I'm confused. I was told by a buddy in the "gas biz" that all gas is nearly the same since it is delivered via pipeline to most distribution centers before going to the various companies. In other words, he said for example, Chevron may deposit gas in one state and then the same day pull gas from the other end of the pipeline which may have been deposited by Shell or whom ever. He said the quality of gas removed from the delivery lines is the same as it's co-mingled gas. He said once a company gets their allotment of gas they may tweak it with additives, but the base product is really the same. For example, he said Shell gas is the same stuff as that going to Circle K, but Shell may have better additives. There isn't a "cleaner" gas.

Anyway, I trust him. He said he sells about $120,000 in gas every month.

 

There's gas, then there's Top Tier Gasoline. Top Tier Gasoline is fuel that has been deemed superior in it's detergent content by all of the major automotive manufactures. All gas sold in the US must comply with EPA standards for the amount of detergent content, but Top Tier Gasoline exceeds the EPA requirement, resulting in a better burning fuel.Octane isn't the issue, the amount of detergent that is in the fuel is. Discount gasolines only have to put in the EPA requirement, which is 50% less than what is was 13 years ago.

Gasoline retailers must meet the high TOP TIER standards with all grades of gasoline to be approved by the automakers as providing TOP TIER Detergent Gasoline. In addition, all gasoline outlets carrying the brand of the approved retailer must meet the TOP TIER standards.
Additional gasoline retailers are added to the TOP TIER list as they meet the standards.The retailers known to be on the TOP TIER list are shown below.

TOP TIER Gasoline Retailers:
QuikTrip
Chevron
Conoco
Phillips
76
Shell
Entec Stations
MFA Oil Company
Kwik Trip/Kwik Star
The Somerset Refinery, Inc.
Chevron-Canada
Aloha Petroleum
Tri-Par Oil Company
Shell-Canada
Texaco
Petro-Canada
Sunoco-Canada

http://www.toptiergas.com/index.html


If it ain't on here, it ain't Top Tier Gas.

 

Your buddy is correct. I was told the same story 25 years ago by a person in the oil business. Everybogy gets the same product from the same spicket, it's what you do with it after you get it that makes it different from everybody's else's stuff.

 

Your friend is right, all gas comes from the same place. But when fuel additives are put in it makes the fuel and the preformance of the fuel very different. They preform tests on engine build up with certain fuels, they use the same setup (oil, filters, etc.) in both and Shell has proven to stop engine gunk (as well as a few other companies) you can find the results online somewhere. I do beleive it all comes from the same place but the quality is in the additives.

 

I use Costco pretty much exclusively. I get about 300 miles on a tank. Anyone know if Costco uses additives or where their fuel comes from?

 

I'll just chime in and say all gasoline bases are the same, just like oil. Synthetic oils are all blended with the same PAO bases and then you get the additive packages. Mobile 1, RP, Dello, all start out the same..

Everything is about additive packages.

 

Yes, it is all about the additives. Crude oil is crude oil, it is what you makewith it that counts.

 

Just playing devil's advocate here: - What about the refineries? Isn't it possible that Shell does a better job of refining than Chevron, and Chevron better than BP ect. ? Or is that what you mean by additives?

 

It all goes down the same pipeline. They make cuts for different grades, but it is not totally shut of, it is still mixed a little. It may be refined different places, but still goes back into the same batch.

 

Shell pumps there own crude, so does BP, Mobil, Citgo. I do not know about others. Drilling for crude is very expensive.
But crude oil is crude oil. The quality is alittle different depending on where it comes from, but doesnt consern us.
When they refine it they make BASE petroleum products. Base oils (lube stocks), diesel, gasoline, etc. Then it is trucked in its raw form to the local refinery and the motor oil plant.
The oil is refined again to make the base stock then they add additives to make the different viscosities. 10w30, etc. The oil in motor oil does not break down it is the additives that break down. Oil has a infinit life. If you had the additives you would never need to change your oil, just the filter.
Diesel is refined depending on the type they want. Off road diesel is not as clean as low sulfur over the road diesel. That is what you and I see at the pump, the other is for mining, farm, construction. Bulldozers etc.
Gasoline is the same way. You want regular? Leave out a couple of steps in the filtering process. Premium, filter it a couple of times more.
The EPA says that you must put in "X" amount of detergants for every 100 gal of gas. That is the minimum by federal law. And just so you know gas was cleaner in the '60's than it is now. Carbs do not like dirty gas, fuel injectors do not care as much.
So you want premium you add "X" (detergants) and more "Y" (octane boosters).
You want to be better than your competator? You add more "X". More "X" means a cleaner engine which means better combustion, more BTU per gal, cleaner exhaust and cleaner air.
That is why using premium even in a non premium car helps reduce smog.
Land Rovers need premium because of a higher compression ratio. Higher compression means more power in a smaller size.
The "no name" gas stations buy their gas from whoever has gas left over. When the Shell truck fills the tank at the corner Shell and he has gas left on the truck the dispacher will call around to the people in their network and see who needs gas and what grade they need. Then he sends the truck over to empty whatever he has into their tanks. So this time it is Shell gas, next time BP, next...? You dont know. It might be good, it might be what was in the bottom of the storage tank that had a water leak in the roof and rust flaking off the inside walls with 2 feet of sludge and sedamint on the bottom.
Or it could be stale. You just do not know. And there is no way for you to know.
The state tests the quality of the gas at the pump randomly in every state. If you get caught not meeting standards, pay a fine and dont let it happen again. If it does, pay another fine and dont let it happen again.
When a major brand does random testing and you dont meet their standards, they pull your franchise. You are toast, better luck next time.
When Costco or Sam's need gas they call the distribitor, we need 5000 gal of regular. The distribitor gets 5000 gal from the refinery MINUS the additives. That is how they sell it cheaper. Less goes in.
Shell, BP, Mobil, etc have their own standards. The Feds set the minimum but the brand can go above and beyond but not below. Joes Crab Shack and Discount Gas only has to meet the Fed minimum, he just wants your money not your loyalty.
And just so everybody knows, there is little money in selling gasoline. The profit is on average $.01-.02 per gallon.
The station doesnt set the price, the franchise does. The corner Shell gets a phone call every day telling them what to set the price at. (my wife used to manage a Shell gas in Traverse City)
So in conclusion not all gas is the same, just like not all motor oil is the same. If it was you wouldnt care what you put in your crankcase.
So why not put just as much thought into your gas tank?