The few times that I've run race fuel I use unleaded, usually VP MotorSport 109; VP100 a couple times.
Sunoco 260 GT Plus seems to be the comparative product, but I've never used it. Also, has anyone actually put the Shell Race Fuel to use? Maybe it's comparative URT 105? They had a booth at Barrett Jackson and the "representative" had not a clue about their products; at one point she told me that URT 100 was the only unleaded fuel...at which point I walked away.
Just curious about what everyone is using...
Hi Globe Warmer.
Although I don't work for shell, I do have a lot of product knowledge and experience with the new Shell URT Fuels and would love to make sure that you get the correct information that you SHOULD have received at the Barrett show. I know it's long, but forums are a great place to give this information as for all of us on the forums - we are always craving the data that will help us get that extra 5-10 hp over the others
Man, it sucks that you had that experience at the show. Not to make excuses but I may be able to shed some light on what I "hope" the representative was trying to say..
Out of the 3 Flavors of racing fuel Shell has to offer -
WHICH ARE ALL UNLEADED -
The
URT 100 product is the
(only one) of the 3 that contains some ethanol (ethanol is the most common way to oxygenate a fuel) oxygenation. It also is a
50 State Legal Race Fuel
With that being said, here is more info about the fuels. I hope this helps everyone.
The other 2 flavors - the
URT 105 *** Very comparable to MS109 and Sunoco 260GT(110) except the Shell URT 105 uses NO Ethanol. The "true" octane ratings (R+M)/2 between the Shell URT 105 and the other two competitors is very close, however the detonation resistance is greater with the Shell URT fuels.
and the
URT Advanced racing fuels *** 110 to 116 octane NO LEAD, NO Ethanol, NO Oxygenation An incredible race fuel with never before seen detonation resistance, that competes with and has proven to outperform Leaded fuels all the way up to 116 octane. Contains No Ethanol, No Lead, and NO Oxygenation. The fuel has a very close stoich point to pump gas which means it can be mixed and not screw up your tune. Of course No Ethanol, Oxygenation, or Lead means that those corrosive and sensor killing, CAT killing ingredients can't hurt ya.
** Many get worried that with no lead at the higher octane of the URT Advanced and the URT 105 levels, that they are not getting the "protection" that tetraethyl Lead provides. Well -- that has now been proven Wrong.. All 3 of the URT fuels contain an additive that has been proven to provide BETTER protection than Lead and also produces less wear on your engine parts that are touched by fuel. There are tests that have been done by true 3rd party companies that show this to be true and that the wear characteristics of the Shell URT fuels are A LOT less than the competition.
Simply put , These new Shell Racing Fuels are Modern race fuels that have been needed for a long time. All other race fuels are using 50 year old technology with ingredients that are just not needed anymore. Luckily, Shell took the time and resources to design these Modern race fuels for all of us.
These Shell Racing Fuels are made from a true Chemical stream of pure products that are specifically designed for RACING.. This means that Shell started with a clean slate when designing this fuel - asking themselves - what are the most important aspects of a race fuel?
Like:
#1 Superior Detonation Resistance.. (After all, why do we use racing fuel?? To allow us to get the most out of our engines and guard against detonating and blowing our engines up!) See below links proving that this fuel performs better than the competition.
#2 A COMPLETE burn.. Everyone likes to talk about a slow burn or a fast burn but what people need to understand is that chemically, what you want is a "complete" burn. Shell designed these race fuels using chemical streams as opposed to just refining conventional fuel and chucking in Tetraethyl lead, ethanol, e.t.c therefore, the fuel burns more complete.
#3 A COOLER burn. The URT 105 and the URT Advanced Shell racing fuels burn cooler due to them not having the ingredients like Lead, ethanol - which often is leading contributor to high oxygen content. High oxygen content usually means HOTTER burn. These ingredients are no longer needed to produce High Quality race fuels that can perform all the way up to 116 octane..
No we all know that there are several fuels out there that are UNleaded at the 100 octane level. We also know that VP and Sunoco have some some pretty popular racing fuels at the 109-110 levels that are also Unleaded.. However-- The Shell URT Advanced is a Racing fuel that performs extremely well anywhere from 110 - 116 octane. Now you can understand why they call it "Advanced" instead of just giving it a Number.
Getting back to the other guys racing fuels like the Popular VP109 and the Sunoco 110 flavor - these fuels are pretty highly oxygenated. Yes, oxygen can make more power -- but at what cost? These fuels - (VP MS109 and the Sunoco 110) because of their vastly different Stoich points so far away from PUMP Gas - should NOT be mixed with pump gas. Every "good" tuner knows this... and should tell their customers this because IF the owner mixes the two fuels - their "tune" which is probably close to the edge as far as A/F goes, will not be the same now. The A/F could / will change enough to where it could make the vehicle run slower if not damage sensors e.t.c..
This is why you have people using highly oxygenated fuels and then they have to "richen" up their tune whenever they use it. People -- this is no longer necessary! It's not that that you are doing anything "wrong" I get it - it's what's been available up until this point.. This is a large benefit of using the Shell racing fuels!! For all you guys constantly switching your tunes, or worrying about having to do that -- because the fuel you are using is sooo different - you don't have to do that anymore.
In addition - you don't have to worry about ETHANOL / Oxygenation eating up your fuel lines, pumps, fittings, e.t.c.. I think it's safe to say that everyone that is around cars and racing , understands that Ethanol is "very" corrosive and unless your complete fuel system is set up to handle the effects of alcahol..
Another point -- Ethanol and Oxygenation - especially at the levels that are found in the 110 Unleaded race fuels other than Shells - are products that evaporate very quickly. Shell's URT 105 and the Advanced don't have it, so you don't have to worry about the stuff floating away. the Shell URT Fuels last MUCH longer.
Look, from a racer standpoint.
* If you can use a fuel that is PROVEN to perform better than the competition (100 all the way to 116 octane needs)
* If you had the availability of a race fuel that is proven to outperform a fuel like VP C16 - allowing you to make more power with more timing and less detonating .. AND not have to worry about getting rid of your Cats or ruining sensors?? How much is your A/F sensor??
* If you could feel very comfortable that the fuel you are using is ultra consistent
* If that fuel is void of the corrosive properties that it's competition has
* If the fuel can be mixed with pump gas and NOT effect your tune due to the specific gravity being near identical to Pump gas ** (just to state the obvious here .. If you can mix with pump gas and not effect the tune.... think about it..)
* If that fuel is the same cost or cheaper than the competition
* If the fuel is from a TRUE Chemical company and a TRUE Petroleum company that can "control" it's own streams (only one other company can claim this and they are NOT in the race fuel business). Sunoco used to be able to claim this but not anymore.. http://dealbook.nytimes.com/2011/09/06/sunoco-to-sell-refineries/
* If you can get it from performance shops that you are typically dealing with anyways
Why would you not use it?
The one asterix above that is being worked on diligently is the one on being able to purchase the product locally. Shell Racing Solutions just started to bring on Dealers about 3-4 months ago. In that short time frame there have been about 40 dealers that already have signed up and have product in stock. They all have one thing in common - they are all Leaders and Trend Setters in their areas and niches.
Being that I am not a vendor in this forum (although I am pretty confident that Shell Racing Fuels has a plan to sponsor many forums) I will refrain from listing these top dealers. But it's safe to say that all of you will be seeing A LOT more of the products in pertinent areas.
I know I have typed a lot, and I know that they are just words. Below are some links to vids that independent shops and the like have posted. If you are anything like me, you want to see proof from people or companies that you know of and that have been around for a long time
I hope that this information helped people.
There are also several vids on Youtube if you type in Shell Racing Fuel
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_SDH__V5a8k&feature=youtu.be
*** Radio Interview..
