JimiRayClapton

As you know from my prior posts I've got some hefty miles on my allroad. I've never had anything but high test in my tank but I was wondering if one brand is better than the next. One of my dealers favors Exxon and Mobile and another dealer suggests that I use Exxon or Gulf. Both tell me to avoid no-name brands.

Is there really a difference in terms of keeping the engine clean? From a mpg standpoint they all seem to be at parity.

InternetBrands

In years past (previous cars) i've had trouble with others, most notably with Arco. Symptoms were rough running, reduced power, lower mpg. This was much worse when we had the winter formulation gas inflicted on us (no longer).
No Exxon or Gulf around here.

Nebuchadnezzar

I keep an eye out for 76 cuz in SoCal, you get 92 there, others are 91

Misplacedyankee

My friend used to work for a consulting firm in which he managed gas truck logistics. he told me don't bother with brand loyalty because it just doesn't matter. One gas truck serviced many brands - everything from the no-name to the big names. He also said that many of the trucks would pump all sorts of different octane grades into the different wells (never in a negative manner). So the 89 octane might be 93 (but rarely is 93 89). He said it is all a bunch of BS and a big marketing scheme and it is cheaper to just have one turck service many brands and they don't care about getting the right octane into the right well.

When you think about it it makes sense. I couldn't imagine the big oil companies going out of their way (or spending anything extra) to make sure their brand fuel is sent to their stations. ALSO take a look at the tanker trucks nowadays -- how often do you see a logo on the side? Just something to think about. I trust him and he convinced me not to care.

yzf996fltri

Busy station, premium fuel, that's the best odds you have at quality gas.

TXTurbo

What makes branded gasoline (Shell, Exxon, Texaco, etc.) different from unbranded (Walmart, Albertsons, RaceTrak, etc.) is the additive package. In general, the additive packages for all the majors are very similar and they do make a difference in keeping your engine clean. Unbranded gasoline has either a generic additive or no additives at all. This won't effect you're mileage but it won't keep your engine as clean either.

The recommendation below to use a high volume station is good because that ensures you're getting gasoline that hasn't been sitting in the station's tank for a long time. Sometimes at very low-volume stations water condensation in the tanks or lines can be a problem.

Also, although it's true that a truck may pull up to an Exxon terminal for a load of gasoline to be delivered to a Shell station and the trucks used for regular deliveries are the same ones used for premium deliveries, no one would intentionally pump 93 octane into an 89 tank. 93 is too valuable. You may get some upgrading of 89 if the truck's previous load was 93 but only very minimal.

TARH2O

Since I work for Shell I try and buy Shell gas when I can. If I can't find a Shell station I'll go with Chevron. I've used Texaco and Exxon but my mileage has been the best with Shell and Chevron gas.

Troy H

and allows no "outsider" trucks is Amoco.