Shell, Chevron Or 76
 

I hope this is in the right section

I am not sure what kind of gas you have available in your city. But here in WA we have shell, chevron 76 and Arco (Arco is total crap)

My personal favorite is chevron, but does any one have any evidence that one brand of gas is better the next

Which gas is going to be the most consistent?

I know a while back 76 had some bad gas that was ruining fuel injectors.

Any insight on this would be great

You really should post this in the (appropriate) regional section.
Not all areas have the same refineries, and while your observations might hold true locally, it might not be the same in other areas of the country.

Just to give you an idea...
Here in Hawaii, there are only TWO refineries: Chevron and Tesoro
Therefore, all the other gas stations are either run through the Chevron or Tesoro refineries.
So even if you claim one brand of gas is better than the other, it really doesn't make any sense.
With that said, all the major gas brands (i.e. Chevron / Shell / 76) seems to work about the same - they are all probably running through the Chevron refinery.
While everyone else...runs through the Tesoro refinery, which has had problems with gasoline quality and problems with their gas killing engines.


-Ted

IIRC Shell, Chevron, and 76 are all Top Tier Fuels, in that their gas meets a higher standard than other companies. Personally I always use Shell because they're common and usually only 1 or 2 cents higher than crap gas. Also Shell has V-power which incorporates injector cleaner. Since I have to run premium in my Subie anyways, I get the good stuff. :)

Arco is the best. They all get the gas from the exact same refineries. You pay for additives and marketing. If you want the additives then pay for 'em. But Arco puts plenty of alcohol in the fuel, something like 15%, which helps to prevent detonation as long as you have tuned for it and spray more fuel...

I agree with RETed this should be a regional thread, but I have to add my $.02 anyway.

Yes, you pay for additives and marketing. The additive package is key. Arco (only in the 5 Western US States, BTW) may use the same base stock as others in the region, but the additive package is different. Acro uses MMT which tends to create more combustion chamber deposits. My tow rig (old Dodge van) I had tuned to the limit of 87 octane gas. This is a vehicle with a Holley carburetor and Pain-Jane electronic ignition. No computer controls at all. The van would ping on Arco, but Texaco, Chevron, 76, and Shell were all fine. Normally aspirated rotaries are not very octane sensitive and typically run pretty rich so while Arco gas may work fine for you, Hyper4mance2k, it's still crappy gas.

It works great in my Turbo non intercooled rotary no detonation @8psi 92 octane. I Filled up with 89 citgo and detonated at 10 psi and blewup my last engine...

But which one sells 100 octane?

my step dad. has proven him self that chevron does its job.. ( ie with Tekron )
he ONLY uses chevron with tekron. and when tore his motor apart to bore it out and shiz. he said he could eat off the cylinders. ( not literaly but you get what i mean. ) he said they where soo freakin clean. but that is also with a Piston engine.. so i dont know if it does the same with Rotary's ? just kinda my experience with chevron.. but i only put Shell or Chevron in my car.

Is Philips 66/ Conoco gas good stuff?

Too bad there isn't any way to know exactly what additives each company uses and the bennifits of each...

I use only chevron. From certain auto makers testing independantly they have found chevron to be the best. Audi in particular. Also i'm from the northwest and here 76 and shell were dishing out a lot of bad gas for a while. I'm a mechanic at Lexus and cant tell you how many cars i had to do fuel injection cleaning to because of those guys. If that gas went into my 7 the engine would have probably gone pop. So no 76 or shell for me...ever.

All gas is shipped to distrabution centers in the same pipe line, desiel and reg. unleaded is shipped at the same time and seperated at the receiving end. So to say one station shell or cheveron is better than another all depends on which pipeline and distrabution center your stations get there trucks from.

I personallly use Chevron with Techron most often. The station I avoid at all costs is Citgo's, mainly because of things i've heard about their gas quality, and things ive witnissed. (my mom used citgo gas in her suv almost 100% exclusivly and ended up having bad engine problems, and the cars a 97 with regular maitenence done).

I also especially avoid the mom and pop places with un marked gas brands as well.


In my experience, my engine loves Chevron with Techron, so I keep it, hasn't failed me yet. But if its not available I go to BP.

Ive heard 76 is the best, meaning it doesent contain and funky stuff, clog the cats, ect. Most car companies/dealers/and performance engine manuals reconmend it too.

anyone know where Exxon/Mobil stands on this totem pole?

www.toptiergas.com, endorsed by BMW, General Motors, Honda, and Toyota.

Shell, Chevron, 76 and Texaco are the major brands on the list. If that's all you got in your town, you are a lucky SOB. Pick the cheapest.

The site has a list of requirements that these brands meet (detergents, alcohol, etc., etc.)

The other brands on the list are: QuikTrip, Conco, Philips, Entec, MFA, Kwik, Somerset, Aloha and Tri-Par.

Arco and Mobil/Exxon didn't cut it, apparently.

MSN can help you find the cheapest gas in your area. Google "MSN cheapest gas", or something.

Brand of fuel is not as important as the length of time the fuel has been in the storage tank. Buy fuel from stations that are very busy as the turn over in fuel is quick, especially if you live in an area that rains alot. In alot of arears stations buy fuel from independent distributors and the fuel from many stations with different brands will have the exact same fuel in the tank. Alot of stations are franchises and they can buy fuel from anyone. Buy fuel from stations that have alot of turn over and don't worry about brand.

^^^ Also good advice. Buying from busy stations is generally a good call.

Chevron.

Getting the fresh stuff from a busy station is definitely good. But not when the tanker is filling the tanks. I have been told that the water in the bottom of the storage tank can get stirred up and you may get the mix if you pump gas at the same time.

The comment (from a couple mechanics) sounded reasonable enough to me - so I will avoid stations (if I can) where the tanker is filling them up.

-b

ARCO doesn't make the cut as they use MMT. MMT leaves red-brown deposits on spark plugs and in all likelihood on other parts of the combustion chamber.

From the Top Tier web site...

Standards

1.1 Retail Gasoline Performance Standards. The deposit control performance of unleaded gasoline conforming to section 1 of this document shall be met at the retail level in all grades of gasoline sold by a fuel company in all marketing areas of a selected nation. In addition, conformance to the standards shall mean gasoline sold in the selected nation shall not contain metallic additives, including methylcyclopentadienyl manganese tricarbonyl (MMT).

chevron

Shell....so I can use my shell card and get a five percent rebate :P

i notice that my car sounds different with Shell and also with Exxon.

what about the octane rating? i try to go to well known places because ive noticed that some mom and pop shops (especially in the inner city) seem to have ridiculously low prices for 93... which makes me suspicious of its really 93.

is there any way you can test the quality of fuel at home or at a lab? i would think that would be the best way to find out. choose 3 stations in your area and compare them.

Isnt 76, Phillips 66, and Conoco all the same thing? Just different names in different parts of the country. Kind of like Shucks, Kragen, Checker...

Arco is complete shit, right up there with citgo and what not. Ever take a motor apart thats been run on shit gas compared to name brand? Trust me the carbon deposits will make you never run shitty gas.

Chevron, Shell, and 76 are all good gas in the Northwest. They all put good additives into the base they receive.

Believe it of not, Costco gas is actually right up there with those three as well. But it just doesnt seem right to put Costco gas in the FD so I dont.

All of this info is comming straight from the horses mouth, my brother, who happens to work as a petroleum engineer.