Modern Vespa

Whilst on the mainland i saw it at the pumps and now back home i see it on TV. Good for scooters? Thoughts on whether it would be good or bad for scooters. No shell stations out by me so it's a mute point but i'm still curious. Thanks

No thoughts at all... A marketing gimmick it is, I suppose.

Clean air crap I'd guess or not

http://auto.howstuffworks.com/fuel-efficiency/alternative-fuels/nitrogen-enriched-gasoline.htm

A chap I know well on the UK X9 forums tested it as his exclusive fuel for some months. Yes, slightly 'smoother' engine he thought. Very slightly better fuel economy. Much more expensive, the savings were vastly outweighed by the extra expenditure on the fuel itself.

My feelings remain the same (though this must be adjusted for those who have ethanol added) - use the cheapest fuel you can find. It certainly works all over Europe and as far as I know elsewhere. It's what these scoots were designed to use...

I began using Shell before they put this additive in their gas. I never had any problems. Also before they put this in their gas I began using Exxon. After about 6 months I began having carborator (did I butcher that word or what ) problems. I switched back to Shell who now had the additive and haven't had any problems.

This isn't a scientific study just my own experience. I may have gotten a bad tank of Exxon. Also the Shell station is on my commute while I would have to go a couple miles out of my way to get to the Exxon station.

Now where was that spell check button again?

My scoot seems to have a little more pep with shell gas.... maybe it's my imagination.

Interesting. I know i have better luck with certain brands over here so i think there may be something to that. I don't remember how much more the nitrogen gas was a gallon but it seems to me a little seafoam in the tank would work just as well and be cheaper.

For what it's worth, It's my imagination, too.

All marketing BS. Gasoline is delivered from refineries in barges of questionable cleanliness to depots where it's distributed to vendors- ALL THE SAME- with various additives depending on the season, or state regulations, at least here in the U.S. Some stations might have a problem with water in their tanks, but it's all the same crap!

Super Shell in the 60's was advertised as having Platformate. The shell fueled platformate car always got better mileage in their adds. As it turns out all brands of gas have platformates. Their claims were bogus and they dropped the adds. Check out YouTube for the commercial if your not old enough to remember seeing one. Come to think of it, maybe that's why the nitrogen ads are working.

I'm old enough to remember, but I think I'm also old enough to have forgotten, too.

I can't tell you what it is about Shell...I didn't go looking for a fuel that made my scooter run better. It came about when I told my wife that I was looking for a gas station that had separate hoses for separate grades. She remembered a nearby Shell station that was set up that way...I think they all are, around here at least. This took place after after riding my scooter for a couple of years, and imagination or not, I really believe my scooter runs better with Shell in the tank. So if perceptionis reality, that'll do.

Nitrogen....an inert gas.

And I am supposed to 'burn' this stuff in my motor exactly how?

Weird how advertising works...you know what they say about 'one born every minute'....



R

8)

Judy, in places like islands ... which often have dubious tanks that are subject to interior rust, condensation and other contaminants ... there is really nothing to prevent you from getting a bad tank of gas. You'd be further ahead to use a bit of Sta-Bil every now and again than buying into the marketing hype about "more efficient" or "cleaner burning" brands or mixes.

I use premium gas (just to be on the safe(r) side) but I can't be bothered to worry about who has what in their mixology. I throw in a touch of Sta-Bil from time to time and leave it at that. As Jim pointed out, the engines are designed to take crap. Even million dollar yachts have problems occasionally due to contaminated fuel ... but that's what fuel filters and products like Sta-Bil are made for.

Hey TRAFFIC have you used Seafoam? I swear by it. To me it works better than Stabil. Probably in my head but what can i say. It was made to use in marine engines so it might not be in my head after all. FISHCUTTER that's my theory on the bad gas also. We have a Tersoro gas station that got slammed by water this winter. I won't ever use their station out by me again until i see a new tank put in. We had gas running down the streets I wish i had a nozzle for each grade but all we have is one for all

I agree 100% they sell blend stock to each other then tweek it to each company specs. we also have a Nation wide pipeline network to transfer gasoline,oil,Nat gas.

This I know forsure

Seafoam is a GREAT product ... but for some inexplicable reason, nobody carries it here so we have the option of Sta-Bil or nothing. Go figure. Just another one of the joys of living on a very small island!

That's why I use their gas. They also have a separate hose for each grade of gas.

The air that your gasoline burns with is nearly 80 percent nitrogen.

True.....that 80% is inert too....

Think O2....

R



8)

I'm afraid I agree - the fuel burns with the oxygen in the air, not with the nitrogen.

What does the ethanol additive do? and does it do it?

hopefully the ethanol joke will come to pass and we can use real gasoline again

Platformate was OK but Techron is da bomb!

Nitrogen is not an inert element but i don't think it does anything for your motor

Ethanol just sucks.

It does not play well with vintage seals

It reduces your MPG

It breaks down MUCH faster

It really doesn't do anything to reduce emisions

It takes an incredible amount of water to grow the crops.

I know that the gasoline burns with oxygen. And also that that nitrogen isn't inert - a major component of smog is oxides of nitrogen, created by combustion.

What I'm wondering is what is this "nitrogen" that Shell is putting in its gasoline. If it's just elemental nitrogen I fail to see how it can have any advantage given the abundance of nitrogen already in the air. If it's something else, why are they calling it "nitrogen"?

Simply to sell more of their brand of gasoline. Since most people do not follow jimc's advice, the companies use marketing ploys to sell you their stuff.

Fools and their gold are easily parted.

From a fellow cynic.

from the interwebs... Lord knows I hated organic chem....it hated me too.

R

8)

In reading the link cited somewhere above, it seems to indicate that Shell has an effective detergent molecule that incorporates nitrogen atoms, and this molecule especially enhances engine detergency. (Interestingly, my spellcheck thinks "detergency" is a word...Hmm)

That makes sense on the face of it, but might also make thoughtful folks question the claim, as 70+ % of the fresh air mixture an engine takes in is molecular nitrogen so...

The linked article does say that all gasoline contains some level of detergents, but Shell's gas has more than usual. If we want our scooters to run better we should figure out how to make it not run such lean mixtures.

And it drives up the price of corn, and anything made with or fed with corn...

I wouldn't burn Shell if I had to push my ET4 for ten miles to buy another fuel. When I was driving Porsches the mechanic always knew when someone was burning Shell because of the damage to the valves. It is only a marketing ploy. Advoid Shell for the good of your engine.

Used to live in a city with only 1 refinery. The fuel trucks from all the major brands filled up with their generic gasoline, then the drivers would pour in their brand's 'special additive' from a 1 gallon jug into each tank on the rig.

Very scientific and exacting process.

Sort of like buying vitamin C with rose hips.

Mostly marketing jive, however...

I recently purchased a BMW 335i and they recommend using a 'top tier' fuel (there's a website 'toptierfuels.com or something like that) and Shell is listed in that group.

I will say, Shell tends not to add ethenol to their products (which the Beemer doesn't like at all), so I'll usually do 3/4 tank of Shell, then 3/4 BP, then back to Shell.

I have a pretty good conection to someone in the business and for the most part here in the states, it's all coming from the same refineries with additives/ethenol added or not added at the distributor level.

Again, mostly jive but when you're only buying a gallon and a half at a time for the Vespa I don't get too bent puttin' in the good stuff most of the time.