Top Tier Gas

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Ok, it's probably been asked but as Top Tier Gas has growing list of Brands now and some time has past, Is top tier gas really worth it? If BMW, Toyota, GM and Honda (there are more) all say it's better, then it must be? I've been using Top Tier for years and never use or needed to use any cleaners. Now that a lot of autos are GDI, I here top tier is even more important. So is it smart, or a total waste of money to run these Top Tier Branded Fuels?

Doc
 
In my area, yes, it is a good move, because Top Tier vendors (Costco, Phillips 66, QuikTrip) are no more expensive than non-top Tier vendors (Sam's and other no-names).
 
My Niro's (it's a GDI) manual recommends it, or as a alternative they recommend a cleaner every 7500 miles.
 
Worth it. I've stopped trusting the budget gasoline (7/11, Casey's, Walmart/Murphy USA)
 
If you plan to keep your vehicle a while, then use Top Tier gas. Costs ~ 3 cents more per gallon for extra detergent additive. Keep fuel injector nozzles clean. On port fuel-injected engines, keeps intake valves clean. Intake valves with deposits disrupt intake airflow pattern and magnitude, depending how big the deposits get.

If your're forced to use gasohol like we are, then it also helps scrub any deposits. Gasohol does not store well - decomposes. We were amazed how much faster it degraded at work.
 
It's usually the same price as non-TT here, so it's generally a no-brainer for me to use TT (e.g. Kwik Trip, Holiday, BP, Shell, Cenex) rather than EPA minimum brands (HyVee, Speedway, Casey's, etc). But if I'm traveling I don't lose any sleep over brands, and often will buy Pilot, Loves, etc. That said, I would pick a Shell or Mobil at the same price. And if I happened to see Pilot for $1.39 or Shell for $1.59, I'm getting the cheap stuff. But most of our brands are top tier anyway, so they don't command a price premium. It seems like a win-win to me.
 
Originally Posted by 2010Civic
I use non Top Tier gas 95% of the time and have never had an issue.


Right on!

People say cigarettes are bad for you too, but I've been a smoker for 20 years and never had any health problems from it.

Cigs are obviously not bad for my health, and a likewise it stands to reason that a lifetime of non-Top-Tier gas isn't going to do any harm to your engine either...
 
Originally Posted by The_Nuke
Originally Posted by 2010Civic
I use non Top Tier gas 95% of the time and have never had an issue.


Right on!

People say cigarettes are bad for you too, but I've been a smoker for 20 years and never had any health problems from it.

Cigs are obviously not bad for my health, and a likewise it stands to reason that a lifetime of non-Top-Tier gas isn't going to do any harm to your engine either...


A winner for most helpful analogy of the day here..

I buy gas wherever is convenient at the time. Most of the time that's Kroger and I've never had any clogged injectors or fuel filters or any other problems to speak of. Not worth going out of your way for TT gas IMO. If its the same price and convenient then why not.
 
Originally Posted by nwjones18
Originally Posted by The_Nuke
Originally Posted by 2010Civic
I use non Top Tier gas 95% of the time and have never had an issue.


Right on!

People say cigarettes are bad for you too, but I've been a smoker for 20 years and never had any health problems from it.

Cigs are obviously not bad for my health, and a likewise it stands to reason that a lifetime of non-Top-Tier gas isn't going to do any harm to your engine either...


A winner for most helpful analogy of the day here..

I buy gas wherever is convenient at the time. Most of the time that's Kroger and I've never had any clogged injectors or fuel filters or any other problems to speak of. Not worth going out of your way for TT gas IMO. If its the same price and convenient then why not.

I took his comment as satire. Sort of like "A Modest Proposal"by Jonathan Swift isn't really a cookbook for preparing deliscious children.
 
Originally Posted by Doc Holiday
Ok, it's probably been asked but as Top Tier Gas has growing list of Brands now and some time has past, Is top tier gas really worth it? If BMW, Toyota, GM and Honda (there are more) all say it's better, then it must be? I've been using Top Tier for years and never use or needed to use any cleaners. Now that a lot of autos are GDI, I here top tier is even more important. So is it smart, or a total waste of money to run these Top Tier Branded Fuels?

Doc

Top tier is worth it. I haven't noticed much price difference with it.
 
Over the years, I found that running non-Top Tier in my 08 JK caused major pinging in very short order, such as just a couple tanks. So, I wound up buying Top Tier, probably 90% of the time at Shell. Shell seemed to go the longest before pinging showed up. I'd then run a tank full with Chevron with Techron and do a few Italian tune-ups through that tank full. Then I'd go another 2k to 3k miles before the pinging would show up again. I then switched the clean-up plan to V-Power. I'd run a tank of that and it seemed to clean it up better and last out to 4k to 5k miles on 87 before it would return. Fast forward to the last couple years and I think Shell has changed the formula in their 87 additive package. I haven't had pinging in probably 12k to 15k miles, so no need to do a clean up tank.

Needless to say, I run Top Tier in my cars. Now my wife often puts non-Top Tier in her Ecoboost and it doesn't seem to bother it in any noticeable way. But, it still gets Shell about 60% of the time.

Top Tier around me can be found as cheaply as non-Top Tier, most of the time, with the exception of Kroger using rewards. But Kroger gas was the worst offender for my 08 Jeep, so I avoid it unless forced by circumstance.
 
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