[Thad E Ginathom]

Originally Posted by dass

A point to note, none of the shell bunks I have visited in Bangalore have nitrogen ...

That's a plus point, isn't it? They probably don't sell audiophile cables either! Good for them.

I have nothing at all against my ordinary local fuel bunks. I have not had any bad experiences, or any issues making me suspect impure fuel. On recommendation, and although they are out of my way, I visited a couple of Shell stations. I really can't say if the fuel is any better, but the service is like five-star hotel! Do I only get a "namaste" because I'm a foreigner? But namaste aside... I bought oil, and the mechanic insisted on pouring it for me: tip refused. I checked air pressures (twice):tips refused. It seems they have strict rules and abide by them.

[testing2000]

Post deleted by the Team-BHP Support : Please do NOT post messages that add little or no informational value to the thread. We need your co-operation to maintain the quality of this forum.

Please read our rules before proceeding any further. We request you to post ONLY when you have something substantial to add to a discussion.

[apachelongbow]

Originally Posted by ajitkommini

Why not?? 40p a litre is a premium of less than 1% when the cost is INR 47 or 48 per litre. I would gladly patronise a pump thats clean, well maintained, with staff who are attentive and above all able to enforce a proper queue system. I imagine there must be more than a few people like myself which has enabled these guys to remain in business so long. I feel that in India we have a tendency to underestimate the value of packaging and service quality, focussing only on the perceived "value for money" of the product itself.

Spending more, to get the same fuel doesn't make sense, unless Shell guarantees that there is no fuel adulteration or their pump attendants have good character certificates and they never cheat...
Packaging the product/cleanliness wise most PSU pumps are now clean, hygienic and fast.
The other urban myth is nitrogen filled tyres, nothing can be further from the truth, especially when air contains 79% nitrogen. May be we must experiment with filling helium in tyres, it is inert, lighter than air, it would reduce vehicle weight or rather offset it and may be we can have better fuel economy??

[Thad E Ginathom]

Originally Posted by Jeroen

Not an urban myth, it's very real, although for regular cars the practical advantages are relatively small.

From previous TBHP conversations, I seem to remember that it is completely debunked for cars and other normal-road traffic. Utterly useless.

I think (I'm sure you'll know) that it serves a purpose where tires operate at very high temperatures.

However, the green valve caps look pretty

Probably we should get back to Shell and its business...

[ajitkommini]

Originally Posted by apachelongbow

Packaging the product/cleanliness wise most PSU pumps are now clean, hygienic and fast.:

You're entitled to your opinion of course but in my experience Shell outlets are definitely more consistent than any PSU pump at least in bangalore. But the bottom line is that for the 50 odd litres I usually fill a 40p difference would amount to some 20 rupees! Hardly enough to affect my decision on where to fill up. Hell I tip the air filling guy that much anyway. And at shell pumps they usually refuse to take it!

[MDED]

Once I had fueled(petrol) my car at Shell petrol pump near Tambaram (Southern suburbs of Chennai City) for Rs 1000 (thinking its normal unleaded petrol without any additives) and they had given a Rs 20 worth coke pet bottle. I was certainly amused. Few weeks later I was on NH45 near Tambaram and went to the same pump and asked them whether they still offer the coke pet bottle on fueling of Rs 1000. They said this offer is only one Shell V-power. I was taken aback, as the last time I had clearly mentioned to the fueling agent for normal fuel. The difference between normal petrol and v power is whopping Rs 9!
Shell looks all glossy from outside, but experiences can be different. Afterall, the employees at the pumps are the ones who have earlier worked at PSU OMCs.

[Jeroen]

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

From previous TBHP conversations, I seem to remember that it is completely debunked for cars and other normal-road traffic. Utterly useless.



I think (I'm sure you'll know) that it serves a purpose where tires operate at very high temperatures.



However, the green valve caps look pretty



Probably we should get back to Shell and its business...

As I said for regular cars the practical advantages are quite small. I never saw any advantages in it.

It's not only relevant for tyres operating at high temperatures, but also at very low temperatures. Compressed air contains water which could freeze leading to unbalance etc.

Back to Shell ...
Jeroeb

[harishpr]

Filled today evening. Per litre of diesel, 52.55 in bangalore, magadi Road shell pump. I have been a loyal customer of Shell for last 7 years. Never had an iota of issues. Quality of fuel is top grade.

[apachelongbow]

Originally Posted by Jeroen

Not an urban myth, it's very real, although for regular cars the practical advantages are relatively small. On some applications such as certain aircraft tyres it could be mandatory if not a formal legal requirement.

Jeroen

On aircraft tyres it's used only to negate fire risks... just because of high speeds involved.... useless when it comes to road cars. In fact myth busters show has a episode on the same thing.. interesting to watch. People think it helps tyres run cooler.... big myth, or prevent tyre blowouts.. another myth

[Mad Max]

There was a mad rush two days ago at the Bellandur Shell because of the notified strike which didn't happen. But I found two things interesting - 1. They deployed Shell staff on the road to make sure the queued up cars were not blocking traffic (at least to the extent it was possible) and 2. They still took their time with each customer and weren't rushing anyone.

Simply put, they know their business model works well for a certain segment of customers and are willing to go that extra mile.

[Thad E Ginathom]

First, and perhaps offtopic, Urban myth is the wrong terminology here. Urban myths are the stories, unbacked up, of hitch-hikers with axes win the handbangs; things like that; the stuff that is but one step short of a ghost story. Why such myths should be any more urban than rural, I have no clue. Maybe country people have more sense than to believe them!

So we are talking about a myth, as in something, like audiophile USB cables, that is widely believed by a group of people, but for which there is little or no justification.

That nitrogen (or is it actually the absence of Oxygen and/or water that matters?) is valid, useful and even mandatory in certain high-temperature applications is interesting, but not really relevant, and leaves the use of it for motor cars just as mythical.

We are road-vehicle drivers, and pilots do not inflate their tires at roadside petrol bunks, so, in the context of this conversation, yes it is a myth.

It would be nice to think that that is why it is not available at some petrol bunks, Shell or otherwise, but I'd guess that it is practical and commercial factors that govern such decisions, rather than idealism --- and I can't really argue with that!

[Jeroen]

Originally Posted by apachelongbow

On aircraft tyres it's used only to negate fire risks... just because of high speeds involved.... useless when it comes to road cars. In fact myth busters show has a episode on the same thing.. interesting to watch. People think it helps tyres run cooler.... big myth, or prevent tyre blowouts.. another myth

My post as a response To Apachelongbow was moved, which is fine. However I suggest you take a good look at his post as well as I believe it to be factually incorrect. Which I tried to explain in the post you moved.

Nitrogen is not used on aircraft tyres to negate fire risk, just because of highs speeds involved. It is because of explosion risk. Please refer to the FAA mandate and Boeing advisories I provided in the post you moved:

See the FAA mandate: http://www.airweb.faa.gov/Regulatory...light=87-08-09

I quote:

To eliminate the possibility of a chemical reaction between atmospheric oxygen and volatile gases from the tire inner liner producing a tire explosion

The in depth FAA article refers to three cases where the tires exploded, no high speed was mentioned.

High speed is not a factor, it can be a contributing factor as a high speed can lead to high temperature. But a fully loaded 747-400 or Airbus 380 that does an emergency stop during a take off run will generate sufficient energy in the brakes long before the aircraft enters the high speed segment of the take off run. You step on the brakes of a 450-480 tonnes aircraft at 50-60 mph see what happens to the brake temperature!50-60 mph is not high speed.

I suggest the moderators to delete Apachelongbow post as it is factually incorrect or move it to the same thread as mine so it provides context to my post.

Of course, this is just my understanding and maybe Apachelongbow, being a pilot, has more and or better references. But then I think he needs to mention those references and provide the links so we can learn and verify sources of information.

thanks

Jeroen

[Jeeper1941]

I know this thread is about Shell fuel prices, but just wanted to add to the nitrogen in tyres debate. Nitrogen inflation is just a gimmick for the average motorist, as it has absolutely no discernible benefits for everyday use.

I was at a Mercedes-AMG track-day event yesterday, and was speaking to one of the instructors there about this very topic, and he confirmed that nitrogen has little to no value for everyday use. It doesn't extend tyre life, nor does it improve ride quality. In fact AMG do not use nitrogen in any of their cars they bring along for their track day events.

Our local AA has also come to the same conclusion:
http://www.raa.com.au/community-and-advocacy/nitrogen


http://www.edmunds.com/car-care/shou...-nitrogen.html

Sorry to go OT!

[hemanth.anand]

I was looking at the shell station locator webpage for a trip plan around Mysuru.
http://www.shell.in/products-service...d1YWdlPWVuX0lO
I wanted to see if there are any new stations added. So I downloaded the Excel sheet from the webpage.

No new stations were added around Mysuru, but I took spent some time on the file and pulled out some statistics.

• They have listed down 78 stations in the country
• This includes 5 states- AP, GJ, KA, MH, TN

• 4 Stations in the list (in KA) are duplicate entries
• All the 4 Stations in AP are closed down since 30-Sep-2014

• That means we have 70 Shell stations in the country covering 4 states
• KA has the highest number of stations (28) follwed by GJ(19), MH(12) and TN(11).

• There are a total of 33 stations that are open 24 hours-less than 50%.
• KA had 16 stations that are open 24-hour followed by GJ(12) and TN(5)
• None of the 12 stations in MH are open for 24 hours

• Regarding the other 37 non-24hour stations:
• One station in GJ opens as early as 5AM and one in MH opens as late as 9AM
• The same two stations have the longest and shortest working hours at 18 hours and 8 hours respectively with closing times of 11PM and 5PM respectively
• Majority of the stations(25) close by 10PM
• Longest working hours state wise is GJ(18hrs), KA(16.5hrs), TN(15.5hrs) and MH (15hrs)

[pramodpk]

Any update on the latest Shell price? This is what their website says.
Now shell seems to be costlier than PSU in Bangalore.

Bangalore - Euro IV 51.40 66.50 74.65
Bangalore - Euro III-A 51.40 66.50 74.65
Bangalore - Euro III-B 51.00 66.15 74.30