Where do you get gas at
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Joined: Mar 2002
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From: NH
Brand names, octane —
do they make a difference?
By Ken Retherford
DAILY Weekend Editor
Link
If you're trying to decide whether to buy off-brand gasoline or spend 15 cents a gallon more for brand-name fuel, you may ask if all gas is the same.
The answer is yes — up to a point Major oil companies advertise that their fuels help keep fuel injectors, valves and other internal parts clean. Independents say their additives do the same, but at lower cost.
Both are right, but again — up to a point. The answer lies in the quantity and sometimes the quality of additives, which are primarily detergents, but contain other company-specific formulations. The more additive, the more expensive fuel becomes.
Federal law requires all gasoline to have government-approved detergent additives to prevent engine and fuel supply deposits. The requirement came about when automakers moved from carburetors to fuel injection systems.
The law requires "a concentration of detergent in gasoline no less than the amount used to meet deposit control performance standards in standardized vehicle tests."
Bud Orr, owner of Bud's convenience stores that sell Chevron, said the these additives add to the price.
Chevron, he points out, uses the additive Techron in regular unleaded, midgrade and premium. There's about a 10-cent price jump between grades because of octane, but also the amount of Techron added increases by grade.
Gary Ray, service manager with Lynn Layton Chevrolet, said using gasolines with lower amounts of detergent could contribute to carbon buildup on injectors. But the difference, he said, in lower-priced gasoline and premium would be hard to tell on an engine teardown.
"Cars run so cool now that carbon just forms," Ray said.
Ray recommends using a fuel injector cleaner with a tank of gasoline at least every 20,000 miles.
Vaughn Harwell with the Liberty 2000 station on Sixth Avenue Southeast, agreed that price is based on additives and octane. But as a mechanic since 1958, he said he has never seen major problems from using gasoline bought from independent dealers.
"I've torn down a lot of engines," Harwell said, "and the difference between one using a high-detergent gasoline and one with smaller amounts is small — almost too small to notice. At most, a little carbon on the valves and slight amounts of carbon in the fuel injectors."
The additives, he said, are similar to auto-parts-store products that clean fuel injectors, boost power and help keep valves clean. Drivers can use less expensive gasoline and use an additive they purchase, or no extra additive if they desire.
He does, however, see people wasting money putting premium fuel into a vehicle that calls for regular.
"There's no need," he said. "Most of today's cars are set up to run on regular unleaded. That's all they need. They even run better on regular than on premium."
As for cars whose manufacturers call for premium, Harwell said high performance engines do perform better under highway conditions on premium gasoline. Mileage also improves at higher speeds.
Harwell pointed out that the station where he works was once a Chevron station.
"The same truck still brings us our fuel," he said.
Many times, an independent station can also offer gasoline at a lower price because of overhead, taxes and trucking costs.
Some independents don't have to pay the high price of prime property locations that major brands prefer. Stations outside city limits also do not collect the same taxes in many cases. All collect Alabama and federal taxes.
Same source
The gasoline you buy at an independent station probably has the same beginnings as that sold at brand stations.
Beginning at refineries in Texas, gasoline pipelines head toward refineries in Louisiana and Mississippi, turning a trickle of refined fuel into a river as they head across the South.
The lines branch as they go, crossing Mississippi and Alabama as they head toward the terminus at Atlanta. The lines carry the various gasoline grades to terminals, such as the one in Birmingham that serves North Alabama.
From this terminal, the gasoline goes to tank farms owned by various dealers and distributors, where it is blended with additives to individual companies' specifications.
do they make a difference?
By Ken Retherford
DAILY Weekend Editor
Link
If you're trying to decide whether to buy off-brand gasoline or spend 15 cents a gallon more for brand-name fuel, you may ask if all gas is the same.
The answer is yes — up to a point Major oil companies advertise that their fuels help keep fuel injectors, valves and other internal parts clean. Independents say their additives do the same, but at lower cost.
Both are right, but again — up to a point. The answer lies in the quantity and sometimes the quality of additives, which are primarily detergents, but contain other company-specific formulations. The more additive, the more expensive fuel becomes.
Federal law requires all gasoline to have government-approved detergent additives to prevent engine and fuel supply deposits. The requirement came about when automakers moved from carburetors to fuel injection systems.
The law requires "a concentration of detergent in gasoline no less than the amount used to meet deposit control performance standards in standardized vehicle tests."
Bud Orr, owner of Bud's convenience stores that sell Chevron, said the these additives add to the price.
Chevron, he points out, uses the additive Techron in regular unleaded, midgrade and premium. There's about a 10-cent price jump between grades because of octane, but also the amount of Techron added increases by grade.
Gary Ray, service manager with Lynn Layton Chevrolet, said using gasolines with lower amounts of detergent could contribute to carbon buildup on injectors. But the difference, he said, in lower-priced gasoline and premium would be hard to tell on an engine teardown.
"Cars run so cool now that carbon just forms," Ray said.
Ray recommends using a fuel injector cleaner with a tank of gasoline at least every 20,000 miles.
Vaughn Harwell with the Liberty 2000 station on Sixth Avenue Southeast, agreed that price is based on additives and octane. But as a mechanic since 1958, he said he has never seen major problems from using gasoline bought from independent dealers.
"I've torn down a lot of engines," Harwell said, "and the difference between one using a high-detergent gasoline and one with smaller amounts is small — almost too small to notice. At most, a little carbon on the valves and slight amounts of carbon in the fuel injectors."
The additives, he said, are similar to auto-parts-store products that clean fuel injectors, boost power and help keep valves clean. Drivers can use less expensive gasoline and use an additive they purchase, or no extra additive if they desire.
He does, however, see people wasting money putting premium fuel into a vehicle that calls for regular.
"There's no need," he said. "Most of today's cars are set up to run on regular unleaded. That's all they need. They even run better on regular than on premium."
As for cars whose manufacturers call for premium, Harwell said high performance engines do perform better under highway conditions on premium gasoline. Mileage also improves at higher speeds.
Harwell pointed out that the station where he works was once a Chevron station.
"The same truck still brings us our fuel," he said.
Many times, an independent station can also offer gasoline at a lower price because of overhead, taxes and trucking costs.
Some independents don't have to pay the high price of prime property locations that major brands prefer. Stations outside city limits also do not collect the same taxes in many cases. All collect Alabama and federal taxes.
Same source
The gasoline you buy at an independent station probably has the same beginnings as that sold at brand stations.
Beginning at refineries in Texas, gasoline pipelines head toward refineries in Louisiana and Mississippi, turning a trickle of refined fuel into a river as they head across the South.
The lines branch as they go, crossing Mississippi and Alabama as they head toward the terminus at Atlanta. The lines carry the various gasoline grades to terminals, such as the one in Birmingham that serves North Alabama.
From this terminal, the gasoline goes to tank farms owned by various dealers and distributors, where it is blended with additives to individual companies' specifications.