Placebo Effect? V-Power "Nitro" After 113 Miles

Get ready to throw eggs at me! Sling tomatoes in my direction! Tar & feather me!
A couple days ago I topped off the tank (about 7 gallons) with Shell V-Power Nitro Premium 91 Octane. Yeah, I know, what's that crazy dude doing putting premium in his Prius?! (I got the idea from a Prime thread.)

Today was the third drive, 113 miles as the pic shows. And I swear the ICE is quieter and smoother. Placebo effect on the first drive, sure... but on the third drive? Can't be. I know my loud noisy Prius better than anyone, and it is definitely quieter with the V-Power. And only $2.70 extra for that quietness. Well worth it, for me.

Even my Michelin tires are doing better. They must like the 85 degree heat. (It cooled off a bit.) I checked the pressure while they were hot... I wanted to see how much the psi expanded after 113 miles. Just 3 psi. Thats it. I set cold at 42/41... hot went to 45/44. The car rode very well, and I cant believe it, but the tires seemed to be less noisy. It was like driving a totally different Prius. I hope I don't wake up from this dream! I finally had a nice peaceful drive.....

(Drove in "Normal" mode the entire time. Brisk driving. City streets and a little freeway. AC blasting, of course.)

 

When I say "blasting", it's only turned up two or three fan speeds. I exaggerated. The AC is quiet compared to that ICE. And I turned off the AC several times. Hot!

And note that I never said the mpg was better, but the engine I am pretty certain is quieter... as long as that "nitro" doesn't burn up my Pistons I will be OK!

But I don't plan on buying the Shell every time I refill. It's just a temporary experiment. I got the idea from the Prime forum. Placebo or not, it felt like a different Prius in the last couple days.

Premium in California is 91, Or so the pump says. Just buy one less hot dog, and that paid for the extra price of the gas.

 

A guy in the Prime forum was asking if he should put in 94 octane because he was not pleased with the loudness of the ICE. He said his engine got quieter.

But those guys hardly ever use their ICE. So I told them I would try it in my regular non-prime Prius.

I don't know much about the ethanol that is in our gas. 10% ethanol here in California. Anyway, it's just a fun little experiment. I got bored. Needed to try something new and exciting.

Now I need a car wash after all these tomatoes hit my Prius!

 

I never really did use any earplugs. I was afraid I wouldn't be able to hear the high-speed police chase coming up behind me!

Shell website says the nitro premium has seven times more of the cleaning agent than the federal minimum standard. So if nothing else, maybe it will keep the engine a bit cleaner. Who knows.

I definitely think the Arco, and the 76 brand of gas made my ICE much louder. There was an almost immediate difference in sound when I got the premium Shell a couple days ago. But like I said, it's just a temporary experiment. Bored in retirement!

(And the Michelin tires? I don't care WHY they seemed quieter, but I sure liked it today! Maybe because they have 10,000 miles on them now.)

I'm enjoying this dream! I'm now driving a 2016 Prius with the quietness of a Lexus! LOL!

 

I never heard any pinging from my engine. And the car is only 2.5 years old, so hopefully no dirty injectors. I have always bought top tier gas. But never premium before.

Just a reminder, my Prius is a non-prime. So I hear the ICE many times during a drive. Maybe that's why I almost immediately noticed a difference in the sound level.

This is only my car, one car. Everyone's results will vary. And I drive pretty briskly, keeping up with traffic or being in front of traffic. So I hear the engine a lot. But other Prius owners may not notice any difference at all. And they probably don't step on the gas like I do.

Maybe it's the extra "upper cylinder lubricants" that Shell claims they put in the gas. Maybe that's why it seems smoother and quieter. Who knows!

 

Thanks Leadfoot, But I am the least mechanical guy you've ever met. I wouldn't have a clue how to do all that.

 

That is a lot of Octane! So you guys run premium all the time. Yet Toyota recommends 87 octane. In the states, anyway.

 

And the engine seemed quieter at idle too. When parked, in ready mode, and the AC running... the ICE kicked on it seemed smoother and quieter. Another unbelievable story!

I'm not going to try and figure it out. I'm just going to enjoy it for however long it lasts. (But the bottom line is, go by what Toyota recommends in the owners manual.)

This is just an experiment with Premium fuel.

 

Yes sir. But that was for all the new cleaning agents in the Synergy. I still like Mobil.

I don't know if any other premium brand of gas would have the same effect. I just chose Shell because it was mentioned in the Prime thread. Maybe premium Chevron would be quiet too? I don't know.

Well, I have nothing but time. I can experiment with every brand of Premium. It will be interesting in the winter time, when California goes to the winter blend of gas. Maybe it won't be so quiet.

 

Just look at your watch.