Gasoline Brands...better or worse

[BikeWhisperer]

In my PFI engines I would run grocery store gas (which always had lines meaning the gas was always fresh) and throw in a bottle of Techron every oil change. But with my GDI engine vehicles I am sticking to Top Tier gas. I am not loyal to one brand but I usually get Chevron/Texaco, Shell, or Unocal because that is what is around me (Chevron being the most local for me).

I occasionally get Costco which IS TOP TIER, but it is not a convenient location for me unless I am actually shopping there (once a month).

 

[jacky]

i buy gas everywhere cant tell a difference, but i try to avoid gas with ethanol

 

[SLATRON]

Here the cheapest gas that says top tier and busy station is a valero, jmo

 

[RamFan]

Originally Posted By: camperbob
Havent really seen this, but around this part of North Central PA....some brands of gas run out quicker than you put in, and others seem to get better mileage.

Any brands that seem to really stand out to you folks?


I used to have a Charger with the 3.5l V6 in it. Got extremely consistent gas mileage its entire life, every time I used BP it was a guaranteed mileage decrease. Like clockwork it would drop 2-3mpg. I've never had this happen with any other brand of gas in that motor, likewise, I've never had BP drop mileage in any other motor I've had.

That experience taught me something though, some motors and the way they're tuned, most certainly are affected by certain gas (more precisely, the additives).

 

[Wolf359]

The real difference might be the calibration of the pump that you're using. When pumping a gallon, maybe you're lucky at one station and it's a little off on the plus side whereas it might be off on the negative side at another station. Weights and measures usually comes around and checks by filling up a 5 gallon gas can and seeing if it's really 5 gallons. Then they put a sticker on saying when it got checked. I suppose one that hasn't been checked in a while could be off one way or the other.

 

[TiredTrucker]

Even if the station gets its gas from one of several tank farms around it, those tank farms are supplied by various refineries. The gas at those stations is a mix of all kinds of gas from various refineries. As was stated, the only real difference is the amount of additives in the fuel as spec'd by the station, quality of the storage tanks at the station, and high turnover rate.

As for the ethanol thing, since I have a flex fuel, I have run all the various blends to get a baseline on what the fuel mileage is for each blend. Using that info, I can then determine from the pump pricing that day, which one will give me the lowest cost per mile, which may not correspond with the highest mpg per mile. I could give a rip if I lose 2 mpg on a fuel, if the cost per mile is lower than the better mpg fuel cost per mile. While better mpg feels good, it doesn't always mean the best value.

 

[dlayman]

Originally Posted By: camperbob
In our area, it either comes from Altoona, PA Tank Farm or the Warren, PA refinery.

I have a close friend ho drives tanker out of the Warren Refinery, and he said that they all start with the same base, and depending on "brand" it dictated the additive package that went in next. It was pretty well known in those circles which companies skimped on additives, and which didn't.

Around here we really don't have the big name oil as in many other states. Mostly Sheetz, Kwik Fill, and a few other smaller players


Sheetz gas is the worst. I always get worse mileage with it than other brands - I'd love to get it tested for ethanol content. Kwik Fill used to be ethanol free, but not any more. Kwik Fill is a top-tier brand though, and I buy it if its convenient. I try to stay away from generic gas, but I'd probably pick even that before Sheetz.

 

[punisher]

As long as your tankers are pulling off of the same rack, then the gasoline itself is the same no matter the brand. The only differences are in the additive packages. Each major (Exxon, Shell, BP, Texaco etc)has their own add packs which are added at the rack and mix with the gasoline as it enters the tanker. There is also a generic additive pack that everyone else uses.

 

[meep]

I am suspicious that the gas I get from Sams doesn't run as well in my truck as the marathon I usually fill up at. Tip-in off idle is balky and I've had 2-3 lower mpg tanks. We've also had snow and ice so I know my driving habits have been different these last few tanks. throttle feel, however, has me suspicious. i'm currently doing a comparison back with marathon gas to see if i'm just imagining things.