From what I've read lately it seems to be highly reccomended to use only the highest grade of detergent additives (a standard called Top Tier), which seems to be in most of the name brands such as Shell and Chevron. Otherwise, injectors and valves will gum up, especially on engines with direct injection.


Anybody using something different?

 

Lotsa discussion on that here:

https://www.fitfreak.net/forums/3rd-...87-higher.html

 

Great thread but I'm not talking about octane, just Top Tier. Here's most of the retailers:
76, Aloha, ARCO, Beacon, BP, Chevron, Conoco, Costco, CountryMark, Diamond Shamrock, Entec, Express Convenience, Exxon, Kwik Trip, MFA Oil, Mobil, Ohana, Phillips, Quik Trip, Shamrock, Shell, Sinclair, Suncor, Super America, Texaco, Tri-Par, Valero


So, here in this region, Pilot/Flying J for instance would be something to avoid if your car had direct injection, which is much more susceptible to gumming as time goes on. Receipts show I've put two tanks in the Fit while on the road.


Interesting to me is that with refiners like Chevron and Shell putting in blends with over 300 additives to increase burning efficiency and mileage, I can't find a comparative study to show the brands yielding the best mileage. Granted, were talking about very slight differences.

 

Don't let that subject dissuade you… there's some "Top Tier" discussion in that four page thread.

 

I think that the subject has been pretty much discussed as much as it can.

1. Top Tier is a trademark indicating a certain level of detergency
2. Stations self-certify compliance with no oversight.
3. Stations that don't use the trademark probably meet the specification anyway, since gasoline is a commodity and widely shared between brands.
4. Even if you run a tank that doesn't meet the standard nothing bad will happen since it is the cumulative effect that counts.

This is the same discussion that is repeated often, like those of people who swear that a particular brand is better than others. Advertising is powerful, particularly if it is combined with a element of fear.

 

Well said George, that should sum it up.

 

It's a common belief that gasoline is pretty much the same and that refineries share what they produce. Blends contain over 300 additives and very widely by brand yielding slight variances in performance and/or mileage. With winter and summer blends and maintenance and such, refineries need each other to keep things going and they make the other brand's specific raw product. Shell will make raw gas for Chevron for instance and run it via pipeline to them where they put in their additives before it goes to distribution. The only exception I know of is Exxon who puts in their additives at the distributor's truck rack.


I'm not sure how they do things since I worked in dispatching at Shell as a kid but a pipeline between refineries often changed product and the 'wash' between the two is collected to 'slop' tanks and along with solvents and other higher cuts and eventually blended into regular grade gasoline sold to off brands. Was that gas bad? Not really, the amounts of slop in total volume were small.