Quality in different gas companies

[FirebirdSlickG94]

Hey,

I was wondering as to why citgo premium would be cheaper than shell premium. I was told that it is because citgo isn't imported from our "enemies" Personally I was wondering if it was do to additives. Would switching to citgo premium harm my engine as opposed to shell?

[Steve Caroccia]

My hypothesis is that pricing of high quality gasoline falls in the realm of global business strategy and global refining technique. Each company is different. Oil companies love when you buy higher grade ****, they get more margin. As far as refining, it has ethane, propane, butane, pentane, hexane, octane, etc (winter gas versus summer gas) are the same whether it comes from the Tar Sands in Canada or the Middle East. However, companies like Mobil, for instance, can sometimes find cheaper crude because they buy sour crude (lots of sulfur, harder to refine) and keep on cooking their crude to get as many hydrocarbons as possible. Sour crude requires more downstream unit operations that some refineries don't invest in. Additive packages are business exclusive.

Conclusion ... won't matter

[img]graemlins/burnout.gif[/img]

[Sanguinary]

Where companies drill/get their oil from also has something to do with it. ExxonMobil I believe is one of the biggest importers of Mid-East oil. And like you said, when things get hot over there, the price can jump for them the most dramatic.

[John_D.]

Part of it is "whatever the market will bear". The marketing folks do the "Shell Clean", etc. approach, to generate market interest in a brand, for people who will pay a little more for perceived benefit.

Some companies actually rate gasoline brands. A few years ago, Mercedes Benz listed the top brands recommended for use in their cars. The main thing I remember is a valve test, where they run "x" number of miles, then tear down the engine and check how much carbon buildup is on the valves. At that time, Marathon gas was one of the top rated, hardly any buildup. I made a point of going to Marathon stations for a while after that, but now it's usually a Walmart or Kmart gas station if one is around...

Consumer reports may do something like this too, don't remember who else rates gasoline brands.

[ April 19, 2002: Message edited by: John_D. ]</p>

[black98V6]

well for the last couple of tanks i have been using BP/Amaco.. only because they are about the cheapest in town. I have only used 87 octane since that is what our car were designed to use. I have noticed a nice little bump in power lately and my mileage seems to be doing better also. All this along with the fact that the ambient air has been getting warmer and humidity has been increasing. Now this could also be due to the fact that my engine is now nice and broken in but not exactly worn (just rolled over 45k last weekend).. so I'm not exactly sure it's due to the gas but I am liking it very much lately..
just my .02

[Shadly]

Does anybody know what is put into gas from different stations? What exactly is a detergent additive like Cleantech? I'd assume they're some type of solvent.

[Everglades W68]

I may be mistaken, but I thought that Citgo was pretty much just a brand name anymore, not a full oil refiner like Mobil/Exxon, BP Amoco or Chevron.

I never go to Citgo or of the other cheaper places because I had such bad experiences from them with my first Firebird.

[strange_trp]

i never go to the cheap places, just the big names. usually 76, amoco, or bp give me the best performance. i usually use 89 octane. i have noticed a gain of a few degrees timing advance on scan tool using 89 over 87, but no difference between 89 and 93.
i'd recommend sticking with the big companies. which one is basically preference. the only difference is really just marketing. and location (for example, gasoline formulas in northern states are slightly different than those in southern states)

[Camaro3.8L]

Ok while were on the topic...Is it bad for your car to go to the same exact gas station every time?? I've had my car for over a year now, and every time since day 1 I have always gone to the same gas station cuz it's on my way to school, does this matter?

[Shadly]

<blockquote>quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by Camaro3.8L:
Ok while were on the topic...Is it bad for your car to go to the same exact gas station every time?? I've had my car for over a year now, and every time since day 1 I have always gone to the same gas station cuz it's on my way to school, does this matter?<hr></blockquote>
If they give good gas and have good prices, convenience is as good a reason as any to choose a gas station. Gas stations around here have to wait a minimum of four hours before they can dispense fresh gas after it arrives. This is to allow the water to separate from the fuel so it doesn't get into your car. Some don't and they earn a bad reputation for doing so.

[Ttop34]

Just to type a few words of insite that I've recently recieved since my dad is a manager of a Kroger and they recently started selling gas. Not saying all areas are like this, but in the Sherman, Tx area there are only two gas suppliers. There is Cheveron and the place everybody else gets their gas.

I personally used to always use Cheveron or Texeco when they were cheaper or I couldn't find a Cheveron. Just my personal experience with how my old 94 V6 camaro ran on those compared to exxon gas which my mom really liked.

So anyways, back to all of the gas coming from the same source just about. There at the station there are two takes, a tank of regular and a small tank for premium which is made when they pour a can or powder or liquid additive. You get mid grade by mixing the two. I think I also remember something about all of the tanks have some water in them but it's no problem since the tanks never get that close to empty. The thing to really look out for are the older because of how old their tanks are and what contaminants would be lurking in the tank, rust mainly.

Me personally now, I go with Shell because I have a Chase Shell card that give me 5% cash back on gas purchase and 1% of other purchases towards gas forever when Cheveron would only give me 5 cents per gallon off for a few months.

[nova]

I know in South Lousiana you can drive by the Shell refinery and there are trucks for 10 different companies going in and out. From what I understand Shell does the refining and adds different additives to each companies gas.

Personally I prefer Chevron. My car just starts and runs better with Chevron. I'll use Texaco if I can't get Chevron.