5 things you probably didn't know about your fuel - Alvinology

5 things you probably didn’t know about your fuel

You may lovingly wash your car every week or even every day, but do you know what you’re feeding it? To keep your ride in tip top shape, what’s on the inside is more important than what’s on the outside. Here are five things you probably didn’t know about your car fuel.

That's my Ford Focus drinking up a tank full of Shell V-Power Nitro+!
That’s my Ford Focus drinking up a tank full of Shell V-Power Nitro+!


1. The National Environment Agency (NEA) stipulates that the sulphur level in our fuel must not exceed 10ppm.

This must be the reason why Singapore’s air smells fresh most of the year. If you’re one of those drivers who drive up to Johor Bahru regularly to top up your tank, you might want to take note of this. Shell’s fuel scientist Mae Ascan shared that the fuel sold on each market is different. Among the long list of specifications from NEA is the requirement that the sulphur level in the fuel sold here cannot exceed 10ppm, in a bid to keep a cap on pollutive emissions. In countries like Malaysia and the Philippines, the limit is 500ppm.

2. Fuel scientists develop fuel based on drivers’ demands.

Did you know that Shell employs a research and development team of about 120 fuel scientists around the globe, to come up with customised formulations for each market? In Singapore, drivers say that they want performance – it’s not just about speed, but also responsiveness – drivers want the fuel to perform when they need it most, when accelerating and overtaking.

3. Deposits will be left behind in your engine as a result of combustion, which hamper engine performance.

These deposits are actually carbon left behind as a by-product of air and fuel combustion. They’re sponge-like in nature, which means they absorb. They sop up your petrol and act as speed bumps, causing power loss and slower acceleration. If you wonder why you experience cold starts sometimes, this is probably why. That’s why it’s important to remove them regularly to avoid your fuel going to waste. Shell V-Power Nitro+ contains powerful detergents to prevent deposits and clean up your engine. Molecules in this unique fuel formula protect the cylinder an other metal surfaces from fuel deposits, thereby increasing engine performance and fuel efficiency!

4. Friction affects your engine performance.

To prevent the mix of fuel and air from escaping, the pistons in your engine are fitted very tightly to the cylinder wall. Over time, the deposits that accumulate in these areas cause a lot of friction, which reduces the power delivered to the wheels.

5. Everyone talks about additives – but what do they actually do?  

There are different kinds of additives – some help to increase a fuel’s octane rating, prevent corrosion or act as lubricants for the engine. In the case of Shell V-Power Nitro+, a key additive would be the Friction Modifier Technology (FMT), which forms a protective layer or film between each piston and cylinder wall, thereby reducing friction in your engine. In comparison to the previous Shell V-Power formula, the new formula contains 25% more friction reducer in its FMT, and is designed to instantly reduce friction in critical engine areas, thereby helping the engine deliver more power to the wheels. FMT has been tested with Ferrari, Shell’s technical partner of more than 60 years.

If you’re a regular patron of Shell, you might have noticed that it has upgraded its V-Power formula to V-Power Nitro+. After hundreds of tests, Shell replaced the fuel from Sep 18 onwards – for the same price as the old formula. The compounds of the Shell V-Power Nitro+ race fuel, which was used by the Scuderia Ferrari Racing Team in the 2015 FIA Formula One World Championship, is 99% similar as the Shell V-Power Nitro+ road fuel version. This is truly a track-to-road petrol, inspired by one of the best F1 teams in the world.

Is the hype to be believed? Read my review of Shell V-Power Nitro+ here.

*note: featured image credit: mirror.co.uk

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