What influences your gas purchase?
 

After looking at the preliminary results of the lawn mower fuel brand experiment it looks like the difference in gas performance is minimal between brands. It got me thinking about who is profiting from the gas. Would it effect where you would buy your petro looking at it from a political point of view? Where is the company headquartered or how much oil they import from Middle East. Would that affect your decision or is it just FE and price? I think that all companies import oil from the Middle East but some quite a bit more than other. The biggest importers would be the major oil companies. Shell, Chevron/Texaco, Exxon/Mobil, and Amoco. Then you have companies that are headquartering in Venezuela (Citgo) and Britain (BP Phillips). That leaves the US companies of Sunoco, Conoco, and Sinclair. I know that this is not all the oil companies and I know it a complex situation but where would you buy your gas?

I've been thinking about
 

I've been thinking about this a lot lately. It appears to me that most gas is the same. in places like Vegas all gas is brought in on the same pipeline and then distributed to different retail locations. I'm convinced that additives do nothing significant except raise the price.

Here in utah you can get a discount on your gas if you buy your groceries at Smiths (grocery store) and then bring your receipt to the Smith's/Conoco gas station. I think I'll end up saving like 3 cents per gallon, which adds up over time.

The downside of this is that I have to drive an extra few miles to get to this gas station. There is a 7/11 right by my house and I usually always just get gas there.

I think convenience is usually key for gas stations, which is why they are everywhere.

I need to start using the gasbuddy website and finding o ut where the cheapest locations are in my area.

Would anyone like a feature on gassavers that updates once a day and lets you know where the 5 cheapest gas stations are in your zip code?

Re: I've been thinking about
 

Yes please!

Re: I've been thinking about
 

I'll add it to the list. :)

I just get my gas from the
 

I just get my gas from the cheapest Shell or Chevron station. The are 2 Shell stations that are cheaper than most stations by my house. The drive there and back is 6 miles. They usually sell gas 8-10 cents cheaper per gallon. Plus the fact that I have a gas card cashback so everytime I refuel I get 5% back. So it all adds up to savings for me.

Re: I've been thinking about
 

You hit it - I stop to fill up at whatever gas station is closest when I am about to run out of fuel, regardless of price. Call it laziness, but in the end, even a 7 cent price difference (which comes to about 77 cents after a fillup) won't sway me to another station even slightly further down the road.

I am with dax on this one.
 

I am with dax on this one. I just go where ever. I the price at one place is really high i will go to another gas station.

All of the gas in this area
 

All of the gas in this area comes from the Colonial Pipeline and the closer the gas station is to one of the pipeline's terminals, the lower the price is (on average). I get the cheapest gas along the routes that I normally drive, and since gas prices in SC are about 15 cents less per gallon than those in NC, I try to avoid ever having to gas up in NC. That's where the 500+ miles range of my car helps.

If anyone ever has any gas
 

If anyone ever has any gas questions, feel free to ask me. I work for an oil company.

The break down on gas is this:

It all comes from the same place, no matter if its Chevron or some mom and pop place. The only real difference is the additive. ALL gas has additive, its required by law, but there is a difference in the additives. Branded gas (chevron, shell, 76, etc) has a higher quality additive than non-branded so you are kinda getting what you pay for.

As for the best way to keep your engine the cleanest... If $$$ doesn't matter... use your favorite branded gas for 3-4 fillups, then switch to some other branded gas for one tank, and then back to your fav, the different additives will help clean up what the other one left behind.

As for whos making the most money? Any oil company that owns a refinery... its illegal to sell gas for less than you buy it for (safeway got in trouble for that), but if you sell the stuff to stations you own... it really doesn't matter where you make the money, no matter if its at the pump or at the rack.

Re: If anyone ever has any gas
 

Can you send me some gas?? i doubt they will notice a couple drums of gas :)

Re: If anyone ever has any gas
 

I wish I could! All we get is a $.07 discount... lame.

Re: If anyone ever has any gas
 

That's fukked up. I get more discount with my credit card LMAO.

Influences my Purchase...
 

I'd say the biggest influence on my gas purchase is how close to "E" I am.

Seriously, I buy QuikTrip because it's a local company, they're almost always the cheapest, and their additives have earned them Tier 1 status. I know it's pretty regionalized, but I they're expanding. The have stations all over here, so it's pretty convenient.

RH77

Re: Influences my Purchase...
 

Wow, they really got Tier 1... do you know if they are just using some other Tier additive or did they engineer their own? I've always wanted our company to engineer its own additive, but the ROI just isn't worth it.

I don't think most people are very savvy when it comes to their knowledge of gasoline or its additives.

Re: Influences my Purchase...
 

Right, for the most part people think "Premium is the good stuff" with the extra additives and the other grades are "whatever". QuikTrip's slogan has always been "Guaranteed Gasoline", and they put the additives in every grade. My wife's family has used them for like 20 years and has never had a fuel-related problem. Now the guarantee is if the gas causes some sort of failure, they'll pay for it, but of course you have to prove that you always use QuikTrip and that the failure was caused by their gasoline -- but still people eat it up. Speaking of eating stuff up, they've also taken the convenience store to the extreme. Inside they have Soda dispensers galore and 99-cent refills in their 40-ounce permenant mug (plus decent coffee with mixable flavors).

I'm not sure of their additive structure, but I'm sure you know the Tier 1 list. Beyond that, I'm one of those people that doesn't know a whole lot about gas contents. I do know that Xylene is basically the basic ingredient to increase the Octane rating, so back in my Evo days, I would mix my own fuel with 87-Octane and some pure Xylene from Sherwin Williams.

I used to go to Sunoco because of the 94 octane available, then Texaco which turned into Shell (all of which aren't Tier 1). On my old Chevy's I always had a rough idle (even after a month of having one brand new) and fuel injection issues (maybe common for the make). My Dad likes Marathon (Ohio company) because they don't add Ethanol or many additives at all.

I'm sure it's company confidential not to reveal your oil company, but lately it seems they might want to re-look into the return on additives, maybe for at least the "Premium" variety.

RH77

I wouldn't want to reveal my
 

I wouldn't want to reveal my oil company either, IF I worked for one.

The premium does have the good stuff but some cars can't use it due to Direct ignition. Some people that do need it for turbo, or any kind of forced induction just advance the timing at the dealer(Direct Ignition) or if they have a distributor they advance their timing.

Some cars with the right timing and premium gain some hp. I've even heard of altimas getting 6 more hp with premium and advanced timing.

I get my best mileage with 87. Also using premium for a car that was designed for 87 will get a carbon build up. My stock compression should be 178 in all 4 cylenders. I'm at 190 in all 4. This is what happens when you use premium when you're suppose to use regular.

I don't understand what
 

I don't understand what you're saying about turbos.

when the price is right at
 

when the price is right at chevron...

although now that i just found out they boched EV's... time to look for another company to rely on my refueling needs.

Re: I don't understand what
 

Premium is needed for turbo cars.

I know, but what're you
 

I know, but what're you talking about with the timing?

with the right timing and
 

with the right timing and premium a car that used to run on regular can gain some power.

But why would you advance
 

But why would you advance timing for boost?

Re: I wouldn't want to reveal my
 

It is possible to gain some HP from premium fuel in a car that only requires 87, because premium fuel does contain more power in the same amount of fuel as 87. It takes longer for the fuel to burn, this is why you need to advance the timing to get a possitive effect, otherwise its a total waste. This is why you get better mileage with 87, you've effectively advancing the timing (as compared to running 91). So unless you've changed the ignition timing, run the recommend fuel rating, otherwise you're tossing money away.

Also, using premium fuel should have NO effect on your compression readings.

then is why my compression
 

then is why my compression going up?

my gas purchase is based on credit card rewards. my favorite is shell, so that is what i use most. prices are no issue in my area. they all are very competitive except for sam's and race track, and i won't buy either of those!

incidently, i tested most of the gas in my area, and have concluded that shell gives the best value(mpg yield). sadly, chevron, i thought was better, but both stations near me closed.

Hooray for old bumps!

Carbon buildup?

no question. i don't see how premium fuel could contribute to carbon if that was the presumed connection.

is it too late to change my screen name to "bump meister?"

I wasn't suggesting that premium fuel contributed to carbon buildup, just that carbon buildup might explain the increased compression.

totally w/ ya. my thought was that compaq888 MIGHT be drawing that conclusion.

same here, convinience to get into the station (like an easy right turn to get in and a right turn to get out) is a major key. price somewhat is. in my hometown area certian stations are routenely higher than others while some are the cheapest. i try to go to the cheapest one but not a big deal if im not heading that way

A few factors for me...

The local BP is closer but the owner is a jerk so I drive past that to the Shell since both are on the way.

The Shell is full service but I normally do it anyway and the BP is "we won't get off our butt for you" level of "service"

Prices are about the same within a cent or two so the Shell gets my business.

There is another fairly close by but in the opposite direction but getting in and out is a real pain. There never seems to be a "flow" in that place. People drive in from any which way so you end up with cars back to back , front to front or whatever takes their fancy on the day.
Don't normally go there either.

Pete.

I have been known to leave a station without buying gas if they don't have pay at the pump. Since all stations here have E10 I shop mainly by price. If i was in an area where ethanol free fuel was available I would probably get it as long as the price was somewhat reasonable.

-Jay

EDIT: I forgot to mention... I have been boycotting the Shell station a few blocks from my home because all of their signage is in Spanish. I feel if they can't have ANY signs in English then my business must not be important to them, and I buy gas at the Getty station. I also will not purchase 7-11 or Citgo fuel unless absolutely necessary.

We purchase almost all of our gas at a local mom & pop station/store. They sell Sinclair and it is pure gas. No E10 or booze gas. We do pay more for our fuel. Any where from 5 to 15 cents more per gallon than QT, Kum & Go and others that sell the booze gas. The folks we purchase from do make 4 to 5 cents a gallon. By law they have to make a profit. But the law does not seem to affect the other vendors that seem to sell at a lose leader. You can check the wholesale fuel prices in the paper daily. Many are selling fuel below the wholesale price. But the local DA and the idiots in OKC don't seem to care.

It used to be what's convenient, but lately, the more I learn about Chevron's Techron, the more I've become a Techron fanboy. I only fill up at Chevron now unless I'm on a trip and there's no Chevron around, and frankly, the Chevron station is only barely out of my way. Plus, at least around here, Chevron (and even Exxon!!) are very competitively priced.

I as well stay away from Citgos and 7-11's because of the Venezuela connection...easy because we have no 7-11's and the last Citgo in town that hasn't shut down since Chavez is way far out of my way.

I have a Business American Express Card from Costco.

I get a 5% refund on my petrol, regardless where I purchase it. However, Costco always costs less than the surrounding stations.

Gasoline is all almost identical, regardless the refinery.
What make a gas 'different' is the company's additives, which go in as the tanker truck is filled.

Because all gas has to meet minimum government mandated standards, it seems to me the best plan is to buy the cheapest gas.

Why? Because I have tested, using each vehicle I've driven, and never measured any improvement in performance using either a 'major brand' or higher octane.

In fact, I have usually lost a couple miles per gallon, using Premium in a non-premium vehicle.

Marvin definitely had a preference, +/- 10% of Canadian Tire gas, but I'm about equidistant from 3 different refineries, so I may get more variety here. Wile-E seems to like Petro-Canada best, but it's not quite so night/day as Marvin's preferences. The terrible tempo that I was driving for a while liked Sunoco above all, That could get 29/30 on Sunoco, and was down at 24-27 on anything else and ran like crap. Neither Wile-E or Marvin seem to like Sunoco, and feel like they run poorly on it. Marvin also seems to get another 5% on midgrade, but there's usually more than a 5% price difference. I did fill him a few times on it when gas was $1.30 a litre here, because then the difference was 2 or 3 cents. At the moment it's like 7 cents. Premium does worse than regular though.

Come to think of it, haven't had Sunoco in Wile-E since I did mods, so might try it again.

The Shell station here always has horrible gas, dunno if it gets water in or what, worst mileage of any I've used. On the road away from home I'll always try to use Petro Canada, Pioneer, Esso or Canadian Tire gas.

Several years ago when I was in the UK Elf petrol always seemed the best in the cars I had. They were sponsoring the F1 Williams Renault team at the time, and the fuel had to be pump fuel.

I haven't seen a Chevron station in ages. They all disapeared about 15 years ago. I remember my 1980 Pontiac wagon used to love Chevron. Only with Chevron in the tank would it spin the wheels.