optimax

[DrJ]

I've been filling my disgracefully thirsty MCS with optimax since new and was wondering if anyone else is or am I wasting 5p a litre??

[Silver Bullet]

I am and always have. It's 80p hear in swansea. Is it that price everywhere?
Apparently it adds 20bhp to a imprezza but i dont know what it does for the MCS apart from cleaning.

[Paul]

80p? Bargain. 83.9 here, but it's still 1p cheaper than BP Ultimate!

[MJ.]

I've been running my MCS on Optimax/Super since new (Jan).
Last night I decided enough was enough and filled it with the good old cheap stuff. Couldn't really tell the difference. Also Super is vastly overpriced down here in the south, anywhere normally between 82p and 86!!. My wife reported a petrol station either on the M1 or M25 where it was 88.9ppl!!
I wouldn't touch supermarket petrol with a barge pole, but are grateful for them doing it this cheap as it means my local ESSO is price matching!

I put 60 litres of fuel in a week, and Super is at the moment 8ppl more expensive. £4.80 extra a week or £250 a year - That'll almost pay for my insurance!

[ABG]

Quote: Originally Posted by Paul Mullett

80p? Bargain. 83.9 here, but it's still 1p cheaper than BP Ultimate!

83.9p! Where?! I got charged 85.9p at Shell Leadenhall yesterday

[Permaslide]

Always used Optimax in our MCS JCW.
Couldnt get a tank once and had to use regular unleaded. Really noticed the difference. After all the more power you have, the greater difference a percentage gain will make.

I use BP Ultimate Diesel in my company Skoda Superb TDI130. It makes a massive difference and feels like someones added another turbo. Anyone else tried it?

[stuartkey]

I always put normal unleaded in my Cooper, so did the same when I got the S.

Current tankful is Optimax though, as an experiment. Certainly not a huge difference, but it wasn't completely empty when I filled up, so I'm going to fill up with Optimax next time too, and see how it goes from there. Benefit of the doubt and all that.

Price difference here: unleaded 73ppl Optimax 80ppl

Another point to remember, new cars are usually more thirsty than ones with 10, 20, 30 thousand miles on.

[RedMini]

I have exclusively used Optimax in my MCS since the beginning of last year, and immediately noticed a couple of mpg improvement.

My wife used ordinary BP unleaded for 6 months in the MC she uses as a driving instructor but tried Optimax a few weeks ago. Not only did she notice the difference with smoother running and improved performance but her pupils did too. Comments like "the car is differerent this week - it feels as if it just wants to go" were the norm.

Her fuel consumption has improved from 22mpg to 26mpg - lots of stop/start work. Optimax round here costs 82.9, whereas our local BP ordinary unleaded is 79.9 so using Optimax is actually making the car run better and saving her money!

I had a test drive in a MCS JCW yesterday and was told that super unleaded is essential in it. Not sure if that's true or not..........

[T13 Fighter]

[quote=RedMini]Not only did she notice the difference with smoother running and improved performance but her pupils did too. Comments like "the car is differerent this week - it feels as if it just wants to go" were the norm.QUOTE]

Is that really what she wants with the driving school car - more go?

Getting tempted by the JCW are we?

Go for it! you know you want to!

[Silver Bullet]

The more you use it the better it gets. Cleans the engine out to.

[RedMini]

Quote: Originally Posted by T13 Fighter

Is that really what she wants with the driving school car - more go?

Absolutely - when school is out and she is on MINI2 runs, etc.

On a lesson this morning the pupil who I quoted earlier was sitting at traffic lights when a MC pulled up alongside, with the couple inside grinning at the driving school car.

Rita said "I'll be disappointed if we are away second." The pupil, who is near to test standard, got the message, and Rita wasn't disappointed. They kept to the 40mph speedlimit though.

Quote: Originally Posted by T13 Fighter

Getting tempted by the JCW are we?

The dealer had borrowed a demonstrator from BMW for 3 days, so it seemed rude to turn down their invitation to try it!

[pflowers]

Tried optimax in my MCS last fill up, couldnt notice any difference.

[Vitesse]

I use it in my JCW MCS but as I was nearly out, I had to go for super unleaded. Can't say I can spot any difference between the two.

[MJ.]

Quote: Originally Posted by Vitesse

I use it in my JCW MCS but as I was nearly out, I had to go for super unleaded. Can't say I can spot any difference between the two.

Am I being thick here (just a possibility!) but isn't Super Unleaded and Optimax essentially the same thing? Obviously Shell put some sort of washing up liquid in it to make it "special", but they are both high octane petrol. The same octane rating in fact!!

The difference people are reporting (or not ) is between ordinary cheap unleaded and vastly overpriced Super/Optimax

[JTT]

I think you need to use Optimax/Ultimate for a few tanks before you will notice the difference. This was always the case with previous cars, I assume its the same with the MINI.

The ECU will take a few hundred miles before it adjusts itself for the Optimax and trims out the fuel mixture accordingly. If you know how to reset the ECU this can be achieved quicker.