Considered best? Like Chevron with Techron, Shell's V power, etc... Do any of these additives actually harm your engine or injectors, or are they really beneficial as they say?

 

They're all made out of the same dinosaurs. Chances are they were even refined at the same refinery and delivered in the same truck.

 

Which is why im asking, since almost 60% of gasoline is truly gasoline, the other crap is additives. Im just wondering if some are more harmful or beneficial than others.

 

Just heresay but the more expensive brands (mobil, sunoco, ect) get their gas first (from the top of the barrel) and the cheaper ones get it last from the bottom with more contanimants. I dont know if its true but it kinda/sorta makes sense. On that note dont get gas while the gas station is stocking up, while the tanks are filling all the crap from the bottom of the tanks gets stirred up.

 

Actually, it all depends on where you live. The gas requirements here in Minnesota (some type of oxygenated) are different than other states. That is why when there was a shortage about 4 years ago...we paid close to $2.00 a gallon for most of the summer (for 87 octane) when the rest of the country was at $1.50 or so.

Apparently there was supply problems to our state

The term I hear used by experts is "boutique blends"...meaning that each state pollution agency knows better than other states, especially Minnesota, and our blend is more unique, hence higher prices.

 

Yeah, NJ gets that oxygenated junk, too. I forget the chemical, but they found it in our drinking water- and they're still using it. MTBE's, maybe?

Anyway, I also heard not to get gas right after it rains, b/c some water might get into the station's tanks; that you're supposed to wait until other people pull that water in to Their cars. But, who knows. 2.73's sediment thing makes more sense.

 

The current thinking is that it doesn't come from dino's. Makes sense as they all would have to fall into a tap pit or some such in staggering numbers to come even close the the amount of oil produced thus far. Very good sci paper is floating around out there proposing that crude is a product of the mantle/crust boudary...

Gas is mostly regional now, that is one of the factors currently keeping gasoline prices inflated. That and the tree humpers that don't want another refinary built anywhere in this country sure don't help either. Kind of hard to refine with no refinary no?

There are many other factors, but those are very much overlooked.

 

Ok so how about this "V-power" and "techron" junk?

 

Those are just additives those companies add to their batch of gas they got like everyone else from the same pipeline. The additives are mainly detergents and or oxygenators.

 

good ad campain

 

Just my 2c worth... its probably almost the same except for the crazy blends with ethanol or alcahol or whatever junk they add in there. I took a trip to Omaha Nebraska and a shell station had midgrade 89 octane gas that was cheaper than the 87 octane low grade. The midgrade was made out of some crazy blend that probably is not suitable for all cars... I dont remember what it was though.


Oh, and some of the octane booster additives you can buy at the parts store might mess up your computer controled car. I used to work for autozone and had several people come back and complain that their engine light came on after using a bunch of it. I think the most common problem it caused was with the 02 sensor in newer cars. It messed up both 02 sensors on a guys new mustang... that cost him a lot to replace

 

just run whatever is cheapest.

dont fill up right after the tanker fills the stations tanks... when they fill the tanks, it stirs up the sediment.


if several pumps of premium are marked out of service, the tank is probly low.. dont get premium or midgrade.

if several pumps of low grade are marked out of service, the tank is probly low.. dont get low grade or midgrade.

but if ALL the low grade pumps are gone, fill with midgrade.... its premium at midgrade price.


also, stations that get alot of traffic tend to have cleaner tanks....








but all of the above is irrlevent if you clean/replace your fuel filter regular basis.

other then that, they all match.


on a side note, when im setting my timing on my car, either by recurving the dist, or by changing timing tables, i fill half with midgrade, and half with premuim... if i intend to run premium..

that way, i always have a slight cushion incase i get "bad" gas.

 

Is this proven? Has anyone compared the gas side by side right after the tanks are filled compared to at, say, 40-50% capacity? I just can't see this making that much of a difference to really matter. I'm sure there's filtration going on at the pumps themselves.

 

Have you ever seen anybody change a filter? Me neither. I work all day next to a station, if the pump works nobody looks at the thing. Something else to consider. The midgrade fuel may vary in quality from one station to another. If I fill at our Shell station my firebird pings like hell. If I fill with mid at the chevron everythings fine. I think maybe the mixer valve in their pumps is set up differently. Midgrade fuel is just a mix of premium and regular, mixed right at the pump. If the mix is set more to the regular side, the station would make more money.. but your car may ping.

 

having filled up alot of gas cans for my lawnmower, dirtbike, weed eater, go kart, ect.... i can say yes... it does throw more crud in it.

i also know that in the winter locally, the gas is blue at exxon, but in the summer is clear...... no idea what formulation thats suppost to mean, but its intresting. everything runs fine on both. :lala:

 

I did once, The pump was pumping really slow and the guy came out and changed it between a co worker filling up and when I took my turn. After changing it, it pumped a lot faster...

I was pumping $100 of deisel, and I didnt realize they automatically cut off at $100 till then either