john981

I have always thought people saying "cheap" gas is bad for the engine is BS. I thought all gas companies have certain standards and all gas with the same octane have the same quality, independent of the brand. Hmm.. I have started to use a certain brand, which I was told is better for the engine performance and see there: Much better gas mileage, engine runs much smoother and also there are hardly any carbon build ups on the exhaust tips. I was wondering if it is just a coincident or can other here confirm that the gas brand myth is not a myth and that the gas brand rally matters.

vbb

In a word, yes.

All gas companies have minimum standards that have to be met, and as long as you use the right octane it won't hurt your car, but other gas companies do use additives and detergents that can perform better.

I am not a chemical engineer so I won't try to break this down further, but suffice it to say that I do attempt to use the same gas for my car (Shell V-Power) every fill up. I'll use BP if I'm on a road trip and can't find Shell.

Jim137a

Do a google search on “ Top Tier Gas “. My preference is shell v power as vbb stated.

‘’Here’s an interesting read.

https://www.consumerreports.org/car-...h-extra-price/

Voyager6

On a Direct Fuel Injection (DFI) engine, the additives can significantly reduce carbon build-up on intake valves. Even among top tier gas, there can be a difference. Shell V-Power is supposedly one of the best at reducing carbon build-up, but they know it and charge additional over other top tier brands. Since Sunoco is at many racetracks, I use it as there is a Sunoco station near me and it is 25 cents per gallon cheaper than Shell. No issues so far.

V6

john981

I used Arco premium gas and the difference is really remarkable. I never thought I would see such a clear difference. Before that, I used to put the cheapest gas I could find. Arco is not the cheapest but also not crazy expensive, the only thing what is annoying is that you cant pay with Credit cards. I don't care that much about my leased daily driver but for my porsche I will from now on only put Arco.

Marine Blue

Interesting subject. I haven’t been that picky with my source of gas other than using stations that are high traffic.

I recently had my Targa smogged and everything came back very clean with exception to the HC’s which wasn’t high but was higher than average (yes it passed). After the testing I mentioned the higher HC’s and the owner of the smog facility suggested exclusively using Chevron to take advantage of the Techron. That in combination with regular exercise (Italian tune ups) should drop the HC’s back.

abarthguy

They sell bottles of Techron at Costco....

The local tech writer for the Porsche Club did a 15,000 mile service on my '92 and told me to ad half a bottle of Techron to a full tank and then in 6 months, ad half a bottle of gas stabilizer.....

Laszlo_Laz

I don’t think it matters but I usually only gas up my Porsche with Shell. Other cars get Chevron.

bvanlieu

Use top tier brands and don't worry about it. Occasional non-top tier won't hurt (typically the gas at stores like Giant/Eagle or others are not top tier rated: they may just be re-branded but you simply don't know for sure).

Here in PA we have some ethanol free stations, which is nice whens storing the car or using carbs on say motorcycles: then a few ounces of Techron concentrate as previously mentioned makes the bike smile

- b

TMc993

We have a few stations around north Georgia that carry ethanol free, but only at the 87 octane pump...Never at the 89 or 93 octane pumps. For a while, I attempted to keep ethanol free around the garage for lawn and garden equipment and my old bike, but availability is sketchy and the stuff brings a premium. I finally decided that it was simpler and cheaper to just purchase gas treatment and treat the gas as I pumped it into my containers.

badabing

Only Shell 93 V-Power for all my 'nice' vehicles.

conceptDawg

All gasoline must meet government standards so you end up comparing two tiers of product: top-tier and base brands.
Base gas is just that: the gas that meets the government standards. Nothing more, nothing less.
Top tier brands use the base gas and then blend additives (Chevron/Texaco's Techron and Shell's V-Power, for instance) at a blend point before being put on trucks to be delivered to stations. That's the difference. These additives are usually good for your engine in the long run—burning cleaner or even cleaning internal parts from previous deposits—and since the burn a little cleaner you may also see a minute power increase or mpg increase, but not enough for you to actually notice while driving.

Quality control is another point that the big companies have on the smaller ones. They have processes in place to protect product quality along the supply chain. It's not perfect, but it's another thing to consider. You never want to mess with having a bad tank of gas. Just not worth it. I mean, I just spent 100k on a car and I want to gamble for $2 a fill up? Doesn't make much sense.

(Wife is a chemical engineer for one of the top-tier companies listed above)

DBH

Here in the Northeast, most gas arrives from various sources: i.e. local refineries, Gulf coast and Europe. They generally end up comingled at large regional tank farms. All gasoline sold in the US must meet certain state and federal government standards. Beyond that most branded gas has an additive package that is blended into the stock gasoline when it's picked up by tank trucks before delivery to local gas stations. This additive package will vary from brand to brand. "No-name" brands may have some or no additional (other than gov't mandated) additives in their gasoline. Some brands have agreed to be part of a "Top Tier" group that have a higher standard (quality & quantity) of additives

So, my advice is to buy a top tier branded gas with the highest octane available in your area.

LexVan

And buy from a busy station.

grgallo

I'll need to check my files, years ago a Porsche mechanic provided an article for me to read, bottom line, like what's been said they are all not the same, some adhere to a higher standard, for me it's Shell Premium V-power, I agree the additives are important