[KnockTsuKow]

Curious is there a real big diff between Chevron, Costco or buddy's gas down the street (91oct), any takes?

I've always wondered but can't nvr tell the real diff on my F80...honestly😐

I know a lot of it is marketing but any truth to it ???

(always pondered this question but wanted to open up and see what ya'll takes)

[Xnfris]

Originally Posted by JDieselXXX

Curious is there a real big diff between Chevron, Costco or buddy's gas down the street (91oct), any takes?

I've always wondered but can't nvr tell the real diff on my F80...honestly😐

I know a lot of it is marketing but any truth to it ???

(always pondered this question but wanted to open up and see what ya'll takes)

I run ARCO in my f30 and have never had any problems. It's .50$ cheaper per gallon than the shell across the street.

[Calvin36]

I don't have any evidence on paper or anything but I do notice that when running ARCO gas I don't get as much MPGs per tank vs Chevron. My fiancé used to run whatever gas and it was apparent that Chevron does run longer.

But to be completely honest, we're all driving $40k+ cars.. are we really going to nickel and dime on gas? There is research out there that shows bad gas can lead to earlier knocking and other issues. I'd pay the extra X cents per gallon for that piece of mind. Our cars aren't necessarily cheap to fix!

[Project Elite]

Used Costco gas (87 and 91) on my cars for 5 years. No issues whatsoever.

[atam1980]

Originally Posted by JDieselXXX

Curious is there a real big diff between Chevron, Costco or buddy's gas down the street (91oct), any takes?

I've always wondered but can't nvr tell the real diff on my F80...honestly😐

I know a lot of it is marketing but any truth to it ???

(always pondered this question but wanted to open up and see what ya'll takes)

They all start out with the same base fuel. Different brands add different additive recipes for cleaning purposes.

Some people claim to see higher fuel economy with brand name gas, but it's pretty difficult to control all the variables that affect fuel economy. If certain brand names provably provided better fuel economy, you can be damn sure you'd hear it in all their commercials. But you haven't.

[bimmer456]

Arco is considered top tier gas, and all gas has to adhere to stricter standards in California than elsewhere. The other premium brands do use more detergents, and like the earlier poster said, we drive $40K+ cars so it seems not to make sense to skimp a few cents on gas.

[insanecoder]

The only name brand gas I pay for is Chevron/Texaco
the other detergents are imo worthless
and of course go fresh 93 octane always

[the dope steez]

In Canada Costco 91 is at least $0.20 lower per litre than any other brand so that's hard to pass up. Plus I'm mostly just driving around the city so it's a waste buying expensive fuel anyways.
That said I do feel my car runs better (feels smoother and power delivery is improved) on 94 octane so I will usually gas up with that if I'm going out on the highway or if there's no Costco around.

[FutureHendr1x]

Shell is my #1 choice usually, as i have one right next to my house and cheapest, then its Chevron, Mobil 1.

[Mike @ SSR Performance]

As stated above, different companies use various additives to clean the valves. On direct injected cars, it doesn't benefit you. The reason why different company's gas give better MPG is because the additive reduces your MPG, as it isn't fuel. Another factor is the ethanol percentage that they use. Ethanol burns faster, hence why you get less MPG

Depending on price difference in different companies, MPG vs gas prices can be equivalent in dollar per miles

[upsidedownfunnel]

Before the Top Tier standard was created, there was a big difference between the best and worst brands. Now all the top tier brands are about the same. Any gasoline listed as Top Tier is completely safe to use, including Costco and KwikTrip gasoline. There are a couple brands that are supposedly better, but I wouldn't waste my time trying to figure that out. Most of the major car manufacturers (Audi, BMW, GM, Honda, Mercedes, Toyota, and Volkswagen) created this standard so I feel pretty safe using any gasoline with the designation.

Other than detergents and additives, base gasoline from almost all brands is pretty much all the same. They all come from the same few refineries. While Mike@SSR touched on the point that gasoline can't clean intake valves on DI engines, it will still help to keep the cylinder walls and pistons clean.

Intake valve carbon buildup is a big reason why Lexus uses port and direct injection in their newer engines. It keeps the intake valves clean and also has the benefits of DI.

[tegraphile]

Agreed with Top Tier. I usually go to Exxon/Mobil, which tends to be a little cheaper and you can sign up for a Plenti account to accumulate discounts on gas.

[bariaga1]

Actually all your gas for the most part are made in big silo chambers...its when they are put in the 18 wheelers, the additives are combined.

Your Costco, Arco, Shell, they all could be in the same silo because there is a standard (its when they are put in their respective trucks the additive are there.

Like someone mentioned above, the additives make very small differences.

*Works on sight with some refineries.