chromerl

Lately I've been reading about the various Top Tier gas manufactors in Canada, each has their own benefits

1)Sunoco - 94 Octane (10% ethanol)
2)Shell - 91 Octane (V-Power)
3)Petro Canada - 91 Octane (Tectrol Added)

Has anyone experienced better fuel economy?better performance? etc with a specific company?
From what I have read and the research I have done Esso appears to be the dirtiest gas offered, therefore I avoid filling up there at all costs......and some are against the 10% Ethanol added in Sunoco 94 Octane

Another thread stated superior fuel economy with Petro Canada gas

All 3 of these stations are within close distance for me and would like to know which is perferred most among Lexus owners.

Sarorn

I find that I get better performance and mileage when I pump at Sunoco using 94 octane. I also avoid using Esso. I cannot tell the difference between Esso and Petro Canada...but with 94 Octane, I notice a little better performance.

Interesting thread...looking forward to hear what other Canadians think...

Evitzee

You are polishing a hollow apple. There is no discernable difference in any of the brands, they all come from the local refineries in your area and the 'packages' each retailer puts in the shipment at delivery are limited in their scope to affect the final product. The regulations are so tight nowadays that there is very little scope for variability. Those who say they can discern Sunoco from Esso from Shell are fooling themselves. It's just like "a clean car seems to run better than a dirty car". Buy on price and convenience and don't sweat it. The whole octane thing is a gimmick, if your car runs well on a certain octane it makes do difference if you run a higher octane. It's all marketing and an easy profit margin for the refiner/marketer. Buy with your head.

I'd be curious as to your research that shows Esso to be 'dirtier' than other brands. What does that mean? Are you privy to internal documents that would show Esso (Imperial) to be pulling a fast one on the Canadian public?

chromerl

Despite what you think.....Octane ratings DO make a difference and can affect fuel economy, performance etc.

As for the difference between 'Gas' from different companies....there is difference in the additives used and each company has a unique selling point.
1)Sunoco - features 10% Ethanol in their 94 Octane.....MUCH healthier for the enivornment but burns faster....is that not indifferent to other stations??

2)Petro Canada - adds Tactrol for better winter performance

And lastly to further prove my point....why would BMW,Toyota,Honda and GM work together on creating a 'Top Tier Gasoline" List if it really didnt make a difference and have an affect on the engines???

http://www.toptiergas.com/index.html

Looking forward to hearing responses......

chromerl

I too fill-up with 94 Sunoco.....but as of lately Shell 91 V-Power has been my choice....I am getting great fuel economy and dont notice a difference in performance

I also have an IS250 AWD

Sarorn

I haven't really tried shell too much to tell a difference. I just know that Sunoco is the only station that has 94 octane...all the rest are 91 at their highest. I figure the higher the octane, the better. V-power additive from Shell might just be the same as 94...or equivalent. I'm gonna try Shell for my next couple fill ups and see what I find.

It's true that all the gas stations all get their supplies from the same refinery, but the additives they use and the formula they decide to blend does/should make a difference. No matter what the marketing or the gimmicks are, I'll still use only premium gas for my $50,000 vehicle...I'd rather play dumb if I'm actually getting ripped off than take the risk of harming my engine. If I had a baby, I'd feed him/her Gerber baby food(only the best)...none of that no name Food Basics stuff!!!! LOL

Evitzee

Once octane reaches the optimum point for a particular engine/operating condition adding more octane will not improve mileage or performance as the engine is operating at peak condition. You are just putting it out the tailpipe. It's thermodynamics and chemistry. But the oil industry has sold this idea of high octane superiority over the years, and it is ingrained in guys DNA.

The whole ethanol industry is one that is not worth addressing at this point as it is charged with too much emotion for rational dissection. History will prove one way or the other if it is dead end or the breakthrough many believe it is.

Why would the MANUFACTURERS get together to form a Top Tier Gasoline brand? Here's a quote directly from their website, "The intention of the TOP TIER Detergent Gasoline standards is to create a winning situation for gasoline retailers, auto manufacturers and drivers." I postulate that the 'driver' part of that sentence plays a pretty small part in its creation. In simple terms, it's just more marketing. Gasoline is a commodity, but if you can start selling it like a boutique water or wine it makes it more valuable, TO THE INDUSTRY'S BOTTOM LINE !!

"I figure the higher the octane, the better." ----- Pure supposition on your part and not proven by thermodynamics and chemistry.

"It's true that all the gas stations all get their supplies from the same refinery, but the additives they use and the formula they decide to blend does/should make a difference." --- Again, 'should make a difference' is just supposition. I'm in the industry, and the EPA specs are so tight and inflexible, especially with the boutique fuels some jurisdictions require, that there is very little leeway for a particular marketer to fiddle with 'the additive package'. Any difference would be extremely slight and almost would never be detected by the owner or the engine.

Agree that we should be using Premium gasolone for our engines, no argument there. But be a smart consumer.

"If I had a baby, I'd feed him/her Gerber baby food (only the best)...none of that no name Food Basics stuff!!!!" ---- Ah, you are hooked on brand marketing. Remember a few days ago when Peter Pan Peanut Butter (I think that was the brand) was recalled for having salmonella? Not only was Peter Pan recalled but also a deep discount house brand of PB was also recalled. Why? Because they came from the same vat and batch. Peter Pan is a premium product and you pay for it, but in this case the cheapee brand was THE SAME AS THE PREMIUM BRAND. The same principal applies in gasoline marketing.

I use the brand of gasoline sold by the company I work for because I get an employee discount. But if I didn't get the discount I'd search for the station that is most convenient to my travel, and has the best price. Where companies place their stations is well crafted and thought out. Some companies put them on certain corners based on traffic patterns, competition, etc. which is why you'll see some locations prices higher than a station across the street or down the block. It's to maximize the profit for a particular location. They know that most people shop price and convenience, we should do the same.

AFE712

I agree with Evizee for higher octane than what the engine is tuned for is useless. If not, then the engine have a problem.

And to tell the difference between brands, any difference in driving (think wind, traffic, temperature, etc.) will make more of a difference so we won't be able to tell.

I've been told in a survey that "V-Power" is only a name put over the same Shell mix.

What I try is to go to stations where 91 octane is sold so water does not accumulate in their tanks. I see some place where everybody takes regular. Do you think I should'nt care about that? I care also about Ethanol...

LexusNut13

When I got my Lexus, I filled up at Esso, 91 Octane, and I would get a rotten egg smell from the engine. I took the car in to Lexus to have it checked out, and they asked me where I fill up gas. When I told them Esso, they recomended that I avoid both Shell and Esso.

I have since been using Sunoco 94, and never had this problem again. I am not sure about the performance differences, but there is deffenitly a difference.

chromerl

'Evitzee' you made some great points! and I agree with you to a certain extent

But like 'Sarorn' said I rather play dumb and give my car what I consider to be the best gasoline.......maybe just a psychological thing.


I have a video that I will post made by the automotive show Fifth Gear, where they do a test between different fuels from different companies...and there is a large difference in performance for the higher performance cars used on different fuels.....stay tuned

mort

I use Sunoco 94 almost exclusively. The beast just seems to run a bit better with it in the tank, and have used it on every vehicle I have had for years. Perhaps I have myself convinced it works better, but none the less, I am convinced it does.

250-awd

I actually did a test with Shell, Sunoco, Esso, and Petro Canada when I got my car. My preference would be Sunoco just because they are everywhere but I did find that Petro Canada did give me approximately 10% better fuel economy. The test was done in the summer and I did 2 full tanks with each brand, alternating between tanks (1 tank at esso, 1 at sunoco, one at shell..... another one at esso, etc). In the winter however, i do find that i get such horrible gas milage that it makes no difference but my preference will always be Petro Canada. For me at least, there is a very noticable difference in gas consumption.

neova

I'm always interested in hearing opinions on this topic. Some people will swear by certain brands of gasoline based on heresay, without ever having factual proof.

Our engines are designed to work on OCT 91 gas. As simple as that. If we use anything lower, like 87 or 89 OCT, our engine is programmed to retard timing in order to prevent detonation. That means theoretecally you can run on 87 OCT but the engine will not perform as well due to the timing being adjusted for the poorer burning characteristics of teh lower OCT fuel.

Vice versa, it does not work the same. Our engine is not designed to advance timing to take advantage of the better buring, higher OCT fuel - not unless you reprogram the ECU to do so.

Back to the original point. Some of you claim better fuel economy using one brand of gasoline over another, and some of you claimed that certain brand "smells funny" while the problem isn't there with other brands. None of this is backed by factual information, and I doubt your experiement is properly controlled in a real world environment to substantiate your claims. And about ESSO gas giving funny rotten egg smell I haven't experienced it and even if it was true what does it have to do with actual performance of the gasoline? The smell may affect your perception that it is an inferior quality, but again you need facts.

Until someone comes out with an actual study proving one is better than the other, save yourself from over infactuating with certain believes based purely on heresay and just pick the gas station that is convenient to you.

Cheers

phatboyc

Good to know Sunoco was just added to the TopTier Gas list. It's about time. I was starting to wonder if they ad enough additives in the gas.

I don't know which is better out of Sunoco 94, Shell 91 or Petro Canada 91. But that is the only gas I currently put in.

LexusNut13

Hi Neova.

The egg smell is disgusting bottom line. Just because you didn't experience it doesn't mean it didn't happen. And the fact that Lexus recomended that I not use Esso anymore also says something.

The bottom line is I filled up with Esso 91 twice and both times I got the smell, when I fill up at Sunoco, I don't get the smell. That is a fact!