Top Tier fuels, I think they work

Joined
Apr 3, 2008
Messages
17
Location
Raleigh NC
So, I had been using a generic gas, mostly Hess and Speedway for many years because of the reward points. I notice that on the car, Mazda GDI turbo that I had to run FI cleaner through it about every 6 months because I noticed a rough idle and slight hesitation. After a couple of tanks with the cleaner all back to normal. Then a couple of years ago I got a new truck, Chevy GDI and got better fuel rewards at a station that had Top Tier fuels. I took both the car and the new truck there and have not needed to add any FI cleaner, it’s been almost two years. Both vehicles, Mazda 196K and the Chevy 18K run great and have not noticed a rough idle or hesitation or any other symptoms of slightly clogged injectors. They both run great. So, I do believe that the Top Tier fuels work as intended. I will continue to use them. Anybody else?



garyoNC
 
Harris Teeter, grocery store. Has BP on the pumps. I just checked Top Tier and they are no longer listed as a member. I just emailed them to see what's up.

garyoNC
 
I've never used off brand/no brand gas to any extent. My vehicles have always maintained a good idle, etc that would be affected by bad fuel or deposits. I've ran PEA, etc through the gas from time to time and never noticed any difference at all.

A couple years ago I did my first engine replacement. The engine out of my vehicle had 156k miles on it and the valves had no mentionable buildup at all. The used engine I bought with (supposedly) only 86k miles had a LOT of buildup on the valves. I don't know what kind of fuel the previous owner used, but my engine, having used top tier fuels almost exclusively, had very clean valves compared to it.
 
and got better fuel rewards at a station that had Top Tier fuels. I took both the car and the new truck there and have not needed to add any FI cleaner, it’s been almost two years. Both vehicles, Mazda 196K and the Chevy 18K run great and have not noticed a rough idle or hesitation or any other symptoms of slightly clogged injectors. They both run great. So, I do believe that the Top Tier fuels work as intended.
Harris Teeter, grocery store. Has BP on the pumps. I just checked Top Tier and they are no longer listed as a member. I just emailed them to see what's up.
Oooof 😳

Seems like a placebo effect, huh ?
 
Is WM/Murphy gas considered a top tier gas? I have been using it in my truck for almost 2 years now. My trucks engine runs like a Swiss watch. You can't even hear/feel it running. There is NO hesitation, pinging or knocking, it gets great gas mileage, and awesome acceleration.
 
Thought I had included the link:

Also membership is voluntary, it's just an official way to say "hey, we meet the cleaning additives as suggested without fillers". I'm sure there are a lot of stations that use gas that does have the proper cleaning additives without belonging. AND ya, I'm sure two years can be attributed to the placebo effect.

garyoNC
 
Some one correct me if I am wrong but I thought that auto manufacturers were the ones to suggest the standards for Top Tier because the min govt standard didnt go far enough in newer engines. If thats the case then I am sure it is not a placebo effect in all engines and must bring some benefit. I cant say that running TT gas has made my car and truck run without issue but since its the same price as all the other stuff why not.
 
it's just an official way to say "hey, we meet the cleaning additives as suggested without fillers". I'm sure there are a lot of stations that use gas that does have the proper cleaning additives without belonging.
I think it's BP and one other major that bailed out of the TT program and said it was "cost-related" and I don't think it's the cost of the additives, it's the cost of membership. In turn, they likely don't get enough add'l business for it.

Given the competitiveness of fuel prices and the fact that TT stations aren't higher-priced than non-TT stations (in my experience), they aren't going to pay more for fuel and have to sell it for less margin.
 
Does anybody know what kind of additives they put (if any) in E85? How does it compare to gasoline?

As far as I know, that would be required to have the EPA minimum. However, the places where I've seen e85 it was specifically noted as being "unbranded" or of a specific brand. For example, there's a Valero station near me, but the E85 pumps are separate and note that they're marketed by a company called Propel Fuels.

Not sure what happens with some places that sell branded E85 like Shell where the company is considered Top Tier. However, E85 isn't marketed as "gasoline" so that might not require anything beyond the EPA minimum.

 
I think it's BP and one other major that bailed out of the TT program and said it was "cost-related" and I don't think it's the cost of the additives, it's the cost of membership. In turn, they likely don't get enough add'l business for it.

Given the competitiveness of fuel prices and the fact that TT stations aren't higher-priced than non-TT stations (in my experience), they aren't going to pay more for fuel and have to sell it for less margin.

BMW used to recommend BP fuels by name. As far as I can tell, their US "Invigorate" additive is made for them by BASF, as there are a couple of different additives with that name listed on the EPA website.
 
Chevron with Techron is the only way to fly. "Seems" to run better than Sam's gas in my Camry and get fractionally better mpg. Does not "pay" for the price differential. 87 Octane.
 
BMW used to recommend BP fuels by name. As far as I can tell, their US "Invigorate" additive is made for them by BASF, as there are a couple of different additives with that name listed on the EPA website.
But according to this list BP is not in the TOP TIER branding. Must not have wanted to pay for licensing. Although it has Invigorate® – a cleaning agent that helps defend your engine against dirt to give you more miles per tank.

TOP TIER™ Detergent Gasoline Brands
 
Does any well-known fuel station brand not advertise that their fuel includes add'l detergents, additives, etc, above what the EPA requires ?
 
Does any well-known fuel station brand not advertise that their fuel includes add'l detergents, additives, etc, above what the EPA requires ?

Valero was like that for a long time. And lots of “brands” don’t really market their fuel as anything special other than meeting all regulatory requirements.
 
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