Gas Brands
 

So for the longest time I was dying to ask...
Does gas brand matter?

Like arco and shells? Do they really make that big of difference or is it worth your money?

I really want to know!!! Any experts opinion?

We're all experts in this forum! :tiphat: I didn't find any difference between 91 or 94 octane nor with different brands in my Z. However, I did find a difference with different brands in my '76 'vette. Same octane but different brands may or may not cause the engine to ping while under a moderate load such as going up a hill.

BP/Amoco, Chevron/Texaco, Shell, Sunoco, and Mobil are perhaps the big 5 of the major gasoline brands. All of them have quality fuel, given proper quality control is place (and this is very crucial). Lower octane is not as good for an engine as premium, for the most part. Of course this is just a general statement. Some cars are tuned to run on lower octane, but inherently suffer shorter engine life than cars tuned for higher octane. This is because of the cleaner combustion and the subsequent carbon build-up. Using too high of an octane can scorch the inside of the combustion chamber. What you choose to use is up to you and for most people, they will fill up with whatever/whoever is cheapest. For the Z, just use premium fuel, whether it be 91 or 93/94, and get it from a quality station like the aforementioned companies.

That pretty much sums it up.

Anyone try 100 octane racing fuel in their Z? Safe to use?

Shell VPower is what I use.

lol i didnt know there was something after 91... lol... i just put premium because thats what it says on the car... lol... but do u guys recommend any certain brand? like one of my friend only uses 76...

use any of the ones i mentioned and you'll be fine. some people swear by certain brands, but you can basically take any of the names i listed, put them in a hat and draw one and you'll be satisfied.

oh yeah, we have 87, 89, and 93 hear in florida. we skip 91 for some reason...

is like 93 better quality then 91? anyway what are these numbers mean? 87,89,91, and 93?

Meh, it's all hype.

I just go to the local station that has the best driveway for lowered cars.

Check this out, or just google "octane rating":

http://www.google.com/url?url=http:/...S-p3lg&cad=rja

I'm a Ferrari F1 fan, I bank at Shell....

starting today i will only gas at shells, mobile, and chevron... so I am assuming arco is really horrible? even though its the cheapest?!

*shrug* I just go to Hess because its the easiest one for me to get gas at. It's also the cheapest in my area and I have a Hess card so I get like 3% back.

ARCO is BP gas, so they are probably fine. I grew up in Washington and went to ARCO all the time.

just be wary of the age of the station. many older stations may very well have old fuel containers and pumps, making it easier for water to get into. Many companies require stations to have their tanks removed and replaced with new ones every few years. As far as hess goes, i'd never use them because, in my area at least, i cant even count how many customers ive had that say their car was running fine until they filled up at hess. they ended up with water in their fuel.

do any gas brands NOT dilute with 10% ethanol? that would be a reason to go there.

I haven't seen pure gas for a long time. I can't even remember when 10% became the standard blend.

Yeah, that sort of thing probably varies from location to location. I've been using this same Hess station for years, both this car, and my car before it, never any issues.

what does costco use?

costco sells gas?

From what I found out, you get 10cents off per gallon at Shell gas stations if you type in your Ralphs card number. I fill up at Shell in SD, and it's like the same price as arco (after the 10cents discount).

You can add my uncle's X-terra to that list. Filled up at a Hess station in New Jersey because the price was so cheap. The next day, the car had to be towed and gas tank pumped because there was water in the fuel line.

I usually look for the newest gas station and always go with a major brand. Too many shady people these days.

Here in the UK running with 98 RON octane rated fuel, which is 93-94 AKI / PON octane rated fuel in the US

It became standard a few years ago after the big ethanol explosion, what a crock that was...:shakes head: ethanol is HORRIBLE for cars, even in small doses.
Got that right.

My Z has only drank shell vpower, i got one within walking distance to my house so I just fill it up there.

Shell v-power for my G and FX. Hell i even put it in my lawnmower and snowblower

that's good stuff

2nd that. I use the same stuff. Fill up at the same gas station, same pump every time.

The answer: Yes, on the basis of purity --> Top Tier Gasoline

Same here.

RALPH's CARD NUMBER? What is that?

I'm using chevron or shell for couple of years already since my last Lexus is350. Even mod the car have no problem at all.