Gas matters?
01-31-2012, 09:09 PM
#47
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Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: San Francisco Suburb
Posts: 486
Car Info: 07 Legacy GT Wagon
I had forgotten that gas mattered. I used to fill up at 76 religiously and would get 23 to 24 mpg; roughly 310 to 340 miles per fill up. The last 6 months to a year it's been a struggle to get 21 mpg; only getting 250 to 280 per fill up. That's about the same time frame I started filling up at the new Costco in Hayward (corner of Hesperian and Industrial). It was super cheap and on the way to work. After reading this thread earlier in the day I opted to skip Costco and refill at the 76 station I used for years. I'm hoping that gets my mpgs back to where they should be. Lesson learned, cheaper sometimes ends up being more expensive.
02-01-2012, 06:42 AM
#48
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Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: San Leandro, CA
Posts: 3,856
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I used to just fill up at Arco/Costco and call it a day. Now, I'm running Stage 2, and I've developed a bit of paranoia against knock of any kind, especially with our lovely local ACN gas. Is there a higher-quality gas station that you use (or ones to avoid)? Or is it all really the same?
THe only way you could get "bad" gas from a station, is if their moisture vents are not working right, and there is a little too much water in the fuel. Remembering that gas is hydroscopic so it absorbs and bonds with water.
02-01-2012, 08:31 AM
#49
I run 76 always and will continue to use 76. As far as I know, 76 stations are the only ones that have race fuel at the pump. To me that tells me that they are performance oriented which is what I want.
I will admit I have bought Arco a few times, but that's when I was in Bakersfield on my way to Vegas.
I will admit I have bought Arco a few times, but that's when I was in Bakersfield on my way to Vegas.
02-01-2012, 09:08 AM
#50
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Ok - I can't take it anymore... there's a lot of false information here.
<rant>
All Gas in the SF Bay Area is the same stuff.
In California the formula for gas is tightly controlled by the state. This is part of the reason our fuel costs are higher than much of the nation. There are only a few Refineries that service Northern California... they are all in the Martinez Benicia area, and all feed off the same pipelines/transports.
But what about the additives someone yells from the back of the room.
Yes the gas companies have their own additives, and they are in such small doses that the difference between them doesn't matter. Chevron Gas has Techron... a whole 400 Parts Per Million or .0004% of each gallon of gas is Techron.
RE: Single style fuel pumps. I don't have firsthand knowledge of this. However in speaking to my fuel distributor (I work for a large vehicle supply company) he told be that every consumer pump back-flushes at the beginning and end of each pumping cycle. Saying that there is residual gas in the line maybe have been true 20 years ago, but not now. ... He could have been lying to me... but my company never uses anything but regular gasoline so he really didn't have any reason to.
For all intensive purposes, every gallon of gas that comes out of a consumer pump in CA, other than octane rating, is exactly the same.
</rant>
<rant>
All Gas in the SF Bay Area is the same stuff.
In California the formula for gas is tightly controlled by the state. This is part of the reason our fuel costs are higher than much of the nation. There are only a few Refineries that service Northern California... they are all in the Martinez Benicia area, and all feed off the same pipelines/transports.
But what about the additives someone yells from the back of the room.
Yes the gas companies have their own additives, and they are in such small doses that the difference between them doesn't matter. Chevron Gas has Techron... a whole 400 Parts Per Million or .0004% of each gallon of gas is Techron.
RE: Single style fuel pumps. I don't have firsthand knowledge of this. However in speaking to my fuel distributor (I work for a large vehicle supply company) he told be that every consumer pump back-flushes at the beginning and end of each pumping cycle. Saying that there is residual gas in the line maybe have been true 20 years ago, but not now. ... He could have been lying to me... but my company never uses anything but regular gasoline so he really didn't have any reason to.
For all intensive purposes, every gallon of gas that comes out of a consumer pump in CA, other than octane rating, is exactly the same.
</rant>
02-01-2012, 09:28 AM
#51
Ok - I can't take it anymore... there's a lot of false information here.
<rant>
All Gas in the SF Bay Area is the same stuff.
In California the formula for gas is tightly controlled by the state. This is part of the reason our fuel costs are higher than much of the nation. There are only a few Refineries that service Northern California... they are all in the Martinez Benicia area, and all feed off the same pipelines/transports.
But what about the additives someone yells from the back of the room.
Yes the gas companies have their own additives, and they are in such small doses that the difference between them doesn't matter. Chevron Gas has Techron... a whole 400 Parts Per Million or .0004% of each gallon of gas is Techron.
RE: Single style fuel pumps. I don't have firsthand knowledge of this. However in speaking to my fuel distributor (I work for a large vehicle supply company) he told be that every consumer pump back-flushes at the beginning and end of each pumping cycle. Saying that there is residual gas in the line maybe have been true 20 years ago, but not now. ... He could have been lying to me... but my company never uses anything but regular gasoline so he really didn't have any reason to.
For all intensive purposes, every gallon of gas that comes out of a consumer pump in CA, other than octane rating, is exactly the same.
</rant>
<rant>
All Gas in the SF Bay Area is the same stuff.
In California the formula for gas is tightly controlled by the state. This is part of the reason our fuel costs are higher than much of the nation. There are only a few Refineries that service Northern California... they are all in the Martinez Benicia area, and all feed off the same pipelines/transports.
But what about the additives someone yells from the back of the room.
Yes the gas companies have their own additives, and they are in such small doses that the difference between them doesn't matter. Chevron Gas has Techron... a whole 400 Parts Per Million or .0004% of each gallon of gas is Techron.
RE: Single style fuel pumps. I don't have firsthand knowledge of this. However in speaking to my fuel distributor (I work for a large vehicle supply company) he told be that every consumer pump back-flushes at the beginning and end of each pumping cycle. Saying that there is residual gas in the line maybe have been true 20 years ago, but not now. ... He could have been lying to me... but my company never uses anything but regular gasoline so he really didn't have any reason to.
For all intensive purposes, every gallon of gas that comes out of a consumer pump in CA, other than octane rating, is exactly the same.
</rant>
why are you ranting about misinformation and then giving information that's already in the thread.... just curious.
02-01-2012, 09:48 AM
#52
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Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: San Leandro, CA
Posts: 3,856
Car Info: Forester XTi
Lowend: You are right on about 80%. you forgot..
1)Their are 2 different pipeline systems in the bay area, one from cheveron (12" line) and one from valaro (20"), cheveron tends to move their own product depending on what it is and where its bound for. However all other product goes thru Kinder Morgan pipes and Kinder Morgan pumps.
2)THere are only 3 additivies in the US allowed. Federal standard, Techron, and CA state standard (shell as example is just 5x the level of this)
1)Their are 2 different pipeline systems in the bay area, one from cheveron (12" line) and one from valaro (20"), cheveron tends to move their own product depending on what it is and where its bound for. However all other product goes thru Kinder Morgan pipes and Kinder Morgan pumps.
2)THere are only 3 additivies in the US allowed. Federal standard, Techron, and CA state standard (shell as example is just 5x the level of this)
02-01-2012, 09:55 AM
#53
Lowend: You are right on about 80%. you forgot..
1)Their are 2 different pipeline systems in the bay area, one from cheveron (12" line) and one from valaro (20"), cheveron tends to move their own product depending on what it is and where its bound for. However all other product goes thru Kinder Morgan pipes and Kinder Morgan pumps.
2)THere are only 3 additivies in the US allowed. Federal standard, Techron, and CA state standard (shell as example is just 5x the level of this)
1)Their are 2 different pipeline systems in the bay area, one from cheveron (12" line) and one from valaro (20"), cheveron tends to move their own product depending on what it is and where its bound for. However all other product goes thru Kinder Morgan pipes and Kinder Morgan pumps.
2)THere are only 3 additivies in the US allowed. Federal standard, Techron, and CA state standard (shell as example is just 5x the level of this)
side note... how do you think a calendar of huge tattoo'd guys would sell?
02-02-2012, 09:26 AM
#56
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Location: Berkeley, CA
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i think more people are aware that the gas at various pumps are coming from common sources and that the only real difference are the additives.
however, i do strongly believe that our cars, especially the turbo models are finicky when it comes to gas. and whether it's due to additives or not, i do think it makes a difference which station you to go.
when i first bought my car, i went to arco pretty religiously due to price and convenience (it was a block from my place). i didn't know it was gas related at the time, but i noticed the car stopped pulling as well. turbo gauge confirmed that i wasn't boosting over 8-9psi at wot. one day i was pretty low on gas and filled up at a 76, got on the on-ramp and the difference was unmistakable. it pulled like it did when i first test-drove the car.
since then i swore off arco and other "cheap" stations. tried costco for a stint with mixed results and one really bad result so i nixed them as well. now it's almost exclusively chevron and sometimes 76.
however, i do strongly believe that our cars, especially the turbo models are finicky when it comes to gas. and whether it's due to additives or not, i do think it makes a difference which station you to go.
when i first bought my car, i went to arco pretty religiously due to price and convenience (it was a block from my place). i didn't know it was gas related at the time, but i noticed the car stopped pulling as well. turbo gauge confirmed that i wasn't boosting over 8-9psi at wot. one day i was pretty low on gas and filled up at a 76, got on the on-ramp and the difference was unmistakable. it pulled like it did when i first test-drove the car.
since then i swore off arco and other "cheap" stations. tried costco for a stint with mixed results and one really bad result so i nixed them as well. now it's almost exclusively chevron and sometimes 76.
02-02-2012, 10:46 AM
#60
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Here is what I think is going down.
People want to blame the bad gas because it doesnt work with their car. Which is understandable. But my point is.... Your car is always going to run the best on the same fuel / gas station at what you used to get your car tuned on.
You put 76 in your car before you got tuned.. 76 is going to be the best gas in the world after that. If you used Chevron then its Chevron that is the best.
I see this being more and more the case seeing that the gas really does come from a maximum of two places in the bay area. So I think it comes down to what brand of gas your car was tuned on. And of course if you use different gas with different additives your car is not going to like it as much.