Anyone use Shell Pura?

mike65

I just ask, as today I filled up at a Shell for a change and noticed that thier PURA brand is 10% more than standard unleaded. What do you get for the extra? (apart from a smug, self-deluding satisfaction!).

Mike.

kayos

I could neve justify paying that much more for a "cleaner" fuel. Sorry if that offeneds any green folks out there but hey when I also have to add €8 of an additive to my tank on every fill I am paying enough as is.

Now if shell offered Optimax (98 octance) over here I would be buying that every time....not one garage in Galway sells any form of super unleaded (97 + octane) any more and its a royal pain in the ass as thats what my car needs...

Borzoi

Bought a tank full once, it didn't change the environment, so I went back to the normal stuff. The damage to my pocket was severe though

As for super unleaded, is there much point when the regular is 95 octane?

kayos

Originally posted by Borzoi
As for super unleaded, is there much point when the regular is 95 octane?

well since my car is designed for 98 octane is does make a difference. Only once have I put straight 95 octane into my tank and never again it was like someone had just detuned my engine while I paid for the stuff. Also there is the whole issue of pinking which can do some nasty damage to your engine

ToxicPaddy

Originally posted by kayos
Also there is the whole issue of pinking which can do some nasty damage to your engine

Dare i ask????????

Sleipnir

Pinking or Knocking: fuel sort of explodes prematurely instead of burning steadily.
That's why they put lead in fuel, it helped reduce pinking

pclancy

How do people know that the pura stuff is actually any different to normal petrol? What exactly is the advantage? Seems like some nice marketting to me.

unkel

Originally posted by kayos
I also have to add €8 of an additive to my tank on every fill

What car do you drive kayos - is it a classic?

Capt'n Midnight

Lead (organic chemical containing lead 'n stuff) was brought in during the war to improve octane levels, one side effect is you can use soft valves 'cos the lead lubricates them. And they used to add hydrochloric acid to petrol to remove the excess lead from the cylinders (wonders is this what they meaning by cleaning). So yes they do add nasty evil chemicals to petrol.

Since much of the cost of petrol is tax... if you work it back the markup on pura seems to be the same cost as the raw product.

I picked up the wrong nozzle one day - didn't notice much difference in the way the engine sounded (but my wallet was making straining noises)

Not sure if it is true that lead in the environment can cause sterillity, but it is used as an anti-knocking agent

kayos

@unkel Nope its not a classic its a 1.8 20VT and the additive is octane boost to bring 95 octane petrol up to 98.

rymus

bought a tank of that pura stuff once by accident when I was in a bit of a hurry. Didnt notice until I had half filled the tank and I glanced up at the pump. Nearly died when it saw it was ninety something pence/cents per litre.

Needless to say I've been a lot more careful when filling up in Shell stations from then on.

Da Man

Pura is low-sulphur fuel and it's a waste of money.

unkel

Originally posted by Capt'n Midnight
Since much of the cost of petrol is tax... if you work it back the markup on pura seems to be the same cost as the raw product.

Very good point Capt'n Midnight. Markup might be as high as 100% compared to say 15% for Euro 95 unleaded. And what for?

Originally posted by Da Man
Pura is low-sulphur fuel

Is it? I thought the vast majority of Euro 95 unleaded petrol sold here was based on oil from the Middle East (low-sulphur anyway) as opposed to some parts of the States (esp Texas Oil - high sulphur) and some parts of the UK (North Sea Oil - high sulphur). I have done some research on this because high levels of sulphur in petrol would damage the engine of my car severely. This was a huge customer services issue in the US up to a few years ago. BMW ended up having to replace damaged engines in cars up to 6 years old with up to 100k miles on them.

Please elaborate in how this Pura is supposed to be more low-sulphur and how much

Da Man

I think you'll find that any oil can be refined to any quality you want. If the oil you start off with is poor quality, then it's more expensive to refine it. Saudi oil is the best quality, but that has nothing to do with anything you get at the pumps. One of the reasons available oil reserves haven't really gone down like it was expected is that the refinement process has improved a lot so it's now possible to refine oil that was once upon a time considered muck.

I think Shell's web site explains what Pura is and how the sulphur level compares with their ordinary stuff.