What gasoline do you use for your Versa?

[FD3S]

87 Octane Rating of course.

[fjwagner]

You left off Exxon. Or better, change the Mobil to Exxon or Mobil

[dnk1999]

Circle K bought out the shell company.... just a FYI

[biggie]

How about: Whereever is cheapest at the time.

[Atx_Versa]

How about: Whereever is cheapest at the time.

[frankoV]

How about: Whereever is cheapest at the time.

you guys have competiton down there?

[aleg1975]

you guys have competiton down there?

yes they do! we went down at x-mas to visit family and the stations ranged from like $1.20/gallon to $1.80, we couldn't believe it

now we're gonna get slammed with the harmonized tax too.

[#1Tango]

i use arco, they are always like .10 cheaper

[Red Devil]

Whichever place is closest when I need it.

[frankoV]

now we're gonna get slammed with the harmonized tax too.

ya, ain't that wonderful.

ever look at those little stickers that tell you how much the poor companies make?

Don't begrudge the 3% the retailers make -- it's diddley.

But the rest? Sheesh!

Federal gas tax = 10¢ a litreDeficit elimination tax = 1.5¢ a litreProvincial tax = 14.7 ¢ a litreTransit tax = 5%GST =5% of total [tax on tax]; soon to be HST =13%

30-40% of the cost of gas will be tax!!!

So . . . we're at 83¢ a litre today. Rounded off,

04.0¢ a litre = GST

50.0¢ a litre = cost of gas10.0¢ a litre = fed gas tax01.5¢ a litre = def elim tax14.7¢ a litre = PT [not sales tax, gas tax!]03.0¢ a litre = transit tax

10.0¢ a litre = HST [some are already calling it the BST] means 89¢ a litre = $3.38 a US gallon [today].

oh, and them's CDN funds. With the CDN$ at 80¢, we're looking at $4.27 a US gallon.

fwiw, I go to mcteague.ca if I think I'll need to fill up in the next day or two, to see what the price might be.

[biggie]

you guys have competiton down there?

Yes, in a city it can range as much as .20 per gallon from one side of town to the other. Some places give discounts as well. Such as Sam's Club, you have to be a member, but they are usually a little lower than other places.

Also there are big differences from State to State, because of Taxes on gas set per State (there is Fed tax, but then State tax as well). Here in NC we have one of the highest State taxes on gas, but SC and VA are much lower, so anyone close to the border will go over to buy gas. Its sometimes as much as .30+ cheaper in SC or VA compared to NC.

[dnk1999]

I live in Illinois near St.Louis Missouri but work in St.Louis. The gas in Missouri is about .13 cheaper then Illinois but property tax is higher in Missouri. Living near a state boarder is a plus

[frankoV]

every province taxes differently too [as much as they can get away with, I think]. Here's a breakdown of who takes what:

fed : 10.0¢ a litre = gas taxfed : 01.5¢ a litre = def elim taxfed : 03.0¢ a litre = transit taxfed : 04.0¢ a litre = % HST

prov: 14.7¢ a litre = PT [not sales tax, gas tax!]prov : 06.0¢ a litre = % HST

the 14.7¢ a litre is a road tax, supposed to go for bridge and road repair. HA!!! it goes into general revenue and our infrastructure is crumbling [not as bad as in Quebec, though]

[NY.AD.MAN]

How about this:

I drive 30,000 miles + a year (which can be confirmed by johniboi and riceball), and since about a year ago I have refused to fill up with anything but Shell.

Since I have made the switch, my car has never felt like it was struggling or diminished in fuel economy at all, and you can feel that the engine actually runs cleaner than the bargain brand gas. In fact, I used QT gasoline for 3 fillups in a row and noticed that my mpg went down from 34 average to 27 average because of all the detergents that they put in their gas.

I'm not claiming that Shell gasoline is magic or a way to increase horsepower, but with 65,000 miles on my car, I refuse to take any chances that I'm causing unnecessary wear and tear.

Don't use the crappy third party gasoline. Period.

[frankoV]

Shell here has an ethanol mix so I try not to use it . . . but Petro-Can is being bought out by Sunoco which is an ethanol mix . . .

know a guy in Transport Canada [management] who says Esso gas is low quality . . . but who knows really.

[VersaMG08]

Typically, I use whatever is closest to me. I have no personal preference where I go unless there is one that has cheaper prices than the other one across the street.

[Riceball88]

I'm with AD MAN, I fill up on Shell only. It helps that there is a station a right across the street from my house .

One question though, I saw a sign on the pumps at Shell that says 10% ethanol. What does this mean? Should I stay away from this station?

[J. Reid]

I usually fill up at the local 'Gas Plus' stations, usually the cheapest (2-3 cents less then the rest, though Safeways recent pricing policy change puts them in the same range), and pretty good fuel economy.

I learned to avoid the Superstore/Extra Foods gas bars when I had my Neon, fuel economy would drop like a rock whenever I filled up there so I've never bothered filling my Versa at one.

[NY.AD.MAN]

One question though, I saw a sign on the pumps at Shell that says 10% ethanol. What does this mean? Should I stay away from this station?

10% ethanol is an industry standard. It is used as an additive in gasoline as a catalyst for combustion by thinning out the gas and changing the chemical balance to become more stable after said combustion.

Cheap gasoline has anywhere between 10-20% ethanol.

Detergents cause gas to burn faster which diminishes performance and mileage. Believe it or not, several "additives" that are added end up leaving deposits when they burn themselves.

[Rockhound]

How about this:

I drive 30,000 miles + a year (which can be confirmed by johniboi and riceball), and since about a year ago I have refused to fill up with anything but Shell.

Since I have made the switch, my car has never felt like it was struggling or diminished in fuel economy at all, and you can feel that the engine actually runs cleaner than the bargain brand gas. I

I think subpar quality gasoline could well explain many folks' gas mileage complaints. I wonder if the EPA uses the same brand gasoline in their fuel economy tests. Seems like that would be an important factor for consistency.

But ethanol could very well be why many folks are getting lesser fuel economy - it contains less energy per unit volume than pure gasoline.

Ethanol is one of the biggest boondoggles in recent years - a complete travesty if you ask me. It is absolutely asinine to make fuel out of food. Finally even some of the most ardent ethanol supporters are beginning to see that it is in no possible way a 'solution' to anything other than fleecing the pockets of corn growers. But, that's what we get when the first presidential primaries are held in Iowa.
Modified by Rockhound at 8:38 PM 3/28/2009

[kc5f]

I think subpar quality gasoline could well explain many folks' gas mileage complaints.

But not all. I was the vote for grocery store gas. I usually get mine at one store in South Carolina. But I never buy it with ethanol except when we had the gas shortage around here and had to take what we could find for about three weeks.

[fjwagner]

What many people realize is that gas in one area may often come from the same area. In other words, an Exxon refinery will supply gas to Shell, the grocery store, BP etc in that area. Just a different set of additives are included per companies specs. I just avoid really old gas stations where the tank quality may be suspect. The top tier gas like QT is just an ad gimmick. ExxonMobil and a few others refused to join because they did not agree with the science behind what they were doing but using more additive than deemed necessary to do the job. I work for Exxon and never put anything in my tank except Mobil or Exxon and never an issue.

[frankoV]

recall reading that V's are supposed to avoid gas with ethanol.

anyone confirm or deny?

[silverarrow27]

I was just getting gas this afternoon from a trip back from Santa Barbara on the way home and noticed a Shell gas station across the street from the Chevron I was getting gas from said their gasoline has nitrogen. Weird...

[fjwagner]

I was just getting gas this afternoon from a trip back from Santa Barbara on the way home and noticed a Shell gas station across the street from the Chevron I was getting gas from said their gasoline has nitrogen. Weird...

some stations advertise nitrogen fill for tires so I suspect that is what you saw and the signage was confusing. Now on nitrogen, a gimmick. Air is 72% N2 so you are getting mostly N2 with a regular tire fill. All that bit about better mileage and less leaking is pretty indiscernible. Fred

[superskunk]

i only use chevron, with an occasional 76.... i mean come on it has techron! dont you watch the commercials? the cars will tell you themselves... lol...

[iluvmyVersa08]

some stations advertise nitrogen fill for tires so I suspect that is what you saw and the signage was confusing. Now on nitrogen, a gimmick. Air is 72% N2 so you are getting mostly N2 with a regular tire fill. All that bit about better mileage and less leaking is pretty indiscernible. Fred

I must say though, having nitrogen tires is somewhat of a good thing. I have had the car for one year (with the exception of snow tires on since November) and The tire pressure has not changed at all. They are still the same as the day I picked up the car. One rarely ever needs to refill them. As for the ride, I haven't noticed much of a difference between my stock nitrogen filled tires versus my winter tires (not filled with nitrogen).

I just hope winter finally ends to take the winters off.

[VersaMG08]

hey ash, what's the size of your winter wheels and tires? are they stock size or diff?

[keanucosmo]

What many people realize is that gas in one area may often come from the same area. In other words, an Exxon refinery will supply gas to Shell, the grocery store, BP etc in that area. Just a different set of additives are included per companies specs. I just avoid really old gas stations where the tank quality may be suspect. The top tier gas like QT is just an ad gimmick. ExxonMobil and a few others refused to join because they did not agree with the science behind what they were doing but using more additive than deemed necessary to do the job. I work for Exxon and never put anything in my tank except Mobil or Exxon and never an issue.

If top tier is a gimmick, it's one put in place by automobile manufacturers and not oil companies. If BMW,Toyota, Honda, GM, Audi etc think certain detergents are needed to keep their cars running properly, I believe them over greedy oil companies that will lose profit by adding the detergents. I have used QT exclusively in all of my cars for over 20 years and never had any fuel related problems. And unlike NY Adman, I am averaging 33 mpg (30% city, 70% highway) over 32,000 miles.

[fjwagner]

If top tier is a gimmick, it's one put in place by automobile manufacturers and not oil companies. If BMW,Toyota, Honda, GM, Audi etc think certain detergents are needed to keep their cars running properly, I believe them over greedy oil companies that will lose profit by adding the detergents. I have used QT exclusively in all of my cars for over 20 years and never had any fuel related problems. And unlike NY Adman, I am averaging 33 mpg (30% city, 70% highway) over 32,000 miles.

Do you realize that the major oil companies are smack dab in the middle of major corporations in profitability? Probably not.

Top Tier is quite controversial which is why not all companies chose to join. I will turn your comment around on you. I have not used anything but Exxon or Mobil or Esso gas for 30 years and not had a problem. We are not going to market a gas that does not provide for clean engines and injectors as that would be corporate suicide. Read this article from the USA Today. I have actually spoken with some of our refinery folks and their comment is that the effort to determine the specs for Top Tier was not collaborative between the refiners and the car manufacturers which is supported by this article. These things are not as simple as an advertising campaign wants you to believe. Fred

http://www.usatoday.com/money/...lskip