Shell V-Power doesn’t just help Scuderia Ferrari’s F1® team fight for the win on Sunday, the high -performance petrol and diesel fuel also delivers a win-win-win for all road cars thanks to improved mpg, extra bhp and a special formula that cleans and protects critical parts of your engine from performance-robbing deposits while you enjoy driving.
New and improved** Shell V-Power contains 99 per cent of the same type of compounds found in Sainz and Leclerc’s tanks, so there’s proper race-to-road science swirling around this high-octane brew.
That’s because tests on Formula 1 cars provide a basis for all Shell’s premium fuel testing. Formula 1 is a very extreme environment and Shell transfers everything it learns there to its road-fuel programme so customers around the world can benefit from that innovation.
To learn more about the three key benefits of Shell V-Power, CAR donned our lab coats and specs and caught up with Jo Smith, a fuel scientist with 35 years’ service at Shell.
1. Shell V-Power improves your engine’s fuel economy*
Shell V-Power has been synonymous with extra performance since its introduction in 1998, but Jo and her team have increasingly chased improvements to the features of the fuel in recent years. The result is that in 2023 Shell released its best ever performance fuel**, which includes improvements to fuel economy.
They certainly put in the graft. Development involved tens of thousands of hours over an exhaustive five-year programme with testing conducted with independent test labs and academia.
‘We started experimenting in the laboratory, then moved to bench engines, followed by testing cars on a chassis dynamometer to understand the fuels performance in a very controlled environment,’ says Jo ‘The final phase was to put our formulations in real cars out on real roads.
Jo points out that Shell V-Power is as beneficial for a new car as it is for older models and that it’s not just for high performance cars. She highlights how a new generation of super-efficient engines creates a whole new challenge.
‘Car makers are under increasing pressure to produce engines that are as efficient as possible. There are a number of ways to do this including making engines smaller, adding turbochargers and using technology like direct fuel injection which are all routes to improving the efficiency of the engine,’ she explains. However, that means modern engines are working harder than ever to be more efficient, which makes the combustion environment where our fuels operate even tougher – temperatures are up, pressures are higher. It’s really key that we understand the environment where the fuel operates and all this feeds in to the Shell V-Power design process.’
2 . Shell V-Power up to 100% cleans critical engine parts*** and rejuvenates your engine’s performance****
Shell claims ‘up to 100 per cent cleans critical engine parts’*** for new and improved** Shell V-Power based on extensive industry-standard bench engine test data and testing on real cars.
Its findings reveal how deposits can build up over time with regular unleaded petrol and diesel, reducing fuel efficiency as well as performance – something that’s true for all engines, but particularly newer, more efficient designs where controlling performance-robbing deposits is key.
Over to Jo: ‘If you magnify deposits that can form on the back of a gasoline/petrol inlet valve, for instance, they look like a sponge and do actually soak up fuel that’s trying to flow into the combustion chamber [in the case of indirect fuel injection]. That has an obvious effect on fuel efficiency and performance, so we formulate powerful cleaning molecules to help remove these deposits and prevent them forming in the first place.’
Petrol fuel injectors are also critical. In more modern petrol engines, the fuel injectors sit directly inside the combustion chamber. While good for efficiency, the injector tip is located in a very harsh environment of high temperatures and pressures which can lead to the formation of deposits in and around the fuel nozzle. Over time these deposits can restrict fuel flow through the nozzle and also impact how the fuel is sprayed into the combustion chamber. This is equally relevant for diesel engines where diesel fuel is injected under very high pressure through a series of tiny holes on the fuel injector tip too.
‘The injector holes on a modern diesel fuel injector are less than 300 microns in size, or about the width of a human hair,’ says Jo, ‘so the tolerance for that performing perfectly is actually extremely small.’
As well as removing deposits, Shell V-Power petrol also contains a friction modifier ingredient to help provide our best protection against wear***** – while both Shell V-Power petrol and diesel also provide unbeatable protection against corrosion.******
‘If you look at the fuel supply from the car’s fuel tank to the engine, it goes through a system of fuel lines, pumps, rails, and fuel injectors which can become corroded – Shell V-Power helps to protect these components from corrosion ’ Jo says.
3. Shell V-Power is Shell’s best ever performance fuel
A higher-octane rating (Research Octane Number, or RON) is key to Shell V-Power’s improved performance, because while most fuel on UK forecourts is 95 RON, Shell V-Power ups the ante to 99 RON. In essence this adds extra power and performance in octane responsive engines.
Beyond the data, the difference is palpable on the road. ‘Customers talk about extra responsiveness when they’re pressing the accelerator pedal, so it is something you can feel,’ confirms Jo.
Crucially, 99 RON helps reduce ‘knock’ (also known as detonation, pinging and pinking), which occurs when the fuel-air mixture doesn’t fully ignite at the correct moment. It’s potentially damaging to your engine over the long run, so engine management systems in modern cars cleverly dial back performance as a compromise. Filling up with Shell V-Power’s higher octane fuel helps to optimise combustion and rejuvenates performance.
Add it all together and you’ve got a fuel designed to improve fuel economy, clean as it goes and rejuvenate the performance of your engine – three excellent reasons to pick Shell V-Power next time you re-fuel.
* 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.
** Compared to the previous generation Shell V-Power.
*** 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. With continuous use of Shell V-Power from the first full tank fill. Actual effects and benefits may vary according to vehicle type, vehicle age, vehicle condition and driving style. No guarantees provided.
**** 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.
***** Compared to Shell’s FuelSave Unleaded fuel. Actual effects and benefits may vary according to vehicle type, vehicle condition and driving style. Helps to protect key fuel system components such as intake valves and fuel injectors from the build up of performance robbing deposits. Friction reducing molecules help critical parts of your engine. No guarantees provided.
****** Measured using industry standard ASTM D665. Actual effects and benefits may vary. No guarantees provided. See shell.co.uk/vpower for more information.