Do you ever buy non top tier gas when top tier is available?

I've run Indie, non Top Tier sometimes at a place near my old commute home from Salem B&H Oil Co.. Car runs real good for almost that tank then starts to get rough and loose power. Those cars were the: Honda Fit, Nissan Versa and Nissan Rogue.
No fooling, I've done it enough times to know. I only have a couple good stations near me were the fuel is consistent and I'm not getting swamp water - literally. Shell is terrible around here. Garbage. Irving is very good but seems a tad low octane. Two Mobil stations I know are safe; the one off exit 3 of I-93 isnt
So, it's Irving and some Mobil now and then. If I go on a trip it's luck of the draw.
As far as TT goe,s with what I'm doing now, no need for extra F.I. cleaner products. They don't help. If the car is having an issue its likely just that tank or high humidity and it should clear with the next tank of something else.

I don't drive far anymore, so my "fillup" is from 1/4 a tank to 3/4 tank which is a just bit over 5 gallons! :)
 
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Top Tier (EXXON) 100% for me. It's the same price as the off brand stations and close by. Also I only fill up once a month so it's a no brainer for me. Monthly gas bill is usually $20 or less.
 
y_p_w said:
Well - the thing about meeting Top Tier requirements is that the additive doesn't need to be unique. It just needs to meet their performance standards with the testing data available, and a pledge to use it in minimum concentrations (at least that of the test) at every branded station. Regardless of their marketing materials, there's no guarantee that Shell or BP actually have their own additive other than a marketing name. Shell and ExxonMobil own Infineum, and at one time Infineum had a single gasoline detergent additive on the EPA registered detergent additive list. Not sure if this was what Shell, Exxon, and Mobil stations were using, but it could have been the case. I'm pretty sure that Chevron has a truly proprietary additive formula that only they use. However, Chevron Oronite sells similar products to Chevron's competitors.

There are bound to be different Top Tier retailers (even some of the big oil retailers) that purchase and use the exact same additives from one of the big additive chemical companies. From a marketing standpoint, there's really no need to develop a unique additive, although there are companies like Costco that paid Lubrizol to develop an exclusive additive.

HiTEC®6590 Light Duty Gas Additive | Afton Chemical

HiTEC®6590 light duty gas performance additive delivers powerful keep-clean & clean-up performance at cost effective treat rates. Click to download the PDS.
www.aftonchemical.com www.aftonchemical.com

Gasoline Fuel Additives | Chevron Oronite (Global)

Oronite specializes in gasoline additives that deliver performance in all types of gasoline.
www.oronite.com www.oronite.com
Click to expand...

Guarantee? What would you need? Here is a quote from Shell's web site, regarding their regular fuel:

"It is the only gasoline that contains the patented and exclusive Shell Nitrogen Enriched Cleaning System"

Here is the URL if you'd like to see for yourself: https://www.shell.us/motorist/shell-fuels/shell-nitrogen-enriched-gasolines.html

If that isn't enough, then I'd suppose there is no guarantee a unicorn won't run up behind me today and gore me with a Texas heart shot, either.
 
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Here's more from Shell, for those not wanting to click the link:
  • It is the only gasoline that contains the patented and exclusive Shell Nitrogen Enriched Cleaning System
  • Exceeds the stringent requirements of the world’s top automakers - Audi, BMW, General Motors, Honda, Toyota and Volkswagen - and is certified as a TOP TIER Detergent Gasoline
  • No other gasoline protects better against gunk!
"The Nitrogen Enriched Cleaning System gives all three grades of Shell gasoline the ability to clean up gunk on intake valves and fuel injectors. Industry data indicate and car manufacturers recognize that a clean engine is more fuel-efficient, produces fewer emissions and allows vehicles to perform at their best."

So, if they don't have their own proprietary add pack, then they are falsely advertising. I seriously doubt that is the case.
 
IndyFan said:
Here's more from Shell, for those not wanting to click the link:
  • It is the only gasoline that contains the patented and exclusive Shell Nitrogen Enriched Cleaning System
  • Exceeds the stringent requirements of the world’s top automakers - Audi, BMW, General Motors, Honda, Toyota and Volkswagen - and is certified as a TOP TIER Detergent Gasoline
  • No other gasoline protects better against gunk!
"The Nitrogen Enriched Cleaning System gives all three grades of Shell gasoline the ability to clean up gunk on intake valves and fuel injectors. Industry data indicate and car manufacturers recognize that a clean engine is more fuel-efficient, produces fewer emissions and allows vehicles to perform at their best."

So, if they don't have their own proprietary add pack, then they are falsely advertising. I seriously doubt that is the case.
Click to expand...

They may. I was only using an example and as I'm not usually looking at Shell marketing materials I wasn't quite aware of what their claims are. However, as matter of just getting Top Tier certification, there's no guarantee of a unique additive. Unless a company chooses to disclose what they use, it's a trade secret. Costco has been quite public that they paid Lubrizol to develop a custom additive pack (Lubrizol 9888) while Chevron has its Techron bulk additive listed on the EPA website. I would assume that Sunoco (despite its suspension of Top Tier) uses one of its own additives listed on the EPA website, although I wouldn't find it unusual if they also sold it to other fuel marketers. Really - who would know or even care?

For most retailers it wouldn't really make any sense when it's easy enough to simply pay Afton for a ready made product rather than ask for a custom one.
 
IndyFan said:
Here's more from Shell, for those not wanting to click the link:
  • It is the only gasoline that contains the patented and exclusive Shell Nitrogen Enriched Cleaning System
  • Exceeds the stringent requirements of the world’s top automakers - Audi, BMW, General Motors, Honda, Toyota and Volkswagen - and is certified as a TOP TIER Detergent Gasoline
  • No other gasoline protects better against gunk!
"The Nitrogen Enriched Cleaning System gives all three grades of Shell gasoline the ability to clean up gunk on intake valves and fuel injectors. Industry data indicate and car manufacturers recognize that a clean engine is more fuel-efficient, produces fewer emissions and allows vehicles to perform at their best."

So, if they don't have their own proprietary add pack, then they are falsely advertising. I seriously doubt that is the case.
Click to expand...

I agree. I look for Shell first, then Texaco and Cheveron, then Valero or Sonoco. All TT.
 
Lately the two Shell sta's in my area are 10 cents higher. They are starting to think highly of it. Try to use it in the Audi, but my 20 YO truck doesn't care a bit!
 
ulflyer said:
Lately the two Shell sta's in my area are 10 cents higher. They are starting to think highly of it. Try to use it in the Audi, but my 20 YO truck doesn't care a bit!
Click to expand...

I'm not sure why, but in my area Shell seems to sell at a high premium price although there are some locations where that's not the case. I know of one Shell next to a Valero station, and their prices pretty much always match up down to the same cash vs credit prices. One time I saw one location changing its prices and then came back and the other station was at the same price. This was the case even before Valero went Top Tier.

But still the issue is that going higher and higher in additive levels is a matter of diminishing returns. It's at a certain point where it's not going to make much of a difference unless the issue is how fast it cleans up deposits that were left from using lower additive fuel.
 
I've got an old '02 Taurus that gets noticeably better mpg and reduced pinging on QT gas. It's a new gas station.
 
philipp10 said:
Assuming TT gas is better than non-TT, if a person were to use cheap, non-TT gas all the time, how would it affect a persons car. Asking for a friend....
Click to expand...
When they stopped selling E0 around here Casey's was the only place you could get it and it was only a few cents more than E10 so I used it for years with out any issues. Gradually the price difference kept increasing until I figured it was costing more to use the E0 than the couple more miles to the gallon I was getting so I started using E10. Since all the stations around here are the same price I went back to Shell, why not use TT if it's the same price as non TT.
 
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Since Top Tier gas sells for the exact same price here as non-top tier gas, I buy Top Tier gas. Kwik Trip, Holiday, Cenex, Shell, or BP... in that order.
 
I use TT gas most of the time. Costco or Shell usually. Both of those are of course TT stations. I do go to Walmart stations too even though they are not TT. I have never lost any milage on my F150 using Walmart fuel. The truck isn't picky about its fuel.
 
Joe1 said:
I probably use TT gas about 85% of the time. I will buy non-TT gas even when TT gas is available under the following circumstances:

1) l am in an unfamiliar area and the TT station looks run down/and or does low volume. For example, l was once in NY in the Hudson Valley and needed gas. The top tier station had old pumps that didn't look well maintained. There weren't any other cars at the pumps.
There was a Quick Chek convenience store nearby that was sparkling new with nice modern gas pumps with multiple cars filling up. I opted for the Quick Check because l thought the chances of getting stale gas or water in the gas were much lower than the TT alternative.

2) If the price differential between the TT and Wawa or Quick Check is too great. I won't pay more than a 2 cent premium for TT gas.

My travels take me past a Costco on a daily basis and that is my first choice as it is usually the cheapest and being TT.
I prefer TT fuel, but l don't think using non-TT fuel on occasion is going to have any impact which is why l don't stress out too much if l fill up at a high volume well maintained non-TT station.
Click to expand...
How about no.....I never buy non TT gas.
Save a few bucks. No thanks.
 
Cashed in $1.76 in Giant Eagle fuelperks the other day.
Received 30 gallons of non-top tier RUG.
Price on pump registered $0.00.
Bubba Truck doesn't mind.
 
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