Fuel quality. Any difference between companies?

[PirateJafa]

Also, Caltex puts far more of their "Techron" additive into their fuel than any of the other companies. Not because they need to, but because they can, and that way they end up with a high quality fuel. If only they had 98

Bet you a dollar that it's cheaper than petrol - they're just crowing because they're able to sell you watered-down (well, "techron'd-down") petrol in such a way that you actually WANT to buy it.

[huff3r]

Ummm... actually it improves fuel quality significantly. My dad has all the data, but of course he cant release any of that because of corporate sensitivity etc, but yeah... Techron definitely makes you're engine run considerably better.

[imdying]

Oh well, if your Dad says so, then it simply must be true... if even if you can't provide even the slimmest of facts

[YellowDog]

I understand that a barrel of oil is about 92 litres (give or take) and costs around NZ$120 ish depending upon the day of the week time of the month.

Can anyone tell me how many litres of 95 grade fuel can be produced from a litre from such a barrel?

I am just curious to know if the ratio is more or less than 50/50.

[vifferman]

Bet you a dollar that it's cheaper than petrol - they're just crowing because they're able to sell you watered-down (well, "techron'd-down") petrol in such a way that you actually WANT to buy it.

In a sense, that's true.
The additives they add to petrol to "improve it" are by and large by-products of the refining process. Petrol is a mixture of low boiling point volatiles such as heptanes, and the additives they put in to "clean the fuel system" and increase the octane rating are generally things such as toluene and xylene that are good at dissolving the tar deposits and varnish that can accumulate inside your engine. Conveniently for the fuel companies, many of these substances are things that have a limited market compared to petrol (making their price fairly low on the market), so they need to find an alternative use for them. Xylene and toluene, f'rinstance, are used as paintbrush cleaner, and also used as part of paint and plastics manufacture.

You could say in a way that they're using petrol as a convenient outlet for disposing of some of their industrial waste. In doing so, it means they don't have to spend as much money refining the petrol in the first place, which ironically means that the petrol itself is responsible for the very deposits their additives are put in to remove. Kind of a circular argument...
Nett result is an increase in their profits, and in some ways a fuel that's more toxic and less clean than the nasty old leaded perol they used to produce.

[vifferman]

I understand that a barrel of oil is about 92 litres (give or take) and costs around NZ$120 ish depending upon the day of the week time of the month.

Can anyone tell me how many litres of 95 grade fuel can be produced from a litre from such a barrel?

I am just curious to know if the ratio is more or less than 50/50.

No, but I can tell you that basically all they do to make 95 is take 91 and add extra crap to it. I seriously doubt it costs any more to make.

Edit: Scrub that - I googled it (it was SO hard, and took all of 5 seconds). One 42 gallon barrel makes 19.5 gallons of gas. If you click my link, note that US octane ratings are different: their 87 is the same as our 91(RON).

[motorbyclist]

note that US octane ratings are different: their 87 is the same as our 91(RON).

don't you mean to say our "91" is actually closer to 87(RON) (by the time we get it from the pump)?

In Mrka, "Techron" is sold as a fuel additive, to clean your fuel system and give moar pwer!

You coulda found this out yourself, by typing "what is techron" into Google.

...consisting of a family of compounds known as polyether amines.[1] Techron reduces accumulation of deposits in fuel injectors and on intake valves, and minimizes build-up of deposits in the combustion chamber.[2] With the introduction of Techron, Chevron gasolines became designated as meeting TOP TIER standards for fuel cleanliness.

right, so it doesn't actually clean my engine so much as slow the rate at which it is ruined by their fuel?

lol

[Ocean1]

One 42 gallon barrel makes 19.5 gallons of gas.

Depends on the refinery. Some are optomised to produce light end stuff, (petrol) and some aim for mid-range products like Deisel and heavy fuel oil.

I believe Marsden Pt was originally designed to maximise Deisel output, that being driven by market prices at the time. Needless to say the market changed significantly once production started.

[pete376403]

Also I believe marsden point is designed to be best with cheap (shitty) high sulphur oil as a feedstock, so the really nice oil they are pulling out of the ground around taranaki gets sold overseas at a premium price.

[StoneY]

Ran on some 97.5 that was so called 50/50 bio fuel petrol mixture and seemed to gain some milage from that fill up - recall i seemed to get 30k's further on that tank than usual
Some place in Masterton- forget the brand

Or was it a tailwind that day?

[KrazyGixxerBoy]

I always use BP Ultimate...higher octane, better performance, more km's, etc. 91 is utter crap!

[Gremlin]

Two most important factors are the compression of the motor, and now, bio fuel compatibility. Higher compression motors needed the higher octane rating (ie, sportsbikes need 95+, while say, a hornet 900 will be fine on 91).

Euro bikes tend to need higher octanes (even 97.5+) as their fuel is a higher quality, so the bikes are designed with it more in mind...

With bio-fuel, some bike's fuel lines are not designed with it in mind, and can ruin the lines etc, so don't use it unless you know the bike is compatible with it.

Other than that, plenty of threads have been done. I find my bikes normally have a preference of sorts, getting better mileage on some brands than others...

[cruza]

actually not all fuels are created equal. There is major differences in the blends and additives each company specifies. The trick is to find a gas your bike likes and try to stick to that brand as much as possable. We always ask what brand of gas do you use . Try changing from Shell to BP or visaversa and you will see what i mean...

Ya Reckon, Apart from bp 98 , you wouldn't know where your 91 or 95 or diesel came from , weather it was a import ,nz refined , it may have been loaded from another company's depo in another city and trucked 400km.

[Hiflyer]

Yea well Chaos' dad said only 4 bikes have a flywheel.... look where that got him hahaha