BJ's wholesale Gas

@Sungod. They should have plastic tanks. I don't think they have sold gas there for more than 20 years and plastic tanks have been the norm for a while now. They do seem to sell lots of gas so it should be fresh too. That's one thing I always looked for with diesel. I didn't want old fuel that might have sat down in the tanks and and diesel could be more easily contaminated with water. That's not usually a problem at high volume stations.

 

My opinion would be to avoid cheap gas and stick with Top Tier. I know there's a lot of people who will argue it's all the same gas, but there is a difference in quality. That's what allows one gas station to sell their gas for $1.00 per gallon less than the Shell across the street. If you have to add detergents and fuel cleaners afterwards, than the price difference is a wash anyways. Just stick with Top Tier and you'll be ok.

 

does anyone notice a difference between 87 and 93 octane? my trucks seems to run better on 93

 

I only buy Top Tier gas from name-brand large chains. Today’s engines are a lot more advanced then they were 15 or 20 years ago. Fuel injection has evolved, fuel pressures on some gas engines are almost as high as on Diesels now!

Having said that when I really notice the difference in gas is on my motorcycles. Two of my bikes are small (under 200cc) four strokes and cheap gas will make them run differently then they normally do.

 

On the other hand one could argue what if it's raining, the inside of the hoses/fittings on the side of the truck are wet, when they take the caps off rain gets in, etc.

I'm not trying to argue, I just hope the filters do their job on the pumps and on my vehicle.

 

Nope, any difference you are seeing is likely placebo effect. Higher octane doesn't run smoother, create more power (itself), or somehow cleaner than 87. The simplified explanation is that higher octane gas is that it resists ignition more than lower octane gas, used for higher power, high compression, forced induction etc. applications. Otherwise there is no difference.

 

I think that is a risk and any station
That's why they have filters

 

You guys may think I'm crazy but I stopped buying just any gas about 20 years ago. Today I got a few toys and I want them to run tops so on top of choosing ethanol free gas...so don't think that I'm sponsored or anything like that but I prefer Shell premium every time. And that even includes the lawnmower, pressure washer, generators, outboards...and they're all Honda. When we bought our Pilot, it too never required any injector cleaner or even gas line antifreeze (Canadian eh). Same goes for the other vehicles we own...5 in total, no complaints...never too much detergents...i would like to buy Canadian gas instead of saudi but all Canadian gas contains ethanol
A few years ago while camping in Alberta in a town close to Faucet Lake i had to fill up and the only gad station there sold generic gas and generic diesel...i filled up with generic gas and added some Lucas injector cleaner...the car was fine

 

According to the gub'ment, that's how fuel is typically distributed:
http://www.dnr.louisiana.gov/index.cfm?md=pagebuilder&tmp=home&pid=244
https://www.eia.gov/energyexplained/diesel-fuel/where-our-diesel-comes-from.php



The brand-specific additives and detergents are added when the fuel is transferred to the tanker truck or pumped into the station's underground tanks. And yes it's something like a bottle per tanker truck.

My advice: use whatever brand that gives you loyalty points toward free car washes, because our trucks tend to rust out before major powertrain issues develop.

 

Running 93 Octane could provide a smoother engine as it resists early fuel ignition, but that doesn't mean it should be run when the manufacturer calls for 87 octane. Since the Tacoma is rated for use with 87 octane, that's what should be used. It's a waste to pay more for 93 with no advantage based on the Tacoma engine's design.
After having to use 93 for the past few years on my Audis, I'm perfectly happy putting in the "cheap" gas, as long as it's Top Tier.

 

All gasoline must meet federal and state standards. Top tier? Buzz words invented by an ad agency. As an example years ago Shell advertised "Shell with Platformate". There is a process in refining known as Reforming it basically changes the shape of the molecules. The result if refromate. Every one does it as it increases the octane number. The most common catalyst to do this was platinum based. Shell simply trademarked "Platformate" and through advertising convinced the public it was something special.

Chevron's buzz word for years has been Techron. Guess what, yep pretty much every one adds some sort of additive to their gasoline. It's just that Chevron trademarked Techron.

Want to really get into it. The gasoline in a Shell station might have come from any of a number of other refiners. Small refiners often sell their gas to larger ones who then blend them together and stick their name on it. They also trade/sell gasoline to one another. Say refiner X has a contract they can't meet. They get some from refiner Y and sell it as their brand. Next time refiner Y is short refiner X returns the favor.

You'll also see some that make a big deal out of their crude slate (crude oil types). Except that crude is so refined that it really doesn't matter. They take the crude and separate it by distilling it (yep, just like a moonshine still). The heavy stuff is cracked to give more gasoline (catalytic cracking) the light ends are combined to make bigger molecules for gasoline (alkalation). It all a bit more complicated than that, but you get the idea.

 

Everybody is an expert without needing any outside citation.

 

Except I made the stuff for almost 20 years. My citation is simply my inside information.

 

'Chevron with Techron'. It always had a ring to it.
If gas were free and it was going into a personal vehicle, I'd demand it every fill up.

 

Lucky. It’s about $1600 for me if I fill up every 2 weeks. I top off every week though, I never let it get down to half tank.

 

I'll chime in.

There's wisdom to the fact that it all comes from the same depot. "top tier", "cleaning additives" is just marketing. If you're going to get some crap in your fuel tank its going to come from a contaminated tank in the ground at the gas station. There are filters under the dispensers that need to be changed every 6 months, they only filter particles not water.

Look for gas stations that are swept and clean. If the garbage cans are over flowing and the place looks like shit then they likely dont care about those filters under the dispensers

 

Hmm, I wonder if I did my math wrong haha. I figured 20 cents difference per gallon, for 20 gallons times 2 times a week times 52 weeks.

 

This thread has quickly become like every oil thread ever

 

DAS where?

 

Edmonton Shell ,but only the premium. Out of town no so much, when i was in Whitecourt their main Shell station all grades contain up to 10% ethanol. Are you in Edmonton?