While surfing the net, I came across this article:

“My gas isn’t better for your car; it’s just more expensive.”

Oil companies spend lots of money explaining why their gas is better than the competition’s. Chevron’s gas, for example, is fortified with “Techron,” and Amoco Ultimate is supposed to save the planet along with your engine. But today more than ever, one gallon of gas is as good as the next.

True, additives help to clean your engine, but what the companies don’t tell you is that all gas has them. Since 1994 the government has required that detergents be added to all gasoline to help prevent fuel injectors from clogging. State and local regulators keep a close watch to make sure those standards are met; a 2005 study indicated that Florida inspectors checked 45,000 samples to ensure the state’s gas supply was up to snuff, and 99 percent of the time it was. “There’s little difference between brand-name gas and any other,” says AAA spokesperson Geoff Sundstrom.

What’s more, your local Chevron station may sell gas refined by Shell or Exxon Mobil. Suppliers share pipelines, so they all use the same fuel. And the difference between the most expensive brand-name gas and the lowliest gallon of no-brand fuel? Often just a quart of detergent added to an 8,000-gallon tanker truck.

http://finance.yahoo.com/family-home/article/107117/10-Things-Gas-Stations-Won't-Tell-You?mod=family-autos

That may be true, but I filled up at my local no-name in No. Cal three times, and exactly three times my '68 bronco fuel pump went bad after filling up there. Third time was the last - Not sure what they were putting in the gas but it liked to melt rubber. Had no problems with Chevron or Shell.

Also, filled up at ARCO once, and pinged like crazy. Best I could figure was the gas was way old.

My grocery store was giving out Arco gas cards when you bought a certain amount of food. The guy in front of me also said Arco gas made his car ping, so you're not alone. I've been using Chevron for years.

The Top Tier site was down when I posted this:

http://www.toptier.com

Here's another:

http://www.caranddriver.com/features/columns/c_d_staff/larry_webster/your_car_is_a_temple_so_put_in_the_good_stuff_column/(page)/1

-- or --

http://tinyurl.com/lxa7ug

Seems there's enough opinion and/or anecdotal evidence that gas with (at least) adequate detergent is a good thing. Doesn't mean other brands won't work fine, just means 'Top Tier' is guaranteed to have adequate, quality detergents.

OTOH, I ran my '96 Ranger for 112K+ miles, mostly on cheap(er) gas from the corner Rotten Robbie with no problems (it's still going strong), but I knew RR bought surplus gas from the majors. I usually put a TT gas in my BJ8 and Bullitt Mustang, because you won't be able to get cars like these--at least, I won't be able to afford them--in ten years and I want them to last the rest of my life.

My wife uses Cosco in her 4-Runner(v8)and it is fine. My Porshe was running rough and had little of it usual power. The dealer said to use Chevron or comp gas and the power came back in 1/4 tank. They said they got a memo that all German cars need the best quality and highest octaine. I've been using the "good stuff" in the Healey too. It seems to run smoother than on the Cosco stuff. I was told many years ago by the owner of a 76 station that all the gas comes from the same refineries but the additives are added afterwards.
I think we are talking 3 to 4 bucks a tank in a Healey, a very small investment compared to the money we sink into these cars.

I used to inspect fuel depots for hazardous waste regulations in the 1980s and early 1990s. Even then, when there were twice as many independent companies refining and selling gas as there are now, companies would share pipelines and depots routinely. Every depot I inspected (6 or 7, each one of which was a major oil company installation) would have at least a dozen or so different company's tankers filling up there.

This was in the City of Pittsburgh, where there were probably 50 different "brands" selling gas just within the city limits. With only 6 or 7 depots it's pretty obvious that they were sharing product. The best example of that (at that time) was the state of Hawaii, where there were 27 oil companies selling gasoline and 2 fuel tanks in the whole state supplying them.


One exception to this was an independent marketer in Pittsburgh in the 1970s and 1980s (long since out of business) who used to sell off-spec paint thinners from local factories as high-test gasoline. It was perfectly legal then, and possibly(?) even today, because the product met all the (then) specs of "gasoline" and therefore met the definition of "beneficial use" of a hazardous waste.

This might be what happened here, especially if you live in an area with a lot of commercial chemical plants or processors.

Hi Roger. Shell--- Course out here in CA don't make too much difference.

These discussions are always interesting a good chunk of the responses always seem to be "my cars runs like !@#@%^# when I put xxx gas in it" and an equal or so number says it all gets pumped from the same line or truck and they pump from wherever without a problem. I am in the latter camp, never a gas related problem that I am aware of, usually buy whereever is on the way to where I am going when the needle gets low.

Exxon/Mobile, high-test. And while on the subject, wondering if I should be concerned about ethanol content in the gasoline?

Here in Ohio, I use Sunoco..can get the highest octane 94...

As I had once heard there were 4 brands of gas labeled "clean" gas. Two of the stations here in the South that are "clean" are Shell and QT, which I use in my Hundred with no problems.

There was an intresting article in a past Hagerty's magazine about ethanol gas with SU carburators which concluded that no harm would befall them within the normal time the carbs should be cleaned and/or rebuilt.
Bob

I use Shell 93 octane whenever possible.

On this side of the pond - anything I can get my hands on at the time.

Bob