It's all about the additives.

Chevron with Techron for the win.



If I am not anywhere near a Chevron (like on a road trip), then Shell is my 2nd choice.

Luckily, there are Chevrons all over town.

 

Be careful, some name-brand stations are actually independent and don't have to sell the name-brand gasoline that's displayed on their sign.

 

That's the case in our town, only two suppliers for all the stations which consists of about 7 different "brands".

 

Are the detergent blends not added at the station? I assumed those tanker trucks all had the same gas in them from the refineries, and each station mixed in their proprietary blends as it was filling the tank in the ground.

Of course, I said assume as I have no real knowledge of this industry.

 

That's why I avoid mom and pop gas stations that have a generic convenience store and a name band gas sign.

I finally figured that out with a Texaco years ago. It had about 3 owners over about a 5 year period.

I normally opt to support mom and pop businesses whenever I get the chance, but not when quality is sacrificed.

 

I am peripherally involved in this industry. Refineries all dump their base stock into one pipeline for each grade. Really. That one pipeline contains product from Shell, Exxon-Mobil, Valero, etc., and travels hundreds of miles to major metro areas. Terminals suck off the pipeline and fill tank trucks to order. They have arrangements with big oil to keep separate tanks with specific blends of additives for each brand. When a name-brand station orders fuel, the terminal manager fills a the trailer off the pipeline then adds that name-brand's additive blend. I don't know for a fact how independents get the additives they want but I'm sure it's similar.

 

For those that travel along the New Jersey Turnpike most east coast gasoline is refined here

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bayway_Refinery

Most gas stations receive deliveries with trucks like these with no brand names



I purchase almost all of my gas here



I usually purchase whatever high volume station is cheapest (87 Octane) while traveling.

Telcoman

 

V-Power is the only way for me...I switched to them exclusively a few years back. Rarely do I ever use anything else.

 

Good point. My posts could certainly lead one to believe there is only one pipeline in the country, which is not so. The Gulf Coast has a lot of refineries and I tend to think parochially. California does quite a bit of refining, too, for the western portion of the country. Basically, each coast has pipelines for moving product around.

 

 

Looks like all you guys touting "all gas is the same", better rethink that idea.

As I said before, It's all about the additives.

Cheap gas is cheap for a reason.

Thank's for posting.

 

yep. I always use Chevron anyways. Once in a blue moon i use 76.

 

I've read the entire post, some good info. I prefer Shell V-power or Sunoco and I tend to stay away from BP it seems to me to burn rather quickly.

 

For those with Direct Injected cars (Not Infinti) like my MINI, detergent means NOTHING!!
No fuel passes by the intake valve.

BTW Costco in Los Angeles gets their gas from a Conoc Phillip refinery!

 

Hmm I usually get BP I'll try Shell and see if it's any better.