I know may sound like a stupid question, but im not a chemist and thought sosmeone might have real proof. Is there reall a big difference between gasoline manufacturers? From Arco to Shell to Chevron.

 

Short answer "Yes, but.." long answer "No; however".

Short first. Yes there is a difference in gasoline products available to the public, but since there are standards (Octane rating etc.) whatever you buy will power your truck.

Now long. No, all gasoline products come from the same raw material and are produced using common methods so they are pretty much the same however; various manufacturers offer products that contain chemicals other than pure gasoline (MTBE, ethanol, detergents, etc.) which do make the final product different. These products vary because of climate, legal requirements, or season. The fuel purchased within a single brand, Mobil for example, will be a different formula in Florida than in Iowa because of these factors. There are also considerations of how the product is stored, handled, and distributed. Some companies may have newer (cleaner) tanks/trucks/pipelines that will affect the quality of the gasoline that you recieve. Even your local station can impact the quality of fuel based on age of tanks, interval between deliveries, quality of filters and pumping equipment, and so on.

The real answer is, use whatever gas your truck likes best.

 

Flafonman.............. Thanks for the info. Good solid answer

 

Good answer above!

One other thought is that the gas you buy under Brand A in one market is likely the same as Brand B and Brand C, but with a slight difference in additive package.

Best example: Our market is supplied by four refineries that account for 90+% of the gasoline consumed here. Of the four, one has ties to one brand of gasoline, the other three have ties to two brands. So we've accounted for 7 brands, but there are over 15 brands sold in this market. The other brands are supplied by the same four refineries with a different add pack added at the terminal.

Short answer as stated above is it will all burn...

Long answer is it depends on your market...

 

In California Chevron gives the best BTU, as well as cleanest engine (techron).

 

The pipe lines aren't owned by the oil companies. The lines are shared. The fuel a company puts into the lines is typically not the fuel they pull out on the other end.

For instance, Company "A" wants a 100,000 gallons of 87 octane for their stations in Michigan. Company "A" puts 100,000 gallons into the system in from Texas. That particular fuel doesn't go all the way to Michigan, it just goes into the system.

In Michigan, Company "A" unloads a 100,000 gallons of 87 octane from the pipeline, but it most likely came from Company B's refinery in Wyoming. The fuel company "A" put into the system in Texas would probably go to Kansas for Company C's gas stations.

As stated before, a refinery may be working for 3 to 4 different oil companies at once. Most states receive the same quality of gas. There are a few states that require special blends, such as California.

 

I believe a couple of companies have dedicated pipelines, I think Cheveron is one, anyway, I believe that cheveron is worth the extra pennies for my truck whereas, the wifes 's honda gets the cheapest stuff I can find!