Cheap Gas, Mystery Gas, etc.

[88keys]

Is there any harm in using non name brand gas?

I personally always use Shell, Sunoco, or Hess.

[repoman0]

Wondering this too. I tend to use Hess because it's reasonably priced in my area and I trust it.

[EagleKeeper]

Gas for all come out of the same refinery pipeline. Additives may be added at the distribution terminus by a company.

You have more danger, IMHO, getting gas just as a tanker has unloaded or the tanks are hitting empty. Both expose the fuel intake to "trash"

[Chris A]

As long as the station has a fast turnover and the gas is not sitting in there tanks forever your good. I have found that most times Costco gas is the cheapest.

[cardiac]

I live near the huge BP refinery in NW Indiana. There must be a dozen different companies tankers that go in and out of there every day. They refine one product.....

[WilliamM2]

What is non name brand gas? I've never seen anything but branded gasoline, BP, Shell, Marathon, Sunoco, Chevron, etc.

[BeauCharles]

My car runs the same whether I buy it from the local Chevron station (who I know refines their own gas) or the kindly Sikh gentleman in the turban at his no-name minimart.

[HeXen]

Guy i know who drives the semi, delivers fuel to stations says it all comes off the same truck, He'll go to Marathon, then Shell the next..etc. He says it's just branding and marketing.

[wirednuts]

i do notice those additives can make a difference though. my ford pushrod v6 really likes bp gas... no idea why

[LTC8K6]

Originally Posted by wirednuts

i do notice those additives can make a difference though. my ford pushrod v6 really likes bp gas... no idea why

Ford and BP work together to develop fuel for Ford cars.

[PhoKingGuy]

VW's LOVE Shell for some reason

[TakeNoPrisoners]

Originally Posted by [URL="http://forums.anandtech.com/member.php?u=209856"

wirednuts[/URL];34457436]i do notice those additives can make a difference though. my ford pushrod v6 really likes bp gas... no idea why

Originally Posted by PhoKingGuy

VW's LOVE Shell for some reason

Placebo effect

[JulesMaximus]

It makes no difference whatsoever.

[saratoga172]

I usually go to a local Race Trac that has good prices. The no name places that are never busy I tend to avoid for gas. No idea how long it's been sitting.

Shell is uber expensive around here. To the tune of 30-40 cents per gallon more than the Race Trac which is half a mile down the street.

[A5]

Originally Posted by Chris A

As long as the station has a fast turnover and the gas is not sitting in there tanks forever your good. I have found that most times Costco gas is the cheapest.

This. Any difference beyond that is just a slightly different additive mix.

[GrumpyMan]

ABC news followed a delivery tanker around from the refineries here in town and they delivered the same gas to both name brand and mom/pop stations in the area. The conclusion was to just fill up at cheapest place.

[sisq0kidd]

No harm in getting non-branded gasoline.

The only difference between Arco, Shell, Conoco, etc. are the additives mixed in at the terminal. There used to be a time where additives such as Techron were proprietary and unique, but even Arco has their own now.

As mentioned above, I would try to avoid pumping gas when a load has just been dropped or a station is running really low on inventory (usually gas pumps at a snail's pace) - sediment from the bottom of the tanks might kick up.

[Jimzz]

Originally Posted by sisq0kidd

No harm in getting non-branded gasoline.

The only difference between Arco, Shell, Conoco, etc. are the additives mixed in at the terminal. There used to be a time where additives such as Techron were proprietary and unique, but even Arco has their own now.

As mentioned above, I would try to avoid pumping gas when a load has just been dropped or a station is running really low on inventory (usually gas pumps at a snail's pace) - sediment from the bottom of the tanks might kick up.

And where do you think the line is in a tank, the top?

Gas is sucked from the bottom, just like your gas tank. If not then you run out of fuel to pick up if it was not at the bottom.
Also modern pumps have filters on them.

[Brovane]

I have been using Costco gas for years with no issues. Also at Costco you know that since they have a high turnover of Gasoline the gas will not have been sitting in the tanks very long. It is also the cheapest gas around in my area.

[JulesMaximus]

Originally Posted by Brovane

I have been using Costco gas for years with no issues. Also at Costco you know that since they have a high turnover of Gasoline the gas will not have been sitting in the tanks very long. It is also the cheapest gas around in my area.

The amount of gasoline we consume in this country I doubt any gas has been sitting around more than a few days at any gas station.

[sisq0kidd]

Originally Posted by Jimzz

And where do you think the line is in a tank, the top?

Gas is sucked from the bottom, just like your gas tank. If not then you run out of fuel to pick up if it was not at the bottom.
Also modern pumps have filters on them.

The line sits about 5 inches from the bottom. If it sat at the bottom, you'd be picking up sediment and water into your filters all the time, and like I said earlier, it would slow your pump to a halt.

Modern filters should pick up any sediment and any modern station should watch their water levels closely. But again, if you're at a station and the pump is going extremely slowly, I would go to another station.

[BeauCharles]

I know there is some difference in the additives/detergents used (and that's about the only difference in gas), but I don't have a station or brand I always buy from. I'm constantly mixing it up (name brands, generic, different locations). Never have any issues.

[LTC8K6]

Originally Posted by GrumpyMan

ABC news followed a delivery tanker around from the refineries here in town and they delivered the same gas to both name brand and mom/pop stations in the area. The conclusion was to just fill up at cheapest place.

Those tankers are divided into sections internally.

The same tanker doesn't necessarily mean the same gas with the same additive package.

[GrumpyMan]

Wouldn't know about that, the truck went to a Shell, Exxon and 2 mom and pop stores.

[cbrsurfr]

I used cheap gas once in my last car. There was so much water in the gas it wouldn't start. I ended up putting 2-3 bottles of heet in it and had to let it sit for a couple days before it would start. Never again.