Oil, gas marketing, and stuff...

Should you buy brand name gasoline or the 7-11 stuff? Oil and gas companies spend a lot of money trying to get you to spend extra for brand name fuel.

All gas is supplied by regional refineries. A Texaco refinery does not necessarily refine Texaco gas and put it on a Texaco truck bound for a Texaco station. Major companies contract the local refiners (who do make gas to the purchasing company's specs - say by adding Techroline) then put it in a company transport for shipment. 7-11 gas comes from the same refinery, mixed to their specs - probably close to the same. Decision is up to you...

Found a good website about oil that wasn't trying to sell anything.

http://www.escape.ca/~dbrad/index.htm

Pay special attention to the additive questions and "oil functions".


I use Pennzoil but wouldn't use Quaker State to oil my garage door. Alas, they are made by the same company. After they finish production of those oil brands, who knows, they could can the dreaded Sears oil.

[Beav]

Originally posted by deadeye95
I use Pennzoil but wouldn't use Quaker State to oil my garage door.

I've been echoing the same for years now. Of course I'm operating on experience, not education. I always found the pretty white swirls of parrafin floating on the top of a quart of QS particularly interesting. In Fla. (high hunidity?) we always noticed how QS seemed adept at creating more of a mess inside an engine than most other oils.

Beav

[Aredubjay]

Originally posted by deadeye95
Should you buy brand name gasoline or the 7-11 stuff? Oil and gas companies spend a lot of money trying to get you to spend extra for brand name fuel.

All gas is supplied by regional refineries. A Texaco refinery does not necessarily refine Texaco gas and put it on a Texaco truck bound for a Texaco station. Major companies contract the local refiners (who do make gas to the purchasing company's specs - say by adding Techroline) then put it in a company transport for shipment. 7-11 gas comes from the same refinery, mixed to their specs - probably close to the same. Decision is up to you...

Found a good website about oil that wasn't trying to sell anything.

http://www.escape.ca/~dbrad/index.htm

Pay special attention to the additive questions and "oil functions".


I use Pennzoil but wouldn't use Quaker State to oil my garage door. Alas, they are made by the same company. After they finish production of those oil brands, who knows, they could can the dreaded Sears oil.

I used to be the account rep for a Chevron Distributor. Notice, I said "Distributor." The refineries work with distributors, to distribute the gasoline. The same trucks that left for the Chevron stations, left for the "Quick Mart." I once asked them what their additive "Techroline" had over the other company's additive. They laughed. "It's all the same stuff. We just have different trade names." Was their reply.

I think the two most important things to look for are Octane and Volume. If gasoline sits for a while, it becomes "bad." Therefore, when they get their monthly allotment, they just add good to bad, leaving "half bad" gas. I think it's a cumulative effect. If a station is pumping lots of volume, their gas is always "fresh." Yes, basically, all gas is gas (kinda like there are only something like 3 companies in the world that make Aspirin. There are simply "brand" names of Aspirin -- it's all formulaically the same). Perhaps the amount of "additive" in the various branded gasolines vary, but, basically, it's all the same stuff. 89 Octane is 89 Octane -- 91 Octane is 91 Octane. As long as you use the recommended Octane rating, gas is gas.

Another couple of "little" things to remember: Try not to fill up at a station that is having their pumps filled. Pumping new gas into the tanks stirs up the sediment on the bottom and that trash could end up on your tank. Secondly, does the station where you fill up have ONE hose that delivers all gasoline? Or, is there an individual hose for each grade? It's not a BIG deal, but, if your pump has ONE hose, there's a bit of the grade that was pumped before you pumped yours, left in the hose. If the person ahead of you pumped 89 Octane, you'll get a bit of 89 Octane before getting your 91-93 Octane. Again, not a BIG deal, but, just thought I'd mention it to give the real "paranoids" something else to worry about.

[ensteele]

I have noticed that I do get better mileage with some brands of gas that others. This is consistant, and the gas is usually more expensive. What about fuel with up to 10% alcohol by volume? I have heard that it is not as good for your car. Is this true? I use it with my other beater car, and it is cheaper. Just wondered if anyone had some insight on this. Thanks

The big oil marketing types got to me early, during the "pre-synthetic" era. The impression was that branded oil was special, like the oilfield where it came from gave it special properties - being as oil from individual fields is chemically different.

I worked for Phillips Petroleum in the early 80's (for a brief but spectacular career as a petroleum engineer). The production from our field was sent to Kansas City where it made up 50% of the Trop-artic brand contents. It could be surmised that if there were any good qualities, it could be attributed to "my" oil. They sold that refinery in '82, so I guess if they still sell the Trop-artic brand, its Ashland or Mobil or so in its origin.

Fund a bad NASCAR team for $.01 a quart and get $.02 more in price. Fund a good team for $.02 cents and get $.05 more. Even though I know what they are doing, I still fall for it. When Jeremy McGrath went to Suzuki and could't win, I thought those bikes were crap. Now they are winning again....and I still wouldn't buy one.

I just made a post about this about a week ago. I swear my car runs better and is noticably more responsive when I use 'brand name' gas. My imagination? probably.

-Mike

I swear my car runs better and is noticably more responsive when I use 'brand name' gas


I buy "branded" gas, too. Even though I know the "truth". Sad to say...

Also, my acceptable performance characteristics have gotten lax over the years.....just needs to get me to work and back. Was more picky when I had to get from stoplight to stoplight.

[Beav]

Originally posted by deadeye95
I swear my car runs better and is noticably more responsive when I use 'brand name' gas


I buy "branded" gas, too. Even though I know the "truth". Sad to say...

Also, my acceptable performance characteristics have gotten lax over the years.....just needs to get me to work and back. Was more picky when I had to get from stoplight to stoplight.

That pretty much sums up my sentiments too. I'm trying to live by "If it won't make difference a year from now it's probably not worth it today."

Beav

my understanding about "gasahol" is that it is not as good as just gasoline, that not combined with alcohol refined from corn. i also understand that adm (archer daniels midland if my memory is right about the company name) basically lobbied and campaign contributed congress into mandating this to sell more corn which is used to make the stuff under the guise of making us less dependant on imported oil.

[Ron Mummert]

Secondly, does the station where you fill up have ONE hose that delivers all gasoline? Or, is there an individual hose for each grade? It's not a BIG deal, but, if your pump has ONE hose, there's a bit of the grade that was pumped before you pumped yours, left in the hose. If the person ahead of you pumped 89 Octane, you'll get a bit of 89 Octane before getting your 91-93 Octane. Again, not a BIG deal, but, just thought I'd mention it to give the real "paranoids" something else to worry about. [/B][/QUOTE]


It seems to me you'd need one heck of a long hose to make a difference. Size matters when pumping gas too!
Always good to the last drop!
Ron.