Is QT's fuel of high enough quality to run the MicroTuner? This is all I ever use, and I know they are specific to the central states like OK, MO, IA, etc. I know they guarentee their fuel as far as paying for any fuel related repairs if you use their fuel, but who knows? I could also use any of the above, but unless there are any which are miles ahead of QT, I'd prefer to stay with them since there so common around here. Thanks!!!

-AR

 

I personally do not know about how QT gas will run under the Microtuner, but I can say that the Amoco Premium 92 runs mine great. I had problems with pinging when I first installed my Microtuner and using Texico Premium 91. I have always used Texico Premium in my car, prior to getting my truck and always had gotten great gas mileage with it, so I thought that it would be fine. Not saying that Texico Premium is bad, but at the station I got the fuel at did not seem to have enough "energy content" according to Mike.

Once I switched to the Amoco 92, my problem was gone. I have used about 5 different stations here in Omaha and no problems since.

Do post if the QT gas is working with your chip, I live in Nebraska and there are QT stations all over the place...they usually have some of the best priced fuel also!

Once you find something that works it is hard to get away from it because if you get the low energy fuel you are stuck with it until you burn it up.

I have been told that Texico, Conoco, and Amoco are the best fuels?? Proof.....no!

Good luck

 

I would run 92 if I could find it, but I don't believe I've ever run across it anywhere I've been in MO. (Ususally the lower half.) I also don't know that I'll even know weather or not the QT gas is good or not, as I'll never hear pinging between the intake, exhaust, and stereo.

-AR

 

Actually if you have a problem similar to the one I was having you will most definately know.....not only did it sound like I was shaking a glass jar of marbles, I lost a lot of power under full throttle. My truck was quicker under 1/2 throttle than full throttle.

 

Alright, I'll post results, but would still like to hear opinions on my fuel choices if anyone knows. Thanks guys.

-AR

 

I run Kwik Trip gas here in MN and have had no problems. I have been unable to tell the difference between it and Amacco and with a Kwik Trip card I get 3 cents off a gallon. Ran this gas for the last 5 years in Chiped trucks with no fuel related problems.
Just my experience.

 

What octane though? Also, there is a difference between QuikTrip, and KwikTrip.

-AR

 

Guess I thought you had a spelling problem :-) Actualy didn't know there was 2 different stores.

Kwik's is 92.

I also have run 91 from a local Petro Wash with no problems, and it gives me the best MPG of any so far. So I guess they pass the quality standard.

 

-AR

 

Hi Jackal,

In general, we recommend staying away from the off-brands & no-name fuels, as they generally have a lower energy (BTU) content, and thus deliver less performance and fuel mileage compared to better fuels such as Amoco, for example.

What brands we reccmend using vary based on location, here in the East we like Citgo, Amoco, Texaco is usually good (though lately in our area it's dropped in energy), and Shell has done OK. Out West, we prefer Chevron over even Amoco, which would be our #2 favorite out West.

We steer clear of Exxon, Hess, Sinclair, Racetrack, QT, Sheetz, etc., we stay away from *all* the off-brand fuels, basically. You can sometimes get lucky, but in general you pay less because you're usually getting less with off-brands, it's all about BTU content.

Conoco has also given some good results in various areas, there is a fellow who drops by sometimes named "Conocoan" that has given us some good data on that, as well as a few others. We don't see it much here in the East, so I've not used it myself anytime lately.

 

Huh...I really haven't noticed a price difference between any gas stations at all here in the city. Out of town there usually is a difference though. Has there actually been a study of QT's fuel? Is it even possible to find out their 91 octane energy content from them with some sort of proof or am I kidding myself? I just had always assumed they were the "best" because their gas stations are always so much cleaner, products are far better than any other, and they are not individually owned as most others are, including Texaco, Amocp, etc. I believe. I guess QT even monitors their tanks full-time, but I don't know if others do or not.

-AR

 

My .02 on the never ending fuel debates.....

Tracking mileage in my area, I found that the more expensive gas more than paid for itself in fuel savings. The cheaper gas was well, just cheaper.

Depending on what area you live in, different brands may give different results. It's not safe to say that any one brand is ALWAYS better, even though it might be an overall trend.

Here in my local area, many of the former Amoco stations are now BP stations but they still use Amoco fuels. I get better mileage and can run more timing using the local BP/Amoco fuel than any other. I also found that the reg grade fuel at Amoco would tolerate more timing than most mid grades from other local stations.

 

I use Shell in New Orleans, it runs great even under a load of a 6000# boat. I did HAVE to use Exxon 1 time, and it was fine, no pinging, but I trust Shell more, and its cheaper.

 

Signmaster makes some very good points in his post, particulary about the better fuels more than paying for themselves, and it's all about energy content. It's also very true that a brand that may be doing a great job in one area may not be in another, we find that all the time.

His area in Virginia (the Tidewater area) is one we are intimately familiar with, and in that area AMoco is generally gogin to be aboue teh best

 

Signmaster makes some *very* good points in his post, particulary about the better fuels more than paying for themselves, and the fact that even with the same brand there will be variances in fuel quality from one area to the next. A brand that may be doing a great job in one area may not be in another, we find that all the time. If I had to pick a default favorite #1 fuel here in the East, it would be Amoco (but right where we are, it's Citgo) , and out West it would be Chevron.

His area in Virginia (the Tidewater area) is one we are intimately familiar with, and in that area Amoco is indeed generally going to be about the best fuel you can get. Amoco is virtually always going to be a good fuel just about anywhere in the country, has been for many years. There are some areas where it's not my #1 choice, I.E., areas out West, where we see Chevron doing a better job in terms of energy content. There, Amoco would be my second choice.

Texaco used to be my default preferred fuel anywhere, for the better part of 3 years. But here in the past 8-12 months or so, there are a few areas where Texaco is not doing as good a job as they used to. That's happened out here in our area, for example, where it's changed so much that I won't burn it at all. In other areas, Texaco is still a good fuel.

There can *always* be differences in fuel quality, some independantly owned stations will buy on the open daily spot market regardless of the brand sign they're displaying, we've got an Amoco station here that's a Mom & Pop country general store and the gas there is definitely not up to snuff, but it's just 1 station.

Energy content is not something you'll ever find on a gas pump label, oil companies won't tell you if you call them, and of course to a certain extent that is a bit of a moving target from one refinery run to the next.

It's not hard to tell what the better fuels are in any area, proper precise fuel mileage tracking will give you a good look at relative energy content, & from there it's a matter of the quality of the detergent & other additives, mostly. You can safely assume that the el-cheapo's, the off brands, the no-names, etc., are going to give you less, that's why you're paying less, just as Signmaster pointed out. Oh sure, there is the rare occasional exception, but by and large, you won't find any pattern of the cheap gasolines doing as good a job as the better fuels. QT, Sheetz, and any other off brands, no-names, & even many of the "brand name" fuels won't be found in any of our vehicles. Unless maybe we get in a jam & our only choice is walking.

Jackal, you may get lucky running QT, and find that it does an OK job for you. It would never find it's way into the gas tanks of our vehicles here at Performance (most of which are significantly modified) simply because it's a "no-name," but that's us. Being in the performance business, one of the single most basic aspects of performance is to feed the motor the every best fuel possible & run it in as sharp a state of tune as the fuel quality will permit. the only fuel we'll touch when we have a choice is the very best. I hope you have good luck with that QT, if that's what you decide to burn.

The single most important thing is simply not to buy gasoline based on price alone, I think that's really the main point in all of this. We don't care what brand of gas anyone uses, to each their own. Just don't make the mistake of buying the cheapest gasoline, as that is almost always a mistake and a false economy.

Thanks for your post Signmaster, good points.