Top Tier gas or regular & Techron

Status
Not open for further replies.
When you say "regular gas", are you talking regular as in 87 octane or "regular" like some offbrand station? Because regular as in octane is still Top Tier if you buy from any of the major brands. I'd have to work pretty hard to find a station around here that wasn't Top Tier.

robert
 
Until the local farmer's coop (Cenex) started having TT, I never used it. Wasn't driving a 40 mile round trip to get it. I probably might not consider TT now except I get a 5 cent discount at the Coop by using their fuel card. So the cost for the TT is the same or less than anyone around me. I never really worried about the TT thing. I do not suffer from an enlarged paranoia gland.
 
Prices are pretty competitive where I am at in Metro Detroit. Prices are generally the same at Top Tier vs non Top Tier. Only difference is sometimes they charge like 10 cents more for credit card payment than cash.
 
We are just starting to see this extra cost for credit fuel - WT heck ? Is Walmart doing that next for bread ?
I grew up with my dad having a monthly gas account. My son is in management with NCR - I know how fast money moves ...
I'm avoiding them as much as possible ...
 
That is what I like about the Coop I use. The fuel card is free. I just pay it monthly when the bill comes in. But they also take 5 cents off the pump price by using their card. And their pump price is comparable to all the other stations in town. It was only that motivation that caused me to use their TT fuel. And it wouldn't even had been that way if they hadn't changed to Cenex branding.
 
They have been charging more for credit cards since at least the early 90's that I can recall here in Southeast Michigan.
 
Originally Posted By: supton
Originally Posted By: SHOZ
E10 gas needs neither top tier or fuel cleaners unless you barely use any fuel.


I know ethanol is a decent cleaner, but I thought top tier added some "real" detergents meant to clean hard deposits?
Bottom tier also contain the detergents.
 
Originally Posted By: a1mfw
They have been charging more for credit cards since at least the early 90's that I can recall here in Southeast Michigan.
The BP credit card I use at BP stations give me a cash discount. Currently $0.10 a gallon after a $100 of purchases until the end of the year. After that I'll start using my Discover card and they give 5% back on gas station purchases for the quarter. This induces beer if purchased in the store
smile.gif
 
Originally Posted By: SHOZ
Originally Posted By: a1mfw
They have been charging more for credit cards since at least the early 90's that I can recall here in Southeast Michigan.
The BP credit card I use at BP stations give me a cash discount. Currently $0.10 a gallon after a $100 of purchases until the end of the year. After that I'll start using my Discover card and they give 5% back on gas station purchases for the quarter. This induces beer if purchased in the store
smile.gif

I should add the only cash or credit prices I see are at the big trucks stops.
 
I use to run the cheapest gas I could find for years. My old 97 Volvo 960 121K miles, the fuel mileage over the years dropped from 29.25-29.75 mpg highway to the mid 26's. I had been blaming the drop on E10 for years.

With a friends recommendation, I threw in a bottle of Techron and switched exclusively to Shell V-Power for a few tanks. The cost was the same or within two or three cents per gallon of the cheap stations.

First tank, within 200 miles the engine smoothed out but I didn't see much increase in fuel mileage at first.

After about two and a half to three tanks of Shell V-Power my mileage jumped up.

Last road trip I took the first week December to Florida I got on average 29.2 mpg round trip.

BTW I don't drive over 65 mph due to wanting decent fuel mileage on a long trip.

I did the same procedure of a bottle of Techron and switching to Shell fuel in my 2010 Prius and

I've seen about 1.5-2.0 mpg increase in my highway mileage after a few tanks.

If it isn't Shell, nothing but a top tier fuel will ever be used in my cars from now on.

I'm completely sold on the benefits of Top Tier fuel.

The additive packages that these refiners add to their fuel do matter.
 
I run regular 87 octane in the Ram & Explorer from Turkey Hill gas stations here in Pa.. The Acura gets 91 octane "which it requires" from Sunoco. They ALL get Techron Complete Fuel System Cleaner or Regane All in One every 3000 miles. Just a pattern I have stuck to for years & not gonna change anytime soon.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
The Infinti gets 93 from BJ's since it's the cheapest in the area by a long shot. I throw in a bottle of Techron every year to keep things clean.

Other cars get 87 from BP and Exxon.
 
Here in Iowa, kum and go and Casey's is everywhere. Several Phillips 66 in my area of Ames. Eastern Iowa has BP all over. We also have Kwik Trip, Quick Trip, et al, across the state. Kum and Go & Casey's is not top tier. The others are. They have one thing in common, except for regional price difference due to logistics, their prices are the same. If Phillips 66 and Casey's is across the street from each other, they will have the same gas prices. So the question is mute for me.
I wished I had a Costco in our town! We have a membership for West Des Moines store and make large shopping trips there when we are in that area....And fill up of course.
grin.gif
 
Oh, and the gas station is not charging you extra for the credit card, the credit card company is. The station is just passing along the fee they get charged.
You can also look at it from this perspective, they are offering a discount for paying cash.
 
Cheaper prices for cash are not that common around here, but I did stop at a Mobil about a year ago that had one when I was about to pick up my daughter from a meet...went in to give the cashier $40 and back out to fill up.
Came back in, there was a line and a different cashier...the whole time I had to cool my heels, I was convinced the cashier would say I hadn't given her any money up front. It worked out fine, but the savings wasn't worth the wait and the worry.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

H
Top Tier Stations Detergent Levels
2 3 4
Replies
74
Views
5K
SHOZ
C
Top Tier Regular Octane Additives vs. High Octane Additives ?
Replies
19
Views
2K
I<3oil
UpNorthSooner
Traveling and can't always fill up with Top Tier Fuel
2 3 4
Replies
75
Views
5K
Gipple
Sandstorm
Top Tier Gasoline Mexico Vs. United States
Replies
12
Views
2K
y_p_w
C
Any benefit to one top tier gas over another?
2
Replies
34
Views
6K
SHOZ
Back
Top