Nitrogen in gas/

[Bimmer4125]

Has anyone else watched the gasoline advertisements for Sunoco gas with a nitrogen additive? They say it is supposed to clean engine components blah blah blah. Anyone think there is anything to it?

[FSETH]

I drove by a shell station advertising this too. I have no clue about it. Where is JCL?

[JCL]

Didn't know about it. Here is a report:

Originally Posted by cnet

Starting today, all Shell gas stations will be pumping a new fuel: Shell's nitrogen-enhanced gasoline.
Before you start speculating about the wonder fuel of tomorrow, understand that this nitrogen-enriched gasoline differs from the gas Shell was pumping yesterday in its engine-cleaning detergents and additives.
Shell claims that its nitrogen-enriched gasoline cleans better than before and protects better against engine buildup. Of note, all three grades of gasoline will contain the nitrogen-enriched detergents, with its V-Power premium grade containing five times the government-mandated amount. The results are fewer intake deposits, cleaner combustion chambers, and less fuel injector fouling and intake valve sticking.
Citing the rising complexity of new direct-injected and hybridized engines, Shell also claims that this new fuel is better suited to the rigors of modern drive trains.
Considering that detergents and additives are federally mandated in the United States, and just about every brand of gasoline being pumped today makes some mention of the power of their detergents, we don't see Shell's gas as being very revolutionary. We're also inclined to believe that the "nitrogen enhanced" title is more of a gimmick than anything else. However, any step toward cleaner, better-running engines is a good one in our book.
Shell stated that it didn't expect this new nitrogen-enhanced gasoline to result in an increase in fuel price. But with gas prices being set by individual stations and changing daily, that will be nearly impossible to measure.

So the nitrogen isn't in the fuel, it is in the detergents that are added to the fuel. What is interesting is that the article suggests that there are more of these detergents in Shell's top grade of fuel. That doesn't fit with the Top Tier standard requirements, which mandate that all grades sold at a station have the same amount of detergents. I wonder if they will move away from the Top Tier designation for this fuel?

edit: Just checked the Top Tier site. I don't see that requirement for the same additives listed, it simply reads that all fuels have to be Top Tier from a supplier, so I don't know if it changed or was interpreted differently by local fuel suppliers.

[FSETH]

I got this off of Shell's website. It sounds like they are trying to market it as above Top Tier;

Shell Regular and Plus gasolines, which meet the “TOP TIER” standard, also contain more than two times the amount of cleaning agents required by the EPA. Shell V-Power goes even further – it has more than five times the minimum amount of cleaning agents required by government standards and twice the cleaning agents required by the “TOP TIER” standard. While the “TOP TIER” standard is designed to protect engines from the future build-up of carbon deposits, Shell V-Power is specifically formulated to actively clean your engine as you drive giving it the ability to clean-up deposits that have already built up on intake valves and fuel injectors.

[X5 Meister]

Hey Bimmer4125 nice car. What's the thing above your side marker light?

[Bimmer4125]

Thanks - I replaced the 4.4 chrome plastic things with a similar font V8 chrome plastic thing.

So what is the difference between the new nitrogen cleaner gas and throwing some injector cleaner or fuel treatment in the tank?

[FSETH]

Originally Posted by Bimmer4125

So what is the difference between the new nitrogen cleaner gas and throwing some injector cleaner or fuel treatment in the tank?

I am not 100% sure, but I think most will agree that using the better gas with more mild detergents on a consistent basis is better than using cheaper/lower quality gas and occasionally dumping a higher concentrated fuel system cleaner in the tank.

[JCL]

. Absolutely correct. Using strong cleaners after the deposits have built up can loosen them, and the residue can cause problems (injectors, valves, rings, etc). Better to stop the deposits forming.