jlawr

I've come accross this site: http://www.toptiergas.com/retailers.html which doesn't list Valero or ExxonMobil as TopTier Gasolines.

Can "y'all" explain why you use the brand of Gas you do? Which brands you recommend and why?

Mike_TX

I think most of us are probably buying whatever is cheapest at the time. LOL.

You don't have Walmart brand on your list. It varies by locale, but in my area it's supplied by Murphy Oil Co. I've used it for years in several different cars and it has worked beautifully.

Premium is 93 octane like everyone else, and is usually lower-priced than the competition, plus you get an additional 3 cents a gallon off if you pay with a Walmart gift card (which operates like a pre-loaded credit card).

If I happen past a station with unusually low prices, though, I will scoop that up. In recent weeks, I've used Chevron, Shell, and even Hugo Chavez's Citgo on one occasion. I've done lots of research and don't feel there's any real difference in gas from brand to brand.

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luxury1

Have the BP Visa card

Johnny

Costco, of course...

Craig B

I run BP 93 octane here. That's the best we have around here. The rest are 91 octane for premium...

Craig

PatsSoxfan

I agree with Mike_TX. Basically, I get whatever is the cheapest. Quick Trip has been as good as any I've seen with prices. Also, I have been sticking to 89 octane and have had great success with gas mileage. On our almost 600 mile trip this past Saturday, I averaged a fantastic 29 mpg using 89 octane (10% ethanol). In my experiments with premium, I could not really detect much of a difference in gas mileage. The big selling point for me with the 89 octane with 10% ethanol is that it is 30 cents per gallon cheaper than premium.

bsims_01

My preference is Chevron. It goes back to an '85 Celica that I had that would knock and ping on every type of gas but Chevron. I've pretty much stuck with that brand ever since.

clemgrad85

I've accumulated a nice bit of Exxon stock over the years, and the stock has done pretty well, so, just like to support one of my investments. In addition, I get a 3% credit on gas purchases there. I've heard some offer better credits, but it works for me.

clemgrad85

Has anyone tracked whether you get much better gas mileage if you drive slower on the highway? I was on a trip this weekend and got 29.4 on the fill up from my destination back to home. This included about 20 miles of some steep mountain driving, but the majority of it was highway travel at about 78 average speed. I wonder if I had stayed at 68 to 70 if the gas mileage would have been significantly different? Of course, I would have been honked at and likely flipped off for traveling so slow, but maybe worth it for a few more miles to the gallon? I can't believe I could have averaged 32 or 33 at a lower speed.

PatsSoxfan

There is no question about it. If you drive at a slower speed (say 70 as opposed to 80), your gas mileage goes up. In fact on our recent long trip, I noticed that in construction areas when I had to slow down to 60 or 65 mph, my gas mileage was going up significantly as opposed to the time interval when I was going 80 for a few hours.

Mike_TX

Hmmm ... that wasn't my experience on my 3500-mile trip. In fact, my wife and I discussed the fact that at 80mph on the interstate I got 29-30 mpg and when we took some secondary highways at 65-70mph I got closer to 27-28. Not a huge difference, but enough to notice.

And BTW - it wasn't because of traffic or little towns slowing us down - much of the secondary stuff was in the wastelands of Nevada (between Las Vegas and Tonopah, where there's little or nothing). I WAS afraid of police lurking out there, though, just to snare over-confident drivers, so I stuck to the lower speeds.

Fuel economy v. speed is a complex science, having to do with gearing, coefficient of drag, engine optimization and other factors. It's not a slam-dunk to say higher speeds automatically translate to lower gas mileage. I recall my BMW's actually got better mileage at 80-85 than at 65-70, too!

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RXSF

chevron is definately my favorite. thats the power of good marketing.

i like the symbol, i like the colors, i like the little cartoon cars. i also like the techron advertisements. i havent put anything other than chevron Surpreme 91 octane in any of my cars, even my toyota sienna

vollandt

I use costco, and pay with my costco business amex that gives me 5% cash back.

jlawr

Aren't there some gasolines that are better at keeping your engine clean, therefore better gas mileage over the long run? Or are they all pretty much the same?

Mike_TX

I drive past a huge gasoline distribution depot almost daily. There are enormous underground pipelines that bring gasoline, diesel, propane and other fuels to this location for distribution by truck to the gas stations.

And every day, I see trucks with a wide variety of oil company names on the tanker trailers and the truck cabs.

The reason is that gasoline is traded like any other commodity, and almost everyone fills up at the same "spigot". When there is an additive (like Chevron's Techron, etc.) it is added to the tanker trailer when the gasoline is pumped into it. There is literally a packet of liquid that is poured into the tanker, and as the truck takes it to the gas station, the sloshing of the gasoline mixes it in.

Is the additive any good? Probably. Most of them are detergents, but refined gasoline doesn't necessarily need these detergent additives. They are the invention of marketing people, whose job it is to differentiate their product from others, and to make their product desirable to the consumer.

Despite commercials showing engines crudded up with junk (the one using Brand X), though, most independent testers have been unable to substantiate the claims of the gasoline marketers.

Gasoline is like anything else - just use your judgement and buy what you like.

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