BP Ultimate

[RichardM]

Just read this on AutoExpress

The petrol wars are hotting up - but this time it's about performance, not price. BP has launched a range of diesel and unleaded fuels, called Ultimate.

The company claims both will offer drivers significantly better engine performance and less pollution. Retail director Graham Simms told us: "If you use BP Ultimate it can be like driving a car with a bigger engine or a newer model. And if you drive a diesel, the reduction in noise can be like the difference between a van and a luxury saloon."

Sharp-eyed motorists may have noticed the firm's filling stations recently had mysterious question marks on their forecourt totem poles. From this week, those have been replaced with the price of Ultimate. As Auto Express went to press that had yet to be announced, but is expected to be in line with Optimax, the performance fuel from Shell.
Ultimate has gone on sale at 400 outlets, and will be available nationwide by January.

I noticed at a new BP garage just built near me it has 4 pumps, unleader, super and 2 diesel pumps. Guess the second one will become Diesel Ultimate. I wonder what difference it will make to the car - I will be trying it!

 

[jimmy]

Originally posted by RichardM
I noticed at a new BP garage just built near me it 4 pumps, unleader, super and 2 diesel pumps. Guess the second one will become Diesel Ultimate. I wonder what difference it will make to the car - I will be trying it!

I have noticed that too, must be months ago, I asked why there were two diesel pumps at each point but didnt get much of an answer.

This explains it, so its like Optimax for diesels! Is Optimax any good?

 

[simonl]

I hope it is good. BP do Nectar points so coupled with the large number of points I already earn at Viccy Wines I can get even more money off my shopping

 

[Steve_Perry]

These 'our fuel is better than the competition' marketing ploys have been going on for ages. I remember back in the mid '80s when Shell first started doing a 'performance' fuel with special additives and how a few months later they had numerous claims, mainly from Vauxhall Cavalier drivers, when engines suffered from sticking valves and gummed up injectors. I'm not dissing today's Optimax, I'm sure Shell's fuel additives have come on a long way from the mid eighties but I just see it as a marketing gimmick to get drivers to shell (excuse the pun ) out more of their hard earnt cash for petrol.

I'll be sticking to the cheapest regular unleaded (95RON) I can find, which in my case usually happens to be Esso.

So I'm a cheapskate and a cynical cheapskate at that

S.

 

[Alps]

As i have had to use Super Unleaded in my past 2 cars (fiesta RST chipped, C36) i started using Esso s. unleaded as they were the cheapest, then shell bought out optimax, and surprisingly, its cheaper than esso s.unleaded... i guess we will have to see if the BP stuff is cheaper than their current extortianate S.unleaded prices!

 

[GRAV888]

Originally posted by GDC200
I'll have to compare it with my beloved Optimax ( ) trouble is I cant think where the nearest BP station is.

Probably the same one as mine??? (Medway Tunnel)

 

[GrahamC230K]

I have no faith in it making any difference but at least I have a local BP as oppossed to not a SHELL station in sight.....

 

[MainMan]

The only way they're going to get more power is with some kind of additive and I doubt that they have one that does this. Raising the octane rating won't make any difference to a modern Merc because the ecu is opimised for 95RON. If you put in lower octane it'll retard the ignition to prevent knocking and give less power. But if you put in higher than 95RON it won't advance the ignition any further. If it did you would get more power, but unless you reprogram the ecu it won't do this.

 

[jimmy]

My two local BP garages have now got BP Ultimate diesel, so I filled up with it yesterday (partly by accident as I just used my normal pump!).

I filled up from a nearly completely empty tank and have done quite a few miles today dragging the Smart car around on a trailer so I have not had the chance to notice any difference.

I will give it a few tankfuls and see what happens. Incidentally it was 81.9p/L compared to normal Diesel @ 78.9p/L so it is a bit more expensive.

 

[RichardM]

I filled up last friday morning and I've done about 300 miles since and I can't say I really noticed a difference! It doesn't seem any quieter when started from cold in the morning.

At my local BP it was the same price as standard diesel, 76.9p/litre, I did ask why it was the same price but I just got a blank look! It may have been because it was the first day and they hadn't changed the prices.