I came across this in a list of similar threads to one I was viewing, and thought about it some more.
As was noted, Top Tier is really just a performance standard for the detergent additive. They publish the test requirements, so it's not some nebulous thing that nobody can understand. It actually requires a test with an untreated base fuel to ensure that deposits are left behind, and then a test with the detergent additive to ensure that the deposits are heavily reduced by using the additive.
And an accurate ingredient list would be crazy given the nature of commodity fuel. There are hundreds of different hydrocarbons and assorted other things. Besides that, some ingredients can be hidden based on trade secrets. Even in food ingredient listings, there can be things classified as "natural flavors" or "artificial flavors" because they're proprietary. And since it's a commodity that's commingled, there's never going to be any single, accurate listing of what's in there. But at a basic level, it's going to be what one sees in a safety data sheet for fuel.
I looked up a Chevron PDS described as "CHEVRON AND TEXACO UNLEADED GASOLINES (ALL GRADES)". It does have a listing that says it's "100% gasoline" whatever that means. But then they have a hazardous components list.
As was noted, Top Tier is really just a performance standard for the detergent additive. They publish the test requirements, so it's not some nebulous thing that nobody can understand. It actually requires a test with an untreated base fuel to ensure that deposits are left behind, and then a test with the detergent additive to ensure that the deposits are heavily reduced by using the additive.
And an accurate ingredient list would be crazy given the nature of commodity fuel. There are hundreds of different hydrocarbons and assorted other things. Besides that, some ingredients can be hidden based on trade secrets. Even in food ingredient listings, there can be things classified as "natural flavors" or "artificial flavors" because they're proprietary. And since it's a commodity that's commingled, there's never going to be any single, accurate listing of what's in there. But at a basic level, it's going to be what one sees in a safety data sheet for fuel.
I looked up a Chevron PDS described as "CHEVRON AND TEXACO UNLEADED GASOLINES (ALL GRADES)". It does have a listing that says it's "100% gasoline" whatever that means. But then they have a hazardous components list.
COMPONENTS CAS NUMBER AMOUNT |
Toluene 108-88-3 1 - 35 %volume |
Xylene 1330-20-7 1 - 15 %volume |
Pentane isomers (pentanes) MIXTURE 1 - 13 %volume |
Butane 106-97-8 1 - 12 %volume |
Ethanol 64-17-5 0 - 10 %volume |
Benzene 71-43-2 0.1 - 5 %volume |
Hexane 110-54-3 1 - 5 %volume |
Heptane 142-82-5 1 - 4 %volume |
Cyclohexane 110-82-7 1 - 3 %volume |
Ethylbenzene 100-41-4 0.1 - 3 %volume |
Naphthalene 91-20-3 0.1 - 2 %volume |
Methylcyclohexane 108-87-2 1 - 2 %volume |