Is this true?

[John K]

Great posts. I suspect the additives are in the ppm range, (?), so double the concentration may not be very significant. Years ago, before the EPA mandated a minimum detergency level, you had to buy premium in many areas to get decent detergent action. I had an 83 GM 4- cyl that was idling really rough. It had throttle body injection, and I looked at it with the air cleaner cover off. The fuel was not spraying evenly, it was dribbling. I added a tank of Premium fuel, and shortly thereafter when I checked it the fuel was spraying a fine, even mist. I figure that TBI has one large injector, if you have a small engine with individual injectors then they will clog even easier. EPA stopped the gas companies from advertising better detergency with premium fuels and mandated the LAC. So I have always kept an eye out for rough idle to signal that I might need to run some premium. In recent past I have never bothered to use premium unless it was the required octane by the manufacturer. FWIW

 

[jsharp]

quote:

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Originally posted by Shannow:
If the additives were non-combustible, then you'd be running lean. Super lean, and no pinging anyway. But only on open loop, not closed loop. Mileage would be attrocious.

But the additives are combustible, and to get the octane rating to pass the testing, the overall package must have whatever the advertised octane rating is.

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My thoughts too. If the fuel meets its octane rating it does it as the final mix of fuel and additives, not just fuel.

 

[widman]

It was on this site that we learned that all grades of Chevron gas no contain the same amount of Techron. Bob has the basica pretty well covered with the theories, and if had hours I could relate the dozens of cases where Techron has cleaned up piston deposits and injectors. When I can find their gas I buy it, but most of the time I have to buy Techron alone.
Anyone who says it does not work is really not knowledgable and discredits his other statements with remarks so far off base.

 

[Gary Allan]

Great post Bob!

Now let me burst a few of our bubbles here. If you live in a given region ....ALL the local terminals, whether it be Amoco, Chevron, etc., grab their gas off the same pipeline. The only difference is the additive packages blended before distribution AT THE TERMINAL.

There was a decent documentary on this either on the History Channel or the Learning Channel. That's why you see the most ABUNDANT use of ethanol in the midwest where stocks of the stuff are regionally available. The PLUS grades of gas are CHEAPER than the REG grades due the cheap addition of ethanol. Although it raises the octane rating ...it also has less btu's per liter (as was mentioned).

Raw refined gas is a comodity ..just like electricity. It's refined in a limited number of refineries and dumped on to only a couple of pipeline networks (depending on your region) like TransCon. The Sunoco refinery at Marcus Hook, PA isn't going to dedicate (pay for) pipeline transmission of ONLY its product to some terminal in Omaha NB for that termial's capacity. That is, the Shell/Sunoco/Mobil/Chevron/Exxon gas at the pump MAY OR MAY NOT have actually been refined in the parent companies refinery.

Gas is generic in the pipeline. It only gains any "character" at the terminal.