Quality Of Gasoline, Who Makes The Best And Worst?

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I use P66 or quik trip (BP fuel) when I can but other than that its Flint Hills/ Koch around here (Caseys/ Kum n go).

When i'm back at the farm the Sinclair fuel always gives me great mileage.
 
I usually go by the cheapest I can find since I can't really tell much of a difference in terms of vehicle performance. Amoco used to be my favorite, but now they're BP. However, I usually either go with Costco gas or Sam's since my cars take premium gas and those aforementioned places usually sell their premium gas for around 10 to 15 cents cheaper than other places. They don't have the midgrade gas, so their premium gas prices usually match the midgrade gas from other stations.

IMO, it's much more important to know which brands of gas to avoid. I will never go to any Mobil or Exxon station and it's not because of the Exxon Valdez. I've gone there several times with different vehicles (92' Honda Prelude Si & 02' Acura TL-S) I've owned and the vehicles' performance always seem to suffer. I thought it was just in my head, but then one time my wife filled up at an Exxon station one time and then told me the car07' Honda Accord V6) felt "slow" when she came home. Maybe the additives in the Exxon/Mobil gas just doesn't go well with Honda vehicles.
 
I always try to get Shell, I will go to Speed Way, Turkey Hill or BP if I CAN'T make it to a Shell but only if it's stop at a non-Shell or walk.
 
Originally Posted By: Corvette Owner
Originally Posted By: oldhp
www.toptiergas.com

I go by this list.


+1 I agree, these are the BEST gas


add me as well.

These companies agree to add significant levels of detergents that major auto manufacturers have asked for which have been found to keep their engines and fuel systems free of deposits.

Of late top tier is now actually doing lab testing periodically on the brands they mention to make sure that they are meeting the voluntary standards.
 
I like the top tier gas. I have always used Mobil and Exxon. Followed by Shell. I wont support BP. Always did good with Mobil. In canada Esso or shell.
 
There's a midwest station called Kum and Go that has always gotten a little bit better gas mileage then others. Otherwise I prefer Quik trip' s gas
 
I only have one top tier choice, my cars get shell v power.

20130226132154.jpg


Here is a picture from when I did my intake gaskets on my current regal. It's had v power since I purchased it. Since about last August. You can see where fuel touches is clean.
 
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Top Tier all the way!

I was able to prove to myself that the Top Tier gas works. I have one of the Ford engines that uses the HT (High Thread) spark plugs, the early versions of which would get locked into the head by combustion chamber carbon and break when you removed them, leaving the tip embedded in the head. Since it only took about 35 lbs-ft to break the original Motorcraft (Autolite) spark plug tips, they often broke after getting locked in by carbon and other combustion chamber deposits. Ford ended up having to develop a special tool and procedures to get the plug tips out of the head and there were a number of TSBs on the subject. It grew into a debacle (a class action suit was pending) and you can read more about it here:

3-Valve

In my case, which you would read about in that magazine story, all the plugs came out... to the amazement of the rep who coached me thru the process. The plugs and the combustion chambers were extraordinarily clean, so the plugs were not locked in by deposits. Why, because my nearest station is Shell... which is Top Tier. Since then, reports have been coming in from Top Tier gas users of having few or no problems with plug removal on the HT engines. You can achieve the same thing by using a fuel system cleaner that has an active combustion-chamber deposit removing ingredient, like Techron, which is also used in Shell and Chevron gasses but an engine free of deposits runs better anyway and since I do a lot of testing on my truck, I try to keep the engine in a good running condition. Top Tier gas is convenient for me but I seek it out when traveling. It's worth a few extra pennies to me after seeing the living proof.
 
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AS I have said many times, not much choice in Top Tier around here so I buy based on price out of a clean, high volume station. I follow up every so often with a bottle of Techron. All is good.

Bottom line is that gasoline is a commodity. Every fuel has the EPA required minimum in it. Some go beyond the minimum, use it as a springboard for their promotional efforts, go the extra step and pay the $$ and engage in the process to become designated "Top Tier" because in the end it accentuates their business model and allows them to differentiate themselves from the competition. Others just meet the EPA requirements and sell fuel. It becomes incumbent on the consumer to decide whether or not they want "Top Tier" or "Available Tier" fuel and then the marketplace will sort it out.
 
Top Tier is a marketing campaign. Unless you're on board with them your gas is no good? What does it cost to get on the Top Tier list?

Marketing 101, create a need and offer a solution.... for profit.
 
Originally Posted By: SHOZ
Top Tier is a marketing campaign. Unless you're on board with them your gas is no good? What does it cost to get on the Top Tier list?

The real question for the consumer is whether or not Top Tier gas costs you extra money. Here, it does not. I wouldn't deny that Top Tier is a marketing campaign, at least to a degree. However, how many motorists know what Top Tier gas is? People buy out of brand loyalty, price, convenience, or what they think is good gas. Top Tier is a bit of an assurance with respect to the last point, but it's hardly a high profile campaign.

Shell spends far more and accomplishes far more with their blanket marketing of V-Power than they do on the Top Tier issue.
 
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