Top Tier Gas

fezo

So what do people think of this? The theory is that government standards for detergents in gas are too low and this sets a higher standard.

I got caught on this because the only repair my car has had was for dirty fuel injectors.

The strange thing is how some little retail outfits (Rebel Oil?) are top tier while major brands (Sunoco, BP) are not. It's also taught me how many brands that used to be around here have left the east coast (Phillips 66, Chevron, Texaco).

Top Tier Gas.

fintail

I don't know much about it, but many years ago, I had two different unrelated indy MB mechanics recommend I run Chevron in my cars - so that's what I do.

fezo

I'd love to run Chevron in my car! They have the best detergent (Techron) out there. Unfortunately some time ago they closed all the Chevron stations out here. In NJ my choices are Exxon and Shell.

explorerx4

I've been trying to find those funny video's you posted about the town with the really bad drivers. one was driver ed the other a had a cop theme.
Someone on another thread just moved to the North West (Seattle area) will get a chuckle out of watching them.

fintail

I think out here, Chevron and Shell tend to be the most expensive. Exxon is almost always the cheapest. I drive a relatively small annual mileage and buy premium anyway, so an extra 10-15 cents a gallon at most, isn't going to kill me.

fintail

You're thinking of this

The user has many other clips from the same show, "Almost Live" - a very popular show in the late 80s-90s that was mostly local humor, often making fun of specific towns.

Today, sadly thanks to yuppies, transplants, and pseudo-hipsters. that neighborhood isn't quite the "little Scandinavia" it used to be. In many areas it is condo and expensive chain store-ized.

explorerx4

Yes, Thanks that's it. I'm going to post it over on Smart Shopper.

fezo

Well, this one has certainly fallen flat.....

I'm a little surprised. I know some people who insist whatever gas they are buying is the best way to do it - from single brand folks, to ones that will put anything at all in their cars (loads of people around here use Wawa because it's cheap; Wawa will only tell you it's US oil and refined here - it is some brand under another name but they won't tell you that) to top tier fans....

All the brands here are priced pretty closely here. I'll gladly pay a few cents a gallon for the higher standards.

stever

I think it's mostly marketing myself.

The brands that don't pay to become Top Tier will certainly defend their gas as being equal to or better than the competition.

I usually buy a Top Tier brand, but only because I get to use my grocery coupons. Otherwise the Citgo is a bit closer.

Back in Boise, I tended to buy Chevron for the Techron in it, but it varied. Last summer I added a bottle of Techron to the van because of a stumble going up a hill. Seemed to help.

Does Top Tier fuel make a difference? (I like Dtownfb's answer there).

fintail

I'll pay it, too. The difference is small enough where it can almost come down to peace of mind, and the Techron might be worth it too. And I get 3% back with Amex, so it helps.

ray80

I tend to use top tier when I can, assuming the price is about the same for other name brand places. I try to stay away from names I don't know, like Fezos gas or whatever, but of course sometimes you have to use what you can get (Such as on a recent way upstate NY trip we made) .

explorerx4

I usually put Exxon or Mobil in my cars. Last 2 times I put in Shell, I had a noticeable mileage drop.
Filled up with Mobil this tank, and it looks like mileage it back to normal. :confuse:

dtownfb

Thanks steve. That was four years ago.

fezo

Ya knew it was old. It listed ExxonMobil as not top tier. It has been top tier for some time.

I've developed this roadburner-type thing about putting good stuff in my car. Next up will be synthetic oil....

stever

You can go to pure-gas.org and get some ethanol free gas for your ride too. One station near here sells it, but only in the premium flavor. My van would choke to a halt on the stuff I bet.

fezo

Last I looked there wasn't a no ethanol station within 150 miles of my house. There aren't any in NJ even though it's perfectly legal to sell in NJ.

Dumb feature in my car is a MPG average display. It's one of several displays (current MPG, miles to empty, etc) that you hit a button on the wheel to pick. Well the average MPG display works from whenever you set it. In the first year I've had the car I never bothered to learn how to reset it so it hung at the 23.5 that was always there. I don't think the previous owner ever reset it either.

Well, last week I finally did reset it and spent a week driving around town doing sort runs and it was down to 22. Today I drove to NYC and back and several miles in the city traffic - but mostly highway - and now it reads 27. This is all right. Must be that top tier Shell I put into it.....

Oh, on premium - my owners manual recommends regular but notes that the engine computer is set up to recognize premium and will adjust accordingly, boosting hp. Noticeable but not worth the price difference.

fezo

They are making it easy for me at least temporarily. The local top tier is also teh cheapest gas in town - both Shell and Exxon.

stever

If you buy gas from a recycler, does that make it Top Tire gas?

fezo

Maybe they can make recycled detergents. That might do it...

michaellno

I use top tier gas (Shell V-Power 91) for my wife's Mazda CX-7. I do this for both the detergent in the gas formula as well as the fact that the 2.3L turbo engine has known issues that I'd like to avoid.

No Chevron stations here in Colorado. I know my folks use Chevron in their Hyundai Sonata.

For my ION, however, I use the gas from the local Kroger station. 85 octane and it seems to run fine. Perhaps I should get a bottle of Techron (if it's available) and add it to the tank.

fezo

Oh, Techron is readily available. They'll have it in a good sized Wal Mart of almost any auto parts store. Toss it in every oil change or two. Your engine will thank you for it. Your Ion is going to set longevity records under any circumstances.

stever

I was going to say that's too often, but then I remembered that I'm down to about one oil change a year, so that's just about right. :shades:

fezo

Yeah, a year or 10K miles (a synthetic oil change or 2 dinos) sounds about right.

stever

"Mazor believes that the driving public has outdated notions about gas. Twenty years ago, only premium fuel had detergents in it. Back then, it was beneficial to occasionally buy a tank of high-test gas to clean the engine. Then, he says, "regulations were very lax and there was little enforcement. But all that has changed."

Likewise, Randy Stephens, chief engineer for Toyota's Avalon, isn't wholly convinced by the claims of engine protection afforded by higher-priced gas. He says fuel experts at his company study the effects of different brands of gas on the Toyota engines. Automotive engineers disassemble engines after 10,000 miles of running them on different brands of gas to see if there is a difference.

"Honestly, in the 10 years I've been in charge of Avalon, I've never seen one come back with any sort of deposit issue," Stephens says."

Is Cheap Gas Bad for Your Car?

fezo

Long pause on here.... Since then there have been a bunch of brands who have gone to top tier - BP, Valero and Costco. Since the local Costco is the nearest to my house and always at least a dime cheaper than anyone else in town this is not a difficult decision.