Many have probably seen the new BP "Best Fuel Ever" advertisements on their Invigorate formula, which is a Top Tier fuel designee.
What is interesting is to take note of the disclaimer BP has attached to the new advertisement, which gives us some insight to what is actually gained with Invigorate:
Quote:
Compared to minimum detergent gasoline. Requires continuous use over 5000 miles. Restores an average of 3 - 5 miles per tank that had been lost due to deposits. Based on fleet testing representative of the U.S. car population. Fuel economy can be affected by many factors. Benefits may be more significant in older model vehicles.
While this is not indicative of all Top Tier gasoline, it does beg the question of how much benefit it gained from Top Tier gasoline.
Let's stick with BP as our example fuel, and use the assumption of 5 miles gained per tank. On a 2016 Ford Focus, which claims 372 miles of total fuel range, 5 miles represents 1.3% of total fuel range. And that certainly seems in-line from a fuel efficiency standpoint of other fuel efficiency products: M1 FE advertises a 1-3% fuel economy increase, LRR tires often advertise a 2-4% fuel economy increase, etc.
But how does this 5 miles gained per tank look from a financial stand point? Assuming $2.60 (the current price of gasoline in Ohio), 30 MPG, 372 miles of range from a clean engine, and 367 miles of range from a dirty engine; using BP Invigorate protects a 2016 Ford Focus against $0.43 of lost fuel range due to deposit build up. (You can calculate this by dividing the total fuel range by the MPG to determine total fuel usage, and multiply by cost of fuel)
So a conclusion: Top Tier fuel is always recommended for usage, especially when it is the same price as non-Top Tier fuel. However, using Top Tier fuel will not lend to dramatic performance changes, and only realistically will provide a 1-2% increase in fuel range compared to worst case scenarios.
What is interesting is to take note of the disclaimer BP has attached to the new advertisement, which gives us some insight to what is actually gained with Invigorate:
Quote:
Compared to minimum detergent gasoline. Requires continuous use over 5000 miles. Restores an average of 3 - 5 miles per tank that had been lost due to deposits. Based on fleet testing representative of the U.S. car population. Fuel economy can be affected by many factors. Benefits may be more significant in older model vehicles.
While this is not indicative of all Top Tier gasoline, it does beg the question of how much benefit it gained from Top Tier gasoline.
Let's stick with BP as our example fuel, and use the assumption of 5 miles gained per tank. On a 2016 Ford Focus, which claims 372 miles of total fuel range, 5 miles represents 1.3% of total fuel range. And that certainly seems in-line from a fuel efficiency standpoint of other fuel efficiency products: M1 FE advertises a 1-3% fuel economy increase, LRR tires often advertise a 2-4% fuel economy increase, etc.
But how does this 5 miles gained per tank look from a financial stand point? Assuming $2.60 (the current price of gasoline in Ohio), 30 MPG, 372 miles of range from a clean engine, and 367 miles of range from a dirty engine; using BP Invigorate protects a 2016 Ford Focus against $0.43 of lost fuel range due to deposit build up. (You can calculate this by dividing the total fuel range by the MPG to determine total fuel usage, and multiply by cost of fuel)
So a conclusion: Top Tier fuel is always recommended for usage, especially when it is the same price as non-Top Tier fuel. However, using Top Tier fuel will not lend to dramatic performance changes, and only realistically will provide a 1-2% increase in fuel range compared to worst case scenarios.