Fellow enthusiast Eric had questioned my choice of fuel for my spanking new Satria R3. Since some time ago, I’ve religiously fed my Persona with Shell V-Power and now my SR3.
To be totally honest, I neither have substantiated evidence nor literature that V-Power actually works and warrants the premium RM1.57/litre price it enjoys over the rest of local motor fuels. After some reading of mostly layman and marketing information, no actual scientific explanation is found besides the vague “purer, highly refined petrol with a unique base fuel reformulation that helps unleash extra energy for power and responsiveness…” I had always assumed that V-Power was more expensive due to a higher RON rating (in the vicinity of RON98). However none of this is supported by any literature in black and white although the Shell website does mention that V-Power at least conforms to RON97, at minimum.
However, through experience using V-Power and testing with other fuels like Caltex, Vortex Gold, Mobil + Esso Synergy F-1, I can attest that cars, especially of lower capacity engines, seem to perform better with obvious increase in power and response.
Shell.com says,
“Shell V-Power is a unique formulation that was developed based on Shell’s extensive experience as a Formula 1 technical partner to Ferrari. Utilising technology previously only available to Formula 1 racing teams, Shell V-power brings track-inspired performance to the road. It is a purer, highly refined petrol with a unique base fuel reformulation that helps unleash extra energy for power and responsiveness as quick as your reflexes. Shell V-Power is a totally redesigned petrol; not just one that’s been enhanced with additives. “
Somewhat typical marketing talk and almost hard-to-believe claims,
“With the help of Ferrari and Michael Schumacher, Shell went on to prove Shell-V-Power’s supreme performance on the race-track. After a couple of hot laps, the racing petrol in Schumacher’s Formula 1 Ferrari was substituted with Shell V-Power. The results were stunning.
Shell V-Power performed almost as well as the racing petrol. So well in fact, that even Michael Schumacher was surprised at the marginal difference in performance!”
Despite the lack of facts, I will continue to use V-Power for my car simply due to reason that there is a notable increase in power delivery and response. On track days and special occasions, I pop in a can of Aerotech Afterburn, an octane booster, which unleashes a few more horses. Very addictive too 🙂
So, what’s your choice of motor fuel, and why?
