branded (chevron) or generic (costco) gas??

[Indianspringsaz]

I have had good luck with QT. Been useing there diesel for years, now useing there gas.

[Motorhead6T5]

Well I have talked to some people first hand and they claim the gas is all the same,comes from the same refinerys,shipped in the same trucks. Gas is cheaper certain places cause they sell more. Once its in the ground all bets are off,crappy old gas stations are probably more likly to have water in the gas.

[jlift]

Originally Posted by Jokill

This site identifies and explains what the top tier gasoline producers are.
http://www.toptiergas.com/

Just some food for thought.

A direct cut and paste from your website above...apparently it's ok to use up to 10% ethanol.....even on "top tier" gasolines..

1.3.1.2 Base Fuel. The base fuel shall conform to ASTM D 4814 and shall contain commercial fuel grade ethanol conforming to ASTM D 4806. All gasoline blend stocks used to formulate the base fuel shall be representative of normal U.S. refinery operations and shall be derived from conversion units downstream of distillation. Butanes and pentanes are allowed for vapor pressure adjustment. The use of chemical streams is prohibited. The base fuel shall have the following specific properties after the addition of ethanol:

1. Contain enough denatured ethanol such that the actual ethanol content is no less than 8.0 and no more than 10.0 volume percent.

[static808]

Originally Posted by Motorhead6T5

Well I have talked to some people first hand and they claim the gas is all the same,comes from the same refinerys,shipped in the same trucks. Gas is cheaper certain places cause they sell more. Once its in the ground all bets are off,crappy old gas stations are probably more likly to have water in the gas.

people, this is a fact. the detergents used at different gas stations are what you are paying for (v-power, techron, etc...), but the gas is the same everywhere. i've read that more important than the detergent package is the actual cleanliness and maintenance procedures of the stations themselves. the way you can tell this is the speed of the pump (except for stations with the old non-digital pumps, since those are ALWAYS slow). faster pumps are usually maintaiend more frequently, therefore are cleaner (better line flow). we've noticed that all the pumps around us are pretty fast, so thats not a problem for us. in fact, our costco pumps are the quickest around, so we're assuming they're also some of the cleanest. we're gonna stick to our costco gas routine with chevron techron/regane gumout twice a year, since its saving us considerable money. and our cars are running perfectly, and getting pretty good mileage too (better since using regane gumout in february). this gives us peace of mind. but if you need to buy chevron/shell to get peace of mind, then by all means do. cant place a price tag on being happy and worry-free...

--B

[Soner]

I have read about this subject about two weeks ago and what I learned was that if you are getting 87 octane gasoline, it really doesn't matter which gas station you go to. What matters is; when you buy 91 octane gasoline, you should go for the most trusted gas company since they will probably use better chemicals to increase the gas quality.
Also, It was said that higher octane gasoline does not keep your engine cleaner than 87 octane gasoline.
SB

[cdmyaris]

i have been using Chevron 89 gas since then. I guess its everyone their own opinion.

[jkuchta]

Hey everyone....

Bought my Yaris HB (man. Trans, roll-up windows) last December. I have almost 19K miles, and all but 3 tanks have been Shell V-Power. I avg. 38mpg with the V-power, and 35-36 with 89 octane gas (no matter the supplier). I figure, the extra buck or two I spend for V-power (per tank) is more than paid for by the extra 30 miles I can go on a tank of fuel. My mileage is split about 50/50 hwy/city miles in Southern California. I have a K&N filter in the stock housing, and in between toyota oil changes (5k), I change just the oil with Castrol full synthetic. Just after oil changes, the mileage can go as high as 41-42 mpg.

The lesson (IMHO).....
good gas a good oil will save money in the end. My car has better performance/economy than new, and will likely stay that way. Cheap insurance.

Plus,

All those reciepts will maybe help with the resale value when the time comes.

[tmpoirier]

I have been using Safeway gas (almost exclusively) here in CO for 15,000 mi. 85 octane. I have been getting consistent 36-39mpg commuting, 42+ highway. about every 3000mi. i put in octane booster/injector cleaner.

[BailOut]

I run Shell 87 Octane and my Yaris has never seen any kind of fuel that was not 10% Ethanol. My record tank is 52.5 MPG US, my last fill-up was 51.5 MPG US, and my running average can be found in my signature.

Can I do the same mileage on off-brand fuel? This year, probably. Next year, maybe. But as time goes on and the gunk and sludge add up, I guarantee my mileage would be bogging.

Between regular maintenance, a DIY PCV catch can, Shell fuel and the occasional Lucas fuel treatment I'm at 11k miles and my throttle body and air intakes are as clean as the day they were first assembled. No gunk, no sludge, no carbon... nothing at all.

[YarisSedan]

Use only top tier gas. Go to toptiergas.com to read about it. If you dont in a few years you may have problems such as a fuel injector failure due to clogging. Essesive carbon buildup on your valves as well as pistons.

Infact you can have so much carbon buildup on your pistons that it can change the compression ratio of your engine now that you have less air space inside the cylinder.

If you want to keep your car running long and happy like on the chevron commertials with the cartoonish cars use good gas.

The money you save on discount gas which is like what a dollar a fillup so maybe 2-3 dollars a month you save?!? Is it really worth it. After a year how much money did you save 30 bucks? To me thats not worth it. And you over time you will reduce your fuel economy by engine deposits that can cut your ecnomy by 5-10 percent or even more as time goes on. I dont think 10 percent is 30 dollars.

What if your vehicle starts to have driveability problems such as lack of power because of all the buildup in your motor. Taking to a shop most diagnostics run atleast 80 bucks. Thats all the money you saved for the past few years. What if it turns out to be a injector. Or multiple? That could be several hundred. There goes all the savings for the next 20 years!! Do you even plan to keep your car for that long.

Do the the math. Cheap gas does not pay off. I can post numberus technical service bulltins that manufactures such as bmw are getting vehicles into thier shops with driveability complaints and are finding out its due to low quality fuel. So now they say if for some wierd reason top tier gas is not available you can go to bmw and buy thier special blend of fuel additives and ad it to every single tank. I dont think those additives cost 1 dollar. The same that you get included in top tier gas.

Sorry for the vent. Whenever I driveby discount gas stations i see many new and expensive vehicles. Not really any beater cars. While all the old beater cars the 1980s cars are going to the top tier gas stations ie chevron, shell, 76, that goes to tell you something. Maybe just maybe the gas that they use plays a small part in the longevity of thier motors. Or it could just be a pure coincedence.

[YarisSedan]

TOP TIER Gasoline Retailers:
QuikTrip
Chevron
Texaco
MFA Oil Co.
Conoco
Phillips 66
76
Entec Stations
Shell
The Somerset Refinery, Inc.
Kwik Trip / Kwik Star
Aloha Petroleum
Tri-Par Oil Co.
Turkey Hill Minit Markets
Mileage Stations
Chevron Canada
Shell Canada
Petro-Canada
Sunoco Canada

[ztrack157]

While the percentage of ethanol plays a role in the fuel economy there is another key factor and that is the temperature of the gas itself when you get it. The cooler the gas when going in the better the economy from that said tank. Please take into account cold weather equals bad mileage to begin with so loading up in -10 weather pretty much negates the possible gains.

[Phaeton]

I've got a friend who's been a mechanic for 20+ years. He advised me against using cheaper gas. Showed the the spark plugs from a customer who only used Safeway gas.
They were all brown.

[Doug007]

I commute 40 miles a day and tpically use Costco gas and when out of town and not available, Chevron. I use Lucas or Chevron Techron additives just before an oil change. I'm approaching 40K miles and have an overall average of 41 mpg. I've never noticed an objective difference in terms of mpg, and on the subjective driveability level also notes no difference.

[YarisSedan]

Originally Posted by Doug007

I commute 40 miles a day and tpically use Costco gas and when out of town and not available, Chevron. I use Lucas or Chevron Techron additives just before an oil change. I'm approaching 40K miles and have an overall average of 41 mpg. I've never noticed an objective difference in terms of mpg, and on the subjective driveability level also notes no difference.

You wont notice a difference right away. Carbon buildup on the intake valves and pistons starts at about 10k miles. After then it starts to spiral downhill. Carbon acts like a magnet and absorbs your fuel.

[jmjonesey]

hmm, i read this whole thread, I go down to the Sheetz, and get gas there. I have had zero issues with it, although someone posted before about all the gas coming out of the same place. I am inclined to believe so. There is a major refinery/distrobution center in Greensboro here, and trucks from all the various different gas stations all come out of it. I have even seen the same distribution companys, namely one called Eagle, delivering to Citgo, BP, Shell, etc all from the same place. I think its most likely the station themselves and all that, rather than what they do at the refinerly.

Case in point :-) I used to work for a local grocery store chain, and there is a bread factory just down the road, I asked the vendor one day, whats the difference between the high end expensive bread and the cheap dollar twenty nine store brand bread, since they are made in the same place. She told me it was simply the bag they put it in, the high end bread bags are treated with special preservating chemicals, as the store brands are not.

My Cliched $.02

[Benggolf2]

I'll stick to buying Chevron gasoline for all our cars. A few cents more is definitely worth the consistent quality and a cleaner burning fuel.

[YarisSedan]

Over the past several years, the minimum level of detergent additive required by the EPA has declined by an estimated 50%.

Strait from toptiergas.com I would advise everyone to go to that web page and read up.

BMW, General Motors, Honda, Toyota, Volkswagen and Audi have posted numerouse and numerouse technical service bullitens for auto shops saying that they have had many new vehicles bringing thier cars back for warrenty for driveability issues. And nothing mechanically wrong could be found with the car. After performing fuel injection/induction services that vehicles were restored to proper running conditions.

They found this attributed to the gasoline the drivers of these cars were purchasing. So now all dealers that promote top tier gas sell a gasoline addative that you must add to your gas if you are unable to purcahse top tier gas where you live.