So called "top tier" gas more a gimmick??

[flinter]

Is the use of the so called "top-tier" gasoline more of a gimmick and marketing hype, or can
a vehicle really benefit from it over the long term?
I mean doesn't all gas come from the same refineries and all the same these days?

 

[Astro14]

It's a way to ensure detergency greater than EPA minimum...

Depends what you're driving.

The 23 year truck gets whatever...but usually Shell...which is top tier...from my neighbor's station.

The Twin-Turbo V-12 gets ONLY top tier. The few pennies per gallon that I might save with cheaper gasoline are not worth the risk of future maintenance required on that engine/fuel system.

 

[Maximus1966]

Top Tier is a total farce. There is NO enforcement, therefore NO compliance. Gasoline is a fungible commodity, sold and transferred at will. The savings in transportation costs alone prevent distributors from assuring that any station gets a particular "brand" or mystery additive package. In today's energy environment you are lucky to even get the octane grade you think you are buying.

 

[fdcg27]

You've opened a classic trolling thread here, whether that was your intent or not.
IMHO, there is no systematic difference between brands that pay to be part of the "top tier" promotion and those that don't.
You really have no way of knowing if what you're buying at an independently owned branded station is the real deal or not anyway.
Your best bet is to buy gas from a high volume station, since the fuel will then at least be fresh.
High volume stations are also cheaper.
That's why they're high volume.
You could then use a top tier fuel system cleaner once a year or so, to clean out any nastiness left by any tank of fuel you might have bought.
I've been driving for a number of years, and I've never seen any problem related to fuel used in any car we've ever owned, gas or diesel.

 

[Falken]

I just buy all the time at a nice new Shell station.

Then every tank of gas I add 2 oz. of TC-W3, and before each oil change I run some Regane.

Not much else you can do.

Keep all your bills and go to the same gas station. If there is ever a class action lawsuit, at least you'll get a cut of the settlement.

Most people just toss away their receipt.

 

[zloveraz]

Originally Posted By: flinter
Is the use of the so called "top-tier" gasoline more of a gimmick and marketing hype, or can
a vehicle really benefit from it over the long term?
I mean doesn't all gas come from the same refineries and all the same these days?


Recommend you do some reading: http://www.toptiergas.com/faqs.html

 

[SF0059]

The best thing you can do is fill with ethanol free gas. Available where I am at, but hard to find in some places.

I will take pure fuel any day over that containing ethanol with an additive pack.

 

[antiqueshell]

Originally Posted By: Maximus1966
Top Tier is a total farce. There is NO enforcement, therefore NO compliance. Gasoline is a fungible commodity, sold and transferred at will. The savings in transportation costs alone prevent distributors from assuring that any station gets a particular "brand" or mystery additive package. In today's energy environment you are lucky to even get the octane grade you think you are buying.


Completely FALSE.

Top Tier tests it's fuels at random to make sure that suppliers are actually delivering what they claim to and adhering to the
Top Tier standards.

It is NOT about the base fuel, it is about the detergents. It makes all the difference in modern cars and trucks.

 

[gregk24]

I will only use Top Tier gas in my Accord. There is a 4 year old shell station 1.4 miles from our house so I always use that station. I throw in a 20 oz. bottle of Techron before each oil change so Im sure everything fuel system related is in good clean shape =)

 

[Maximus1966]

Originally Posted By: antiqueshell
Top Tier tests it's fuels at random to make sure that suppliers are actually delivering what they claim to and adhering to the
Top Tier standards.


Completely FALSE. As the former owner of three c-stores, and having sold several "Top Tier" brands at one time or another, I can assure you there is no widespread testing. I never met a tester and none of my suppliers ever heard of one. If the marketing hype gives you some comfort, feel free to purchase the "brand" of your choice.

 

[D.K.]

Originally Posted By: antiqueshell
Originally Posted By: Maximus1966
Top Tier is a total farce. There is NO enforcement, therefore NO compliance. Gasoline is a fungible commodity, sold and transferred at will. The savings in transportation costs alone prevent distributors from assuring that any station gets a particular "brand" or mystery additive package. In today's energy environment you are lucky to even get the octane grade you think you are buying.


Completely FALSE.

Top Tier tests it's fuels at random to make sure that suppliers are actually delivering what they claim to and adhering to the
Top Tier standards.


It is NOT about the base fuel, it is about the detergents. It makes all the difference in modern cars and trucks.



You are the one wrong. It is a self testing and reporting system. Again there is no random testing of additive or fuel suppliers.

 

[beast3300]

Well, around here (Akron) there are a handful of brands. The BPs, Marathons, Speedways, Circle K and many mom and pop get filled by "North Canton transfer" which is a Marathon distributor. There is a local grocery store gas station that gets mostly unmarked tankers. And the 3 Shell stations around me, get Shell tankers from Youngstown. Just with that info alone I like buying a brand that is the brand. Granted there might be additive differences perhaps.

At any rate, Shell does me well. Every car I own has clean intake and exhaust valves. I always look when I have the intake manifold off or exhaust manifold(s) off.

 

[Garak]

Whether you "believe" in Top Tier or not, it's certainly not much of a marketing gimmick. How many Top Tier stickers have you seen on pumps? How many commercials have you seen with respect to it? Any print ads? Radio ads? Prominent placing on oil companies' web sites?

The only place I've actually ever heard of Top Tier is here. If it wasn't for BITOG, I wouldn't know it even existed. With respect to oil companies' sites, the only references I've ever come across to Top Tier is if I actually typed that into their search engine.

Up here, Top Tier costs the same as everything else. So, it's a marketing gimmick of which no on has ever heard and costs no one any money. Okay. What a spanking success.

 

[flinter]

Ethanol Free gas is NOT available anywhere in NJ!

 

[aquariuscsm]

The only gas I feel sucks and will not ever use is Race Trac. I bought a tank of QT gas last week (normally runs really well) and it made my engine ping really bad any time I put my foot in it.

 

[TTK]

We need a PQIA for gasoline.

 

[jimbrewer]

Originally Posted By: Maximus1966
Top Tier is a total farce. There is NO enforcement, therefore NO compliance. Gasoline is a fungible commodity, sold and transferred at will. The savings in transportation costs alone prevent distributors from assuring that any station gets a particular "brand" or mystery additive package. In today's energy environment you are lucky to even get the octane grade you think you are buying.


Not true. I've seen it myself. Same refinery, sure, but the trucks leaving for the large regional go out the gate but the Chevron trucks stop for a dose of detergent. Its just commodity industrial chemicals, rather than some fabulous miracle ingredient that they would like you to believe it is, but its there.

Furthermore, there is a built in enforcement mechanism. The detergents act as a tracer, so that Chevron, say, can be sure that its dealers are only using their gas. From their standpoint that's probably the main benefit.

My new car's manual is WAY more paranoid about gas quality than engine oil. I can take a hint.

 

[antiqueshell]

Originally Posted By: Maximus1966


Completely FALSE. As the former owner of three c-stores, and having sold several "Top Tier" brands at one time or another, I can assure you there is no widespread testing. I never met a tester and none of my suppliers ever heard of one. If the marketing hype gives you some comfort, feel free to purchase the "brand" of your choice.


No, you are completely incorrect.

You don't think that one of your retail customers might have grabbed a sample of your product when filling up a 1 gallon container for the lawn mower? LOL

I guess you've never heard of secret shoppers...

The retail location will likely never know if a test is occurring/occurred UNLESS your product comes back as not meeting TT standards.

 

[gaijinnv]

Originally Posted By: Garak
Whether you "believe" in Top Tier or not, it's certainly not much of a marketing gimmick. How many Top Tier stickers have you seen on pumps? How many commercials have you seen with respect to it? Any print ads? Radio ads? Prominent placing on oil companies' web sites?

The only place I've actually ever heard of Top Tier is here. If it wasn't for BITOG, I wouldn't know it even existed. With respect to oil companies' sites, the only references I've ever come across to Top Tier is if I actually typed that into their search engine.

Up here, Top Tier costs the same as everything else. So, it's a marketing gimmick of which no on has ever heard and costs no one any money. Okay. What a spanking success.


The Owner's Manual for my 2013 Toyota stipulates the usage of Top Tier gasoline.

That's where I first heard about it.

 

[MinamiKotaro]

I'm not impressed with any of the "top-tier" gas I've gotten. At best, I couldn't tell any difference.

The only one that "seemed" to make my Ion run better was Shell but I just didn't get the mileage I did from Pilot or even Kroger gas, which are both cheaper.

I think I'll just continue to fill up wherever is handy and not worry about what tier the gas supposedly inhabits.

edit: I first heard about top-tier gas when I drove past a Phillips 66 station with "WE ARE TOP TIER" banners all over it.