Best brand/type of gas

[Baiter]

I've been logging gas mileage on both my vehicles for a few months.  The data is slim, but I suspected there is a difference between brands of gas, and grades of gas, so here it goes...

One car I have to run premium, so it's a fairly straight forward test.   Mpg between Costco, Shell, and Chevron were very similar, only varying a fraction (28.9, 28.6, and 28.4, respectively) and Chevron was only one tank.  Hess, on the other hand was 26.0, a 9% decrease in performance.  That makes it easy to price shop, and also requires that Hess be 10%+ cheaper than everyone else to make it worth stopping for.  it is generally a tad cheaper, but I suspect not enough.

On the second vehicle I've been varying places and grades, so I don't have enough samples to come to any conclusions except for one: premium Shell gasoline gives a 6% mpg increase, but at an extra 15% cost, it looks like I should stick with regular.

I've heard that different cars prefer different gasolines, but I still  want to confirm the Hess test on the second vehicle to see if Hess is an inferior gasoline as the first car indicates.

[number six]

I've never sat down and really thought about it. I know my Trans Am is picky. It has to be a major brand (Shell, etc) as the small / indies must use dirty gas or something because it causes the engine to run really awful. Fuel economy is a joke to start with in that car so i never really check that.

The scion is a dirty whore and will gladly accept anything with only a slight variance in results (29-32mpg) which is more likely dependent on road factors versus gas.

I refuse to buy gas at Citgo (Hugo Chavez) or Exxon (they still haven't paid up) or now BP (just because)

[Yosho]

My guess is that any difference you pick up between brands is probably due to the amount of ethanol mixed into that stations supply... just a guess though.  I know on long trips every now and then I'll come across a station that doesn't have ethanol in it - nice to get that extra 40 or 50 miles on a tank.

[Baiter]

Ah ethanol, that sub-standard "fuel" made at large cost with government subsidies?  Gotta love the big corn lobbying machine.  Can't wait for the 15% ethanol coming to a gas station near you!

[HammysHangout ( Hammy )]

i started using mobil 1 0-50w weight "green top" oil, and gained a good 1 mpg )

[Mamushka]

Ah ethanol, that sub-standard "fuel" made at large cost with government subsidies?  Gotta love the big corn lobbying machine.  Can't wait for the 15% ethanol coming to a gas station near you!

That's funny, I blame the greenies for forcing this on us. Perhaps it's both

Interesting read here:

http://beta.edmunds.com/fuel-economy/e85-vs-gasoline-comparison-test.html?articleid=120863&

Got to love the overall 25%+ reduction in fuel mileage when running e85. Funny, never noticed that info on the pump.

[HammysHangout ( Hammy )]

i own a fox body with a ford motor sport crate motor, and 4r70w transmission, all custom, programmable EEC and programmer transmission controller, i read into to figure out what has to be done to the a/f tables to run e85, you have to run a ton more gas to use it., so even thought the gas is cheaper, you  probably end up spending the same amount.

e85 gas is on average right now $0.50/gallon less.

Using the like Mamushka posted, average gas usage is 4.8mpg less.

so,
a trip of 1000 miles w/e85 gas would cost you: $178.44 (@ 2.40 Gallon )
a trip of 1000 miles w/normal gas would cost you: $158.47 ( @ 2.90 gallon )

gas price grabbed from here: http://e85prices.com/

but that's the cost of being green...

until they can get solar panels into the 90+% efficiency range, we will always be depended on fossil fuel.

[Baiter]

yea ethanol isn't very green:
     corn ethanol requires 29 percent more energy to produce than the fuel generates

Nor does it give us energy independence
     even if all U.S. corn and soybean production is dedicated to biofuels, it would only meet 12 percent of the country's current gasoline demand around 6 percent of the diesel demand.

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/pf/6203419.html

One has to give them props for trying alternative fuels,  but at this point corn ethanol doesn't look very promising and any lobbies or government incentives to continue down that path looks to be misguided.

[freakandgeek]

I've never sat down and really thought about it. I know my Trans Am is picky. It has to be a major brand (Shell, etc) as the small / indies must use dirty gas or something because it causes the engine to run really awful. Fuel economy is a joke to start with in that car so i never really check that.

The scion is a dirty whore and will gladly accept anything with only a slight variance in results (29-32mpg) which is more likely dependent on road factors versus gas.

I refuse to buy gas at Citgo (Hugo Chavez) or Exxon (they still haven't paid up) or now BP (just because)

Come on...you have got to admire Hugo Chavez. He is doing great by his country and had the balls to call Bush a devil in front of the world. "And it smells of sulfur still today!" How can you not chuckle at that.

I avoid Exxon and BP though. With you on those...

 - Kevin

[Dr Zero]

If you drive down hecksher drive in jacksonville you will see all the different brand fuel trucks lined up at the same filling stations.

I watched a Florida Rock tanker go from one station to the next filling their tanks and they were different companies also.

There is not much difference in the fuel anymore it all is crap, the ethanol blend is bad for fuel economy and cost more in the long run to use.

http://www.stopbuyingcrap.com/stop-buying-crap/brand-conscious-buying-3-gasoline/

http://books.google.com/books?id=rBMbqu0tSCkC&pg=PA22&lpg=PA22&dq=gasoline+tanker+trucks+different+brands&source=bl&ots=Uswet-h1sn&sig=vzJRLu_feN3RqKdShkRovBXt6YI&hl=en&ei=q70sTcHZL8yVnwfs4c2wDA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=7&ved=0CC8Q6AEwBg#v=onepage&q=gasoline%20tanker%20trucks%20different%20brands&f=false

[number six]

Come on...you have got to admire Hugo Chavez. He is doing great by his country and had the balls to call Bush a devil in front of the world. "And it smells of sulfur still today!" How can you not chuckle at that.

WTF i hope your joking.

[Turboderf]

I say lets go burn some gas  

[Baiter]

There is not much difference in the fuel anymore it all is crap, the ethanol blend is bad for fuel economy and cost more in the long run to use.

http://www.stopbuyingcrap.com/stop-buying-crap/brand-conscious-buying-3-gasoline/

This article seems to confirm my tests that most gas is the same, but no mention of any exceptions... as with my Hess example don't be too sure all gas is equivalent! 

[k7]

i think Hess gas is Hess gas.

down here, i can tell you Majestic, Texaco, and Shell are all serviced from the same fuel company (chevron as well, but i've seen it live with texaco/shell/majestic). and majestic is considered "crap" gas, and Shell is a "premium" gas...makes you laugh.

i will not buy Mobil ever. it is always a higher cost down here. and Ethanol sucks. it kills fuel sending units.

i buy cheap ass gas. i don't care if Chavez pumps it himself into my cheap ass car.