There are gasolines that have additives to aid in reducing carbon build-up in engines. For a definition of these additives and the names of the gasoline brands that carry these additives go to:

http://www.toptiergas.com/

In other words stay away from the cheap stuff that is sold in El Cheapo convenience stores.

 

I'd take that with a grain of salt - I find it hard to believe that BP and Exxon-Mobil are not on that list.

How do you know where the convenience stores are getting their gas from? I'd bet that a large percentage of them are buying gas from one of the majors on the open market.

 

I initially took the tier gasoline story from a mechanic's copyrighted column in a newspaper, which also gave off the link I posted.

Having been in the wholesale/Retail fuel business many years ago I can tell you with some knowledge that the smaller service stations and vendors buy their gasoline for any refinery by bid, bidding to buy, let's say, 300,000 gallons for a reduced price. The selling refinery will always be an independent that always has been able to sell every drop they refined.

If you have faith in BP and Exxon-Mobil, then so be it. But base your knowledge on something more substantial than thoughts originated out of your thinking. A quality engine may depend upon it. And/or, you can go here to read up a little more on tier gasoline to aid in supporting your conclusion on tier:

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&s...soline&spell=1

 

I won't use anything but top tier gasoline. Especially with the suposed spark plug breaking problem. I bet anything people with that problem haven't used top tier gasoline. Less deposits = easier removal of the spark plugs. No brainer really.. injectors stay cleaner, better fuel milage, less deposits in the combustion chamber = good.

 

Here we go again!! I really don't want to start an argument, but dammit, I make my living loading gasoline into tanker trucks and delivering it to gas stations! When I pull my truck into the loading rack at one of several terminals, I swipe my loading card and push some buttons to tell the rack which brand of gasoline I want to load. IT ALL COMES FROM THE SAME GREAT BIG TANK!!! (yeah, I know I'm yelling!) Gasoline is just like milk. It has to meet federal minimum standards to be sold in the US. Now, the additives injected into the bulk gasoline is what makes one brand different from another. Typically, we're talking about perhaps 5 gallons of additive into 7800 gallons of gasoline. Most major brands use their own additives. The rest use a generic additive.

So, let's recap. Gasoline is gasoline. It can, and does, vary in quality, but ALL brands will have the same variation as they all come from the same ship, and all meet minimum standards. Some brands use their own additive, some do not. You MIGHT, over the course of 200,000 miles see a difference in one brand over another, but you'd have to be lucky to pick both the best and the worst.

I can also assure you that EXXON/ Mobil is one of the companies that use their own, top quality, additives. BP is actually recommended by Ford! It's more important to buy your gas from a station that has a high turnover, and one that looks like they take pride in their business than it is to look for a specific brand.

Me? I try to stay with an American company if I can.

Flagship

 

I get the best mileage from my local Citgo and Sunoco. Irving Mainway is not too bad. I get the worst mileage from the Mobil/Exxon and Getty. I have been tracking my mileage since I bought the truck in 2001.
Coke and Pepsi are just carbonated water with a small amount of additives. I prefer Coke. The additives DO make a difference.

 

It doesn't surprise me at all. For the last 3 years, I have kept records of every fillup and mileage. I get the best results with Shell and Texaco with Chevron and Conoco very close. I get noticably less mpg with Exxon. We don't have BP in this area. I used to believe gas was gas and filled up at the cheapest pump until I started tracking it.

 

every gas company puts different additive to raise the octane level and lower the fuel quality. its like watering down the coolade to make one gallon into 2 gallons sell it at the same price if not more and ur profits increase 2 fold. so it comes down to the EPA needs to fight the battle with the big oil companies producing crappy fuel and the EPA needs to lets them upgrade and build new refineries the ones we got now are all from the 60's and 70's.

 

DUH the refined gasoline is shared by all in the same pipe line. Additives DO make a difference. You say maybe 5 gallons to 7800? I really doubt that. But the additives ARE different for a reason. If you read the article, it explained the different tests top tier gasoline must meet. The cheap gas doesn't meet the same standards. Turnover is important too. Just one more thing to look for besides being top tier.

 

Uh, no.

 

Yeah, I thought that was pretty funny also. Like they dump in a few thousand gallons of water to "water it down".

The additives (detergents, stabilizers, etc) that they add to the gasoline (which is the _only_ difference) are _far_ more expensive then the gasoline itself.

Refineries being 30 years old has _nothing_ to do with the quality of gasoline. The process of refining oil has changed very little since that time and this does not mean those refineries have not been changed since then.

Post is 100% incorrect.

 

Good find and post OP but we should also be aware that toptiergas.com is owned by BMW, Toyota, Honda, and GM. Its has to imagine that they don't have a vested interest in some way with certain gasoline distributors. For example, Ford is not a part of this organization and they stand 100% behind BP and Amoco. BP and Amoco are not listed on BMW, Toyota, Honda, and GM's list. Strange, huh.

Also, toptiergas.com is registered to Jim Denny in Tulsa, OK. This is the same name and location as the VO of Quick Trip Gas. What company is 1st on toptiergas.com's list? Lastly, I understand this website not releasing specific information as to the additives but they are _not_ independent. Also, some of what they mention about their "tests" seems a little odd. Standard 1.2 basically states that the deposit control additives need to meet EPA minimum standards. Are they saying some gasoline's being sold in the US don't meet these required minimums?

Do they mention on their website who they are? Anything whatsoever? Nope... not one single word. A little odd when your expecting people to believe your statements.

By being independent they would have tested basically all brands of gasoline. In that they are not independent, they could have simply just tested the brands that they wanted. They don't mention any brands that failed their tests. So as far as we know, they made an alliance with all the brands on their list, only tested those brands and passed them all. This is _very_ possible and think about it.... makes their list completely worthless.

So... we have a company who does not tell you who they are, don't admit to having a vested interest in the names on their list, and don't say _anything_ about testing different brands of gasoline. Hands down, this makes the website a waste of even virtual space. I do the same thing with this website that I do every time I open by Ford gas cap and see BP written on it... ignore the recommendation.

 

People just don't get it do they?!!! Have you ever seen a gas station change tanks? One of the local gas stations changed hands and the new owner decided to get rid of the diesel tanks. They still had 300 gallons of diesel in them, but they just filled them up with gasoline. If you think the distributors do any different, you are fooling yourself. I'll agree with those statements.

 

Ford uses BP when they design engines, my truck seems to get better milage with it than Cenex (the other brand in town) and it costs the same. Whenever possible I look for it for my F-150. My Ranger chugs whatever I put in it so I am not quite so picky, the fact that "gummy buildup" hasn't killed it by now proves it has it has little left to fear anyway (messed up feedback carburator system thanks to PO).

 

Nothin but Chevron/Exxon goes in my tank. Truck runs better and gets better mileage without a doubt.