Shell V-Power vs Chevron
 

So my gas was low this morning and i didnt have the time to go to the local Chevron (10 min drive but opposite direction from work) so i decided to pump $20 on Shell's V-Power gas.

Is it me or V-Power is just slightly better than Chevron (91 Octane)? because i can feel a slight increase of power and response time on the throttle. Maybe my mind is playing tricks on me :shakes head:

Hmm I might have to try it out too never put shell only chevron
Interesting lol

I use Vpower in the Z because the engine feels more responsive than with chevron and the other brands. If I can't find a shell? Then I use Quik Trip then VAlero is my last resort. Great engine response or a budget gas. There is a marginal difference in performance with the different brands.

Shell V power is 93 octane

oh is it? that explains EVERYTHING :tup:

I put Mobil 1 93octane

i dont think i have ever seen a 93 octane mobil 1 here :shakes head:

or else i would probably support mobile over shell

In S'pore,the most expensive petrol is Shell V-Power,so it is the best around,but Chevron[known as Caltex here] also quite good.

My understanding is that unless your engine is experiencing detonation or knocking, there is no reason to purchase a higher octane fuel. It does not improve performance. The only thing I could think of is if the knock sensor is detecting detonation and retarding timing even with a 91 octane fuel? Does the Z actually benefit from a higher octane than recommended in the owners manual?

Is there a difference in the oxygenation of Chevron vs V-Power? I could definitely see that affecting performance. Maybe V-Power doesn't contain ethanol?

Actually, Shell V-Power is 91 octane in most of the western states. We don't get 93 around here. When it comes to Chevron (with Techron) or Shell V-Power, they're both excellent.

When I get a new car I always test them out with different grades & brands of fuels. The only major brand I don't bother with is BP. I've taken apart many carbs that have had their fuel bowls gunked up with a model glue like substance from BP gas. Consistantly Shell has always had the best results. It's good to hear that others have had good success with Chevron as that brings a bit of confidnce to a backup source.

Hey I am not calling myself out on age or anything but back in the DAYYYYY. Shell gas was one of the top shelve fuels to run in a street muscle car etc. I would always run Super Shell in my old SS car. Great stuff and made a difference on engine running performance. Maybe Shell V Power same as old Super Shell brand?

You Cali guys will never find 93 oct fuel in your state. That is just not right with the tree huggers and most regulated state in the union. Many of truth said in a jest. :tup:

I would like to use Shell's V-power, but here in Cedar Rapids, all the Shell's gas is 10% ethanol, even their V-power. We have no Chevron stations. I do try and use what they call a top tier gas.

There really is no such thing as 'top tier' gas. The difference is the additives they put into the gas, some companies have developed better additives than others.
Most gas is all pumped from the same plant and when dumped at a gas station they add the specific additives for that brand and mix in the tank. Now there are companies who control the whole line from plant to gas station but most have gotten away from this because it is cheaper the other way.

from what i heard, we have 100 octane "race fuel" here at selected 76s

:iagree:

Exactly right. Additives are splash blended as the transport trucks are filled. Used to work for an independent refiner and we "made" gas for several of the majors.

There is a 76 in a town nearby that has 100 octane.

But dyno needs a reset, there is no difference!

"Top Tier" fuels have to under go testing and certification to maintain that distinction. Now, I'm not saying they can't play with the mix and provide a beefed up fuel for the test, but testing is a requirement.

Where I live we get 87, 89, and 93 octane fuels. For my supercharged cars I use only Shell V-Power 93. My buddy works for an oil company and has told me that it is in fact all the same fuel with just different additive packages added at the time of shipping, and that's fine, but I like knowing at least Shell is tested to keep that Top Tier distinction.

In my Z, I just use the cheapest 93 octane I find. It's not a supercharged car so it's not as critical. Runs fine so far and I'm getting 23 MPG with a 70/30 mix of city/hwy driving.

I have to admit I'm the first one to say there isn't much difference between gas brands but have to say several times I have filled up at Shell station seems like I have had slightly better performance. May be coincidence etc but I have consistently felt the difference.

From what I know, being a previous rotary engine owner... everything after 91 is similar. Techron vs. nitrogen enriched and what not when it comes to chevron vs. v power. I've always stuck to v power because people "say" it runs richer and burns purer. My question is, anyone ever get better gas mileage throwing 89 octane in there? Don't really want to try it.. and not trying to jack the thread just wondering if anyones done it?

I've never seen 91 octane in tx. All premium is 93. We have 89 for midgrade.

Ur doing great. I get 17.1 and I do 65% highway with the auto that's supposed to get better fuel econ. Lol.

Do you floor it a lot? I am a consistent 20.9 mpg :confused:

here in el paso all i ever see is 91

I use 91 octane Shell, Chevron, Costco (supposed to be top tier) gas. Never noticed any difference.

I'm getting right at 25mpg. a couple of tanks at 27.5mpg. I take it easy a lot in the Z but, I do let her hang out on the mountain roads around here for a few minutes every tank. Can't help myself. So, I'd like to take a nice long trip down Hwy 5 to LA..... I bet keeping it at 70mph I could break 30mpg. I should try that soon.

I'm liking Costco gas a lot lately. It generally .25 less per gallon. It went back up today to $3.85 ouch.... It was at $3.59 last week. Oh well ...

I'm in Dallas and there's 91 octane gas everywhere. Not shell but Exxon has it and so does 7 11 gas. Like I said, I stick to v power. And 27.5 is ridiculous... I got 19 my first tank

Wow, not as ridiculous as you might think.... I owned a Prius as a computer car recently and refined my mpg skills on it. However, I just can't keep my foot out of the Z. I should really try this next time and see if by using pulse and coast method if I can get over thirty during my regular commute. But, that not why I got back into a Z.... It's just shear run feeling the torque... very addicting.
Kind of miss the Prius... Wife and I were talking about it just the other night being that it got twice the mileage and a lot of times you can't drive fast anyways around here. There might be a Volt in my future if the price comes down some. ;-) Or, if they have another $199 a month lease for three years on a prius. It almost paid for itself in gas savings during the work week. However, I'm not commuting as far these days... so, it might not work out as good the next time.

I had a Pontiac solstice gxp which gave me 33 average. Pushing 340 foot pounds of torque and 290 horses. Dealer tuned.. Great little car. But the Z is still a z

Never noticed a difference with different gas around here, all 93. Regardless, I always just get gas from Hess, since its the easiest one for me, and always the cheapest. Oh, and I just found out that by buying Hess I am apparently not funding terrorism, so that's going to be my new reason I give people. :rofl2:

Driving regularly (i.e. maintaining a given speed) the best I can get is around 28 mpg at 70 mph. Could probably eek out a bit more in colder weather, but I think 28 mpg is probably very close to the upper bound for traveling 70 without using some sort of special driving method. I have noticed that going 55 mpg, I can get anywhere between 31 and 33 mpg depending on the terrain. If you do manage to break the 30 mpg mark though, do let us know.:tup:

And that is pretty cool about the pulse/coast driving method. I have never heard of that one, but will have to try it out for a couple hours when I head back towards Houston this Wednesday and see what I can get. Hopefully I won't be pulled over for erratic driving. :icon14:

I just posted this in another thread.

The biggest thing to getting decent mileage is smooth driving. Try to predict traffic patterns that will allow you to avoid the brakes as much as possible. Doing so also keeps you more focused on other folks driving helping to avoid mishaps.

I didn't get the Z to be a gas mileage winner, but I do want it to be reasonable to drive to work. I'm happy with 23. If you're getting 27 that's fantastic as my old Accord 4 banger got about that.

Now one thing that blows my mind. I can drive my 600RWHP Challenger to the drag strip, race all day running in the 11s, and drive it back home and average nearly 24MPH in it. Eat your heart out EPA.

http://www.speedysgarage.net/challen...3.9mpg_web.jpg

Not in California. You might be able to get 93 V Power in Arkansas, but in CA it's only 91.

CA has 76 gas which is rated higher than v power ... even nascar says so haha

I paid $4.199 for 91 octane at the local Arco station here in CA this weekend. Gas is so freakin' expensive here that I shop for price although I stay away from places that look sketchy. Since Arco probably doesn't have the same additives as Shell or Chevron I run a bottle of Techron through it before every oil change and add a bottle of Lucas UCL every 5k miles and also add a dose of MMO to the fuel every 2-3K miles. I have been doing this for years with several vehicles, have never paid for a dealer FI cleaning and never experienced problems with a fuel pump or injectors, which supposedly are adversely affected with cheap gas and the presence of ethanol.

I bet it's not in Kalifornia...

I'm averaging 22 but I definitely didn't buy a Z save a few bucks at the pump. This engine doesn't like to go slow. It begs to be pushed.

The 91 octane that Nissan recommends in the manual is a minimum octane that your engine can run without damage, not an optimal octane. In my experience, blending enough Sunoco SS100 race gas with the 91 octane pump gas to get a blended average of 93 - 94 octane works very well in my Z. It idles a little smoother and more quietly and pulls a little stronger from a stop. My gas milegae average goes up by a couple of mpg with the higher octane blend. I think the ECU in our cars pulls timing and richens the fuel mixture when it senses the beginning of engine knock from the use of fuel lower than 93 octane.

Both are great to me...
Chevron seems to have less gas mileage.