Aside from Octane, does the brand of gasoline make a difference? Meaning exxon, sunoco, mobil? Or is gasoline just gasoline?

 

i would think no, but i could be wrong

 

i go with shell..v-power baby

 

Brand of Gas? Carrier of gas, yes. Ever hear the bottom of the barrel effect? Well just like out gas tanks the containers gasoline is held until pumped into barrels, trucks, boats, etc. They are kept in huge Chambers. When bidding goes out for the gas company's bid on the top fuel, which is usually cleaner, since most debris falls to the bottom. Mobil, Texaco, Exxon are among some of the top bidders. I suppose you could assume they have the cleanest gas in there pumps, also assuming the place you pump your gas at doesn't refill there tanks when it's sucking dry from the dirty bottom of the Chambers. I know it sounds confusing, but oh well, best way I could explain. I know this b/c we own a shop next to a gas station owner, who also rents the building to us, I guess its insider info. Search around how stuff works.com for info on Octane and what not. Brand of Gas won't make you go faster and not so much the octane rating, either. Whatever is cheaper or your car requires.

 

The only difference is the additives...the pumps filter the fuel so even if there is debris it doesnt reach your tank. I know that i tend to get a lil better gas mileage with shell because of its additives...about 2-3 mpg on average using the minimun required octane. And pleeeeeeease dont let this turn into a "what octane to use" thread because 87 is fine and higher octane in the tc will do nothing more then empty your wallet faster.

 

haha dont worry, wasnt gonna ask which octane to use. Thats why i said in the first sentence "aside from octane". I was just curious with the carrier because I just drove past BJ's Wholesale, and they have their own gas station for members. The price is $1.93/gallon for 93 octane. That is the BEST price I have seen in CT so far. Was just wondering if it was cheaper quality gas or something.

Thanks for the replies. I gonna fill up at BJ's tomorrow

 

boy you got handed a line of bull....
there is a lot more to this story....
the oil is crude and goes to a refinery....
the same grade of gas is sold to various vendor at diff times...no top of tank....
the resellers add their special additives at time of shipping ....

 

BJ, Costco, Sams.... all buy from the same refinery as mobil/exxon, shell, ammaco, BP....

the price is cheaper due to bulk buying, they get more deliveries than the small mom+pop places...

the Costco buy me has a sign saying what resellers brand they sell...

 

Cool! thanks for the info. Now I dont have to feel bad feeding my tC wholesale gas

 

lots of people have said shell is the best and lasts longest. then there was some post somewhere that i read where a guy said that all gas companies get the gas from the same exact place. who knows.

 

also forgot that in the winter time (by me atleast) the refineries produce oxygenated gas .....

all gas companies in a region buy from the same refineries.....
CA gas station won't buy from a NJ refinery....

 

I know on my 95 civic I had if I used amaco gas it ran really got gas milage was 1-2mpg better never figured out why.. I prefer amaco b/c the gas looks clear which means its better fuel quality than most. I don't know that it does matter but I did notice my gas milage going up using amaco fuel. I haven't had the tc long enough to tell yet.

 

If I have time, I buy the cheapest.
If I don't have the time, I buy the most convenient.
I have never noticed a difference in my engine by brand.

 

When I refer to brands I am also refering to how clear amaco gas is compared to any other stores gas that looks yellow.

 

the color is the additive...
detergents, stabilizers....

 

I haven't noticed that the tC is sensitive to levels of detergents in the fuel, but on an old carburated car I had some time back, I would see substantially better mileage and power with Amoco. Occasionally I would put a tankful of Phillips 66 through it so that the detergents would clean everything out, but every bit of detergent is that much less power, so on that tankful I would have a bit worse performance.

Ever since Amoco and BP merged I heard the gas formulation changed to where it has more detergents. Occasional detergents are a good thing, but they are unecessary to have all the time.

 

i use an Amoco/BP card. they're everywhere.

anyone else having gas prices drop? i was on long island for the past few weeks, 2 bucks for 87. came back home to south carolina last night and found a pleasant suprise. some places are pushing 1.69.

the south has its handful of charms

 

I understand the question. I just haven't noticed any differences.