which gas brand is better?

[walt101786]

hey guys, i know this may sound a bit strange and all, but i got a question to ask and would gladly to accept an honest opinion...i am trying to do some research to see which gas would give me better mileage and a better over-all performance...first i'm gonna make a list..like i said this is only for research

Shell-rides fast, when i pump ten bucks...it'll last me at least 120-125miles for 3.something gallon until it starts to blink...i get like around 40 miles per gallon

Chevron-rides pretty smooth...not sure how far i'll go with 10 bucks....

76-rides smooth and fast...10 bucks can give me around 125-130...it gives me around 39-45 miles per gallon

Arco-10 bucks....it doesnt even last me very long....as a record....its like around 25-28 miles per gallon

all these gas are the gas i am do research on...but like i said...im just researching and ask you guys to see which you guys prefer...as for me...i'll go either with 76 or shell...last resort would be chevron...and in my area, chevron, shell and 76 are similar in price range...they're mostly around 2-5 cents off...wchih in another words...i put 89 for myself which cost me around 3.11-3.19 per gallon...so u guys could do the math itself and hopefully i can hear for u guys soon

[rningonfumes]

The way you're going about it is unreliable. You need to fill up the tank each time you test out the stations (that's the start of it.)

This is because our tanks are a bit irregular in how it's reported via the gauges. Search the gas gauge here and you'll see what I mean. The next thing is that you need to test each station at least 2 or 3 times with driving the same routes.

[sickpuppy1]

I would have to agree. And I would go a step further and say to do a few tanks with each brand and record them. Also note things like ease of starting. I've been told the ECU "learns" the fuel and varies settings accordingly. A fuel delivering more power can result in a timing advance and shorter injector pulses which will save money with better mileage.Around here we dont have Chevron or 76 stations. My Civic got better mileage with Phillps 66 than it did with Quick Trip. My Yaris is just the opposite, weird.

[Kal-El]

I've never done my own comparisons but it is commonly accepted that Shell and Chevron supposedly sell the best quality gas.

And yeah, you need to fill the tank each time and run it down to past half empty and run the numbers as far as comparing mileage. And multiple runs with each brand will be needed for accuracy. Research like this takes time but it will still never be perfect science because of all variables that are thrown in on the road.

[UTVitz]

toptiergas.com pretty much answers your question. In my area I use either Chevron or Conoco/Phillips. The goal with these fuels is to keep your fuel system clean and at it's peak operating effeciency

[walt101786]

kool...so next time i should fill it up and see...thanks for the help...and by the way...i also heard that if i use 91 gas...it'll clean the tank, valves, intakes, etc cleaner and smoother....is that true? i notice a slight difference between the 91 and 89 one....and i usually use either Shell, Chevron, and 76...i like them three...sometimes for myself...i would find which one would be cheaper among all three of these and i'll pump there...so my questions are...from all ur experiences and prefernces, should i change up my gas grade to 91 from 89...and what do i get benefit from 91?

[RedRide]

Ok... this comes up way too often.....

All gas companies routienly trade gas with each other.
Example:
If brand A needs gas on the west coast, they borrow gas from a brand B's storage tank on the west coast. When brand A is ready to repay it, they add gas back to one of brand B's strorge tanks.

As additives are added at the distubution point where the gas in pumped into the tankers.
In spite of what you hear in advertisements, the amount of additives are mandated by law.

Different types of "amines" are commenly added as detergents to keep injectors realtively clean.
On of the properties of an amine is they have free nitrogen atoms
This is exactly where Shell got the misleading markiting line that "shell gas is nitrogen enriched'.
Fact is, just about all gas can make that worthless claim.

BTW the minimum amounts of detergents added were determind by the oil company lobby (that should tell you something) and even they they do a failly decent job, it's stiil is prudent to add aditional detergents on ocaison as the legal minimun will not preven some fuel sys build up.

Just don't get gas at a questionable vendor as you never know what the gas may be contaminated with. Just stick with a brand name as your chances for uncontaminated gas is greater.

[sickpuppy1]

And Walt, to answer your question about 89 vs 91 octane, I'd stick with 87, myself. Will higher octane fuel clean the fuel system better? no, it wont. Will it perform better? I'd say its more mental than physical difference. It could run a little different I guess, but not enough to warrant the additional money and I seriously doubt it would help mileage at all. The Yaris was designed around 87 octane fuel.

[Kal-El]

Originally Posted by walt101786

kool...so next time i should fill it up and see...thanks for the help...and by the way...i also heard that if i use 91 gas...it'll clean the tank, valves, intakes, etc cleaner and smoother....is that true? i notice a slight difference between the 91 and 89 one....and i usually use either Shell, Chevron, and 76...i like them three...sometimes for myself...i would find which one would be cheaper among all three of these and i'll pump there...so my questions are...from all ur experiences and prefernces, should i change up my gas grade to 91 from 89...and what do i get benefit from 91?

It's a waste of money to put anything over 87 in a Yaris. That's what the engine was designed for. If anything, putting higher grade in may actually have adverse effects because the engine isn't tuned for that level of octane just as putting 87 in a $100K car would not be favorable.

[STC]

Don't know? I'll have to see when I start using ethanol gas. I know Shell markets their detergents and cleaning agents well! Probably Shell?

My concern is ethanol content. How can you determine which gas uses the least amount of ethanol? The stickers say, "Up to 10% Ethanol" or "Contains up to 10% Ethanol". How can one determine how much of a % is mixed by the supplier?

Cheers!

[why?]

you really can't determine what % is used. They say up to because depending how it was mixed in the tank, you might end up with less.

Oh, and from what I have seen Shell seems to be the best for gas mileage, at least from what I understand the majority of the hypermilers tend to try and use it as much as possible.

[walt101786]

well, i kinda understand the concept of brand A gas and brand B gas trading each other and all and all the addictive and everything...here's what i am leading to...i have 3 gas brand in my mind to pump for overall better mileage and performance...Shell, 76 and Chevron...so in top 2 choices i would either go with 76 or Shell...so not sure which i'll stick to cus i normally go to shell which is a mile away from my house and 76...well there's one that's like 2-3 miles away and they're bout the same price....so not sure which will be a better choice and i normally use 89, on occasionally i use 91 just to save myself a trip to a local auto shop to buy fuel injector cleaner....yet sometimes i buy those just to make it run smoother....which i came to my attention from all the fuel injector cleaner that i have used....Red Line and Lucas are pretty decent....so iunno...any thoughts and suggestions?

[STC]

Originally Posted by why?

you really can't determine what % is used. They say up to because depending how it was mixed in the tank, you might end up with less.

Oh, and from what I have seen Shell seems to be the best for gas mileage, at least from what I understand the majority of the hypermilers tend to try and use it as much as possible.

That is what I thought when it comes down to the % of ethanol.

Thanks for the advice! I will be looking later in the month and next year for Shell gas stations around central PA and my area. I already bought some Stabil ethanol gas neutralizer treatment. I will start to use every fill-up regularly in January 2011...

Cheers!

[Spades]

lucky you aren't in Oregon, where stations are required to use Ethanol. To make matters worse, because of the alcohol-like properties of Ethanol, I have found some of the cheep-o private stations around here will add water to the gasoline mixture in their storage tanks to make their gas go further, figuring that 10% Ethanol should absorb 5% water.

I don't know about California, but I know here in Oregon we don't closely regulate our fuel, so we are kind of the dumping grounds for fuel that won't pass other states standards.

Your best bet around here is to stay away from smaller stations, and ask around local automotive shops to see who they recommend. The shop I work at has found the local Chevron to have the best quality of gasoline, and we will often have to drain water and other contaminants out of the tanks of customers who have tried to save a buck by going to the cheaper stations.

One other note...on most fuel tests that are performed, they are performed on 89 or higher octane fuel(plus and premium gasoline), and several chains of gas stations will not use additives on their cheap regular fuel.

From a mechanics standpoint, you pretty much have to ask around or perform analysis tests at your own expense to find out who in your location has decent or the best fuel.

EDIT: I forgot to mention something I find humerus...in Oregon some of the same people who pushed to get the current state Ethanol laws passed are fighting to get them revoked. They thought Ethanol would help Oregon go green...right up until they had their first fill-up of Ethanol "enriched" gasoline and their Toyota Prius' lost 12%-20% fuel mileage...lol