Morris Minor Owners Club

I always use Castrol GTX 15W40 for standard engines, and Castrol GTX Mangnatec 15W40 for tuned engines.

Be careful about using very cheap oils as they do not do the job and can break down on a long journey after getting hot and being thrashed, they also do not collect the combustion products as well as the better oils do which causes sludging.

Cam.

Cam, it must be very satisfying to show up Mr BMW/TDI/SRI or any other sad boy racers. Personally I've never seen any customised effort which compares well to Issigonis's clean and well proportioned design. Some are done well, but many just look ridiculous. I understand why people want more modern performance (and there are times I wish for disc brakes, 5 gears and 20bhp more) but why spoil the look of the car? I'm sorry, but sticking modern alloy wide wheels on a Minor looks a bit silly in my opinion. Images of these modified cars are everywhere, but I've seen relatively few on the roads. At least 95% of minors I've seen on the road retain the original look, so I guess most minor owners prefer originality.

Congratulations on your new purchase '56 splitscreen'. Whether fitted with an 803cc 'A' series engine or the later 948/1098 varients my advice is to use a good quality oil - and it should be 20W/50W oil. Unless your engine has been fitted with hardened valve seats, I recommend using one of the additives endorsed by the FBHV (I think they are listed on the main MMOC board). Don't bother with LRP, just try the various unleaded 95/97 fuels available. I don't think mixing the fuel brands will matter much, although the octane rating the car prefers should be consistent.

Hello there!

Just to drag the thread back towards Optimax (but not for long, I'll wager!) I've just filled up from 1/2 full with the stuff. That, I reckon should give me around a 50:50 mix of Optimax (high octane, de-sludging, cancer-curing stuff) and Sainsbury's ULSP (pool petrol).

I believe the term used right at the beginning was "sh*t off a shovel", and it's very accurate!!

Fuel Consumption on pool petrol evened out to around 33mpg, although that was roaring up and down the M5 for a couple of days at 65...

It's a shame there is only one Shell garage near me, and the stuff is 78 pence. There again, BP's version of pool petrol (where's all the sulphur gone, dammit!) is nearly 80p on the motorway. I only know 'cos I nearly ran out on the way home the other day!

If she behaves herself, and I need petrol next time I pass the Shell garage, she may get a 75% mix, or maybe even a full tank! Whoo.

Has anyone done a before and after check on FC using Optimax?
I shall collate my findings in due course, I think.

Gareth,

There's a good reason your moggie is flying. These snippets come from a Q&A section of the www.shell.com website (search for Optimax).

Q: Can I mix Shell Optimax safely with other grades of fuel?

A: You can mix Optimax with all unleaded petrols but you'll get the full performance and protection benefits if you use it exclusively.

Q: What is the Octane level of Shell Optimax?

A:Shell Optimax has the highest octane specification of any petrol in the UK. It is greater than 98 Research Octane Number (RON).

Well, 98 Ron was the rating of the old 4-star so if Optimax has a higher rating then any engine should create more power when fed the stuff. This message thread has inspired me to fill up the car with Optimax and see if I can match my 0-60 time using 4-star.

Hello there!

98 RON? Crikey, that's high!

I was wondering if this stuff is any different to "normal" premium (which I can't seem to buy around here....). Personally I doubt it, although I'm sure Shell would point out the engine-cleaning, third-world-debt-destroying part of it.

That said, old Phyllis is shifting a bit quicker, and I reckon the engine's running smoother. Or that could just be me...

Anyway, I'm heading towards the 1/2 full mark (again!) so I ought to need another fill-up in the next few days.

Keep the shiny side up!

Hi,

It's been very interesting to read the problems and confusion with your petrol now that the lead content has reduced or dissappeared. Here in New Zealand we have had to live with unleaded for some years now, and it does not seem to be an issue anymore, except for a few who have very high compression ratios.
I run a Morris 8 and a 1098 Minor using 91 RON and valvemaster with no problems. However, I know of several Morris 8's that have been run for some time without any additive, and no problems so far with valve seat recession.
I'd have thought that the compression ratio on most Minors would not be higher than 9:1 on maximum rebore with a bit planed off the head, and 91 should work OK if the distributor is in good nick and the timing is set correctly.
But what I'm REALLY amazed at is the high price you pay for gas in the UK!!! Here it's $NZ1.09 a litre for 91 RON and $NZ1.13 for 96 RON ($NZ1=30p) and we think that we pay too much tax! I hope that your poilticians appreciate your generosity.

Cheers

Dave

Blimey 30p litre!!!!! Right you Brits sack the current government and ship over the New Zealander's!

From my visit to N.Z, I can confirm their petrol is dirt cheap. In fact everything is to us Brits because of the exchange rate favouring the pound. The variety of old British cars still running is superb, especially in the larger towns.

I got chatting to the owner of a superb looking Triumph 2000 when I stayed in Dunedin. I asked him why there were so many 1960s /70s British cars running around, when 99% in Britain had rusted away years ago. His reply was '' we don't coat the roads with salt every winter'' and laughed!

Sidevalve - what is spread on the icy roads in New Zealand?

Hi

Although Kiwi's moan about the weather, we don't really have that many roads that are affected by ice. However, a couple of major routes have high sections that do get closed by snow for a few hours at times in the depths of winter. If these are not cleared quickly ice appears. Usually grit is spread to give the vehicles traction, and while the traffic still moves it reduces the ice problem. This does require that money be spent on keeping peolple available, and in this almost totally deregulated little country (actually, NZ is slightly bigger than the UK) this is unfashionable!

It was suggested a few years ago that salt would have to be spread to keep the roads open, but this caused a lot of concern and was dropped. Trials are being been done with another non corrosive material, which is more expensive. I think we have the greenies to thank for this.

The number of older brtish cars here has shrunk considerably, and it's unusual now to see a pre 1970 model. This is as a result of the flood of second hand japanese imports - they outnumber new imports by over 2:1. Morris Minors are being scrapped because of corrosion at an alarming rate.

I do like the suggestion that we send our politicians to you folk!

Cheers

Right, I think you shall be subjected to my wafflings again, for a moment.

I've had a couple of tanks of the Optimax stuff, and the car definitely seems more responsive.
I don't get any pinking, or running on after the engine has stopped.
However, fuel consumption is still around the 32/33 mark.

I'm wondering if this could be related, though...

Doubtful, but the petrol is the only thing I've changed recently.

How much is the Shell Optimax per litre?

Shell Cross Keys,
Hagley,
Worcestershire.

Optimax Unleaded 78.8p/l