The right fuels to use. Don't be foolish

Within 3 miles of our house, we have half a dozen gas stations. The most convenient being Flying J, TA (BP brand gas) and Shell. We generally stay away from the Flying J with the cars and the Motorhome. The motorhome gets poor mileage when fueling up at Flying J or the Shell. Generally anywhere from 1 mpg to 1.5 mpg less per tank.

I know there is a difference with the Motorhome because the BP, Shell and Flying J are within a 1/4 mile of I-95. We fill up and then we are on the Interstate, usually for 100s of miles. When we fuel up with BP, we can go 40 - 60 miles further on a tank of gas than when we fuel up at Flying J or Shell. Where we fuel the cars up doesn't seem to make a noticeable difference in the mileage. The motorhome gets the best gas mileage when fueling with BP, Exxon, Sunoco or Mobile.

-Michael

My Jeep seems to run better on Chevron. The others run fine on the cheapest or most expensive available.

My brother-in-law is a truck driver moving crude and even delivering to the gas stations. My father-in-law was a master mechanic for VW.

According to both, brand does matter in regards to quality of gasoline.

Interesting post, on Gas Buddy there is a video from a petroleum engineer. He states all gas is tested at the refinery, must meet federal standards, such as certain additives etc. And all will run your car just fine. He states brand name gas, may add more additives, but they will make very little to zero difference in mileage or engine life. Seems to say the extra additives, are more to do with marketing than actual benefit. And the additives are added after the fuel has left the refinery. So out of the refinery all gas is pretty much the same.

Observe that in the People's Republic of California, everyone uses the same storage facilities. One company can load fuel in and another can unload fuel at the same locations. In addition, the composition of fuels is specified by law, different from the free 49 states.


History, n. An account mostly false, of events unimportant, which are brought about by rulers mostly knaves, and soldiers mostly fools. AMBROSE BIERCE

DBH_MI wrote:
What is most important is whether the station is dispensing top tier gasoline, such as these.

Meh.

What is most important is whether the station is dispensing top tier gasoline, such as these.

I never checked my mileage comparing one brand or retailer against another. Where I purchase gas is a matter of price and convenience. I'm sure it all averages out down the road. :@

If it did make enough difference to be a financial concern to me, I certainly wouldn't be RVing, which is an expensive but very enjoyable activity to begin with. :)

There are only so many refineries in the country. All the retailers buy off the nearest or cheapest refinery. Ever notice the delivery trucks are not marked for most of the brands. It is the same truck servicing all the stations. Some retailers do not sell gasoline with ethanol in their gasoline, but the tanker has compartments for non-ethanol fuel.

Buy for the price point and you will be ahead.

Do you think WalMart, Sheetz, Giant Foods, Kroger, Costco, Samp's Club, Fred's, etc., refine their own fuel?

And besides, when I get my fuel through Kroger or one of their affiliates, it's always 20 to 50 cents off per gallon.

Bill