clappers []

[scooby222]

hmm,maybe not related but twice now ive filled up my 05 uk sti with optimax at the  same services in edinburgh and 5 mins afterwards(when i hit the motorway) during advanced acceleration the car has cut out and thrown up th engine check light. had it checked out by the garage and they said the computer showed dirt in the wastegate. so on a 4000 mile car,wheres the dirt coming from? only ever happened in these circumstances 

[AlanG]

Interesting observation Andy which has now raised doubts with what i experienced recently in a mapping session, where i had deliberately used up 'old' fuel, so that mapping occurred with a fresh tank of Optimax only

In my case, timing in certain areas had to be retarded anywhere between 4 and 7 degrees which is quite a lot, though to be fair, in previous mapping sessions, i was running 2ml / litre NF.

Don't know how much extra timing NF gives me over Optimax but i still felt that was a fair number of degrees down on where i should be.

What's your experience in terms of degrees more advance with running octane booster? (typical figures)

 

Gumball

"It has felt slower for a short while now "

 

Are you sure you're not just getting used to the power?

 

 

[andrew_forrest]

Its not all doom and gloom and potentially has as i mentioned a few weeks ago been loaded up with nasty texaco fuel disguised as optimax in Keele Services which has caused the ECU to retard/wind back 3-4 degrees having picked up danger/det. A clever bit of technology no doubt. Can this happen so easily??

 

This is the ECU doing its business as designed. it will retard timing if it hears the onset of knock, power will reduce as a result. This is usually fuel related, other issues that can cause it are over temperature (unlikely this time of year) burning oil (not expected on a car so new) running lean due to failing fuel pump (or maf on 99/00 cars)

There are many more reasons the ECU will retard timing. Sometimes the ECU's can be V E R Y slow to return to normal, a reset being required in some cases.

 

Andy

[andrew_forrest]

 What's your experience in terms of degrees more advance with running octane booster? (typical figures)

 

 

 

It can vary Alan but approx 3-4 degrees with 3ml/ltr NF or 10% Methanol. 95 octane usually requires 5-6 degrees less than Optimax and really makes a high boost engine feel flat, not so much effect on a std boost car.

I do a fair bit mapping in Southern Ireland and they only have 95 there, it's depressing work !

 

Andy

[dieselpower]

I'm not sure if it is still the case but when Optimax came out it was only made at Shell's refinery in Cheshire.  The manufacturing process is not the same as most super unleadeds where octane booster is added, it's formula/recipe is more like racing fuel than normal petrol.  There are huge technical threads about it on the MLR.  I'm pretty certain it is not made at Grangemouth [:S]

[fai17]

Really good reading Andy F.

[AlanG]

Thanks Andy

Has given me food for thought with my situation..

[drb5]

STI8-

Car was dynod at 403/344 in September 2005

Car was dynod at 375/331 10 days later 2005

Car was dynod at 355/310 in February 2006 taken off due to det

Car was dynod at 357/293 in March 2006 and showing det once again

Car could dyno at 330/270 in July 2006 showing more det?

Car could dyno at 299/250 in December 2006 with melted pistons?

My car has had £6500 spent on it since purchasing it 11 months ago and is a seriously valuable commodity based on the starting figure of £20,000 to buy it. Interest/Finance charges cost £2500 over 5 years. It costs me £800 a year to insure and my annual fuel bill is circa £6000.KH, Crail, Dyno days, car shows, runs are over and above this.

Lets say then that my car costs me- £35,800 Thats leaving out an oil change every 3000miles and servicing.

I have a serious paranoia just now about the future for my STI and the problems that happen such as a loss in power and detting everytime we progress through the year. Its not all doom and gloom and potentially has as i mentioned a few weeks ago been loaded up with nasty texaco fuel disguised as optimax in Keele Services which has caused the ECU to retard/wind back 3-4 degrees having picked up danger/det. A clever bit of technology no doubt. Can this happen so easily??

What i do wonder is am i paying 102.9p for a litre of sh@t thats breaking my car or is something more sinister at foot?????

It has felt slower for a short while now and i want to know........is it going to get back to the way it was? or are the critics going to get their enjoyment knowing that i have modded my car in pursuit of the power that goes onwards and upwards rather than backwards and downwards?

If shell are advertising and charging for 98ron 102.9p fuel then i hope they are selling it and putting it into our tanks!!

The very least they can do is realise that at the moment my car has 20lbft less torque than it did before i spent £3000,

 

 

Chris, i got the impression from your previous posts, you had the car mapped with Optimax and octane booster, but had been running it not always using Optimax and no booster?

 

It's no wonder then, the figures are down and it's detting, but i apologise in advance if i've picked you up wrong. []

[Gumball]

Once or twice there have been occassions that it wasnt run on booster.  twice at most.

september-march, 24 weeks, 3 tanks a week=72 tanks

2 of them without booster.

[ormiboy]

i filled up a week or so from the shell at the top of crewe road ( edinburgh ) and had a fair bit of  knock just after at motor way speeds. i took it easy for the rest of that tank and at my next fill up from musselburgh shell no more probs.

too many people reporting this for it to be paranoia. or is there??

[johns]

I noticed a couple of weeks ago that my standrad MY02 STi was running a bit "flatter" than normal. I put it down to a bad batch of fuel. Let the tank run really low (warning light on for 20 miles), before filling up with a full tank of Optimax from a busy station (main road somewhere south of Stirling), and it's been fine since. Used a tank since then, but due to the snow this past week, not been anywhere near full boost!

 

John

[P1 NUT]

Would using BP ultimate with millers octane booster make any difference or are we still better of running on optimax even although there are clearly problems with it.

[dave_morgan]

I'd agree with you Andy. My last 3 tanks have been a nightmare, and they've been from all over Edinburgh. I normally don't bother with OB at all with the P1 (it's completely standard), but I've been putting some in recently as the det has been so bad. Interestingly, I had to put Esso Super in it last night, as I'd run it a bit low, and it wasn't det'ting at all (only rev'd it high once to check, but low KL lights were only just flickering) !!  I only put in enough to get me to a Shell station, but I'm now wondering if I'd be better with the Super !!

I'll certainly be watching the knocklink closely and might try the Esso Super again properly to see if it's better.

Dave

[dave_morgan]

Once or twice there have been occassions that it wasnt run on booster.  twice at most.

september-march, 24 weeks, 3 tanks a week=72 tanks

2 of them without booster.

 

Chris,

Have you done an ECU reset since the "bad" tanks ? I'm assuming the new age scoobs are the same as the classics and have a memory for the retardation settings?

Dave

[ANDYJDMSTI]

Andy,

It could just have been the batch at Dreghorn services, having left you i filled up there with some booster and on the way home it was a case of....[][][][]

Filled up again and had a play on saturday and only ever got one flashing green on the KL.

Alot to be said for "tweaking" the twin scrolls [][]