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Arco Gas really bad?

G

GoldenGuppy

Diamond Member
I use premium gas, and am just curious is there a difference if they are all at the same octane? if so how much BETTER is one to another?

Thanks

><GG)
 
There *supposed* to be of the same octane (Whatever there labelled as) although that doesnt mean they ARE. Also, I dont know what the percent of error is...ie... To be labelled as 91 octane it must be with 90 and 93, or 89 and 92 etc etc.
 
I believe they're partially ethanol (10% or so, if I remember correctly).

http://www.arcogas.com/gas/faqs.php#17

I guess it depends on how close to the edge of detonation your car is riding. If you have a high performance turbocharged vehicle, and you're boosting close to the max (ie. ahem, 90 eclipse GSX with stock MAF and 17.5 psi at sea level), you may melt a piston with Arco gas, even premium.
 
Originally posted by: Apex
I believe they're partially ethanol (10% or so, if I remember correctly).

http://www.arcogas.com/gas/faqs.php#17

I guess it depends on how close to the edge of detonation your car is riding. If you have a high performance turbocharged vehicle, and you're boosting close to the max (ie. ahem, 90 eclipse GSX with stock MAF and 17.5 psi at sea level), you may melt a piston with Arco gas, even premium.
Click to expand...
WTF are you talking about?

There is nothing wrong with using alcohol as an oxygenate, it's actually preferred to MTBE.

In nearly every state, gasoline is pretty strictly regulated. You can be pretty sure that the gasoline being dispensed is the octane listed.

Pumps also have to be up to spec(ie: output correct to 0.01 gallons). There are people that go around and test random stations. Unless you're getting gas from some shady station in the boonies, you shouldn't have anything to worry about.
 
If you have a high performance turbocharged vehicle, and you're boosting close to the max ... you may melt a piston with Arco gas, even premium.
Click to expand...

lol

I call complete bullsh!t on this one.
 
Originally posted by: Eli
Originally posted by: Apex
I believe they're partially ethanol (10% or so, if I remember correctly).

http://www.arcogas.com/gas/faqs.php#17

I guess it depends on how close to the edge of detonation your car is riding. If you have a high performance turbocharged vehicle, and you're boosting close to the max (ie. ahem, 90 eclipse GSX with stock MAF and 17.5 psi at sea level), you may melt a piston with Arco gas, even premium.
Click to expand...
WTF are you talking about?

There is nothing wrong with using alcohol as an oxygenate, it's actually preferred to MTBE.

In nearly every state, gasoline is pretty strictly regulated. You can be pretty sure that the gasoline being dispensed is the octane listed.

Pumps also have to be up to spec(ie: output correct to 0.01 gallons). There are people that go around and test random stations. Unless you're getting gas from some shady station in the boonies, you shouldn't have anything to worry about.
Click to expand...

Yeah, just like Penzoil never mislabelled motor oil and sold it.... 😉
 
Originally posted by: Shockwave
Originally posted by: Eli
Originally posted by: Apex
I believe they're partially ethanol (10% or so, if I remember correctly).

http://www.arcogas.com/gas/faqs.php#17

I guess it depends on how close to the edge of detonation your car is riding. If you have a high performance turbocharged vehicle, and you're boosting close to the max (ie. ahem, 90 eclipse GSX with stock MAF and 17.5 psi at sea level), you may melt a piston with Arco gas, even premium.
Click to expand...
WTF are you talking about?

There is nothing wrong with using alcohol as an oxygenate, it's actually preferred to MTBE.

In nearly every state, gasoline is pretty strictly regulated. You can be pretty sure that the gasoline being dispensed is the octane listed.

Pumps also have to be up to spec(ie: output correct to 0.01 gallons). There are people that go around and test random stations. Unless you're getting gas from some shady station in the boonies, you shouldn't have anything to worry about.
Click to expand...

Yeah, just like Penzoil never mislabelled motor oil and sold it.... 😉
Click to expand...
It might be in every state. I believe that Oregon was one of the last states to implement regular random testing, and that was a few years ago.
 
Originally posted by: gsaldivar
If you have a high performance turbocharged vehicle, and you're boosting close to the max ... you may melt a piston with Arco gas, even premium.
Click to expand...

lol

I call complete bullsh!t on this one.
Click to expand...

More like rip a hole in the piston, melt the bearings, spin them, then the rods crack off at the journals, and go flying like little grenades. Pics in a minute 🙁
Im not speaking of arco gas, just extreme detonation.
 
Originally posted by: Eli
Originally posted by: Apex
I believe they're partially ethanol (10% or so, if I remember correctly).

http://www.arcogas.com/gas/faqs.php#17

I guess it depends on how close to the edge of detonation your car is riding. If you have a high performance turbocharged vehicle, and you're boosting close to the max (ie. ahem, 90 eclipse GSX with stock MAF and 17.5 psi at sea level), you may melt a piston with Arco gas, even premium.
Click to expand...
WTF are you talking about?

There is nothing wrong with using alcohol as an oxygenate, it's actually preferred to MTBE.

In nearly every state, gasoline is pretty strictly regulated. You can be pretty sure that the gasoline being dispensed is the octane listed.

Pumps also have to be up to spec(ie: output correct to 0.01 gallons). There are people that go around and test random stations. Unless you're getting gas from some shady station in the boonies, you shouldn't have anything to worry about.
Click to expand...


I'm not talking about octane. Ethanol has an average octane of 110, so getting it to the rated octane is no problem. Everyone knows that.

The issue is methyl, ethyl, and butyl alcohol all have a lower stoichiometric point (gasoline is 12:1). Your fuel system has to be up to the task of supplying it.

When you modify a vehicle, you're always closer to the limits. IF you are at the limits of your fuel system at maximum boost, a big change like 10% ethanol can easily cause a piston to melt down.
 
Originally posted by: jagec
I wouldn't use Arco gas in a car you care about. What do you drive?
Click to expand...

Care to provide some evidence that it is inferior? We all know the rumors and reputation. But what is different about it that makes it bad?
 
Originally posted by: Apex
Originally posted by: Eli
Originally posted by: Apex
I believe they're partially ethanol (10% or so, if I remember correctly).

http://www.arcogas.com/gas/faqs.php#17

I guess it depends on how close to the edge of detonation your car is riding. If you have a high performance turbocharged vehicle, and you're boosting close to the max (ie. ahem, 90 eclipse GSX with stock MAF and 17.5 psi at sea level), you may melt a piston with Arco gas, even premium.
Click to expand...
WTF are you talking about?

There is nothing wrong with using alcohol as an oxygenate, it's actually preferred to MTBE.

In nearly every state, gasoline is pretty strictly regulated. You can be pretty sure that the gasoline being dispensed is the octane listed.

Pumps also have to be up to spec(ie: output correct to 0.01 gallons). There are people that go around and test random stations. Unless you're getting gas from some shady station in the boonies, you shouldn't have anything to worry about.
Click to expand...

Running lean would be more of a worry then wether or not my modded monster of en engine had 10% ethanol.

I'm not talking about octane. Ethanol has an average octane of 110, so getting it to the rated octane is no problem. Everyone knows that.

The issue is methyl, ethyl, and butyl alcohol all have a lower stoichiometric point (gasoline is 12:1). Your fuel system has to be up to the task of supplying it.

When you modify a vehicle, you're always closer to the limits. IF you are at the limits of your fuel system at maximum boost, a big change like 10% ethanol can easily cause a piston to melt down.
Click to expand...
 
Arco is the only gas that makes my 1996 Ford 3.0 6cyl ping. Loses power and pings like mad. I have to end up ading octain booster to get it right.

I usally use 76 gas or Astro.
 
Never heard of Arco but when I was in high school every winter we'd replace fuel lines in about 5-10 different cars because they had actually frozen and split. The only thing we could find that linked them all together was that regularly bought gas at one of two Speedway stations near the school, and regularly drove with 1/2 tank or less. I'm sure with over 4000 people at the school, there were other kids who drove with less than 1/2 tank of gas or less and didn't have these problems who possibly didn't buy gas from those Speedway stations. We came to the conclusion that they either didn't have the same alcohol content as most other stations, or their tanks were crap. Turns out their tanks were probably crap because now, 4 years after I graduated, both of those stations have been converted to other brands and had the tanks replaced.

Best things you can do to avoid problems like this is to buy gas at a nice looking gas station... a new looking station probably has pretty new tanks. NEVER buy gas when a tanker is delivering fuel... when they dump fuel it stirrs up any crap in the bottom of the tank, and even though they have filters on the pumps, I'd rather not even take the chance. This next one is a little questionable... buy gas in the morning when it's cool... the gas will be more dense and supposedly you get a tiny bit more than you would if you filled up in the middle of the day... I don't know if I buy that one though. 🙂
 
Originally posted by: MidasKnight
Arco is the only gas that makes my 1996 Ford 3.0 6cyl ping. Loses power and pings like mad. I have to end up ading octain booster to get it right.

I usally use 76 gas or Astro.
Click to expand...

I also had pinging with Arco gas in my 97 Nissan Quest, but I'm curious about why it is different.
 
Originally posted by: Shanti
Originally posted by: MidasKnight
Arco is the only gas that makes my 1996 Ford 3.0 6cyl ping. Loses power and pings like mad. I have to end up ading octain booster to get it right.

I usally use 76 gas or Astro.
Click to expand...

I also had pinging with Arco gas in my 97 Nissan Quest, but I'm curious about why it is different.
Click to expand...

It's the high percentage of ethanol.
 
Arco gas is cheap because "For many years, Atlantic Richfield and now BP West Coast Products, the company that owns the ARCO brand, have had a unique business approach. Among major gasoline brands we're known as a "high-volume, low-cost producer." More simply stated, the more efficient the company is, the more our customers save. And since we sell nearly twice as much gas at the average ARCO station, our customers often save as much as six to seven cents per gallon on average compared to other major brands.

I use it, works just fine for me.
 
Originally posted by: Apex
Originally posted by: Eli
Originally posted by: Apex
I believe they're partially ethanol (10% or so, if I remember correctly).

http://www.arcogas.com/gas/faqs.php#17

I guess it depends on how close to the edge of detonation your car is riding. If you have a high performance turbocharged vehicle, and you're boosting close to the max (ie. ahem, 90 eclipse GSX with stock MAF and 17.5 psi at sea level), you may melt a piston with Arco gas, even premium.
Click to expand...
WTF are you talking about?

There is nothing wrong with using alcohol as an oxygenate, it's actually preferred to MTBE.

In nearly every state, gasoline is pretty strictly regulated. You can be pretty sure that the gasoline being dispensed is the octane listed.

Pumps also have to be up to spec(ie: output correct to 0.01 gallons). There are people that go around and test random stations. Unless you're getting gas from some shady station in the boonies, you shouldn't have anything to worry about.
Click to expand...


I'm not talking about octane. Ethanol has an average octane of 110, so getting it to the rated octane is no problem. Everyone knows that.

The issue is methyl, ethyl, and butyl alcohol all have a lower stoichiometric point (gasoline is 12:1). Your fuel system has to be up to the task of supplying it.

When you modify a vehicle, you're always closer to the limits. IF you are at the limits of your fuel system at maximum boost, a big change like 10% ethanol can easily cause a piston to melt down.
Click to expand...
Uh...? WTF? For one, stoich with gasoline is 14.7:1.

Second, all gasoline is oxygenated, whether it's with MTBE or ethanol. A 10% mix doesen't significantly effect how the engines' fuel system operates. And even if it did, all modern cars are setup to deal with it.

Octane is octane. If the octane of Premium Arco fuel is 92, and your car will not detonate on 92 octane, it will not detonate on Arco 92 octane. At least, it shouldn't. If it does, then maybe there is something significantly different with Arco fuel.
Originally posted by: Apex
Originally posted by: Shanti
Originally posted by: MidasKnight
Arco is the only gas that makes my 1996 Ford 3.0 6cyl ping. Loses power and pings like mad. I have to end up ading octain booster to get it right.

I usally use 76 gas or Astro.
Click to expand...

I also had pinging with Arco gas in my 97 Nissan Quest, but I'm curious about why it is different.
Click to expand...

It's the high percentage of ethanol.
Click to expand...
Why the fluck would ethanol CAUSE pinging? You said yourself that it has an octane around 110.

😕

Like I said. All gasoline is oxygenated. They either use MTBE or ethanol(or sometimes ETBE..). What's the difference?

And uh, we're not talking about modified automobiles here.
 
Originally posted by: Eli
Uh...? WTF? For one, stoich with gasoline is 14.7:1.

Second, all gasoline is oxygenated, whether it's with MTBE or ethanol. A 10% mix doesen't significantly effect how the engines' fuel system operates. And even if it did, all modern cars are setup to deal with it.

Octane is octane. If the octane of Premium Arco fuel is 92, and your car will not detonate on 92 octane, it will not detonate on Arco 92 octane. At least, it shouldn't. If it does, then maybe there is something significantly different with Arco fuel.
Click to expand...

Stoich is, as you quoted, 14.7:1 for gasoline. However, take a look at what's called for for any turbocharged vehicle. They're all within several percentage points of 12:1, except for rotary applications, of course. The closer you are to the limits of your fuel system, the less you can deviate.

BTW, not all companies use MBTE or Ethanol as an oxygenate. Unocal, for instance. The switch over happened in 2003. Texaco/Chevron followed suit right here in Southern California, with both ethanol blended and reformulated clean burning non-oxygenated gasoline.
 
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