Whats the difference between brand name gas & generic?

[DaVortex]

Just curious as to whats the difference between Mobil/Exxon or the generic gas stations like Delta, etc?

Do they come from different countries, do they water them down?

just curious because the prices on brand name vs. generic is like 20-30 cents a gallon difference

 

[StageLeft]

In a FEW cases like a backass gas station in the middle of nowhere you can have a greater chance of water in their tanks, or lower quality gas, simply because they lie or get few customers, with infrequent refills from the tankers.

But, basically, the cheapest gas is what you should be buying. Most gas companies all draw from the same small refining pool, and add a couple of additives here and there. I'd rather die than pay $.11 more for texaco than something else. Money down the tubes.

 

[Goosemaster]

$$

 

[Eli]

Originally posted by: Skoorb
In a FEW cases like a backass gas station in the middle of nowhere you can have a greater chance of water in their tanks, or lower quality gas, simply because they lie or get few customers, with infrequent refills from the tankers.

But, basically, the cheapest gas is what you should be buying. Most gas companies all draw from the same small refining pool, and add a couple of additives here and there. I'd rather die than pay $.11 more for texaco than something else. Money down the tubes.

Exactly. Most of the time, though, they get their gas from one of the big names. Like Oil Leathers(probably just a local thing) uses Texaco.

Fortunately, the Chevron right down the street is one of the, if not the cheapest station for at least a few miles, so..

The only thing that might be cheaper is AM/PM .. but only by a few cents.

 

[Vette73]

As others have said go with the cheapest you can find as juts about, if not, all gas in a region comes from the same place now.
That whole "we make the best gas..." or "we clean....." is juts marketing BS that people are dumb enough to swallow.

 

[Aharami]

go with the cheapest gas.

 

[FrustratedUser]

They all use the same gas, pumped in the same pipelines.
Each brand then adds their mix of additives.

 

[radioouman]

Additives make a small difference, but today's fuel injected cars can compensate for about anything. If you drive a finicky old carbeurated car, you might notice a difference between brands.

 

[StageLeft]

Originally posted by: radioouman
Additives make a small difference, but today's fuel injected cars can compensate for about anything. If you drive a finicky old carbeurated car, you might notice a difference between brands.

I know a girl who claims that her late model car runs badly on anything but Texaco

:roll:

 

[imported_Phil]

My old car (13 years) runs pretty much okay on anything, but then I add fuel additive when filling up to make sure she stays running okay. However, if I have any running problems relating to the engine, the first thing the garage asks me is if I've been using supermarket fuel (i.e. cheap stuff). Seems like they should know when it comes to what makes old cars run like crap

 

[thebestMAX]

My car seems to run better on Mobil but who knows??

I stick to brand names at stations that sell a lot. Never buy from an unpaved gas station if you can help it. Not many around here but some states have many.

 

[TechnoKid]

My car seems to run better on 76, with exxon/valero a second. I do know that all gases are just about the same, except for what detergent additive pacakges the manufacturer puts in them. The detergents or lack thereof don't bother me any, as I use fuel cleaner anyhow. Redline SI-1 is good stuff, just as good if not better than techron in my opinion. I noticed a 2-4mpg increase after using SI-1 in a small dose, and the engine even runs smoother.

If you were to ask a major car company like BMW for example, they would tell you that many gasolines out there simply don't have enough additives to keep the injectors and whatnot clean. This is why additive packages or using something like redline SI-1 may be important to how your car performs.

Edit: Oh, and I have heard that it is a good idea to rotate which gas you get, because different gas stations have different additives and stuff, one may clean where the other didn't.