gasoline - at the pump differences

[acranox]

Well, I'm still in the middle of some subjective tests. I used Mobil for a long time (I live and work and play in the greater Boston area) but then switched to Shell. I noticed a significant drop in MPG with Shell, however there are other factors (different commute, weather change) that may have caused that. I'm going back to Mobil this week, and after a few tanks of that we'll see if I get better mileage.

I also, just for kicks, used 93 octane in my 87 Accord this last tank, and I think I've noticed a decrease in power output. I won't really know until I go back to the 87 octane.

I always get thrown after a fill up because adding 12 gallons of gasoline is over 70 pounds, and so the car always feels a little slower (it is an old Honda without a lot of power), but I think it's just the weight.

--Peter

 

[edhackett]

DEWFPO said:

Chevron has people go out and sample fuel randomly and regularly to make sure that the Chevron fuel are indeed to spec with all the appropriate additives for the specific octane.


I can attest to that. A couple of years ago when we had the first round of gas price increases, where gas approached $2.00 a gallon here, there was a pretty good gas war going on. One of the participants was a truck stop that sold Chevron gasoline. Testing showed that they were buying cheaper, non Chevron gas. They lost their franchise on the spot. The pumps were shut down, and all Chevron signs covered. They had to get set up with another franchise.

Ed (A big fan of Chevron products.)

 

[Bluestream]

A friend's father drove a gas tanker truck for Imperial Oil (Esso) for 25 years. He
told me the gas for Sunoco, Esso, Shell all came from the same refinery, the
only difference was in the additives that were put in the gas. At one time
the driver would dump the additive from a jug into the tank, but sometimes
they would forget to do this. Later the oil companies started to put the additives in at the refinery with each oil company using there own additive. After the truck had been
emptied, there were still 35-40 gals of gas left in the truck. If he
happened to be near home he would drain out this extra gas and stored it in
45 gal. drums in his garage. He soon had more gas than he could use and had
to buy boats and snowmobiles just to use it up. About 10-15 years ago the oil
company found out the drivers were getting this extra gas, and changed the
way they measured what went into each truck. For the last 5 years he worked
for Imperial, he had to buy his gas like the rest of us.

[ November 08, 2003, 07:20 PM: Message edited by: Bluestream ]

 

[mikep]

quote:

---

Originally posted by DEWFPO:
All gasoline sold here in the US has to meet API specs (for a given region and octane rating), it can come from different crudes, and be better than the minimum spec but has to at least meet the minimum spec.

The biggest difference is in the additive package. Depending on the ownership of the terminals and who they sell to. The additives (such as Techron for Chevron) are added at the terminal when it it loaded into the tanker for delivery to a Chevron station.

That same terminal may sell Chevron API spec fuel to Stinky's gas station but if Stinky's is not a Chevron branded station, that load WILL NOT have the Techron added to it.

Chevron has people go out and sample fuel randomly and regularly to make sure that the Chevron fuel are indeed to spec with all the appropriate additives for the specific octane.

They are liable by law to make sure it is so.

DEWFPO

22 yr Chevron 'retiree'

---

Excellent info and thanks for the post! I really wish Chevron still had a good presence here in northern, NJ. Over the last 10 years it seems most of the Chevron stations have changed to other brands.

Do you happen to know if Texaco fuel also contains Techron given the merger of CHev/Tex?

Mikep

 

[Ken2]

quote:

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Originally posted by mikep:

Do you happen to know if Texaco fuel also contains Techron given the merger of CHev/Tex?

Mikep

---

Texaco branded stations won't sell ChevronTexaco fuel until July 1, 2004. Until that time, Texaco branded stations will have Motiva gasoline (Royal Dutch/Shell & Saudi Refining). Texaco stations in this area are being rebranded to Shell, unless there's a Shell very close nearby, then they're becoming Chevron.
http://www.chevrontexaco.com/news/press/2002/2002-09-16.asp

In the Puget Sound area, we have refineries owned by Motiva, ARCO (BP), 76 (ConocoPhillips), Tesoro, and one independent, U. S. Refining.

So, does our Chevron fuel come from pipelines or local gasoline with Chevron additives? How about Exxon fuel? And the supermarket & discount store gasoline...Safeway, Albertson's, QFC/FredMeyer (Kroger), Costco, Wal*Mart????...low bid sources?


Ken

[ November 11, 2003, 10:28 PM: Message edited by: Ken2 ]

 

[Holden McRoin]

I know a driver of fuel trucks, he says it's common for a station owner to offer a bribe of $100 to fill the additive tanks with regular gas.
Also, Mobil/Exxon was caught willfully producing a bad formula in their Linden,NJ refinery!

 

[Holden McRoin]

You know chemically Techron is nothing more than naptha and kerosene. It's not this amazing panacea you guys are so sold on.
Look it up:

http://householdproducts.nlm.nih.go...ds&id=3012001&query=Fuel+System&searchas=type

 

[jason07-1zzfe]

That's not Techron. Try again

 

[Holden McRoin]

quote:

---

Originally posted by Jason Troxell:
That's not Techron. Try again

---

They make like three different price bands, all advertising Techron as an ingredient.
This ProGard has it listed and has the same ingredients listed by Jimbo above.

 

[Jimbo]

You can look at the MSDS at chevrontexaco.com. It appears that the active ingredients are 1,2,4 Trimethylbenzene and Dimethylbenzine (Xylene). Stoddard solvent and and other ingredients are carriers.