FAST FORWARD
Shell has continually improved its Shell V-Power premium fuel through the years with help from its motorsport activities, bringing benefits to performance car drivers and other motorists too
In our first instalment of this two-part series (issue 1776), we looked at why an upgrade to Shell V-Power is worth it for all motorists - not just those with performance cars.
To recap, it’s a question of having your car running the best it can be, enabling it to achieve the performance and efficiency designed by the manufacturer. Shell V-Power can help here via its special cleaning molecules which are able to remove harmful deposits that can, over time, build up on critical engine components like fuel injectors and inlet valves.
Left unchecked, these performance-robbing deposits can restrict fuel injector flow in diesel engines and more modern petrol engines, while in a more conventional petrol engine, the deposits can act like a sponge, soaking up fuel which would otherwise enter the combustion chamber via the intake valve. While Shell V-Power’s ability to both remove and prevent future build-up of harmful deposits is good for all engines, it’s particularly helpful in the latest powertrains. Engineering changes driven by stricter tailpipe emissions can create a harsher combustion environment, exposing fuels to higher pressures and temperatures, thus making them more susceptible to forming these harmful deposits.
This is where the new and improved Shell V-Power is particularly effective, as it now up to 100 per cent cleans these critical engine parts of performance-robbing deposits.*
Additionally, we need to think about the octane rating. The Shell V-Power petrol formulation found at UK pumps is 99 RON, compared to 95 RON for regular unleaded. Using Shell V-Power with its higher octane rating gives a more stable combustion, reducing the probability of uncontrolled combustion or engine ‘knock’. The higher RON means it can tolerate higher compression ratios and/or more advanced ignition timing; engine designers can utilise this fuel quality to tune their engines for improved performance and efficiency.
Shell and Scuderia Ferrari
Shell has research and development facilities across the world working on new versions of its fuels – Shell V-Power included – where typically, it can take five years to develop new high-quality fuel formulations. A key part of this development process is Shell’s innovation partnership with Scuderia Ferrari.
This is one of the oldest collaborations in motorsport history, going right back to when Shell supplied a young Enzo Ferrari with fuel as an Alfa Corse driver in the twenties. Enzo was still working with Shell when the first Ferraribadged car arrived in 1947, and Shell remains Scuderia Ferrari’s sole fuel supplier all these decades on.
Today, there are at least two Shell scientists supporting the team from the Shell Trackside laboratory, which is embedded in Ferrari’s pit garage. Here, the scientists will analyse both Shell V-Power race fuel and Shell Helix lubricant samples at various points over the course of the race weekend.
Away from the Grand Prix themselves, Shell has over 50 technical staff working to maximise Shell V-Power race fuel and Shell Helix Ultra race lubricant formulations used by Formula 1 cars, with 21,000 combined hours of work going into the development every year.
While the world of Formula 1 might not seem so relevant to the needs of today’s motorists, whether they drive high-performance cars or not, using and developing fuels in this demanding environment leads to benefits at the pumps. The compounds within the FIA-approved race version of Shell V-Power are 99 per cent the same type of compounds as those found in the consumer version, making many of the raceborn improvements transferable to the road.
Find the new and improved Shell V-Power at your nearest Shell filling station and discover the benefits for yourself.