There's little difference between brand-name gas and any other?

[X5only]

One gallon of gas is as good as the next?(5 views) (5 thread views) Message: Food for thought as you bypass that discount gas (safeway stores etc) as you look for top tier gas station (Chevron, shell etc.) to fill her up:
http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/SavingandDebt/SaveonaCar/10-things-gas-stations-wont-tell-you.aspx

3. "My gas isn't better for your car; it's just more expensive."

Oil companies spend lots of money explaining why their gas is better than the competition's. Chevron's gas, for example, is fortified with Techron, and Amoco Ultimate is supposed to save the planet along with your engine. But today, more than ever, one gallon of gas is as good as the next.

True, additives help to clean your engine, but what the companies don't tell you is that all gas has them. Since 1994, the government has required that detergents be added to all gasoline to help prevent fuel injectors from clogging.

State and local regulators keep a close watch to make sure those standards are met; a 2005 study indicated that Florida inspectors checked 45,000 samples to ensure the state's gas supply was up to snuff, and 99% of the time it was.

"There's little difference between brand-name gas and any other," AAA spokesman Geoff Sundstrom says.

What's more, your local Chevron station may sell gas refined by Shell or Exxon Mobil. Suppliers share pipelines, so they all use the same fuel. And the difference between the most expensive brand-name gas and the lowliest gallon of no-brand fuel? Often just a quart of detergent added to an 8,000-gallon tanker truck.

[lo_jack]

That is a bit oversimplified. True, BP is the only company that has different raw gas from everyone else before it hits the terminal where the additives packages live, so I was told by an adviser to Gov. Kaine.

Additives packages are proprietary. I do not believe the government checks for anything besides oxygenates. There are chemical engineers getting paid a good amount to formulate gasolines at those majors.

I do not think additives packages are as insignificant as that guy makes them sound. Otherwise, I think there would be a better contingency plan in place in tight or emergency conditions when raw gas or additives are not available. If you run out of additives at the terminal, your gas does not go into the truck. If they were so worthless, the companies would probably dump in a bottle like the article says, instead of lose a bunch of business at high prices. That's just my observation though.

[killcrap]

i dunno, i get 50 more miles out of a full tank of shell premium than any other brand. except for chevron and sunoco. i'd say mobile, and bp are the worst.

[chefwong]

placebo - not sure BUT they all come from the same refinery. If you pay attention, depending on locale, you will notice often times, it's various *branded or unbranded* trucks when it's filling the tanks. What matters slightly is the additive pkg. added but at the end of the day, I buy gas based on price and the volume movement of the station===fresh gas. YMMV, but gas is gas IMO along the bigger brands...

granted I wouln't go to Lukoil or the various no-names around the area, but I would not hesitiate to buy gas from any station.....

[motordavid]

Try Search Tab with: gas brands, what gas to use, Top Tier, etc.,
etc., etc. Pages of threads...been beaten to a pulp, imo.

After that, GOOG: gasoline, gas brands, what gas to use, etc.;
pages of links on those same topics, and few solid conclusions.

95% of it is anecdotal, feel good, "works for me", "this is my fave
brand", "my mpg went up 20%", ad nauseum, imo.

The vagaries, lack of scientific comparisons, the ever changing
local or "test" conditions, and all the other variables, make this
comparable to looking for the ideal mate or, the "best car", or
UFOs in the backyard.

If one wants to run one brand of premo and it makes you feel
better, I'm all for your philosophy; conversely, if one wants
to use whatever they buy, I bet that works too.

Gas brands, oil brands, and similar items have become almost
mystical and nearly as polarized as religion/politics, imo.
My 50Cts...
GL,mD

[Quicksilver]

Originally Posted by motordavid

Try Search Tab with: gas brands, what gas to use, Top Tier, etc.,
etc., etc. Pages of threads...been beaten to a pulp, imo.

After that, GOOG: gasoline, gas brands, what gas to use, etc.;
pages of links on those same topics, and few solid conclusions.

95% of it is anecdotal, feel good, "works for me", "this is my fave
brand", "my mpg went up 20%", ad nauseum, imo.

The vagaries, lack of scientific comparisons, the ever changing
local or "test" conditions, and all the other variables, make this
comparable to looking for the ideal mate or, the "best car", or
UFOs in the backyard.

If one wants to run one brand of premo and it makes you feel
better, I'm all for your philosophy; conversely, if one wants
to use whatever they buy, I bet that works too.

Gas brands, oil brands, and similar items have become almost
mystical and nearly as polarized as religion/politics, imo.
My 50Cts...
GL,mD

100%

[Kewl X5]

Just get gas what is recommended by BMW....91 octane and above for your X5. Yes, Top Tier Gasoline can be used as a guide.

[chigga]

in my books, gas is gas, all of my bimmers ( 2x e46 and 1 X5) all use superstore gas (local grocery brand) always premium but noname brand for tht matter... and have been doing it for years now.... saves me 5 cents per litre to buy groceries with! It adds up, basically i get 5 bucks back with every fillup.

[dsm2925]

SUPER ALL DAY

[itstony]

i usually fill up with mobil and sometimes shell but the price of shell is skyrocketing like crazy. i do not fill up at any other place beside those two simply because my dad said they are the top brands (maybe in MA). i've been hearing negative things about mobil..is there something wrong with it?