This inlet valve is coated in deposits which act like a sponge, soaking up fuel and thus reducing efficiency.
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The speed and precision with which an internal combustion engine operates is almost unfathomable. Along the pit straight at Bedford Autodrome a BMW M5 CS is breaking through 130mph at the top of fifth gear, the crank is spinning at 7200rpm. The pistons are racing up and down the bores 120 times a second, met with perfectly timed bursts of fuel and air for unrelenting thrust. With such fine tolerances, any weak link in the chain will bottleneck the performance and efficiency an engine can offer.
How does filling up with Shell V-Power benefit your performance car engine? evo took a trip across the continent to find out from the people who make it.
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By running your car on Shell V-Power, inlet valves can be cleaned of deposits.
Shell V-Power first appeared at the pump more than 20 years ago, but in that time, the goalposts have move dramatically. And yet, Shell’s latest V-Power fuel is designed to work across these ever-evolving parameters to not only clean critical engine components, but also to help rejuvenate and maximise engine performance.* How so? We visited one of Shell’s global Technology Centres located in Hamburg for a deep dive into the science behind today’s latest Shell V-Power fuel.
Waiting for us in Germany is Ruediger Heine, a fuel scientist at the Shell Technology Centre. Shell’s Hamburg site is one of the primary facilities for developing Shell V-Power fuels, Ruediger explains.
Shell V-Power petrol can be formulated to different octane ratings; for the UK the rating is 99 RON. Lower octane fuels have a higher risk of detonating too early inside the combustion chambers, causing a knocking sound and a spike in temperatures; Shell V-Power’s higher-octane composition helps prevent this from occurring and this higher rating can also introduce potential performance benefits for modern engines fitted with advanced engine management software. If higher octane fuel is detected, the engine management system in an octane-responsive vehicle can introduce a more aggressive timing map to take advantage of its higher knock threshold, enabling the engine to deliver performance at its full potential.**
Where Shell V-Power goes further, however, is with its cleaning properties. ‘Regular fuels can cause a buildup of carbon deposits inside the engine, such as on the inlet valves,’ explains Ruediger. ‘Those deposits are like a sponge. They keep hold of fuel which would normally be burned in the combustion chamber, making the engine less efficient in terms of how much power it produces and how much fuel it uses’. Fuel injectors are also subject to carbon deposits, particularly so in modern direct-injection engines where they are located within the cylinder chamber. Here, the injector nozzles can become caked with carbon, causing a restricted, uneven spray of fuel and a loss of power and efficiency since more fuel is used to produce less energy.
Ruediger and his team have developed a new formulation that helps remove up to 100 per cent of performance-robbing deposits from key engine components.* The fuel works its way through the engine and removes these carbon deposits, before carrying them to the cylinder chamber where they are harmlessly burnt as part of the combustion process. Depending on your driving style and indeed the car you’re driving, this cleaning process can eventually improve fuel economy*** or restore up to 100 per cent of your engine’s performance.*
The latest Shell V-Power works from the first tank fill, and the results are tangible for both older and newer vehicles
According to Ruediger, the latest Shell V-Power works from the first tank fill and is suitable for both older and newer vehicles. Some modern performance cars present specific challenges with their downsized turbocharged engines which can create a harsher environment inside the combustion chamber, and Shell has responded; the newest version of Shell V-Power has been designed to combat challenges inside the engine like poor air/fuel mixing due to harmful deposits that can form on key engine parts.
A key part in the fuel’s development is its evaluation in controlled conditions. During our visit, a Mercedes C-Class estate is being run to simulate specific traffic and climatic scenarios in a controlled rolling-road environment.
In a few years’ time, drivers will be able to reap the benefits of the development work we’ve witnessed in our visit to Hamburg, in future generations of Shell V-Power.
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From the first tank fill, Shell V-Power starts cleaning critical engine components of performance-robbing deposits. In time, the fuel can up to 100 per cent clean these parts, restoring engine performance lost
by deposits.
CLEANING PROPERTIES
CLEANING PROPERTIES
OCTANE RATING
In the UK, Shell V-Power is
formulated to 99 RON. This higher octane level reduces the probability of engine knock, which allows some advanced engine management systems to introduce a more aggressive timing map and run the powerplant to its maximum potential.
OCTANE RATING
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Shell spends around 21,000 hours a year researching and developing Shell V-Power race fuel used by various Formula 1 teams, and this fuel shares 99 per cent of the same type of compounds with the Shell V-Power
we can buy at the pumps, transferring race-born improvements to the road.
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OCTANE RATING
CLEANING PROPERTIES
*Removes and protects from the build up of performance robbing deposits on key fuel system components such as intake valves and/or fuel injectors. Cleanliness and engine performance recovery demonstrated using industry standard and Shell proprietary tests. Actual effects and benefits may vary according to vehicle type, vehicle age, vehicle condition and driving style. No guarantees provided. See shell.co.uk/vpower for more information.
**Measured using industry standard and Shell proprietary tests. Shell V-Power Unleaded with RON 99 compared to lower octane fuels RON 95 in octane responsive vehicles. Actual effects and benefits may vary according to vehicle type, driving conditions and driving style. No guarantees provided. See shell.co.uk/vpower for more information.
***Removes and protects from the build up of performance robbing deposits on key fuel system components such as intake valves and/or fuel injectors. Improved fuel economy using Shell V-Power fuels has been demonstrated in industry standard and Shell proprietary tests. Actual effects and benefits may vary according to vehicle type, vehicle age, vehicle condition and driving style. No guarantees provided. See shell.co.uk/vpower for more information.
