I've always used Chevron Premium (91-octane) in my cars. Just moved to Omaha and my only name-brand quality option is Shell--there are only a few Shell stations here. Pulled into a store here that has tons of locations all over Omaha that sells Conoco Phillips 93-Octane for less money. 2010 Lexus & 1999 355 F1 I was always told to stick with Chevron or Shell when I started driving at 16, so... Pros and cons of either option besides money?
This has been discussed before, but from my recollection, it really doesn't matter where you're getting your fuel from as long as you switch it up every few thousand miles. The reason it doesn't matter is that ALL fuel comes from the same refineries and regional distribution tanks. So, be it Chevron, Shell, Conoco-Phillps, CostCo or some no-name, independent station, it's all the same base fuel. The difference is in the additives. Each company is adding (or not adding) different mixtures that are designed to minimize carbon build-ups. However, they're limited in what they can do. So, the logic is that by rotating the fuel supplier every couple of thousand miles, you'll cover the gamut and keep the carbon deposits at a minimum (i.e. with the new fuel you'll clean/burn off what the old fuel didn't). At least that's the theory. CW
Is Conoco Phillips 66 considered a "brand-name" quality gasoline like Shell, Chevron, etc? I think that is my main question.
Affirmative, Conoco-Phillips, or just plain Conoco or just plain Phillips, is a big national/international with a good reputation and ~30,000 employees. I would not hesitate to use it. Taz Terry phillips
Again, fuel's fuel. If you're asking about whether the seller has "deep pockets" in the event the fuel lunches your motor, Conoco's big enough to pay off on that claim, I think. CW
Thanks, guys. If I can get higher octane for the same price I think I may switch. Now to find the non-ethanol stations 'round here!
http://forums.motortrend.com/70/7158573/the-general-forum/top-tier-gasoline-brands-is-this-real-or-marketing/index.html Conoco makes the list
Cool. That must make your engine produce more power! Seriously, there's no difference. Fuels all come from the same basic refinery sources...and they're even blended and mixed up during transportation. While the various companies try to add specific addititives, the chances that what you're buying at a Shell station is consistently different or better than what you buy at an ARCO is exactly zero. Shell is no different than BP or ARCO in it's distribution practices. What does affect fuel mileage (which may be what you're referring to) is the presence (or not) of ethanol, and to what degree. Federal law requires that it must be posted in a manner visible to the end consumer if there's ethanol in the fuel. Again, whether there actually is ethanol in the fuel you're buying depends on the day and the station and a certain amount of random chance. I know this because I was the CFO of the largest pipeline inspection company in the US and it was critical to know exactly what was flowing through the refinery lines and other distribution lines. All the major petrochemical companies were our clients.
Agreed, same pipeline, same base stock. I owned a Phillips 66 in the early 80's and the difference between our fuel and the Amoco across the street was a coffee can full of "special sauce" in a tanker truck load. Williams Pipeline supplied all the base fuel stock to the local storage tanks where every stations trucks filled from. The ethanol is usually mixed into the load as the trucks are being filled at the local depot. It is stored in separate tanks, expanding by the day as it absorbs water from condensation in the tanks and from humidity in the air. Long before alcohol was a factor I would pump out 200-300 gallons of water from my tanks a few days after a 5000 gallon fill up. Literally I would close fuel sales for 3 days just to let the water separate. Look at the above ground storage tanks next time you drive by them, where is the frost line? Everything above that line is sweating condensation into the fuel below. Find the busiest station around and use that regardless of which major brand it is. The slow, quite stations have a higher likelihood of separation occurring in their underground tanks. Once the water and alcohol separates from the fuel it will lay at the bottom of the tanks just waiting for a tanker refill to stir things up and put it back into suspension. While doing our fuel testing during the design phase of our fuel hose... 4-5 years ago, we tested a small station just after a refill of their tanks. Memory has it we tested 18.8% alcohol when the maximum allowable was 10%. Have the same separation situation occur multiple times and the large percentage of what you are buying is water with a some alcohol. If you see a tanker filling the tanks, drive on by and let that swill settle for a few days. The Feds said OK to the 15% now.... hell, you have been getting that for better that 5 years already in most cases. The alcohol refineries are all owned by the oil companies now. It takes a little digging to sort through secondary company names but that is the case. Doesn't matter to them how much the fuel is diluted, its money in the bank. Your in Corn Country now Mr Prada... good luck with finding the alcohol free!
Good post. I was just talking to a customer yesterday about racing fuels. The one speed shop I used to work at had an above ground tank, used to get brown muddy looking river water out of that thing from condensation pulling the rust and scale from the sides and top of the tank. Be careful putting race fuel in your cars from gas stations too. The ones around here keep racing fuel in their tanks through the summer, then pump kerosene on top of it to sell for the winter. That's the reason I sell sealed drums of race fuel at cost to my customers....I don't have to worry about what kind of crap they're trying to burn in my engines.
I like the idea of running marine fuel. This obviously is a problem if your Ferrari is a daily driver. I am fortunate to have many Marinas close by and I fill up a couple fivers at a time. I have seen way too much fuel related problems. One outboard Suzuki I was working on had such bad fuel separation that the pistons had corroded to the cylinder walls after a short layup period. I removed the plugs and when the engine was turned over, a water and fuel combo sprayed out. Marine fuel is 90 or 91 octane,alcohol free with some good additives. Just a thought.
It appears that there are no stations in Nebraska that are ethanol-free. Hmm....I wonder if this will have any long-term effect on my 355.... I guess me and Dave Helms will find out when I bring my 355 in for her major in a couple more years...
And that my friends are the only two things you need to know about buying good gas. Seriously, the guy is dead right. The STORAGE of your gas is about 10X more important that the refining of your gas. I'd rather no name gas from a busy stop-and-rob than name brand gas in the sticks. Look for a busy, well maintained (clean) station.
Where it's gonna have the effect is on the rubber parts that can't hold up to the alcohol, namely the the boots on the fuels pumps inside the gas tank. You can see what I'm talking about here http://ferrarichat.com/forum/showpost.php?p=138263496&postcount=20 I changed both the boots on my fuel pump a couple years ago, and they were JACKED. I've even seen pics, from one of the pro wrenches, with sleeves that were way worse than mine. Nothing you can really do about it, but change out the rubber now before you're pump ingests it and really screws things up.
Bingo. Top-Tier only goes in any of my vehicles. If you can find non-ethanol so much the better. My politicians in an effort to support a special interest group (and thus themselves) have decided I dont need it.
