Optimax

[Gracie Jones]

Yo,

Has anyone tried filling their bike up with Shell Optimax? It is that stuff advertised on the telly with the 'Finding Nemo' type sea scene with the little yellow fish out-swiming the big nasty fish, presumably because it is running on optimax.

Anyway, I tried it the other day, and it is fantastic. It somehow makes the engine loads smoother. Everything just feels a bit more polished and well managed.

Well worth the extra few pence per litre. Anyone know how it works?

laters,

L

[AcIdBuRnZ]

Yes, I've used it. I don't really think it makes much difference, but those nasty marketing people get it into your head that it does, so you ride away thinking your bike is faster than it was 5mins ago
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Past: Honda NSR125R >> Kawasaki ER-5a2 >> Kawasaki ZZR-600e1 >> Suzuki GSXR-750Y >> Honda VTR 1000 Firestorm
"Chickity China the Chinese Chicken..."

[Villers]

Optimax and super unleaded use a higher ron level than ordinary unleaded and therefore burns easier etc. I think normal is 97-98 ron and optimax is closer to a 100 but im not sure. Normally cars with bigger HP need them like evo's and big turbos, including Type R's with their engines on the limit! When my mate got his accord type R he used normal and it used to choke at low revs so they reccomended that he only use optimax, problem solved.

[Kye]

Higher octane = burns slower

Allows you to get away with higher compression without the engine knocking basically, so thats why performance cars tend to need it

[Kickstart]

Hi

Normal unleaded is 95 RON, super unleaded is 97 RON. Higher octane petrol alone will not give you any extra power (and may actually loose you some, although you are unlikely to be able to tell with the difference between normal and super unleaded). Higher octane fuels are normally slower burning which is why using high octane fuels designed for low reving aircraft engines can cause real problems.

How you get more power from super unleaded is by taking advantage of the higher octane rating by running more advanced ignition timing, higher compression or higher boost. Generally the only vehicles that can do this for themselves are those fitted with knock sensors, which pretty much narrows it down to high performance turbo cars.

Optimax is not the same as super unleaded, according to Shells claims. Think it has a higher energy content by volume than normal unleaded or super unleaded (super unleaded normally has a very slightly lower energy content than regular unleaded).

All the best

Keith
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Traxpics, track day and racing photographs - Bimota Forum - Bike performance / thrust graphs for choosing gearing

[Villers]

at least out of about six things I got one right, it has to do with the octane rating. For the rest of my post it appears i was talking out my arse, for which I am sorry. At least im getting better though!! I might even put a disclaimer in my signature

[Claud 14.7 to 1]

I put it in the bike, runs a tad smoother. It's meant to have good cleaning additives/properties.

Good enough for me.

[8316]

well in a bmw 320 (170bhp), it makes it sound better (really!) and improves mpg and feels faster.
in my bike..... well its a different story
it bogged in 5th more than it does with normal fuel. never been the same since....
if i had a bigger bike, id get it anyday!
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Now own a Fireblade!! Speed Limits? Bah!

[Mr C]

well mine did 201mph (GPS) using Optimax

it's all I ever use

but then I'm running 5 degrees of advance in the upper rev range and throttle position


it won't make much difference otherwise


but if you THINK it does then it's worth every penny innit
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187.3bhp = 201mph

[divuk83]

https://www.bikechatforums.com/viewtopic.php?t=32198&highlight=optimax

Dave

[mattsmith95]

I tried optimax, worked on my CD250U but didn't make any difference on my CB250, I tried BP ultimate on my CB250 which did the job.
When I buy bikes the first thing I learn is what fuel to use in it, when I buy my next bike I will have to start all over again.

[Flip]

[Rory]

Some general fuel info here;

https://www.400greybike.co.uk/wksPetrolGuide.asp
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My Old CBR400RR | Bike Oil FAQ | Petrol FAQ

[tintin]

I've used it sometimes on my R6 and it seemed to make the bike a little smoother so I tended to try and use it for track days, general riding I don't think it's worth the difference.

In my Aprila I didn't seem to notice a difference but I'll try it again now it's been run in fully.
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The older I get the better I was