Please explain Shell Nitrogen Enriched Gasoline
 

Shell Oil is hyping their gasoline as being nitrogen enriched. What is supposed to be good about that?

If I remember correctly from my chemistry classes, you get energy from the combustion of carbon and hydrogen to propel your car. The combination of nitrogen and oxygen is endothermic or neutral as far as energy is concerned. Additionally, it forms one of the pollutants that catalytic converts were designed to remove.

To me, it is like using ethanol, you can't burn the oxygen in the alcohol, so you get less miles per gallon.

On top of that, your car gets plenty of nitrogen, it is about 70% of the air that comes in through the intake.

Can someone explain why nitrogen itself in fuel is a good thing? I can understand nitrous oxide, but I dont think Shell is peddling racing fuel.

Enriched? I'd think diluted.

Sounds like a bunch of B.S. to me. From what I have seen from the commercials they "claim" it helps clean your engine. But I agree with you that to me it would lend to more Nitrogen Dioxides in the air. And I have seen the shell trucks at the same fuel depot as everyone else.

I can explain it....GIMMICK.

Just like the ads telling you nitrogen in your tires is better. But they fail to mention that air is over 70% nitrogen...:rolleyes:

$$$ grab...pay more for less.....

The tire thing is legit if you are running an F1 car or an aircraft or the space shuttle! I sleep better at night knowing my F1 cars tires won't combust lol.

yeah nitrogen in tires is legit F1 and high end like lexus fill their tires with nitrogen since its better. As for the nitrogen sounds like a gimmic

From what I understand - the nitrogen is not being added to the fuel itself, it is being added to the existing detergents. The net effect is that this stabilizes and improves the detergent's life span and performance within the engine, particularly increased stability at higher operating and combustion temperatures. So it makes the detergent additives work better - which helps keep the engine cleaner.

As far as increased emissions, it seems the jury is still out.

I think the potential cleaning benefits may be plausible, however there hasn't been much news on any drawbacks - like emissions.

Stablize the detergents? But that would imply that the gas has been sitting for a long time. Or the detergents are unstable. Couldn't this be countered by simply going to a filling station where lots of business is? Therefore you would get "fresher" gasoline.

Sounds like a lot of marketing nonsence to me....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7C9gNNlYJUA

:38 :)

I think it has to do more with how the detergents react in the engine environment than actual time degradation.

However, I'm rapidly reaching the limits of my understanding of this issue. ;)

Will need to dust off the biochem/organic chemistry textbooks soon and that is already making my left eye twitch...:D

I tried shell gas for a bit in my 300E instead of using Redline SI-1 in the gas.....it ended up being cranky and not running as well.....went back to normal premium + the Redline.....runs great.

One of my favorite shows. Only a week and a bit to the new season! :D

Maybe you have to be a certain age to remember but when I was a kid, Shell had these commercials where they had two indentical cars with a beaker of gas on top of the carburetor (60s) and they'd fill one beaker with NEW SHELL, now with PLATFORMATE!! And the other with gas from some unworthy competitor. The Shell powered car would go a hundred yards or so further.

And ever since, they've charged more for their gas. That, and pollute the holy hell out of Nigeria.

. . . could I interest any of you gents in a tanker load of "Platformate?"

Super Shell Science Theatre 3000