Drive more, worry less.Long time reader, first time poster so be gentle.
My wife and I will be taking an approximately 5200 mile trip soon in her 2023 VW Taos. This will be the first road trip of any distance for this vehicle as it is normally her gym-mobile, grocery getter, etc..... Close to home filling up with Top Tier gas is not an issue, however when we are on the road we can't always fill up with Top Tier so I was wondering if it would be a good idea to use an additive every other tank or so while on the trip. If we were driving my Toyota I wouldn't be as concerned, but this Taos is a moody gal about fuel, especially 87 octane fuels, so I tend to always go higher octane and try to stick with either Marathon or Shell since it seems to like those brands a bit better. Again though, while traveling I can't always get a Top Tier brand so I thought about doing the additive thing in the Taos for this trip. What are everyone's thoughts on my every other tank additive plan?
As an FYI I have used Techron Complete for years now in all manner of vehicles just before an oil change, so that is likely what I would use on this trip. That said I don't currently have any on hand, and have read good things about both Redline SI-1 and Royal Purple Max Clean so I wanted to get some opinions on those products as well since I might be using something on this trip.
Thanks for your feedback!
Traveling and can't always fill up with Top Tier Fuel
- Thread starter UpNorthSooner
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You guys do realize "premium" fuel is not any different quality than standard 87 octane, right? The higher level of octane does not make it a higher quality fuel. One always wants to run the lowest octane that will not cause pinging, any more than that is a waste.
As far as Top Tier, I do run it in all of our vehicles. Our owners manual states it's highly recommended.
I typically do the opposite of the OP... At home I buy gas exclusively at BJs Wholesale Cub (non-TT) and occasionally buy TT when on a trip. And I dump a bottle of Gumout Regane into the tank about every 3,500 miles. Truck has 108k on it and still runs like new. I wouldn't worry one bit about it.
Ha-ha indeed. There's a "Mustafa's" near me. Their gas makes my check engine light come on. (sorry, can't remember the code)
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My thoughts are it's ok to not use Top Tier, all that means is that the gasoline is unbranded. I use Costco, which is Top Tier, but because it's cheaper.
I also believe additives are not needed, especially with almost all cars today being direct injection. It's like burning $5 or $10 bills out the tailpipe....jmoymmv
I also believe additives are not needed, especially with almost all cars today being direct injection. It's like burning $5 or $10 bills out the tailpipe....jmoymmv
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Not disagreeing on the top tier marketing thing, but how are additives not needed? All gas has additives. If not, its "white gas" and the only thing its good for is a coleman stove?My thoughts are it's ok to not use Top Tier, all that means is that the gasoline is unbranded. I use Costco, which is Top Tier, but because it's cheaper.
I also believe additives are not needed, especially with almost all cars today being direct injection. It's like burning $5 or $10 bills out the tailpipe....jmoymmv
I can't imagine being on a long trip in the USA and not encountering Exxon/Mobil, Shell, Chevron, Sunoco, Citgo, Phillips 66 and other Top Tier brands. And their are major brands that have ceased to pay the licensing fee with excellent fuel, such as BP.
Just look for one of these stations when your fuel gauge gets down to 1/3 or so, and you should be fine. Unless you are in the middle of nowhere and the only choice is Moe's Gas.
Just look for one of these stations when your fuel gauge gets down to 1/3 or so, and you should be fine. Unless you are in the middle of nowhere and the only choice is Moe's Gas.
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What I meant was the OP adds Techron to his tank. imho that is unnecessary and of no benefit, especially since most cars are direct injection, it will never come in contact with the intake valves...
Just thought of this, is it then better to have an OHV V8 where there are only 2 valves per cyl?
Just thought of this, is it then better to have an OHV V8 where there are only 2 valves per cyl?
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Sorry I was referring to the Techron that one pours into their tank, not the additives that are given at the terminal.
I saw that Coleman has products that can use unleaded gas....isn't that much cheaper than the camp fuel....
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I have a Coleman stove I got because it didn't work, and so of course I fixed it. I only operated it once - to prove my fix. I ran it on ethanol free unleaded and it worked great. However there is much debate on the www that unleaded gas, because of all the additives - is unhealthy to cook your food on - hence they buy white gas. Way past my pay-grade so I let you decide
I see the opposite: Stations that are supposed to be Top Tier but have no indications (signs, stickers, etc) other than their name being listed on the TT website.
Some stations/brands claim that their higher octane is also higher quality, i.e. add'l detergents, additives, etc. I think it's Shell or Sunoco, whoever sells "V-Power" or the same with BP's fuel, I think.
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Thanks for the responses. I know I'm being a bit OCD about this. Given how picky her Taos is about gas I thought it might be a good idea to throw a little something extra in the tank at non Top Tier stations.
Someone mentioned truck stops, but honestly I try to avoid them. Even as bulletproof as my Toyota is, there have been three occasions where I have gotten bad gas in it at a truck stop while on a trip. Once was while pulling our travel trailer, which ended up being a really bad time. Another was while driving across Canada so I just assumed I filled up at the maple syrup pump instead of the gas pump when that happened.
I do try to stick to high volume stations, even Top Tier ones, but we tend to drive state highways more than the interstate, we just prefer to see the country that way, so a lot of the time we are in rural areas where the only thing around is some combo bait shop/gas station/friend chicken shack/BBQ joint, and those always make me nervous. The food is usually spectacular though.
Thanks again for replying. It is much appreciated.
Someone mentioned truck stops, but honestly I try to avoid them. Even as bulletproof as my Toyota is, there have been three occasions where I have gotten bad gas in it at a truck stop while on a trip. Once was while pulling our travel trailer, which ended up being a really bad time. Another was while driving across Canada so I just assumed I filled up at the maple syrup pump instead of the gas pump when that happened.
I do try to stick to high volume stations, even Top Tier ones, but we tend to drive state highways more than the interstate, we just prefer to see the country that way, so a lot of the time we are in rural areas where the only thing around is some combo bait shop/gas station/friend chicken shack/BBQ joint, and those always make me nervous. The food is usually spectacular though.
Thanks again for replying. It is much appreciated.
Moody?
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I probably should have said picky, rather than moody.
What I mean is that it doesn't like 87 octane even though the manual says that is what to use. It pings, gas mileage goes down, seems to stutter a bit, etc...... With that being the case if I put 89 or higher in it, it does fine, so I fill up with 89. Even then I have noticed that on certain brands it doesn't seem to perform as well. Marathon and Shell have never been an issue, but for some reason it doesn't like gas from the Mobil or BP stations around here. It does fine with Meijer gas as long as I use 91 instead of their 89, which seems odd to me, but such is life. Those are the three brands I use when we are at home, and try to use while traveling, sometimes though I just don't have the option of a major brand and that is what makes me a bit nervous about this trip in her Taos. Except for the bad gas incidents, my Toyota will run on anything and doesn't seem to care what octane or brand. I'm fairly certain I could fill it up with Vodka, and Red Bull and it would motor on down the road without an issue, but her VW is a different story.
What I mean is that it doesn't like 87 octane even though the manual says that is what to use. It pings, gas mileage goes down, seems to stutter a bit, etc...... With that being the case if I put 89 or higher in it, it does fine, so I fill up with 89. Even then I have noticed that on certain brands it doesn't seem to perform as well. Marathon and Shell have never been an issue, but for some reason it doesn't like gas from the Mobil or BP stations around here. It does fine with Meijer gas as long as I use 91 instead of their 89, which seems odd to me, but such is life. Those are the three brands I use when we are at home, and try to use while traveling, sometimes though I just don't have the option of a major brand and that is what makes me a bit nervous about this trip in her Taos. Except for the bad gas incidents, my Toyota will run on anything and doesn't seem to care what octane or brand. I'm fairly certain I could fill it up with Vodka, and Red Bull and it would motor on down the road without an issue, but her VW is a different story.
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german cars and their first world problems i guess.
If you want to go tesla level super analytical, you could plan your route on google, take into consideration your avg mpg and then cross reference that with top tier fuel finder to pint point where you would need to stop for fuel at top tier only stations.
Side note, i wouldnt add any fuel system cleaner, and i could be mistaken but @High Performance Lubricants mentioned that the active ingredient in most cleaners tend to be inactivated in high heat conditions, hence best for in town short city driving and not extended journeys.
#bitogersdoingbitogersthings
If you want to go tesla level super analytical, you could plan your route on google, take into consideration your avg mpg and then cross reference that with top tier fuel finder to pint point where you would need to stop for fuel at top tier only stations.
Side note, i wouldnt add any fuel system cleaner, and i could be mistaken but @High Performance Lubricants mentioned that the active ingredient in most cleaners tend to be inactivated in high heat conditions, hence best for in town short city driving and not extended journeys.
#bitogersdoingbitogersthings
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JHZR2
Staff member
I wouldn’t think twice about it. Run what you find and is a good price. Put a maintenance dose of a cleaner in now and again if you have a few tanks of non top tier. Long distance driving is clean and I’d have no concerns.
Premium fuel tends to have a greater concentration of additive. However with Top Tier fuels all grades must meet the min Top Tier requirement. That doesn't preclude premium offering from having more. In addition blending tables (Chevron iirc) have been posted on this site which shows premium gets a little more.
Per your report (pg 14_)
"Premium fuel (93 octane) was selected as the octane grade for this evaluation due to the trend of some brands to put a slightly higher concentration of detergent in their premium grades of fuel. Even non-TOPTIER gasolines may include additional additives in their premium grades, so this choice in octane was intended to eliminate that variable. Retailers that sell TOP TIER gasoline are required to meet TOP TIER standards in all grades of fuel, not just premium. For TOP TIER gasoline, the test results (fig. 8) should be consistent if the test was conducted with regular grade gasoline. Testing non-TOP TIER brands of regular grade gasoline would likely result in similar or higher levels of carbon deposits on critical engine components."
