Quality of Buc-eyes gas station fuel?

Due to their incredible volume (120 pumps), I speculate Buc-ees uses a wide variety of suppliers, probably taking whatever is available to them at the moment, then its all mixed up. Franken-gas.

Franken-gas pretty much describes the majority of the fuel that's sold. Most gasoline is transported by pipeline as unsegregated deliveries. It's like depositing to a bank, where the cash that's withdrawn will not be the cash that's deposited. The fuel itself is a fungible commodity where it can come from a random delivery or possibly mixed from several deliveries of fuel of the same commodity grade. Even the big, vertically-integrated companies, unless maybe a gas station is really close to a refinery. And even then it's who cares?

It really becomes more of a logistics exercise to make sure that however much of this or that grade is available for customers. For the most part they'd prefer to move fuel as little as possible and the customer knows enough that it doesn't matter as long as it meets the commodity specs.

It's possible to get segregated deliveries of a specific fuel, but that costs extra. As much as some people want to believe that there's something super special about this or that fuel from a specific refinery, the industry frankly doesn't care.

Mostly what "brands" a fuel is the detergent additive, but even then it's possible for different fuel marketers to use the same ones. However, I suspect that Buc-ee's probably just pays for whatever generic additive is available at the fuel depot. There is no requirement that they have their own proprietary additive nor that they exceed the EPA minimum requirement.
 
My grandpa said the same thing. Only thing that's different from name brand gas and no name gas is the additives and those are added in at the terminal when they load the truck.
 
People always claim the local krogers has water in the fuel. No telling though, lots of people don't know what they're talking about
Those same people think water and gas mix together. While a bit may mix due to the ethanol in there…it ain’t a problem fee way to increase your profit.
 
Those same people think water and gas mix together. While a bit may mix due to the ethanol in there…it ain’t a problem fee way to increase your profit.
I find it hard to believe gas station owners are actually sticking the garden hose in the fuel tank.
 
People always claim the local krogers has water in the fuel. No telling though, lots of people don't know what they're talking about

Not the water here. Not enough additives in the fuel. Cheap out so folks can save a 1.00 a gallon. My Cobalt used to hate their gas- and would run better anywhere else.

Put some in my Trax last week- it used to be okay with it, but this week it’s been a bit off.

Rather pay more and get better gas.
 
In the past - Truck drivers posted that the truck load gets treated with each companies recipe during that loading.
 
I’m sure it’s good. I’d run it. I am in NY so I don’t have a horse in this race.
 
I find it hard to believe gas station owners are actually sticking the garden hose in the fuel tank.

It wouldn't make any sense. They all have water detection filters, which slow down the pumping of fuel if there's lots of water. Besides that, overloading gasoline with water is going to result in rapid phase separation, which could kill an engine in rapid order, and that would likely have enough people to trace it back to the gas station.

The one thing I have heard of is gas station owners/managers asking fuel delivery drivers to make a false record of the delivery. Something like being delivered premium when it was regular. I've heard most drivers will say absolutely no since they're common carriers and can be held individually liable for a false record. But regular instead of premium might be a little harder to detect than water in your fuel.
 
In the past - Truck drivers posted that the truck load gets treated with each companies recipe during that loading.

There generally isn't a recipe other than the detergent additive. And not every fuel seller has its own additive. I understand most racks have a generic additive available, and the independents usually ask for that. Even some brand names might do that. I heard Valero basically did that before they participated in Top Tier.

The other thing is that a lot of the brand names have been sliced and diced. Phillips 66 is now a refiner and fuel marketer (Phillips, Conoco, and 76), but they split off from ConocoPhillips, which is now just an oil exploration company. Valero as a refiner is now separate from the Valero fuel brand, which was purchased by Alimentation Couche-Tard.
 
There generally isn't a recipe other than the detergent additive. And not every fuel seller has its own additive. I understand most racks have a generic additive available, and the independents usually ask for that. Even some brand names might do that. I heard Valero basically did that before they participated in Top Tier.

The other thing is that a lot of the brand names have been sliced and diced. Phillips 66 is now a refiner and fuel marketer (Phillips, Conoco, and 76), but they split off from ConocoPhillips, which is now just an oil exploration company. Valero as a refiner is now separate from the Valero fuel brand, which was purchased by Alimentation Couche-Tard.
Well, that and the various EPA mandated regional formulations to achieve certain clean air goals. Oh, and summer vs winter blends.

So you have the additive recipe as well as the base formulation based on season and regional EPA requirements, IIRC.
 
Well, that and the various EPA mandated regional formulations to achieve certain clean air goals. Oh, and summer vs winter blends.

So you have the additive recipe as well as the base formulation based on season and regional EPA requirements, IIRC.

Sure. But the base is still usually a commodity that is the same for every tanker that loads that grade at the same rack.
 
My neighbor used to drive a tanker truck. He told me depending on where he was delivering that day determined what additives would be added to the load before he left.
 
Sure. But the base is still usually a commodity that is the same for every tanker that loads that grade at the same rack.
Certainly. My point is there is more than one variation of the commodity. Different racks may start with a different base depending on the factors I cited.

Not denying your point, expanding on it.
 
I've bought at Buc-EEs once or twice when traveling. Couldn't tell any difference. I rarely drive beyond a six mile radius from home anymore. I fill at Kroger. Depending on RX refills combined with normal shopping the fuel discount is 60c-$1 per gallon. Never a problem. If I ever do travel again I'd fill at Buc-EEs without a second thought.
 
Its not top tier and doesn't make any claims as far as detergency.
Otherwise the quality should meet all expectations.
 
Certainly. My point is there is more than one variation of the commodity. Different racks may start with a different base depending on the factors I cited.

Not denying your point, expanding on it.

Of course commodities have variations where they can meet the specification but can also be tested to be slightly different. But it's "good enough" that base fuel of the same commodity grade goes right into the same storage tanks to be commingled.

Certainly around where I live, I can't be sure that all the fuel comes from the same tank, as there are are just way too many fuel terminals around here. But it shouldn't matter since the base fuel is highly regulated. I guess there's a misconception that getting caught for cheating is rare, so maybe they have an incentive to cheat. But the consequences for getting caught could be severe.

I'm pretty sure there are people who just want to believe that the premium price they're paying for some brands means more than just a detergent additive.
 
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