I cant believe it!!!

[navyseal]

So for the past six months or so I have been trying to be consistent with the gas that I put in my G coupe by using V-Power (93 octane) from Shell. I thought that this might be a good idea with everyone talking about all the differences between gas like Wal-Mart gas and crap and how they make their cars react. Not that I have ever used Wal-Mart gas, I just always thought it to be better using the more advertised and well marketed gas thinking that it was a better type of gas.

The other day as I am filling up my tank at the Shell gas station that I normally go to, the gas truck tanker is filling up all the tanks. So i go over to the driver of the tanker and I ask her "Hey, I was wondering when you fill up the tanks here at Shell do you only specifically fill up Shell gas stations, and do other tankers fill up their own other gas stations like Chevron only uses gas from Chevron tankers and so on." She says, "You didn't hear this from me but I fill up all different kinds of stations such as Wal-Mart, Citgo, etc." I couldn't believe what I was hearing. Here I am for the past six months filling up with Shell V-Power gas paying an extra five to ten extra cents for some namebrand gas that honestly doesn't even matter. Grant it I know there is a difference in getting the right octane (93) for ur car, however, I truly believed that all these higher end gas stations like Shell, Chevron, Mobil, etc were worth paying the extra money in order to receive a better end, cleaner, more efficient type of gas.

I know that these types of discussions have been posted before but I wasn't sure if anyone has truly found an answer for where and how gas is used at different stations. I am also wondering if this has anything to do with where I live. I go to UF and live in Gainesville, FL so maybe that has something to do with it, but doubt it. Although I recently discovered this I am still going to go to Shell because I believe that it is good to be consistent. Please tell me if any of this is bogus or what you think.

[joe603]

Each station has additives that are put into the gas...but 93 octane is 93 octane.

Another thing to remember is if a station uses a % of ethanol...that can be added as well.

[infinitgkid]

Each station has additives that are put into the gas...but 93 octane is 93 octane.

Another thing to remember is if a station uses a % of ethanol...that can be added as well.

+1

BP has that "Invigorate" stuff in their fuel which IMO sounds like some kind of male performance enhancer... but then again, that's just me...

[telcoman]

So for the past six months or so I have been trying to be consistent with the gas that I put in my G coupe by using V-Power (93 octane) from Shell. I thought that this might be a good idea with everyone talking about all the differences between gas like Wal-Mart gas and crap and how they make their cars react. Not that I have ever used Wal-Mart gas, I just always thought it to be better using the more advertised and well marketed gas thinking that it was a better type of gas.

The other day as I am filling up my tank at the Shell gas station that I normally go to, the gas truck tanker is filling up all the tanks. So i go over to the driver of the tanker and I ask her "Hey, I was wondering when you fill up the tanks here at Shell do you only specifically fill up Shell gas stations, and do other tankers fill up their own other gas stations like Chevron only uses gas from Chevron tankers and so on." She says, "You didn't hear this from me but I fill up all different kinds of stations such as Wal-Mart, Citgo, etc." I couldn't believe what I was hearing. Here I am for the past six months filling up with Shell V-Power gas paying an extra five to ten extra cents for some namebrand gas that honestly doesn't even matter. Grant it I know there is a difference in getting the right octane (93) for ur car, however, I truly believed that all these higher end gas stations like Shell, Chevron, Mobil, etc were worth paying the extra money in order to receive a better end, cleaner, more efficient type of gas.

I know that these types of discussions have been posted before but I wasn't sure if anyone has truly found an answer for where and how gas is used at different stations. I am also wondering if this has anything to do with where I live. I go to UF and live in Gainesville, FL so maybe that has something to do with it, but doubt it. Although I recently discovered this I am still going to go to Shell because I believe that it is good to be consistent. Please tell me if any of this is bogus or what you think.

navyseal

Why are you surprised?That my friend is called marketing. Shell spends millions trying to convince millions of people like yourself to spend that extra $.30 a gallon so they make millions more money.

Regular readers of Consumer Reports and listeners of Car Talk have been aware of this scam for years.

My G will turn 79k miles tomorrow and I've never put a drop of anything but regular 87 octane in it and it runs just fine. I have been using Wa Wa brand gas for the past 6 months as they opened a new station and are the cheapest.

Gasoline tanker trucks no longer have any company logo's on them. They fill up at the refinery here in NJ & its all the same s#it.

Telcoman

[G37 Man]

One thing that really bothers me is the price for Mid and Prem gas over regular.

It can be anywhere from .$20 more for mid grade to $.40 for High test over regular at some of the gas stations.

Funny going to local military base the difference was $.10 from regular to Mid grade and $.10 more for High Test.

Out on the East Coat they have Wawa Stations which are pretty cheap for Regular but their High Test is very high.

unless there is a street corner that has 3 or 4 name brand stations trying to compete for your money, most are way over price compared to the no name stations.

[Jacko3]

Navyseal:

The truck driver is actually right. However, he does not tell you the whole story, and when you do a job like that, everything starts looking the same.

First of all, some of those trucks have different compartments. What does this mean. A single truck can carry gas for more than one marketer, and independent truckers will usually find this profitable though it may require running around town a little more. For example, a single truck can carry gas for BP and Shell at the same time. All the trucker has to do is dispense the gas from the correct tank on the truck into the specific marketer's underground tank.

Once a truck loads up on gas, that tank is sealed and measured to ensure that there is no tampering with the gas by the driver. So, yes, each truck can technically supply gas to more than one marketer. And yes, some marketers can share gas from the same compartment on the truck.

The additives are usually mixed at the loading stations. Other than that, 93 octane is the same at every gas station, until the additives are added. However, a company like Chevron will not compromise the quality of its techron additive in order to sell cheap gas. Chevron is about the only gas station I know that doesn't care if they get one customer at their gas stations a day, rather than compromise on the quality and price of their gas. They are usually the most expensive and their Techron stuff really works.


Modified by Jacko3 at 5:04 AM 1/23/2009

[navyseal]

Thanks for all the helpful insight...i find it some what humorous how I can go on and on to write and talk so much about GASOLINE and its affect among our cars and the economy, however I find it annoying and difficult to wirte a simple paper on school projects and research papers!!! thanks for your comments and suggestions

[Tampa G35 Sedan 6MT]

I use shell V-power and love it! But it is 100% gas by me!

[tollboothwilley]

I honestly think that Chevron is way overpriced and that their gasoline is no different. Sorry Jacko.

I've seen the same thing with tankers filling up at the same location and dispensing from the same tank to multiple gas stations.

I've also been told that mid-grade is virtually the same as the high grade gasoline because of how much the stuff gets mixed.

[Jacko3]

Are you suggesting that Chevron is lying about their Techron being in their gas? I can verify 100% that when i switched to Chevron with Techron, My G suddenly opened up compared to when i used to use BP---the G is now extremely good on gas. And then, a lot of soot and carbon that was forming inside my engine was being blown out with Chevron gas which never happened when I used to patronize BP.