Car and Driver Fuel Quality Article
8/4/05, 10:27 AM
#21
Team Mustang Source
The Local Refinery supplies all the Gas to stations And Distrabution Points around here , including North Dakota and Montana.
Its the additives that make each Gas Unique to a Company.
I go for cheap Gas and Injector Cleaner.
Its the additives that make each Gas Unique to a Company.
I go for cheap Gas and Injector Cleaner.
8/4/05, 10:30 AM
#22
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Originally posted by MrMorden@August 4, 2005, 7:06 AM
All gas sold at retail in the US comes from a VERY few refining facilities. I can't believe the differences are that great...
But I have always had good luck with Chevron, and have used it almost exclusively since I read some really favorable articles about the Techron additives. So I guess I'm already "top tier."
All gas sold at retail in the US comes from a VERY few refining facilities. I can't believe the differences are that great...
But I have always had good luck with Chevron, and have used it almost exclusively since I read some really favorable articles about the Techron additives. So I guess I'm already "top tier."
8/4/05, 10:43 AM
#23
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Originally posted by wjones14@July 15, 2005, 1:06 PM
Just got the August 2005 issue of Car and Driver, and there's an article by Larry Webster about differences between fuels. He consulted a guy who's supposedly the fuel guru at GM, and the article is definitely worth reading.
When you read this article, you learn that different brands of gasoline aren't the same, and you do get what you pay for. Cheap fuel can "coat your engine with thick deposits that dramatically affect performance. There are a number of possible conditions including sticky intake valves and clogged fuel injectors." The article goes on to say that sometimes the damage is relatively minor, and can be fixed with a bottle of fuel injector cleaner. But sometimes the damage requires that the injectors be scraped, or even replaced if the damage is really bad. If the deposits are on the intake valves, then a cylinder-head rebuild is necessary.
There is a standard called "Top Tier" agreed to by manufacturers including BMW, GM, Honda, and Toyota that lists gasolines that meet the standard. You can see the list here: http://www.toptiergas.com
Just got the August 2005 issue of Car and Driver, and there's an article by Larry Webster about differences between fuels. He consulted a guy who's supposedly the fuel guru at GM, and the article is definitely worth reading.
When you read this article, you learn that different brands of gasoline aren't the same, and you do get what you pay for. Cheap fuel can "coat your engine with thick deposits that dramatically affect performance. There are a number of possible conditions including sticky intake valves and clogged fuel injectors." The article goes on to say that sometimes the damage is relatively minor, and can be fixed with a bottle of fuel injector cleaner. But sometimes the damage requires that the injectors be scraped, or even replaced if the damage is really bad. If the deposits are on the intake valves, then a cylinder-head rebuild is necessary.
There is a standard called "Top Tier" agreed to by manufacturers including BMW, GM, Honda, and Toyota that lists gasolines that meet the standard. You can see the list here: http://www.toptiergas.com
I haven’t read the article, but I do know that unleaded gas is a standard commodity.
In my area (San Francisco Bay Area), there is only one refinery.
Tankers of all colors drive in to get gas.
Union76, Mobile, Exxon, etc.
After they fill up, some go on and get a small squirt of brand specific additives.
8/4/05, 10:46 AM
#24
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I do not trust magazines. Some gasoline may be better than others, but magazines are trying to sell themselves. 
I use Citgo, because I do not want to buy gas from the middle east. Citgo is 100 percent Latin and South America.
But I could be misinformed. I feel better though.
I use Citgo, because I do not want to buy gas from the middle east. Citgo is 100 percent Latin and South America.
But I could be misinformed. I feel better though.
8/4/05, 12:06 PM
#25
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Originally posted by StangerX@August 4, 2005, 6:37 AM
If you are at all concerned... the solution is simple. I've been doing it since the beginning of time. If you're running cheap gas (I run shell 87 in my 05 - $2.07 right now) and even if you aren't, run a bottle of fuel injector and system cleaner through at every oil change. That keeps deposits from building up and restores any lost power. I've always approved of this. My father passed it down to me.
If I can afford it, I try and run a tank of premium through every now and then, but most often times, I'd rather just pick up a bottle of addative and dump it in at each oil change.
If you are at all concerned... the solution is simple. I've been doing it since the beginning of time. If you're running cheap gas (I run shell 87 in my 05 - $2.07 right now) and even if you aren't, run a bottle of fuel injector and system cleaner through at every oil change. That keeps deposits from building up and restores any lost power. I've always approved of this. My father passed it down to me.
If I can afford it, I try and run a tank of premium through every now and then, but most often times, I'd rather just pick up a bottle of addative and dump it in at each oil change.
8/5/05, 10:56 AM
#26
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Hey Y'all , Texaco has been purchased by Chevron and now all Texaco gas has Techron in it. That is all grades period. So Texaco is top teir too. This has only recently happened and probably too soon to be listed on that "hit list".
8/5/05, 11:41 AM
#27
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Originally posted by jwenger@August 5, 2005, 11:59 AM
Hey Y'all , Texaco has been purchased by Chevron and now all Texaco gas has Techron in it. That is all grades period. So Texaco is top teir too. This has only recently happened and probably too soon to be listed on that "hit list".
Hey Y'all , Texaco has been purchased by Chevron and now all Texaco gas has Techron in it. That is all grades period. So Texaco is top teir too. This has only recently happened and probably too soon to be listed on that "hit list".
8/5/05, 12:00 PM
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I know that shell is on the list, but is all grades of their gas top tier? i thought only the vpower was (91 and 93 octane). i've always used chevron in every vehicle. My 01 explorer 4.0 is gettin close to that 180,000 mile mark and has had no work done other than maintanence like oil changes, flushes, filters, etc.
8/5/05, 12:18 PM
#29
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Originally posted by Fazm@August 5, 2005, 1:03 PM
I know that shell is on the list, but is all grades of their gas top tier? i thought only the vpower was (91 and 93 octane). i've always used chevron in every vehicle. My 01 explorer 4.0 is gettin close to that 180,000 mile mark and has had no work done other than maintanence like oil changes, flushes, filters, etc.
I know that shell is on the list, but is all grades of their gas top tier? i thought only the vpower was (91 and 93 octane). i've always used chevron in every vehicle. My 01 explorer 4.0 is gettin close to that 180,000 mile mark and has had no work done other than maintanence like oil changes, flushes, filters, etc.
I don't how it is where you live, but Chevron is almost always the most expensive brand here, sometimes by as much as 10%. Shell, Exxon, Mobil, Conoco, and Texaco (which are few and far between now) are usually around the same price level. I'm sure Techron is good but not at that kind of premium price.
8/5/05, 12:26 PM
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Chevron has been tested to be #1 or tied for #1 in cleaning agents for quite a while now, so its all in whos opinion if its worth the extra money or not. Growing up in the san fransisco bay area chevron was ALWAYS the most expensive, and by quite a bit, up to 30-40 cents sometimes, and i still would only use it because i dont want to change whats working for me. In phoenix chevron is never the cheapest but its usually only 3-5 cents more than arco or mobil crap gas, so its definately worth it in my opinion. And i know that it is top tier in all grades, and i dont have to worry bout that. A few weeks ago on my road trip back from idaho, i was almost out of gas and had to stop at a shell. Only had vpower in 93, so i had to get that because i was afraid the lower octanes didnt have the same cleaning agents.
8/5/05, 12:52 PM
#31
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Originally posted by davebizzle@August 4, 2005, 2:09 PM
$2.07 for gas, good lord. I'm payin $2.60 for shell over here in southern CA. :bang:
$2.07 for gas, good lord. I'm payin $2.60 for shell over here in southern CA. :bang:
I'm not complaining, mind you. even 2.19 is reasonable as compared to 2.60.
I'm excited too because I just got 2 coupons in the mail yesterday for the station offering 91 @ $2.27. The coupon is for $2 off of your purchase of Premium. That just about offsets the difference between regular and Premium. I see 2 tanks of premium in my future! WOOT!
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