Top Tier gas - has this been done before?

[Velocity Blue GT]

I always use Shell 93 in my 2019 GT. Shell 87 for my 2017 Escape. After many years of switching brands, I settled on Shell a number of years ago.
The Escape gets the best mileage with Shell out of other brands.
So I figure while I don’t care about mileage in the Mustang, the added cleaning agents will certainly help it in the long run.

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[ice445]

Here in a higher altitude area, the highest octane is 91. Wish it was 93, but it never has been, or I haven't seen it anywhere in this area.

It doesn't exist, trust me I've looked Some stations carried it for a very brief time many years ago, but it didn't last long. There's a Shell station in Provo that still has 93 buttons, but it's just a lie.

Only one reason why there's lower octane at higher altitudes.

At higher altitudes, the atmospheric pressure is lower compared to sea level, which means there's less oxygen available for combustion. As a result, engines produce less power and run leaner (with a higher air-to-fuel ratio).

Engines lose about 3% of their power for every 1,000 feet of elevation gain.

Modern cars have no issue maintaining stoich at altitude and will just increase ignition timing and boost (if applicable) to find the knock limit. You can't fully compensate for the lower air density, but you can still mostly max out the fuel's limits trying. 85 is really just in higher altitude areas because it's cheaper, and it's been used for so long.

Just one of those goofy things. 85 really isn't fit for anything but a lawn mower, but most regular cars will still run on it. I sure as hell wouldn't run my car on it though. Even 91 barely gives any extra timing advance before knock over what it's already trying to run to compensate for the power loss.

 

[ShadesOfBloo]

We do so many things to help performance and keep our Mustangs running great so who pays attention to the quality of gas other than Octane? It's interesting to find out many of these ubiquitous brands are not rated Top Tier (google it). Yet there are many brands in your area probably. For a V-8 engine I surely want the best quality fuel with cleansing additives in my 'Stang. Others?

Yeah, I put Top Tier gas in all my cars, since about 2010. The Mustang, the Evo with 22+ psi of boost, the 1980 Datsun that dynoed at 43hp...

I was amazed to find that BP, as expensive as they were, didn't make the top tier list.
Well, one day they did but that turned out to be temporary. And after the Deepwater Horizon fiasco I didn't want to give them my money, regardless.

Here in a higher altitude area, the highest octane is 91. Wish it was 93, but it never has been, or I haven't seen it anywhere in this area.

Depending on your altitude, 91 octane is probably fine. California's problem is they're capped at 91 for the whole state.

I was worried about when I drove my Evo to New Mexico, and I remember the gas stations in the mountains that only had 91 octane. (And the one in Cloudcroft that I think was 86/88/90)

Then, with a tank of 91 octane at over 5000 feet of altitude, the Evo pulled like it had found its happy place.

 

[robvas]

I was amazed to find that BP, as expensive as they were, didn't make the top tier list.

They just don't pay for the sticker...

Does bp's gasoline meet TOP TIER™ detergent gasoline standards?
All grades of bp and Amoco gasoline with Invigorate® exceed TOP TIER™ detergent requirements and provide enhanced benefits to our consumers, such as cleaning your engine,9 that TOP TIER™ fuels do not.

 

[ShadesOfBloo]

"Top tier fuel" is more than just a sticker. Additives matter because the fuel burns cleaner and keeps carbon deposits low. I avoid places like QT and circle K for that reason.

Also, people conflate additives and Octane. They are two separate things.

Those people say the premium fuel gets the better additives, because it was actually like that at one time.
Like, 1981, when "premium unleaded" was new and not all gas stations had it.

Now there are younger people believing it, when it hasn't been true in their lifetime.

 

[ShadesOfBloo]

Does bp's gasoline meet TOP TIER™ detergent gasoline standards?
All grades of bp and Amoco gasoline with Invigorate® exceed TOP TIER™ detergent requirements and provide enhanced benefits to our consumers, such as cleaning your engine,9 that TOP TIER™ fuels do not.

Yeah, that's what they say. They also said their oil rig was safe. Then, when it wasn't, they said it wasn't their fault all those people died.

They also said they'd get it under control in a few days, and then I was in Afghanistan in late 2010, seeing Deepwater Horizon on the BBC and going "It's been 6 months! How the hell have they not stopped the spill?"

I'm gonna be skeptical of BPs propaganda for the rest of my life, and I'm not gonna take their word for that their additive is anything but an employee pissing in the fuel.

 

[robvas]

Those people say the premium fuel gets the better additives, because it was actually like that at one time.
Like, 1981, when "premium unleaded" was new and not all gas stations had it.

Now there are younger people believing it, when it hasn't been true in their lifetime.

It's true at Shell, premium has V-Power which are better additives than the other grades.

 

[sox3]

When I was blending fuel at Sunoco the premium got a better additive package. We had our own auto lab that used employees cars to research fuels and packages.
On a side note, Our additives came from Exxon!

 

[K4fxd]

And after the Deepwater Horizon fiasco I didn't want to give them my money, regardless.

Don't believe everything you hear or see on the news. 'specially movies.

They also said they'd get it under control in a few days, and then I was in Afghanistan in late 2010, seeing Deepwater Horizon on the BBC and going "It's been 6 months! How the hell have they not stopped the spill?"

Fact is it would have been fixed in a few days but they were not allowed.
Another funny fact is if they had moved that camera 30 degrees to the right you would have seen natural streams of oil spewing into the gulf.

Ask yourself, how did all that oil get cleaned up so fast?

I'm gonna be skeptical of BPs propaganda for the rest of my life, and I'm not gonna take their word for that their additive is anything but an employee pissing in the fuel.

I have no knowledge of BP's additive pack.

 

[Garfy]

and Costco is rated Top Tier from the Top Tier website. I guess no surprise. Sam's/Walmart is rated poor.

Sam's & Walmart aren't rated "poor"; they're just not on the top tier list. Sam's gas is fine in HI as I used it for years with no issues and the gas comes from the same single refinery on Oahu. Here on the mainland it's a different issue so I strictly use Sinclair, Costco, Chevron, etc. all of which are on the list; I just watch their prices and fill accordingly. I won't use Walmart/Sam's on the mainland as I have no idea where the gas comes from.

 

[moby4dick]

89 is mixed at the pump. It is a blend of 93 and 87 in my neck of the woods.

I never understood 89. “Regular” was always 87 and premium was always minimum 91, preferably 93. I remember Sunoco used to have 94.

 

[sox3]

I never understood 89. “Regular” was always 87 and premium was always minimum 91, preferably 93. I remember Sunoco used to have 94.

Go back to the 60s when Sunoco had thier Custom blending pump. 190 was 87 octane and 260 was 97.5! They brought out the 94 Ultra in 1983 octane just to market the highest octane unleaded fuel.

 

[Mach Daddy]

Sunoco now switched from 93 to 94 at least in South Jersey about a month ago in my area.

 

[GregO]

Sunoco now switched from 93 to 94 at least in South Jersey about a month ago in my area.

What’s the ethanol percentage ?

 

[Mach Daddy]

What’s the ethanol percentage ?

No idea just noticed and cared about the octane rating. The attendant said they just changed it to 94 a month ago.

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