Originally Posted By: Wolf359
Believe it or not, the gas at Mobil or Shell is the same. Comes from the same tank farm. For one particular region, all the gas comes from the same place. The only difference is the additive package. So if both are top tier, they have to meet the top tier specs for additives. It's the same. I put in what ever is cheaper in my Mercedes and the cheaper places are usually high volume places so I never worry about it.
EXACTLY. I came across a news story a while ago, not that long actually by a local TX TV station. They also used specific terms used for these gas farms. This one was near Corpus Christi, TX, run by Koch Brothers who refused an on-camera interview, but when the reporter talked to few of the gas station owners about the price difference between mom and pop gas stations vs brand gas stations, mom and pop stations opened up to the story. The base gas is same, what everything changes in the additives. All trucks get their gas at the same place, where the additive is added. That time I wondered, what if one farm place cheats? Am I paying more for the brand name only? Its not that we have mom and pop gas stations in our vicinity, but still 5c/gallon adds up for 2 vehicles.
That said, we have experienced trouble with Sunoco gas (for our Sentra). The car drives really rough, hard to explain but sure it feels different. Experimented many times over the period of 2 years with the same results. My local mechanic then told me, its all in my mind.