"Cheap" gas v. Cheap gas

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imported_truzoom

New member
I was watchin the ol' tele and saw a Shell commercial where they try to show how their fuel doesn't cause carbon deposits on valves because of their added cleaners, etc..



Now, I was under the assumption that gasoline was mostly standardized by formula so 87 octane in one place should more or less be the same in another, with the exception that older stations could have water in their underground storage tanks which would cause a problem for vehicles.



So not including water in the equation, gasoline goes from the underground tank, then probably through some filters, then into the pump, and then finally into your car where it is filtered by a fuel filter and is finally burned. It's pretty much like this at most gas stations, right?



So is Shell's claim a gimmick or are they just trying to advertise that they add cleaning agents to their fuels?



Interestingly enough, I've run across some older gentlemen that refuse to fill up at places like Murphy USA (Wal-Mart's gas station) because it's "cheap gas". :nervous:
 
Using Top Tier gas is different than using un named convenient store gas....reason is the Additive packages...to keep engine components clean....the gasoline all comes from the refineries thru a major pipelines..the additives are added when the tanker truck fills up at the depots to go out for delivery.....some cheap gas stations opt for just the gas with no additives and thus sell it cheaper than a top tier gas...



TOP TIER Gasoline Retailers:



QuikTrip

Chevron

Conoco

Phillips

76

Shell

Entec Stations

MFA Oil Company

Kwik Trip/Kwik Star

The Somerset Refinery, Inc.

Chevron-Canada

Aloha Petroleum

Tri-Par Oil Company

Shell-Canada

Texaco

Petro-Canada

Sunoco-Canada



these are considered the best gas to use in a engine



AL
 
I know that I personally fill up with a name brand (BP, Exxon/Chevron) when possible. It could be me, but I feel that it does better, atleast in my current car. I know on my last car I did every once in a while buy from a "no name brand" station and it felt like i could tell a difference? Really I don't know, I never did any lab testing on the gas. However, since Shell, Cheveron (with Tecron) etc. are advertising cleaning agents, if you did do a lab test and found these agents missing.... then you could potentially have a nice sized lawsuit on your hands for false advertising.



It could be an "old wives tale", but since it is about the same price (a few cents a gallon) why risk the $1 or so a tank to find out the hard way.
 
AL-53 said:
Using Top Tier gas is different than using un named convenient store gas....reason is the Additive packages...to keep engine components clean....the gasoline all comes from the refineries thru a major pipelines..the additives are added when the tanker truck fills up at the depots to go out for delivery.....some cheap gas stations opt for just the gas with no additives and thus sell it cheaper than a top tier gas...



TOP TIER Gasoline Retailers:



QuikTrip

Chevron

Conoco

Phillips

76

Shell

Entec Stations

MFA Oil Company

Kwik Trip/Kwik Star

The Somerset Refinery, Inc.

Chevron-Canada

Aloha Petroleum

Tri-Par Oil Company

Shell-Canada

Texaco

Petro-Canada

Sunoco-Canada



these are considered the best gas to use in a engine



AL
Click to expand...

Don't forget to add valero for us west coast folks
 
Almost all gasoline comes from the same places, through the same lines. The only difference is in the detergents different companies add (or don't add).



In fact, its likely the formula changes every once in a while - but obviously, you don't even notice.



Thereotically, it doesn't matter where you buy gas. Gas is gas. However, I usually stick with name brand gas.



And about water in the tank... I'm not sure how it works in the rest of the country, but at least in Florida, all gas stations are required to completely replace their tanks every 10 years with brand new ones... and I assume that also means new lines and probably new pumps even. It's interesting, actually, because that's when most gas stations simply shut down - once they hit the 10 year mark. I guess few stations can afford to actually do it.



You could buy top tier... but I am skeptical. Toyota is on the list... but there's no guarantee Top Tier actually means anything. It's a consortium of companies promoting other companies... hmm. Not sure about that.



I used to pump BP, but their pumps continuously click off (for no reason...) and its super annoying. I now go to Hess... although I did go to Chevron before that.



So basically, just fill up at your recommended octane (don't pump 91 in your 87 car... and don't cheap out on your 91 car that you spent money on and get 87. Of course, if you're running F/I NEVER cheap out! lol) at a gas station that looks ok.



Try to stick with one brand as well... I have no basis for saying this, but its just "one of those things"





Also, run your engine at WOT through the first few gears every once in a while to clear carbon deposits. However, this will not work as an excuse if you get pulled over :D
 
additive requirements also differ from state to state. Even if its not top-tier gas, in some states that gasoline station may have all the same detergents as the top-tier.
 
BigAl3 said:
i personally use shell or chevron, and if i'm in a pinch i'll get 76. oh yeah, i use 89 octane...
Click to expand...

unless your car is tuned for 89 instead of 87 it is waste to run anything higher than the minimum required octane.



And to paul34, i had the same problem with pumps at BP stations not cooperating
 
I only use Shell, BP Amoco , and somethimes Mobil. If I could get Chevron I would use that but you cant get it in the midwest. I take the detergents in gas seriously since most of my driving is city driving.
 
Some say that you'd might as well find the cheapest gasoline available and clean your gas tank up with some Seafoam or any cleaner. From what I know, these are the same detergents that are added into gasoline sold in the U.S. The only difference is the amount of detergent/additives that they place in their gasoline, something you can easily do yourself for a cheaper price.
 
I personally also only buy from chevron or shell. I have used arco before for a while actually and have noticed a difference.. And yes on the past weekend I drove my truck for 300 miles and some of it HARD drivin.. and i think i busted out a few carbon deposits cuz its running greater than ever. thats just my two cents.
 
My father worked in the petroleum business for 36 years (for Standard Oil and its successor Chevron). He told me before he died that if he bought a new high performance car he would use only "white Amoco" (which is now BP Ultimate).



Amoco Ultimate is the only gas my 2003 350Z has tasted since I took delivery 55 months ago. Have never had a misfire or other issue since I've owned it.



Mike (it feels odd to back my Dad's competitor)
 
Well.... I highly doubt that you would have any misfires or "any other issues" if you used, say Shell's V-Power, or Exxon's Supreme, or Chevron's supreme. They're basically the same.
 
I was told that BP Ultimate is completely different than all other gasolines, being far superior. Other than that, all other "mainstream" gasolines are pretty much the same, excluding discount store gasoline which lacks the cleaning additives.
 
There are only so many refineries in the US. so most base gasolines are pretty much the same. Cheap gas and good gas differ more in what goes into them after refining than in the refining process. The additive package and amount of it is what differentiates top tier from the also rans. Chevron's Techron is often considered to be the top additive but Shell V-Power and others also perform very well. I remember years ago when the Amoco white was considered a great performance fuel because of it's higher octane rating. Unfortunately it was unleaded back when leaded fuel was still around and required by older high performance cars. Not sure about the current BP product since none are in this area.
 
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