93 Octane - Different Blends / Different Additives. What does it mean?

[93hrdtptt]

Hey guys,

Just had a little bit of curiosity and was wondering is there really a significant difference between all these gas stations we see around today.

I understand that there are laws and regulations on each octane and the blend they need to have. Are there really "watered" down 93 octanes at the cheapo non-brand kind of station.

Does Sunoco, who is the "official" fuel of nascar (besides the fact they are using race fuel and not the unleaded Bologna we put in lol) better than the guy next door like Lukoil, Mobil/Exxon, Hess...?

How about BP and Shell... BP has "Invigorate" and shell "V-Power"...they claim using their fuel cleans buildup around valves, injectors, ect when frequently using their fuel...

I find that the average fuel range after filling up is around 295 when filling up with any old 93 octane from exxon, valero, ect... For some reason, I put BP 93 "with invigorate" lol.....I have gotten up to 315 on occasion..and there is no overfilling after the pump clicks off..


Either case, thank the lord gas prices have come down quite a ways since summer time, figure I would ask to see if anybody has input on this...

P.S - on a side note....we have a Sunoco over here with 105 octane unleaded...any advantages of putting that in? I couldn't imagine the timing to change dramatically to feel any difference...also wondering if anybody has tried it and any results came out from doing so.

Random thought over, lol...What ya guys think?

[...Mark...]

All gas stations in a particular region get their gas from the same source. For me in Atlanta my gas comes directly from the oil refineries in Houston via the colonial pipeline. The different companies that that distribute gas from the pipeline to the dealers (independent stations) all pick up from the same distribution point regardless if its Shell, Exxon Mobil, BP, or whatever.. Now the only difference between the different companies are the different additives that they put into the fuel. Chevron has Tecron, Shell has V-power if i am not mistaken and so on. Its all the same identical gas, its just the additives that make them brands different.

The grey area is when you buy from an unbranded station or chain. In Atlanta QT is big but when you buy QT you never know what you are getting because QT is a convenient store chain that sells gas but meanwhile they are not branded or aligned with any one company. They literally buy their gas from the fuel distributer that will sell it to them for the cheapest price. Sometimes that gas doesn't have any additives, sometimes it has Valero's additives, sometimes it has Hess's additives etc.. They buy what they can get at the cheapest price and pass that savings onto the customer which is a good thing, but at the same time you are not getting a consistant blend, and at times there are not any additives at all in it.

[B6JoeS4]

I have had bad experiences with Mobil. One time, the gas was dirty and the engine would not run so i had it towed and they had to flush the system. One time, i had studdering. this was all with 93 octane in the chicagoland area. I stick with BP now

[Audi0s]

I feel there is a difference between these stations. The no name places dont use detergents, hence the lower costs. Over time using lower quality fuels leads to horrible carbon buildup, believe me Ive seen it. I prefer Shell myself, mostly bc its the only Tier 1 fuel that BMW approves in this area. I figure that has to mean something if BMW mentions it in their tech training, also its the only fuel that BMW NA employees can put in the company cars used for instruction. But any brand name is good, I stick to Shell and BP mostly. I dont really like Exxon so much, Sunoco always seems overpriced. I used to work for Gulf station, and my car ran like shit on Gulf, but fine on Mobil. Who knows. My friend owns a B5 S4, Stage 2, and he ran the sunoco 100 through it, says you do gain some hp, but really need tuning to take advantage of it. Also cost him 7.99 a gal right by the GWB, probably because they cant sell that stuff because it so expensive and its the same stuff from 4-5 mos ago when it was double.

[...Mark...]

I have had bad experiences with Mobil. One time, the gas was dirty and the engine would not run so i had it towed and they had to flush the system. One time, i had studdering. this was all with 93 octane in the chicagoland area. I stick with BP now

That more than likley was not a Mobil issue.. It was probably that that station had in particular had older underground fuel storage tanks that were subject to corrosion and excess sediment over the years..

[mbgt72]

Interesting thread, appreciate the insight on the matter. Personally I stick with BP, but also recognize shell as an equal company. Just for me, it's seems like BP is more prevalent in my area, and BP gas stations tend to be the cleanest. And on road trips, those factors come into play.

[...Mark...]

I'm in the petro equipment finance business. My company finances everything from underground fuel storage tanks to gas dispensers (pumps) to carwashes to environmental compliance equipment.

If you guys ever are curious about anything just post it up.

[ieatfishburitos]

I'm in the petro equipment finance business. My company finances everything from underground fuel storage tanks to gas dispensers (pumps) to carwashes to environmental compliance equipment.

If you guys ever are curious about anything just post it up.

Cool thanks for the info.. I learned something here.

[FastB7S4]

I like the way the car "feels" when running Shell V-Power. Might just be my imagination, though. Anyway, I use Sunoco these days because there are more of them around here and I have a Sunoco card with 4% rebate (also nice because I get Sunoco propane for my home heat/stove/hot water). I would prefer Shell, but don't want 2 gas credit cards.

[tatarin]

i wish we had Sunoco :-/

[[email protected]]

My friend owns a B5 S4, Stage 2, and he ran the sunoco 100 through it, says you do gain some hp, but really need tuning to take advantage of it. Also cost him 7.99 a gal right by the GWB, probably because they cant sell that stuff because it so expensive and its the same stuff from 4-5 mos ago when it was double.

I put 2 gallons of Sunoco 114 mixed with maybe 2 gallons remaining 94 octane in my wagon and I got 40awhp from the gas alone.

[93hrdtptt]

I put 2 gallons of Sunoco 114 mixed with maybe 2 gallons remaining 94 octane in my wagon and I got 40awhp from the gas alone.

Did you have a tune on your car before/ after the gas was put in?

I hear that putting over a certain octane rating could cause fouled o2 sensors?

I was thinking just for the hell of it, to put in the 105 octane over by GWB, I think its the highest unleaded gas if I'm not mistaken. I wonder if it would make any significant different on a stock vehicle.

Thanks everybody for their insight and knowledge of the strange world of octane ratings and different brands of gas lol.

[[email protected]]

I was on a 93 octane file for my turbo setup.

Ran the car down to the point the refill light came on and poured in the Sunoco 114. Forgot the 114 is leaded but since I don't run a cat it was OK to use.

Put the car on the dyno at the same settings and did multiple rips on it and saw a consistent 40awhp gain.

Will you see a bit increase on a stock vehicle? Probably not. But if you are pushing higher boost levels the added octane will help prevent detonation and allow more timing to be added = more power.

[wheelman]

Does it mean anything that QuikTrip is listed on the toptiergas.com website?

[...Mark...]

That site has higher standards than the EPA does when it comes to detergent additives in gas. If BP is on there it means that BP's blend is routinley cleaner than the competition. In theory cleaner gas burns cleaner which in turn leaves less deposits behind that can reduce your cars performance over time.

I has to do w/ all that tier 1 tier 2 emmssions talk you hear of from time to time.

[Justchill30]

If you can get it Texaco's Chevron with techron is in my opinion the best of the best. Read the data on gasoline and more important the post test data on gas detergents, sediment relief and carbon buildup and metal shrink. Because of my past experience with rotary engines I have done my fair share of gas research.
Just a little side note. It is the official gas of MotorTrend and Road and Track.

I would give sunoco a close second.

[FastB7S4]

I would give sunoco a close second.

I wonder why the top tier gas website lists Sunoco Canada as a top tier gas but not the Sunoco US.