Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community - View Single Post - Different gas stations have different quality gas?

MSD · 07-25-2008, 08:14 PM

The differences between stations are additives, ethanol content, and tank quality.

Get a station with low ethanol content, new tanks, and an aggressive detergent package? Your car will run well. Start upping the ethanol and you lose power and economy. Drop the quality of detergents and you can either see no effect, or carbon buildup (which happens if you're not tuned well or you're using gas with too high of an octane rating.) Throw old tanks into the mix and you risk pumping sediment and condensed water into your tank. In my town, Shell V-power only costs about 15 cents per gallon more (at the most, this is a few dollars per tank) and since the car requires 89 or 93, it can advance timing to improve power and efficiency. Put in 87 or the stuff Citgo pumps out of their ancient tanks with high ethanol content, and you lose power and fuel economy.

It's all about finding what works best. Compare your cost per mile from all the local stations with the octane rating your car needs, and find out what's cheapest. I can save between 1 and 10 cents per gallon on Citgo gas, but the high ethanol and old tanks pollute the mixture and drop my efficiency to the point that it offsets the cost per gallon savings. V-Power has an aggressive enough detergent package that it blows out extra carbon buildup from using 93 instead of 89 octane and keeps the injectors at peak performance, plus they have relatively new tanks that don't have the crap in them that other stations have.

07-25-2008, 08:14 PM	#6 (permalink)
MSD The sky calls to us ... Super Moderator Location: CT	The differences between stations are additives, ethanol content, and tank quality. Get a station with low ethanol content, new tanks, and an aggressive detergent package? Your car will run well. Start upping the ethanol and you lose power and economy. Drop the quality of detergents and you can either see no effect, or carbon buildup (which happens if you're not tuned well or you're using gas with too high of an octane rating.) Throw old tanks into the mix and you risk pumping sediment and condensed water into your tank. In my town, Shell V-power only costs about 15 cents per gallon more (at the most, this is a few dollars per tank) and since the car requires 89 or 93, it can advance timing to improve power and efficiency. Put in 87 or the stuff Citgo pumps out of their ancient tanks with high ethanol content, and you lose power and fuel economy. It's all about finding what works best. Compare your cost per mile from all the local stations with the octane rating your car needs, and find out what's cheapest. I can save between 1 and 10 cents per gallon on Citgo gas, but the high ethanol and old tanks pollute the mixture and drop my efficiency to the point that it offsets the cost per gallon savings. V-Power has an aggressive enough detergent package that it blows out extra carbon buildup from using 93 instead of 89 octane and keeps the injectors at peak performance, plus they have relatively new tanks that don't have the crap in them that other stations have. Last edited by MSD; 07-30-2008 at 10:14 AM..