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-   -   Brands of Gasoline = Actual Difference (http://www.the370z.com/nissan-370z-general-discussions/99255-brands-gasoline-actual-difference.html)

ZeuceCoupe 12-23-2014 08:45 AM

Brands of Gasoline = Actual Difference
 
First off, I had always been raised with the "gas is gas" mentality and that premium is a waste, obviously we know why our cars require premium.

When doing research a while back (before I got my Z) I came across all of this information about top tier gasolines, etc, "there truly is a difference" "there is ABSOLUTELY no difference"...I'm sure the battle will wage until the last drop of oil is squeezed from the earth.

I've always ran Shell V-Power in my Z because it's my understanding that it's the only premium fuel on the market that an F1 engine will run on - period. I've never had an issue with it.

Yesterday, I found myself in a very rough spot, I've recently moved and found myself lost and my fuel (which was already low) emptying itself...to the point that when I actually pulled up to the pump all orange lights on the fuel indicator were off. We've all got lost, still feel like an idiot, I know.

Long story short, the gas station was a Kroger gas station, I only put a small amount of fuel in to cover myself (about 2.5 gallons) and was honestly a little frightened to do so because of my Shell loyalty, but had no options.

Fired her up - instant pinging, idle dips all over the place...driving felt like there was turbo lag at times and she's all N/A.

Whatever your opinions on fuel quality, I'm just throwing this out there as a personal experience. On longer trips I've had to put in fuel from Marathon, BP, and even Speedway and never had any noticeable issues...my pesonal word of warning - STAY AWAY FROM CUT RATE FUEL AT ALL COSTS

theDreamer 12-23-2014 08:49 AM

Fuel is all the same (comes from the same refineries), it is additives that are different.

Jordo! 12-23-2014 08:52 AM

In theory top tier fuels are more closely regulated for impurities/level of detergents, and thus quality should be more consistent but you can get bad fuel anywhere.

Top Tier Gasoline

kenchan 12-23-2014 08:57 AM

even if it's a major brand gas station, if that station is prone to flooding or not very well maintained the fuel in there can be bad.

that said i only use 2 gas stations. one in a rich neighborhood where a lot more cars run premium fuel, and another station that recently was renovated and got new tanks installed.

on my dd, i just go to this nice cheepo station where they've been serving good fuel for yrs.

theDreamer 12-23-2014 09:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kenchan (Post 3063565)
even if it's a major brand gas station, if that station is prone to flooding or not very well maintained the fuel in there can be bad.

that said i only use 2 gas stations. one in a rich neighborhood where a lot more cars run premium fuel, and another station that recently was renovated and got new tanks installed.

on my dd, i just go to this nice cheepo station where they've been serving good fuel for yrs.

That is another factor, turn over the fuel.
If you go to a Kroger or Wal-Mart station most people filling up are getting the cheapest fuel at the pump, meaning the higher octanes sit for months at a time.

mishuko 12-23-2014 09:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kenchan (Post 3063565)
even if it's a major brand gas station, if that station is prone to flooding or not very well maintained the fuel in there can be bad.

that said i only use 2 gas stations. one in a rich neighborhood where a lot more cars run premium fuel, and another station that recently was renovated and got new tanks installed.
on my dd, i just go to this nice cheepo station where they've been serving good fuel for yrs.


that is solid advice from the Ken. turn over, location, and storage container age all matter.

in a pinch fuel is fuel as you said but in the long run... yea... not the same.

if you had to get mid end gas maybe try adding some octane booster to help until you can find a 91+ station?

Jordo! 12-23-2014 09:14 AM

BTW, I missed your first comment: Octane needs are a very real issue -- "premium" is only a waste if your engine is tuned to operate safely on a lower octane...

Anyway, the idea is "better regulated" vs. "worse regulated"; its not simply "good" vs "bad" with perfect precision across stations and pumps.

Also, did you use lower than 91 AKI? If so, no wonder you were pinging under load --that's not Kroger's fault.

In racing applications, you are typically working with very exotic (i.e., special additives, specific fuel densities, etc), high octane fuel blends... I dunno about Shell pump gas.

Mitco39 12-23-2014 09:15 AM

I will say that fuel quality can fluctuate wildly from station to station, but its not because of the brand of fuel its for reasons mentioned above like how long has the fuel been sitting, are the tanks above ground.. etc.

Merv 12-23-2014 09:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mishuko (Post 3063591)
that is solid advice from the Ken. turn over, location, and storage container age all matter.

in a pinch fuel is fuel as you said but in the long run... yea... not the same.

if you had to get mid end gas maybe try adding some octane booster to help until you can find a 91+ station?

^^^ this. I was super low on gas and had to pull in to a mom and pop store. Thank god they had some octane booster on the shelf!

Mt Tam I am 12-23-2014 09:56 AM

Is ARCO top tier or discount brand. I assume top tier, but it is the cheapest in my area.

JARblue 12-23-2014 10:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mt Tam I am (Post 3063695)
Is ARCO top tier or discount brand.

ARCO is Top Tier

cooltoy 12-23-2014 10:03 AM

TOP TIER Gasoline Retailers:


USA
76 Stations
Aloha Petroleum
ARCO
Beacon
BP
Chevron
Conoco
Costco Wholesale
CountryMark
Diamond Shamrock
Entec Stations
Express Convenience Centers
Exxon
Hawaii Fueling Network (HFN)
Holiday Stationstores
Kwik Trip / Kwik Star
MFA Oil Co.
Mobil
Ohana Fuels
Phillips 66
QuikTrip
Road Ranger
Shamrock
Shell
Sinclair
Suncor Energy Inc
SuperAmerica
Texaco
Tri-Par Oil Co.
Valero

Canada
Chevron Canada
CO-OP
Costco Wholesale
Esso
Petro-Canada
Shell Canada
Tempo

Puerto Rico
Puma Energy Caribe, LLC
Shell

ZeuceCoupe 12-23-2014 10:05 AM

I put 93 Octane in which is the premium around here...very interesting concepts above though...it was definitely in an area where most of the pumps read 1 or 2 bucks of regular...didn't give the consideration to the stale gas/storage container age and turnover. I was pretty shocked with the pings, idle dips, and decrease of engine response time.

Since I put a small amount in, I'm going to simply attempt to burn the remainder of that fuel, put a small amount of my regular station stuff in, burn that off for a few cycles, and then fill it up...I don't want that stuff lingering/diluting "the good stuff."

brancky3 12-23-2014 10:24 AM

I use Costco gas whenever I can, no issues.

ZeuceCoupe 12-23-2014 10:43 AM

Just for fun since we're on the topic

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zubM2PsBJIU

Also, since we're on the subject, has anyone experimented with octane boosters on top of 93 grade...the ones that promise an octane level of 104etc...I try to keep additives to a minimum (Seafoam, Occasionally a Lucas product that I've used in the past and have noticed results, and Risoline Fuel Treatment OCCASIONALLY just to make sure that I'm keeping carbon to the minimum that I can)...any actual performance results from these small bottles? Or is it all hype?


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