Top tier gas : Healthier for your car ...

[Kalispel]

Originally Posted by 07liftback

I might be an outlier here but tried shell a few times since t-mobile Tuesdays had promotions for $0.25 off each gallon at shell.

I usually fill up at Costco but with shell, The torque felt about the same on my 5 speed yaris but my mpg dropped from 34mpg to 30mpg. I tried filling up at different shell stations with the same result. I can maintain about 34mpg with chevron gas but I just can't figure out why my mpg is much less with shell.

The 76 near my house produced the same results as well.

I've used nothing but Shell station gas since I purchased my car two years ago, and I've been averaging 41 MPG combined over that time period.

[SirDigby]

Originally Posted by 07liftback

I usually fill up at Costco but with shell,...my mpg dropped from 34mpg to 30mpg. I tried filling up at different shell stations with the same result. I can maintain about 34mpg with chevron gas but I just can't figure out why my mpg is much less with shell.
The 76 near my house produced the same results as well.

that's what i was getting with Murphy's. sounds like Shell is not mixed well in... where are you from? the "bay area?" is that the Chesapeake Bay? or maybe Monterey Bay? could it be Phang Nga Bay? i know there is users from Thailand. or maybe your in Prison, Guantanamo Bay?
What bay do you live in?

[Kaotic Lazagna]

Originally Posted by 07liftback

I might be an outlier here but tried shell a few times since t-mobile Tuesdays had promotions for $0.25 off each gallon at shell.

I usually fill up at Costco but with shell, The torque felt about the same on my 5 speed yaris but my mpg dropped from 34mpg to 30mpg. I tried filling up at different shell stations with the same result. I can maintain about 34mpg with chevron gas but I just can't figure out why my mpg is much less with shell.

The 76 near my house produced the same results as well.

I've been using Shell since I got Dory (December last year). Before I switched wheels and tires, I was getting 43-45 mpg. After switching wheels and tires, it went down to 40-41 mpg. However, I'm not sure what Shell did, but my last tank dropped to 37 mpg. Tried Chevron (I used to use nothing but Chevron with my first Yaris), mpg was 41. I filled up with Shell again after, and I need to fill up again tomorrow, so I'll see what the calculations come out to. If it's lower than 40 mpg, then I can probably conclude that Shell did something with their formula here in the Bay Area.

[Kaotic Lazagna]

Originally Posted by SirDigby

that's what i was getting with Murphy's. sounds like Shell is not mixed well in... where are you from? the "bay area?" is that the Chesapeake Bay? or maybe Monterey Bay? could it be Phang Nga Bay? i know there is users from Thailand. or maybe your in Prison, Guantanamo Bay?
What bay do you live in?

Bay Area encompasses the counties of the San Francisco Bay here in Northern California.

[Kaotic Lazagna]

40.76 mpg when I filled up yesterday. First bar disappeared at 91 miles, so it's on track for the regular mpg. It could have just been a bad batch of Shell in the Bay Area.

[bradbowl]

Originally Posted by Kaotic Lazagna

Before I switched wheels and tires, I was getting 43-45 mpg. After switching wheels and tires, it went down to 40-41 mpg.

Is this because you went with larger/heavier wheels? 5-10% decrease seems pretty significant. But the aesthetic appeal of nice wheels definitely is worth it. :)

[Kaotic Lazagna]

Originally Posted by bradbowl

Is this because you went with larger/heavier wheels? 5-10% decrease seems pretty significant. But the aesthetic appeal of nice wheels definitely is worth it. :)

I think it has more to do with the fact that I replaced the factory tires...so they were dry, cracking, and had no grip. hahaha. So the new tires are grippier, so more friction, which leads to a drop of mpg. The new wheels and tires are probably only 3 lbs heavier than the 15" steelie and Goodyear combo.

[bradbowl]

Originally Posted by Kaotic Lazagna

I think it has more to do with the fact that I replaced the factory tires...so they were dry, cracking, and had no grip. hahaha. So the new tires are grippier, so more friction, which leads to a drop of mpg. The new wheels and tires are probably only 3 lbs heavier than the 15" steelie and Goodyear combo.

Ah, I gotcha. So moral of the story, if you want to boost your mileage, go with old tires.

There's a Tesoro gas station near me that carries E0 89 octane gas. This thread has got me interested in testing it out.

[dogsridewith]

On gen 2 Yaris, stock 15" tires roll 3.4% further than stock 14" tires. (per the nominal stock tire sizes, but not necessarily the actual tires) With same speedometer calibration, we think...but haven't confirmed. Tire comparator link on forum gives nominal height/circumference/revs-per-mile/whatever, but the actual tire models vary in height for the same size. Some specs don't give tire height. Worn tires are shorter. Good to run a string or skinny flexible tape measure around inflated tire center to know what you have and compare new vs. old, etc. And/or measure diameter.
I've given numbers for some 14" tires on other threads here.

[Kaotic Lazagna]

Originally Posted by bradbowl

Ah, I gotcha. So moral of the story, if you want to boost your mileage, go with old tires.

There's a Tesoro gas station near me that carries E0 89 octane gas. This thread has got me interested in testing it out.

I wouldn't waste money on middle grade octane. But give it a shot or two and see how it performs.

[Kaotic Lazagna]

Just filled up yesterday. 45.65 mpg. Woot. haha.

[B.B._07]

Originally Posted by Kaotic Lazagna

I think it has more to do with the fact that I replaced the factory tires...so they were dry, cracking, and had no grip. hahaha. So the new tires are grippier, so more friction, which leads to a drop of mpg. The new wheels and tires are probably only 3 lbs heavier than the 15" steelie and Goodyear combo.

Car manufacturers are very careful to pick tires that have very low rolling resistance to maximize the printed fuel economy and drive up their overall fleet CAFE numbers. When people buy replacement tires they're usually more concerned with high thread life, good drip in snow and rain, and overall value. If you want maximum mpg's buy tires that are labelled low rolling resistance (LLR) or eco-focused.

[Kaotic Lazagna]

Originally Posted by B.B._07

Car manufacturers are very careful to pick tires that have very low rolling resistance to maximize the printed fuel economy and drive up their overall fleet CAFE numbers. When people buy replacement tires they're usually more concerned with high thread life, good drip in snow and rain, and overall value. If you want maximum mpg's buy tires that are labelled low rolling resistance (LLR) or eco-focused.

oh, I knew that. lol

The tires I chose to replace the Eagle LS on the Yaris were the General Tire Altimax RT43. It ranked 2nd best in fuel economy tests in its class according to Tire Rack's tests, and ranked 4th overall in class. It was also the only grand touring all-season tire available in 195/50/16. I didn't want to go with 205/50/16, which was the narrowest that the other tires in its class came in.

[dogsridewith]

USA/Canada 2007 Yaris owners manual: "Fuel Type: UNLEADED gasoline, Octane Rating 87 (Research Octane Number 91) or higher."
Pump buttons are 87, 89 and 93. Unlabeled.
Octane rating numbers--which system on USA pump buttons?

"Top tier" does not appear in manual.
Is it thread drift or is their any connection...does top tier have anything to do with octane rating?

[NYC-SE]

North America uses a different method of calculating octane than Europe (and I believe the rest of the world as well). 87 here is equivalent to 91 there.

Top tier has nothing to do with octane ratings. It is a marketing term that means the fuel contains a certain amount of detergents.

[Captain Yaris]

Originally Posted by iA_b4_07HB

I HAVE noticed smoother operations with midgrade or premium fuel. If your engine runs on premium in Europe, the odds are it will run better on premium over here. This is because modern ECM (engine control modules) are adaptive in terms of tuning to the fuel used. I think anything with a compression ratio over 9.5 to 1 will benefit; the knock sensor will kick in later and you'll get a little more power and a smoother driver experience. Also, most premium fuels include twice the detergents of regular.

Costco and Arco are both currently Top Tier, and are the ones I try to buy, since they are cheaper. Valero certainly isn't a budget gas, but they are Top Tier these days. Kwik Serve is no longer Top Tier IIRC.

I thought maybe I was just crazy, but my experience has been the same. I definitely feel as if the engine runs smoother. I’m not sure that I get a noticable power increase from running high octane but I’m guaranteed to run my best. Plus, I’m getting the best detergents with the higher octane. I have to admit, it does feel nutty filling up with 91 or 93 into a Yaris, but if that keeps my engine cleaner, so be it. In the old days, you would be limited by a set timing, but now ECU’s and variable timing have changed the game up and engines less likely to benefit from a higher octane fuel can now have some benefit.

[07liftback]

Originally Posted by Kaotic Lazagna

Just filled up yesterday. 45.65 mpg. Woot. haha.

Wow, so Shell still gets the best mpg? How far is your usual commute? I went from doing 12 miles to and from work to only 6 miles and my mpg went from 34mpg to 28-30mpg. Then again I go through more city roads with the shorter trip as well. I might give Chevron or Shell another shot to see how it compares to Costco. I'm also running my tires at 38psi in the front and 42psi in the rear while driving relatively conservative.

[dogsridewith]

I think USA pumps say their numbers are (R+M)/2? As such is the 87 regular what the manual says is OK for the Yaris?

(USA/Canada 2007 Yaris owners manual: "Fuel Type: UNLEADED gasoline, Octane Rating 87 (Research Octane Number 91) or higher."
Pump buttons are 87, 89 and 93. Unlabeled.
Octane rating numbers--which system on USA pump buttons?)