Shell V-Power NiTRO+

[Jeffs2006EvoIX]

Bringing up an old post here, but I have not been here for on these forums for a while...

Gas like oil is a touchy subject for sure isn't it. We all have our bias, likes and dislikes.


Here is what I know. 87 Shell vs 91 Shell here in the Imperial Valley, CA. Price difference is about .40 cents a gallon. I choose Shell over Chevron for price. Where I live, Chevron is on average .20 cents a gallon more than Shell. Crazy.

I was always under the impression that V-Power had more detergents than the 87. Not only does it have more detergents, but has other stuff in it that helps lubricate things and keeps the fuel tank itself cleaner. So maybe its all hype, but that is what I believed.

Now this is from the Butt Dyno and not proven, but my VW GTI requires 91 or higher fuel per the manual. My GTI is an MK6 that does require premium fuel vs the MK7 that does not.

When I put in ARCO 91 as a test, which is also a "Top Tier" fuel, and I did so for one month, on average about 4-5 fill ups, going back and forth to work I would get on average 25mpg.

Shell VPower, on average, same route to work, and all nothing really different, netted me 27mpg on average. Not to mention on the Butt dyno, the car just felt more responsive and eager to go.

So, lets step out of the more modern DI, Turbo car for a moment and step into my 2000 Dodge Grand Caravan with 155k miles on it 3.3L V6.

Same Test, Shell Got on average 1=2 MPG's better.

So I said, ok, will put Shell 87 in the Grand Caravan and give it a go. Mileage was the same as the ARCO 91 fuel.

So, what does this tell me? I am not sure, as far as I know the Dodge does not have Variable Valve Timing or anything. It does have a knock sensor so I am sure it can retard and advance timing to some degree, but on the Butt Dyno again, the Van even seemed more "eager".

So the question is? Is the peppier car, truck or van worth .40 cents a gallon more? For my VW the anser is easy. YES because it needs 91 anyway. For the Van? I cant say. I am not sure if the 91 is actually cleaning up 17 yrs of carbon in there or its doing nothing. I do know it is peppier, and I do know it got better mileage. But worth $4-$5 dollars more per fill?

For me? I am a performance guy. I me heck, there are people that put on $400 intake systems and net ZERO HP gains, or a $1000 exhaust system and net what 5-10 hp? So if you can yield more MPG's then it on paper anyway is performing better. So it would be worth the money. Right?

We all can go back and forth on this for ages huh? We can throw in winter blend vs summer blend and wow this can go on forever.

In the end its all what your willing to pay, and what you can afford. Ultimately, that is how you will choose.


Jeff

 

[y_p_w]

Originally Posted By: Jeffs2006EvoIX
For me? I am a performance guy. I me heck, there are people that put on $400 intake systems and net ZERO HP gains, or a $1000 exhaust system and net what 5-10 hp? So if you can yield more MPG's then it on paper anyway is performing better. So it would be worth the money. Right?

Can't higher top end performance impact routine drivability? I remember seeing a car magazine article where a stock air filter box was replaced with a higher performance oiled gauze system. Their dyno tests showed a little bit of top end power improvement, but actually showed decreased power at lower revs. I've also heard of how cam swaps have resulted in lousy idle, where the driver has to goose the gas to prevent stalling. That's supposed to be what VTEC (and later variable timing systems) helped by producing a less aggressive cam profile at lower revs.

 

[Jeffs2006EvoIX]

Yes some modifications may or can cause issues. Depends on the application of course. Old school cars without an ECU and are carbonated basically your skill and knowledge made power. You would get a big cam make adjustments on your own.

Now with ECU OBDII based systems, all that work is now done through the ECU. In a modern car, ESPECIALLY forced induction, to achieve maximum results a ECU tune is a must.

Example. My Evo 9 MR I had (sold in 2012 BIG MISTAKE) when I would add parts, Intake, Downpipe, whatever, I would install myself, I would drive to my friend that tunes which was an hour or so away. Driving there the car ran like [censored]. Felt like it had no power, idled weird.

Once on the dyno, with the mods, no tune, my car was losing power vs how it was prior to the part install. We knew this due to the last ECU file tune on the dyno that showed the results. AFTER the tune, with the parts I GAINED power and torque.

So to make a long story longer, if you place mods on your car, now a days, an ECU tune is almost a MUST to extract maximum power potential to the installed parts.


Man I miss my Evo Loved that car.....BUT my current GTI isn't bad..............................BUT its no Evo.


Jeff

 

[StevieC]

I can't use Shell V-Power Nitro+ in the Journey. It causes it to ping and I get terrible mileage. I used it no problem in the Santa Fe before it died so they either changed the formula or my Dodge just doesn't like it.

It's probably my dodge though... POS it is.

 

[Jeffs2006EvoIX]

Did you buy the Shell Gas from the same station when your car Pinged? If so, could be the station itself having contamination in the tanks. Happens allot.

If you were going to several different Shell Locations and having the same issue? Then its the gas. I have a feeling though its the Station, not the fuel itself.

But Who Knows...

I agree Most Dodges are POS's, but I will hand it to Dodge the Grand Caravan is decent Van, and anything with a V8 they sell is frickin awesome, I wont go into JEEPS since they are a separate brand.


Jeff

 

[StevieC]

Originally Posted By: Jeffs2006EvoIX
Did you buy the Shell Gas from the same station when your car Pinged? If so, could be the station itself having contamination in the tanks. Happens allot.

If you were going to several different Shell Locations and having the same issue? Then its the gas. I have a feeling though its the Station, not the fuel itself.

But Who Knows...

I agree Most Dodges are POS's, but I will hand it to Dodge the Grand Caravan is decent Van, and anything with a V8 they sell is frickin awesome, I wont go into JEEPS since they are a separate brand.


Jeff


Dodge has great engines like the Penta-Star V6 and the V8's but my 4 cylinder is a POS.

I tried filling up from the 3 stations we had in Hamilton at the time and experienced the same problem. As I switched away and the problem went away I thought I would stay away and try a far away station next time I was near one. Sure enough problem returned so I think maybe my engine is right on the edge of pinging normally and that whatever is in their fuel pushes it right over the edge.

The reason I think this is because occasionally when it's super hot outside and I all of a sudden step on the accelerator it will bing for the first bit, the ECU will retard the timing a bit (As seen on my scan-gauge) and then it stops pinging.

When the Shell gas is in there the computer will retard the timing to a certain point but won't go any further than a certain amount of degrees which I think is its set point and as such the pinging continues. This would be confirmed by the decrease in fuel economy as well.

I do my oil reports through Terry Dyson and he always recommends Shell Nitro V-Power fuel, preferably Ethanol free but we just couldn't make it work in my case.

 

[garageman402]

Originally Posted By: Jeffs2006EvoIX
Bringing up an old post here, but I have not been here for on these forums for a while...

Gas like oil is a touchy subject for sure isn't it. We all have our bias, likes and dislikes.


Here is what I know. 87 Shell vs 91 Shell here in the Imperial Valley, CA. Price difference is about .40 cents a gallon. I choose Shell over Chevron for price. Where I live, Chevron is on average .20 cents a gallon more than Shell. Crazy.

I was always under the impression that V-Power had more detergents than the 87. Not only does it have more detergents, but has other stuff in it that helps lubricate things and keeps the fuel tank itself cleaner. So maybe its all hype, but that is what I believed.

Now this is from the Butt Dyno and not proven, but my VW GTI requires 91 or higher fuel per the manual. My GTI is an MK6 that does require premium fuel vs the MK7 that does not.

When I put in ARCO 91 as a test, which is also a "Top Tier" fuel, and I did so for one month, on average about 4-5 fill ups, going back and forth to work I would get on average 25mpg.

Shell VPower, on average, same route to work, and all nothing really different, netted me 27mpg on average. Not to mention on the Butt dyno, the car just felt more responsive and eager to go.

So, lets step out of the more modern DI, Turbo car for a moment and step into my 2000 Dodge Grand Caravan with 155k miles on it 3.3L V6.

Same Test, Shell Got on average 1=2 MPG's better.

So I said, ok, will put Shell 87 in the Grand Caravan and give it a go. Mileage was the same as the ARCO 91 fuel.

So, what does this tell me? I am not sure, as far as I know the Dodge does not have Variable Valve Timing or anything. It does have a knock sensor so I am sure it can retard and advance timing to some degree, but on the Butt Dyno again, the Van even seemed more "eager".

So the question is? Is the peppier car, truck or van worth .40 cents a gallon more? For my VW the anser is easy. YES because it needs 91 anyway. For the Van? I cant say. I am not sure if the 91 is actually cleaning up 17 yrs of carbon in there or its doing nothing. I do know it is peppier, and I do know it got better mileage. But worth $4-$5 dollars more per fill?

For me? I am a performance guy. I me heck, there are people that put on $400 intake systems and net ZERO HP gains, or a $1000 exhaust system and net what 5-10 hp? So if you can yield more MPG's then it on paper anyway is performing better. So it would be worth the money. Right?

We all can go back and forth on this for ages huh? We can throw in winter blend vs summer blend and wow this can go on forever.

In the end its all what your willing to pay, and what you can afford. Ultimately, that is how you will choose.


Jeff


Interesting results from the van. I have been interested in Shell V-Power again after many years strictly using Chevron 87. The new ads say that V-Power has a lubricant in it, in addition to 7x the cleaning additive. I gave up on Shell the last time, because you need to buy the 91 (here in CA) octane to get the V-Power package. Chevron has Techron in all grades and I believe all grades have the same level.

I have decided to give the "new" V-Power another try. Your results in the van support the lubricant giving better fuel mileage thru reduced friction. They say only the V-Power has it, so your results with the Shell 87 support that claim as well.

It seems that the jump in fuel economy from 25 to 27 would make the use of V-Power cost effective. At last check here in the Bay Area the cheapest V-Power is $3.41, the cheapest Chevron 87 is $3.15, a 26c difference. 20 gal @ 25MPG will take you 500 miles, @ 27MPG it will take you 540 miles, 40 miles more. At 25 MPG, that extra 40 miles would use 1.6 gal. So 540 miles on Chevron 87 would cost $68.04, and on V-Power would cost $68.20. Apparently not cost-effective, although close.

Thanks Jeff, for reviving this thread. The "new" V-Power has sparked interest in researching fuels again!!

 

[garageman402]

Just a quick add on note: If the price difference is 25c, the V-Power becomes more cost effective. The higher the spread in prices the less cost effective V-Power becomes, but the added lubrication may result in longer engine life, an added benefit!

Both the Shell and Chevron stations I mentioned had the same prices across all grades. I have seen Shell stations with a 50c spread between regular and V-Power.

 

[garageman402]

I can't edit my post I guess after I log out?

I researched the Shell Fuel Rewards program, and you get an automatic 5c per gallon discount, which can grow if you buy other stuff with linked cards. Chevron has the 3c per gallon offer with the Techron credit card. Looks like Shell is winning the cost-effective battle

 

[BobFout]

Originally Posted By: garageman402
I can't edit my post I guess after I log out?

I researched the Shell Fuel Rewards program, and you get an automatic 5c per gallon discount, which can grow if you buy other stuff with linked cards. Chevron has the 3c per gallon offer with the Techron credit card. Looks like Shell is winning the cost-effective battle


Find a credit card that gives you 5% cash back on all fuel purchases, no matter what brand. Or..pay cash and get the cash discount.

 

[Artem]

Originally Posted By: garageman402


Thanks Jeff, for reviving this thread. The "new" V-Power has sparked interest in researching fuels again!!



Great... now you've got me interested again. Haha.

I was a strictly V-Power user when I had my 2007 Civic Si, a performance machine (it was modified) but when I got my current Mazda 3, an econo box by nature, I naturally started using the Gas Buddy app to find cheaper Premium Fuel, while trying to stick to name brand "watering holes".

Mobil has a fresh gas station near the house and seem to be cheaper then others half the time while also giving me the benefit of a NICE, New gas station to enjoy. I've been filling up there 90% of the time but now this thread has got me wanting to try Shell again just to see if I'll also notice a difference. My butt dyno is pretty sensitive to how the car performs (also modified and tuned to take advantage of Premium fuel).

 

[garageman402]

Originally Posted By: BobFout
Find a credit card that gives you 5% cash back on all fuel purchases, no matter what brand. Or..pay cash and get the cash discount.


That will give you 5% on all fuel, I was looking for Shell specific to make it cost effective over Chevron regular. But if I compare V-Power to Shell regular, then I guess it doesn't matter, the price spread will be the same.

Usually the cash discount is only 7-10c per gallon, sometimes less, 5% of the credit card price is more, especially here in CA. My Costco card give me 4% on fuel, and with regular being $3.15, that's 12.6c, the cash discount is 10c max.

 

[shanneba]

I use Kroger fuel points at Shell. You can save 10 cents a gallon. (one fill up for every $100 in Kroger groceries the previous month)
I combine that with my Shell Credit card 5 cents a gallon.

When the Kroger rewards are used, I then use my Fuel Rewards for 5 cents a gallon with the Shell credit card 5 cents a gallon.

 

[Joenpb]

I've been using Shell 91 exclusively for over 5 years because a local station sells a lot and it's priced similar to cheaper brands like ARCO. Here the difference between 87 & 91 is only 20 cents a gallon. One of the things I like about 91 is my car idles smoother, the other is Shell's version has about the highest amount of cleaning additives, a cleaner engine is going to run better and retain its power.

 

[Garak]

Originally Posted By: StevieC
I do my oil reports through Terry Dyson and he always recommends Shell Nitro V-Power fuel, preferably Ethanol free but we just couldn't make it work in my case.

My last information was that Esso premium is still ethanol free, so perhaps that's an option for you. The Coops here are; can't speak for your neck of the woods. Our Husky premium (not super premium) is marked as ethanol free, too, but not Top Tier. I'm sure it's fine, though. Maybe Petro-Canada might agree with you. My G37 and it don't get along, though it was fine with everything else I've had.