Shell says something different. Same proprietary additive at different treat rates. Taken from their V-Power Nitro+ FAQ:
I think you are confusing the marketing of the grade of fuel with the additive used. I personally know of a Chevron in Reno that was shut down and their franchise pulled when a QC spot check showed that they were not selling Chevron fuel(tracers in the additive). The majors take the use of their additive chemistry very seriously.
Ed
Your quote said exactly what I said.
V-power is their proprietary additive in use for their premium gasoline. That’s what I’ve said all along. So, thank you for that.
But it also says nothing about treat rate. A treat rate is X amount of additive to Y amount of fuel. You’re confusing concentration of detergents vs federal standards and treat rates.
Shells exact statement is that their 87 and 89 offerings may contain v-power or equivalent. All of it is top tier approved. Which, aligns with my previous statements. And, should answer your previous question.
And, to the later point - there’s a lot more than additive at stake. There’s credit card transaction fees. Use of branded credit cards. Branding fees. Franchise fees. Etc.
Cheating is a very bad thing all around. It’s not just additive technology. Using a tracer is just an easy way to spot check. A lot easier than reconciliations via receipts.
I’m not confusing anything. If I’m doing a bad job presenting this, that’s on me I guess.
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