Is there really a difference in brands of gas?

graphicguy

We've all noticed that there is a substantial
difference in the price of "name brand" gas and the
gas you can buy at your local "el-cheapo"
place...sometimes as much as 30%.

I have heard that all gas must meet federal
requierments and that all gas is bought from the
same refineries, regardless of brand, and just
trucked to different branded stations.

Some stations use methanol in their gas. It's
been around awhile and seems to be accepted by all
the major car manufacturers. It is cheaper. Some
advertise their gas in "pure".

My question...is there really a difference? Do
they all have to have the same additives to meet
local and federal/ local requirements for cleaner
air? Are we just paying higher prices at places
like Shell, BP, Amoco, Sunoco, etc. just to pay for
their advertising?

An anyone shed some light on this or tell of their
experiences?

rea98d

Heck no! All that extra money is going to some rich oil Tycoon with a different Lincoln for each day of the week! Gas is gas. Methanol might make a little difference, but by and large, if its got the same octane rating, it'll run the same in your car. The only thing you really ought to think about is how much gas the station sells. If they don't get much business, then the gas they sell is likely to have been in the ground for a while, which means its more likely to have water or contaminents in it. (Usually, this will be the brand X stations more often than Exxon or Texaco or somebody).

burdawg

Some years ago my wife worked for Mazda North America in Irvine, CA. This is where a lot of R&D and prototype design for Mazda USA was done. The Miata was designed here, and almost all rotary engine overhauls were done here. Anyway, several years ago, they did a study of fuel quality. Several samples from each major brand were taken at various locations, along with samples of bargain fuel. Many differences were noted, among them impurities and levels of refinement. All samples met minimum federal and state standards, but "name brand" samples, from major suppliers, consistently tested better for quality. Is it worth the extra money? If you use a certain type of fuel and it performs well without giving you any problems, stick with it. Personally, I don't usually have time to wait, so I go where it's not crowded even if I pay a little more.

blugill

Yes there is a difference. Is it significant? Depends.

My mom's old caravan won't run on the cheapest 87 octane (pinged horridly and no proformance), but was fine on anything else.

My 88 S10 hates the premimun gas of the local cheep station (station only sells 90 octane, for less then anyone else sells 87) but runs fine on most others. (there is only other station)

If I get bad tank of gas, a tank of Amico Silver will restore proformance faster then anyone else's. But after half a tank of good gas I'm fine (octane doesn't matter) so I rarely pay extra. Amico is generally more expensive, and while I belive it is better, it isn't enough better that it is worth the cost.

There are some areas around where I live where all the gas is cheap but good quality I go their if I can make it on my way. (10 cents a gallon isn't really worth 30 minutes extra but is worth 5)

graphicguy

Just curious (especially to get your opinion birdawg since you have some research to back you up), I recently bought a new car and the owners manual states that all gas is supposed to adhere to some federally mandated minimum quality and detergen additive standard. The manual also states that methanol in gas is prefered. Usually, the gas at the cheap places have methanol in their gasses, while the "brand name" places use pure gas.

I have never experienced differences in brands. I've just filled up at any station that was convenient or cheaper. I know that there are definite differences in octane ratings and always use whatever octane rating the owners manual calls for.

Hasve these federal requirements made "brands" of gas the same since they all have to meet them? I don't know when these requirements went into effect, so maybe the research that was done a few years ago, wouldn't neccessarily be valid today.

Any "bad" long term effects possible from using the cheap stuff as compared to the "branded" gas?

burdawg

I've never experienced differences in brands when using the same octane, either. I used to think that my Suburban ran poorly on Texaco, but it turned out it was just when I filled up at one station, going to any other Texaco was fine.
I believe that name brand fuel contains less "impurities", such as dirt, residue, and contaminants that should be removed during the refining process. The dealer also has a lot to do with the quality of fuel, depending on how well the ground tanks and fuel pumps are maintained. Fuel pumps at service stations ("service" stations, now there's a name that's becoming archaic!) have a filter much like an automotive oil filter. When it becomes clogged with contaminants, the fuel delivery from that pump will be slow. Avoid those pumps if you can-you don't know how much contamination is bypassing the filter and ending up in your tank.
I stay with the major brands in So. Cal., Shell, Union, Mobil, Texaco, Chevron, etc. I haven't had any problems. Recently, I had to replace the original fuel pump on my Taurus which means completely draining and lowering the fuel tank since the pump is inside the tank. The tank was clean inside. I didn't find any dirt or debris inside at all, and that's after 145K miles.

jdouglasback

Please read your owers manaul and see what the octane level that they ask to be used for your engine.Name brand or ??. All gas is not the same in some areas of the country.The gasoline must make some changing of how the fuel is to been use for all the cars and trucks in the area that they sell there product.Gasoline in areas were area is in high attiude is changed to work there,very low temps.in winter.(Diesel is changed by a chart that reads out the mixture for the Temp.outside on the day of delivery to station this is to help fuel from jelling at very low temps).USING higher octane to clean injectors. DO NOT DO THIS.Gasoline today has agents in it to do this, not only that running a engine that needs only 87 octane will work just great,if you up the octane to a higher level your gas mileage will drop and you will have some other problems that might make your engine run right. The computer in your car is programed to run on a octane level,if you change it the computer then will keep trying to run the engine at it's programed octane level BUT IT CAN'T,therefore in most every case it makes it run wrong,making it use more gas.It will not clean like you have been told about,Try and buy your gasoline at the same station in the area where you live.Why ?? ,because if you keep record on the gas and then can have proof that the gas was always purchased there and some problems come up and you are told that your engine problem might be the gasoline you have in your tank,you stand a much higher chance to go back to that gas company and get you the help you need to fix it or to test there tanks and gas at that station for a bad gas problem,which is very rare in these days as all gas must meet EPA testing that is done at the companys tanks as well as at the gas station tanks. If you have a gas problem from your station then others who have gotting gas there at the same time frame as you ,will have gas problems also,if the gas companys finds out fast from you and others they will check the station tanks and you will have a better chance with getting help from them.KEEP record of gas purchase,it does help your case.AND NO YOU CANNOT GET WATER IN YOUR TANK FROM THE GAS STATION.BECAUSE OF THE WAY THE GAS IS PUMPED IN THE TANK . AT THE STATION IT IS PUT IN HIGHER IN THE TANK AND THE PUMP HAS A SENSOR THAT WILL STOP PUMPING IF IT DETECTS WATER.PLUS THE TANKS ARE TESTED FOR WATER BY THE DELIVER TANKER DRIVER ON EACH LOAD THAT IS BOUGHT INTO THE STATION BEFORE THE GAS IS UNLOADED, AND IF THE TANKS HAS WATER SHOWING IN IT THE DRIVER MUST CALL THERE COMPANY AND TELL THEM THAT WATER IS IN TANK AND THE TANK IS TURNED OFF AND THE TANK PUMPED OUT AND THE TANK IS THEN FIXED OR REPLACED.

locke2c

jdouglas is right in that you should run the lowest octane gas that keeps your car from detonating. Judge this by performance and gas mileage.

Gasoline from the refineries has to meet certain federal standards, yes. Like the motor octane number (MON) must be 88 or above. The refinery octane number (RON) can be any value. The resulting average (R+M)/2 is what determines the octane of the fuel. There are a variety of products that come out of the refinery-- high sulfur, low sulfur, ethanol or methanol blends, detergents and so on. Once it leaves the refinery a distributor may add their own oxygenates and detergents and then it is sold to a retailer. Generally speaking the retailer does nothing but sell it at the pump.

The best performance will be had with no ethanol or methanol additives and low sulfur content. Shop around, but the EPA determines what type of gas you get in your area. If you're in a high-smog part of the country, you probably have crappy gasoline. Of course, this crappy gasoline reduces emissions.

-Colin
(IT professional for one of the big oil tycoons rea98d mentioned)

apu

I used to use get gas at the Mobil by my house and would generally travel about 100 miles in the first quarter tank (150 by 1/2 tank). Then one day I used Chevron and suddenly I got 120 miles by 1/4 tank and around 200 miles by half. And it has been consistant for almost 2 years. Just my experience.

bobs5

Using Exxon premium my car gets 25mpg.
Using Raceway premium my car gets 28mpg.
This is the same driving habits and same roads being used. Mostly city driving.

butch11

Used to lived in Minneapolis-had one big refinery up there-virtually every brand of gas in that area came from the Koch refinery south of town.

Nobody adds ethanol to save money-this stuff is more expensive than crude based gasoline and it is only in there because a bunch of politicians determined it would help the environment and make the farm lobby happy. Now there is evidence to suggest ethanol actually increases pollution-it will dissolve any rubber o-rings in your fuel system and kills older style fuel pumps. I have replaced a couple of pumps and o-rings.

Was riding with a friend in the country-he was a little low on gas and decided to fill up at a really sleazy looking station. Bad bad mistake. The fuel was loaded with very fine black debris-clogged the fuel filter, ruined the injectors and had to remove the tank to clean it out. Somebody told me that some stations buy crap like this when going out of business.

Can you get water out of a gas pump-yes. It is more likely to happen with a low volume station but I got water from a big high volume station and what a pain.

bobs5

Water in gas. Oh yea it can happen. Was coming come to N.J. from a camping trip in Cape Hatteras N.C., filled up at a station down there and at every traffic light and toll booth the truck would stall out. What a pain that was. Filled up when I got back and threw a bottle of dry gas in it, that seemed to help a lot.

btroy

According to Consumer Reports magazine, which has done at least 2 articles on this question in recent years, the big difference between the brands is in the detergents used. And the detergents do make a difference. Using cheap gas that doesn't contain highly effective detergent packages can lead to a build-up on your intake valves and in your fuel injectors which can cause performance problems, particularly cold engine hesitation. Early fuel injected engines built prior to about 1990 are more prone to suffer from this condition than are later designs.

Buying gas from places like Shell, Amoco, Sunoco, Exxon, Texaco, etc. will cost more, but you do get a benefit. I figure that buying better gas costs me about an extra $60 per year. If it keeps my engine running well and keeps me out of the shop, it's well worth it. I don't know this for sure, but it may even be preserving my gas mileage, which is saving me money too.

As for octane. It is fine to burn a higher octane gas than you need, but you would just be wasting your money. Use what your owner's manual recommends unless you have a pinging problem.

gumby8

I'm quite sure one can get some water pumped in his tank... true, the gas is pumped at about 16 in. from the bottom of the underground tank, true also the level of water is checked every time the 18 wheeler dumps the liquid gold but there is a tolerance level of H2O in the tank of maybe say 2inches on the stick before compulsory pumping of the unwanted liquid be done. That being said can one imagine when the truck is dumping his load of gas in the underground tank let there be only 1/2 inch of water in the tank and you or I are filling up the gas tank of the car at the same time one can imagine because of the gushing and turbulence promoted that maybe a weee bit of water can end up in ones tank??? I sure think so and for that reason I NEVER EVER fill up my tank when I see one of those road hogs doing there thing at a service station.

gumby8

Sorry Burdawg the response was for no.6 and maybe a little stiff for the truck drivers.

laughingatyou

1996 car with MPFI engine at 75K miles. It is getting cold in the northeast so I decided to add
this RED CONTAINER additive that is supposed to remove water and clean out fuel injectors.
BIG MISTAKE. My car seems to hesitate as you take off. Have filled the tank 4 times with premium
grade fuel from almost empty and still a problem.

Any thing else I can do?

delia

Sounds like your throttle body may be dirty. Remove air intake hose, spray throttle body cleaner inside, clean inside with a rag or toothbrush, let dry, add 2 cans of dry gas and 1 can of ProGuard Fuel Injector Cleaner. Let me know how this works. Have a nice day.

chiaofen99

Because I no longer owns that car, but since 10
years ago I stop by a Hess station and filled my olds with it, I havn't been back since, funny noise all over the engine after it was filled up,
and it's the right kind of gas, now 2 and half
cars and 10 years later, I always use the wrong gas, (87 for 89 and 91 ,93 octane cars), and it
always runs fine, I rather buy gas from some independent gas stations rather than stop by any
Hess station, don't try to convert me.

marby

I have used HESS gas for 30 years never had a problem. In fact people come from all over my town to go to the only HESS station in town.

5th_corps

From, my experience, the same octane premium gas from Texaco is better than Exxon service stations in PA. My family frives a '76 Chevy van (It just keeps going and going). However - to prevent knocking - the highest level octane gas must be put in. Exxon gas, the van will still knock. Texaco gas, it is silent.

jridgway1

Years ago, my dad used to drive a tank truck for a distributer in Paulsboro, NJ. He delivered the same gas to Chevron, Texaco, Amoco and some no-name brands; they were all the same. (I wonder how many people actually thought they were getting a specific brand?) Now, that was in the days of independent station owners. They bought gas where it was cheapest. Of course, that was in N.J. so that has to be factored in.

Today, I'm sure there a some differences although probably not much and maybe not any between some brands.

One I do know is different is 'Sheetz' gas. Where most gasoline is a light golden in color, Sheetz' is lime green.

rae52

I live in NJ and I was wondering if anybody can tell me if Amoco Ultimate is worth the price diff.(compared to other brands). Does it contain more detergents than their regular?

My car is a '99 civic dx 5spd.

cefurod

Correct me if i'm wrong but your '99 Civic DX requires only 87 octane gas. Using a higher octane does not do anything for your engine. It's just a waste of money especially with the gas prices now-a-days.

butch11

I drive over 40K a year-to keep from going nuts-or nuttier-I try to remember trucking company names and stuff like that-today at least in the upper midwest most gasoline tankers are generic-for good reason. I ask the drivers where they get their fuel and where they deliver to-they deliver to virtually every brand of station from their pick up point. FYI-the new tankers can carry @ 9,000 gallons of fuel and still meet the 80K max load.

toad10

I've never had any fuel problems before. Just stick with the stations that do good business because you want fresh gas not gas from the station that does very little business because that gas has a tendency to varnish and cause problems. Also people think that you should buy gas when the truck is there filling the tanks, wrong that stirs up the sediment in the holding tanks meaning that you will pump that in to your tank and thus into the engine.

garth

you're right, extra sediment in the tank doesn't help things. i always try to fill up early in the morning - the sediment is nice and settled.

reddogs

Listen to this, I've had continuous fuel problems I had to take off the tank on my 86 accord and it was full of gunk which I assume was varnish and causing the problems. So I switched stations and the second one had water in the gas cause all my cars started to stall badly and didnt clear up till I switched again. I tried to buy gas when the truck was there filling the tanks, maybe that was the problem and I was pumping gunk/water into the tank and straight to the engine. I haven't had any problems since then...

reddogs

This was SHELL and CITGO very busy stations I was going to..

pcleveland2

Post 6 and 7 have very good information. I haul gasoline out of refineries in Penn and NY. The brand additives are injected into the gasoline product while it is being pumped into the tanker. It is injected so many parts per hundred gallon depending on the brand spec's. Some companies use to add the additive at the station before the product was dropped into the tank. Haven't seen much of that lately. I have to test for water and report it on my B/L. Don't see much water at all, sometimes theres a bubble floating on the bottom of the tank. This is usually from condinsation (hot product/cold tank). The stations are required to hand pump the water out on a regular basis.

Will not mention any brand names, but from my experience its usually not bad gas, but a mech. problem. Buy from the same station and the refinery should back up their product and if you do have a problem they should take care of it. Oh, I buy at the same station and know people who insist that there is water in the station tanks and will not buy there. Point is that I have not had a problem with gas at this station in all the years of buying there, yet others do (Think its their cars problem, not the gas)

Pat
You have to ask the station about their brand additives, but I don't think the gas jockeys can tell you much as they just pump or run cash register.

dwh6

OK, here's the real story on gasoline. First off, the no-name gas stations usually do use the exact same gas as name-brand stations. But, in truth, the name brand stations will get the gas first out of the truck. This gas will, as a result, have fewer contaminants in it. The old adage "you get what you pay for" applies here. But what you get is more assurance of fewer contaminants, not better quality gasoline.

Regarding octane. A high octane gas is NOT better than a low octane gas. Octane's sole purpose is to prevent premature ignition in the combustion chamber of the car. Why is this useful? Well, some cars run at relatively high combustion pressures (e.g., small engines, sports cars, turbocharged engines, etc). In such a case, the octane prevents the gasoline mixture from igniting in the engine before it should. Premature ignition is what causes the "pinging" or "engine knock" that everyone knows about.

Therefore, look at your owner's manual. If it says you need premium, use it. If your manual says you only need 87 octane, use it. The level of octane in gasoline has absolutely no bearing on "quality." Remember this next time you see a commercial that claims their best gas is their "premium", high octane gas. Higher octane gas doesn't even cost hardly any more to produce. The oil companies just advertise like this and sell it at higher prices to give the impression that it IS better.