Always pump 93 at costco in Texas,

 

With those of you familiar with the brand "Flyers", would you consider that top tier gas? I went to Costco to gas up before shopping there and after I came out of the warehouse, I noticed a tanker with the Flyers logo on the truck. I know it could just be the truck delivering Costco top tier gas but I just wanted to see what the forum's input is on this.

As for the article, did they use the same single engine and test one gas after the other or did they use 6 of the same engine to test simultaneously? It would be interesting if they picked an engine that commonly suffers from the carbon build-up issue and tested the different gas to see if it made any difference.

 

well according to AAA, but i digress... CR just did an article on AAA's investigation is seems.

and if 'top tier' includes

seems there aren't many 'non' top tier gas stations out there... if someone goes to bubba's gas stop then sure they don't know what they're getting.

 

also they only sample 3 top-tier and 3 non top-tier? seems like a ludicrously small sample.

 

The other thing about top tier fuel , is that the detergent package must be the same across all the grades of fuel. So if you buy 87 or 93 octane. You still get the same detergents. Places like shell try to make one think that the premium has more detergents though.

 

That depends on the brand, and that company's policy. Some companies DO put more detergent-additives in the higher-grades of gas then they do the 87 octane. They do that, of course, because they charge more for the higher-grades.....so you're not only getting more octane, but more detergent as well.

That doesn't mean that higher-octane gas, however, even with more detergent, is actually better for an engine IF it was designed to run on 87 octane. Higher octane than an engine is recommended for can, in some cases, despite better protection from knocking/pinging, affect drivability and cause hard starting....it has a different vapor-pressure than lower-octane fuel.

The solution, IMO, is for companies to put a good dose of detergent in ALL of their grades of fuel, from 87 through 93......but good luck getting that to happen, short of Federal legislation.

 

So? .........AAA is certainly a credible organization, with the welfare of its members in mind.

That's probably because, nationwide, there are simply too many of the Smiling-Sam cut-rate rate brands to list....seemingly everyone nowadays from grocery stores to 7-11 to places like BJ's Club and Costco has their own brand of cheap gas.

 

This should tell you what you want to know:

http://www.toptiergas.com

The top-tier detergent standards themselves were developed by eight of Eight of the world's largest automakers. Chevron's Techron has long been one of those most highly-rated detergents.

 

read top tier gas .com to be certified top tier, they must put the detergent package across all grades. In the faq.
Is TOP TIER™ only for premium gasoline?

No. TOP TIER™ fuel marketers use TOP TIER™ for all octane grades of gasoline sold at their stations. So all grades provide enhanced cleaning power.

Gasoline retailers selling the licensed brands listed below must meet the high standards of TOP TIER™ Detergent Gasoline.

In addition, all grades of gasoline sold under the licensed brands listed below must meet the high standards of TOP TIER™ Detergent Gasoline.

Furthermore, all retail locations within the US (including US Territories) and Canada which carry the licensed brands listed below must meet the high standards of TOP TIER™ Detergent Gasoline.

 

Yes, all grades/octanes, at least with top-tier brands, get at least some detergent additive. I think you and I basically agree on that....there's no need to argue. The problem is that higher-octane gas, wth some brands, get MORE detergent...even when the higher-octane itself is not needed.

 

I would rather just know what the 2nd Tier or low Tier gasolines are that they tested against so I can avoid them as much as possible instead of a list of Top Tier gas's.

I normally fill up at Kroger because it is close and at a good price, never had any issues, I read it was "top tier" gas. I also use Redline fuel treatment every 2 years just to be on the safe side.

 

Although all three BP-branded gasoline grades treated with the company’s proprietary Invigorate additive have always exceeded the TOP TIER standard for detergency, the company formally joined the program on June 24th.

I would rather see a list of the companies that fall short of this "standard", if there is such a thing, than just a list of supporting members.

 

I remember when BP joined the list. They pretty much said they decided to pony up. In addition to any benefits, Top Tier has a strong marketing program.

 

This is a great forum because imho it's always two-sided. I am on the side that no, it's not worth it, but yes, I use it, thanks to Costco (I remember the days on my other forum, you drive a BMW and get gas at Costco? You don't deserve a BMW--for real.).

But with BP, I cite the BMW paradox. I've got a 2007 335i. With the manuals, there was an insert, BMW recommends Top Tier gasoline. Then, under the hood, on the filler cap, BMW recommends Castrol Motor oil.

Castrol was owned by BP, yet they are not recommending BP gasoline (full disclosure I got shares after the spill on the cheap), which at the time, was not top tier.

Today, they no longer recommend Castrol (which I use for DIY, 0W40 Edge Euro which is LL-01 approved), but have switched to Shell. Isn't this all politics? Kind of like the Car and Driver 9 Best list, with the Honda Accord being a permanent member?

 

I'm really hoping that Cumberland Farms and Wawa will follow in the footsteps of Kwik Trip and Holiday. 99 cent coffee and top tier gas, I can't think of a better, or equal, hope in the world. At least Top Tier is open about callling them "licensed" brands.