My local Walmart in north Idaho is almost done with construction of a new gas station at the corner of the parking lot. I have been buying the Conoco 92oct over the last 11 years for my turbo Subaru. How does Walmart gas compare to Conoco, Union76, Mobil, Exxon, etc?
Walmart Gasoline?
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I have used a lot of Walmart gas in my Audi S4, BMW M Coupe, Honda CR-V, motorcycles, lawnmower, etc over the last
20 years. No issues or complaints.
20 years. No issues or complaints.
Originally Posted By: user52165
Is it Top Tier?
http://www.toptiergas.com/licensedbrands/
I don't see it listed. Costco gas is on the list.
Is it Top Tier?
http://www.toptiergas.com/licensedbrands/
I don't see it listed. Costco gas is on the list.
Pretty much all gas in the region comes from the same place. The only difference is the additive package. With a place like Walmart, they will probably sell a lot of gas so they'll get good turn over so you won't get stuck with stale gas that has been sitting around for a while if you go to a low volume place.
Most Costco gas is top tier -- all of it in our region of California.
I just checked -- Costco Gasoline is listed on the Top Tier website.
I just checked -- Costco Gasoline is listed on the Top Tier website.
Originally Posted By: Wolf359
Pretty much all gas in the region comes from the same place. The only difference is the additive package...
I dug into this a little bit, and found an informative 2015 article from the Idaho Statesman newspaper:
http://www.idahostatesman.com/news/business/article40864992.html
Quote:
...North Idaho mostly gets its gas from refineries in Billings, Mont. That fuel is shipped through the Yellowstone Pipeline to terminals in Spokane. Other gasoline from the Puget Sound near Seattle is sent to Portland through a pipeline and then barged up the Columbia River to Pasco and a terminal near Lewiston at Wilma, Wash.
Gasoline comes to Southern Idaho, including the Treasure Valley, through one of two 65-year-old, 8-inch-wide underground pipelines running in parallel from Salt Lake City. The second pipeline carries other fuels, including diesel, jet fuel and heating oil. The pipelines are now owned by the Tesoro Corp.
Utah and Wyoming have five oil refineries each, Montana has four and Colorado two. The Utah refineries, which obtain crude oil from Utah, Colorado, Wyoming and Canada, supply about 70 percent of the gasoline and diesel consumed in Utah and Idaho.
It takes 66 hours for gasoline and 90 hours for other products to reach Boise on the 706-mile journey from Salt Lake City. A water plug separates the different fuels in the second pipeline and different-octane fuels in the gas pipeline.
The Tesoro Pipeline supplies 2.8 million to 3.1 million gallons of motor fuel per day, and it runs near capacity, according to the Attorney General’s Office.
Ethanol, detergents and other additives determined by branded-gasoline suppliers such as Chevron, Shell and Sinclair are added at the local terminals. Jones’ stations [Stinker Stores, a Boise company with 65 stores in Idaho] sell Sinclair gas.
“Each of the terminals has dedicated ethanol storage, and when one of my tankers shows up to pull a load of fuel, we specify the octane level and our producer, Sinclair, has their additive package that they blend in,” Jones said. “Computers take care of the mix of that cocktail of products, and that’s what becomes Sinclair-branded gasoline. The same goes for Chevron, Shell, Texaco, those guys.”
Pretty much all gas in the region comes from the same place. The only difference is the additive package...
I dug into this a little bit, and found an informative 2015 article from the Idaho Statesman newspaper:
http://www.idahostatesman.com/news/business/article40864992.html
Quote:
...North Idaho mostly gets its gas from refineries in Billings, Mont. That fuel is shipped through the Yellowstone Pipeline to terminals in Spokane. Other gasoline from the Puget Sound near Seattle is sent to Portland through a pipeline and then barged up the Columbia River to Pasco and a terminal near Lewiston at Wilma, Wash.
Gasoline comes to Southern Idaho, including the Treasure Valley, through one of two 65-year-old, 8-inch-wide underground pipelines running in parallel from Salt Lake City. The second pipeline carries other fuels, including diesel, jet fuel and heating oil. The pipelines are now owned by the Tesoro Corp.
Utah and Wyoming have five oil refineries each, Montana has four and Colorado two. The Utah refineries, which obtain crude oil from Utah, Colorado, Wyoming and Canada, supply about 70 percent of the gasoline and diesel consumed in Utah and Idaho.
It takes 66 hours for gasoline and 90 hours for other products to reach Boise on the 706-mile journey from Salt Lake City. A water plug separates the different fuels in the second pipeline and different-octane fuels in the gas pipeline.
The Tesoro Pipeline supplies 2.8 million to 3.1 million gallons of motor fuel per day, and it runs near capacity, according to the Attorney General’s Office.
Ethanol, detergents and other additives determined by branded-gasoline suppliers such as Chevron, Shell and Sinclair are added at the local terminals. Jones’ stations [Stinker Stores, a Boise company with 65 stores in Idaho] sell Sinclair gas.
“Each of the terminals has dedicated ethanol storage, and when one of my tankers shows up to pull a load of fuel, we specify the octane level and our producer, Sinclair, has their additive package that they blend in,” Jones said. “Computers take care of the mix of that cocktail of products, and that’s what becomes Sinclair-branded gasoline. The same goes for Chevron, Shell, Texaco, those guys.”
Originally Posted By: Wolf359
Pretty much all gas in the region comes from the same place. The only difference is the additive package. With a place like Walmart, they will probably sell a lot of gas so they'll get good turn over so you won't get stuck with stale gas that has been sitting around for a while if you go to a low volume place.
are there still places that still have low volume gas stations? The stations in this podunk place are constantly busy. They get a delivery atleast every day. Sometimes 2x a day.
Pretty much all gas in the region comes from the same place. The only difference is the additive package. With a place like Walmart, they will probably sell a lot of gas so they'll get good turn over so you won't get stuck with stale gas that has been sitting around for a while if you go to a low volume place.
are there still places that still have low volume gas stations? The stations in this podunk place are constantly busy. They get a delivery atleast every day. Sometimes 2x a day.
The only thing that differentiates most retail fuel is the additive package added to the base fuel. I wouldn't think that Walmart would use anything other than whatever generic additive is available at the fuel terminal. That's what most non oil company retailers do unless they participate in Top Tier for marketing purposes.
With the fuel itself there are no guarantees. Every region is different, but for the most part base fuel is a fungible commodity and there's very little to differentiate the fuel. There can be differences, but the way fuel is distributed through pipelines and rail it's likely moved as generic fuel meeting certain standards, where it is likely mixed with other fuel meeting the same standards. A company can pay for a "segregated" delivery of its own fuel to a specific holding tank, but that costs more and doesn't make sense from an economic or performance perspective. Even if a company buys fuel on the spot market or has a contract with ExxonMobil, the way that fuel is distributed is like a bank. They deposit a certain amount of fuel, and their customers are able to withdraw at another location. Like cash at a bank, the money withdrawn is only an equivalent and not the exact same bills deposited earlier. No refiner really makes better or worse fuel for 87 octane unleaded at the pump.
In your neck of the woods, the fuel probably comes from one of several refineries in Montana that are piped to fuel terminals in Spokane.
Quote:
http://www.idahostatesman.com/news/business/article40864992.html
“Each of the terminals has dedicated ethanol storage, and when one of my tankers shows up to pull a load of fuel, we specify the octane level and our producer, Sinclair, has their additive package that they blend in,” Jones said. “Computers take care of the mix of that cocktail of products, and that’s what becomes Sinclair-branded gasoline. The same goes for Chevron, Shell, Texaco, those guys.”
The pipelines continue beyond the Treasure Valley, carrying fuel to terminals in Pasco, Wash., and Spokane.
Those cities have more sources of supply. North Idaho mostly gets its gas from refineries in Billings, Mont. That fuel is shipped through the Yellowstone Pipeline to terminals in Spokane. Other gasoline from the Puget Sound near Seattle is sent to Portland through a pipeline and then barged up the Columbia River to Pasco and a terminal near Lewiston at Wilma, Wash.
With the fuel itself there are no guarantees. Every region is different, but for the most part base fuel is a fungible commodity and there's very little to differentiate the fuel. There can be differences, but the way fuel is distributed through pipelines and rail it's likely moved as generic fuel meeting certain standards, where it is likely mixed with other fuel meeting the same standards. A company can pay for a "segregated" delivery of its own fuel to a specific holding tank, but that costs more and doesn't make sense from an economic or performance perspective. Even if a company buys fuel on the spot market or has a contract with ExxonMobil, the way that fuel is distributed is like a bank. They deposit a certain amount of fuel, and their customers are able to withdraw at another location. Like cash at a bank, the money withdrawn is only an equivalent and not the exact same bills deposited earlier. No refiner really makes better or worse fuel for 87 octane unleaded at the pump.
In your neck of the woods, the fuel probably comes from one of several refineries in Montana that are piped to fuel terminals in Spokane.
Quote:
http://www.idahostatesman.com/news/business/article40864992.html
“Each of the terminals has dedicated ethanol storage, and when one of my tankers shows up to pull a load of fuel, we specify the octane level and our producer, Sinclair, has their additive package that they blend in,” Jones said. “Computers take care of the mix of that cocktail of products, and that’s what becomes Sinclair-branded gasoline. The same goes for Chevron, Shell, Texaco, those guys.”
The pipelines continue beyond the Treasure Valley, carrying fuel to terminals in Pasco, Wash., and Spokane.
Those cities have more sources of supply. North Idaho mostly gets its gas from refineries in Billings, Mont. That fuel is shipped through the Yellowstone Pipeline to terminals in Spokane. Other gasoline from the Puget Sound near Seattle is sent to Portland through a pipeline and then barged up the Columbia River to Pasco and a terminal near Lewiston at Wilma, Wash.
Originally Posted By: Chris142
Originally Posted By: Wolf359
Pretty much all gas in the region comes from the same place. The only difference is the additive package. With a place like Walmart, they will probably sell a lot of gas so they'll get good turn over so you won't get stuck with stale gas that has been sitting around for a while if you go to a low volume place.
are there still places that still have low volume gas stations? The stations in this podunk place are constantly busy. They get a delivery atleast every day. Sometimes 2x a day.
Depends where you are in the country. Some areas in the middle of nowhere have low volume stations. I shop by price so basically all the stations I go to tend to have high turn over. But there are more expensive places in the middle of nowhere that you may end up buying gas at if you're low at the time.
Originally Posted By: Wolf359
Pretty much all gas in the region comes from the same place. The only difference is the additive package. With a place like Walmart, they will probably sell a lot of gas so they'll get good turn over so you won't get stuck with stale gas that has been sitting around for a while if you go to a low volume place.
are there still places that still have low volume gas stations? The stations in this podunk place are constantly busy. They get a delivery atleast every day. Sometimes 2x a day.
Depends where you are in the country. Some areas in the middle of nowhere have low volume stations. I shop by price so basically all the stations I go to tend to have high turn over. But there are more expensive places in the middle of nowhere that you may end up buying gas at if you're low at the time.
Originally Posted By: Wolf359
Originally Posted By: Chris142
Originally Posted By: Wolf359
Pretty much all gas in the region comes from the same place. The only difference is the additive package. With a place like Walmart, they will probably sell a lot of gas so they'll get good turn over so you won't get stuck with stale gas that has been sitting around for a while if you go to a low volume place.
are there still places that still have low volume gas stations? The stations in this podunk place are constantly busy. They get a delivery atleast every day. Sometimes 2x a day.
Depends where you are in the country. Some areas in the middle of nowhere have low volume stations. I shop by price so basically all the stations I go to tend to have high turn over. But there are more expensive places in the middle of nowhere that you may end up buying gas at if you're low at the time.
I have been literally out in the middle of nowhere where I came across a gas station in the middle of National Forest land. It was actually a place with antique gravity feed fuel dispensers where the fuel is manually pumped/measured into graduated glass vials. They had county weights and measures stickers and everything. The fuel was also selling for about 1.5 times what it was selling for in the nearest large city. I can't imagine they sold much.
Originally Posted By: Chris142
Originally Posted By: Wolf359
Pretty much all gas in the region comes from the same place. The only difference is the additive package. With a place like Walmart, they will probably sell a lot of gas so they'll get good turn over so you won't get stuck with stale gas that has been sitting around for a while if you go to a low volume place.
are there still places that still have low volume gas stations? The stations in this podunk place are constantly busy. They get a delivery atleast every day. Sometimes 2x a day.
Depends where you are in the country. Some areas in the middle of nowhere have low volume stations. I shop by price so basically all the stations I go to tend to have high turn over. But there are more expensive places in the middle of nowhere that you may end up buying gas at if you're low at the time.
I have been literally out in the middle of nowhere where I came across a gas station in the middle of National Forest land. It was actually a place with antique gravity feed fuel dispensers where the fuel is manually pumped/measured into graduated glass vials. They had county weights and measures stickers and everything. The fuel was also selling for about 1.5 times what it was selling for in the nearest large city. I can't imagine they sold much.
Originally Posted By: SubLGT
I dug into this a little bit, and found an informative 2015 article from the Idaho Statesman newspaper:
http://www.idahostatesman.com/news/business/article40864992.html
......North Idaho mostly gets its gas from refineries in Billings, Mont. That fuel is shipped through the Yellowstone Pipeline to terminals in Spokane…..
Interestingly, in front of my neighborhood (in north Idaho) are several yellow warning signs from Yellowstone Pipeline. I wonder how deep that pipe is buried?
I dug into this a little bit, and found an informative 2015 article from the Idaho Statesman newspaper:
http://www.idahostatesman.com/news/business/article40864992.html
......North Idaho mostly gets its gas from refineries in Billings, Mont. That fuel is shipped through the Yellowstone Pipeline to terminals in Spokane…..
Interestingly, in front of my neighborhood (in north Idaho) are several yellow warning signs from Yellowstone Pipeline. I wonder how deep that pipe is buried?
Last edited:
I've bought gas on price for a couple of decades now and have never had a problem.
Walmart doesn't have a refinery nor do Costco and Kroger.
All rely upon refineries operated by others.
There may be differences in the detergency packages but that's about it.
Don't get too hung up on Top Tier either.
It's a pay to play setup, like dexos and so may not be all that useful in identifying fuels with the most effective detergency.
Walmart doesn't have a refinery nor do Costco and Kroger.
All rely upon refineries operated by others.
There may be differences in the detergency packages but that's about it.
Don't get too hung up on Top Tier either.
It's a pay to play setup, like dexos and so may not be all that useful in identifying fuels with the most effective detergency.
Originally Posted By: SubLGT
Originally Posted By: user52165
Is it Top Tier?
http://www.toptiergas.com/licensedbrands/
I don't see it listed. Costco gas is on the list.
You car will not blow up from using non-top gear gas nor will you experience any issues.
Originally Posted By: user52165
Is it Top Tier?
http://www.toptiergas.com/licensedbrands/
I don't see it listed. Costco gas is on the list.
You car will not blow up from using non-top gear gas nor will you experience any issues.
Last edited:
Originally Posted By: CKN
Originally Posted By: SubLGT
Originally Posted By: user52165
Is it Top Tier?
http://www.toptiergas.com/licensedbrands/
I don't see it listed. Costco gas is on the list.
You car will not blow up from using non-top gear gas nor will you experience any issues.
Probably not any serious issues, but several automakers seem to think that the minimum EPA-mandated level isn't ideal for maximum performance. There are several additives (such as Red Line SI-1) that can be added in a maintenance dose, as well as some recommended for periodic use.
Quote:
http://m.owners.honda.com/faqs/fuel
In general, Honda recommends that you buy gasoline from high-volume, major name-brand stations.
To prevent the build up of deposits inside your engine and fuel system, it is important to choose fuels that contain effective detergent additives. The detergency of some US gasoline is insufficient to provide protection from such deposits. Honda recommends the use of "Top Tier Detergent Gasoline," where available. Gasoline brands with this designation meet new, voluntary standards and have demonstrated their ability to keep engines clean through a series of demanding tests. Significantly, Top Tier Detergent Gasoline does not contain MMT, a metallic additive that creates deposits in your engine and exhaust system; (see the MMT explanation below). Fuel brands that have achieved the Top Tier Detergent Gasoline designation can be identified through their marketing campaigns, and/or by fueling station signage.
It doesn't necessarily have to be on the Top Tier list to meet the requirement. Costco had their "Clean Power" out before all of their stations had it. That didn't qualify for Top Tier, but it was pretty obvious that nothing has changed other than a name change and that all stations have it now. BP used to have a high level of detergents but didn't pay for the Top Tier certification.
Originally Posted By: SubLGT
Originally Posted By: user52165
Is it Top Tier?
http://www.toptiergas.com/licensedbrands/
I don't see it listed. Costco gas is on the list.
You car will not blow up from using non-top gear gas nor will you experience any issues.
Probably not any serious issues, but several automakers seem to think that the minimum EPA-mandated level isn't ideal for maximum performance. There are several additives (such as Red Line SI-1) that can be added in a maintenance dose, as well as some recommended for periodic use.
Quote:
http://m.owners.honda.com/faqs/fuel
In general, Honda recommends that you buy gasoline from high-volume, major name-brand stations.
To prevent the build up of deposits inside your engine and fuel system, it is important to choose fuels that contain effective detergent additives. The detergency of some US gasoline is insufficient to provide protection from such deposits. Honda recommends the use of "Top Tier Detergent Gasoline," where available. Gasoline brands with this designation meet new, voluntary standards and have demonstrated their ability to keep engines clean through a series of demanding tests. Significantly, Top Tier Detergent Gasoline does not contain MMT, a metallic additive that creates deposits in your engine and exhaust system; (see the MMT explanation below). Fuel brands that have achieved the Top Tier Detergent Gasoline designation can be identified through their marketing campaigns, and/or by fueling station signage.
It doesn't necessarily have to be on the Top Tier list to meet the requirement. Costco had their "Clean Power" out before all of their stations had it. That didn't qualify for Top Tier, but it was pretty obvious that nothing has changed other than a name change and that all stations have it now. BP used to have a high level of detergents but didn't pay for the Top Tier certification.
Originally Posted By: SubLGT
Originally Posted By: SubLGT
I dug into this a little bit, and found an informative 2015 article from the Idaho Statesman newspaper:
http://www.idahostatesman.com/news/business/article40864992.html
......North Idaho mostly gets its gas from refineries in Billings, Mont. That fuel is shipped through the Yellowstone Pipeline to terminals in Spokane…..
Interestingly, in front of my neighborhood (in north Idaho) are several yellow warning signs from Yellowstone Pipeline. I wonder how deep that pipe is buried?
A few days ago I had some errand to do in Richmond, California and drove by the Chevron Richmond Refinery. Tankers were all over the place. However, it's kind of hard to tell exactly where the fuel came from since they actually have 4 terminals in the same general area. Obviously the location of all of them near a refinery isn't a coincidence. All of them (even the Phillips 66) probably get most of their fuel from that refinery. Still - the three terminals that aren't owned by Chevron all have rail lines and Google Maps shows rail tanks parked at two of them. Except for Chevron (which has all sorts of storage and loading facilities) they all have docks for tanker ships.
https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Chevron+...d37.9147393!3e0
This doesn't necessarily correlate to what you might have regionally where you live, but it does indicate that as a practical consideration it makes sense to load fuel close to a refinery. Still - they have customers to serve and may still need to get fuel delivered from further away by rail, ship, or pipe depending on how much fuel they can get from the closest refinery.
Originally Posted By: SubLGT
I dug into this a little bit, and found an informative 2015 article from the Idaho Statesman newspaper:
http://www.idahostatesman.com/news/business/article40864992.html
......North Idaho mostly gets its gas from refineries in Billings, Mont. That fuel is shipped through the Yellowstone Pipeline to terminals in Spokane…..
Interestingly, in front of my neighborhood (in north Idaho) are several yellow warning signs from Yellowstone Pipeline. I wonder how deep that pipe is buried?
A few days ago I had some errand to do in Richmond, California and drove by the Chevron Richmond Refinery. Tankers were all over the place. However, it's kind of hard to tell exactly where the fuel came from since they actually have 4 terminals in the same general area. Obviously the location of all of them near a refinery isn't a coincidence. All of them (even the Phillips 66) probably get most of their fuel from that refinery. Still - the three terminals that aren't owned by Chevron all have rail lines and Google Maps shows rail tanks parked at two of them. Except for Chevron (which has all sorts of storage and loading facilities) they all have docks for tanker ships.
https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Chevron+...d37.9147393!3e0
This doesn't necessarily correlate to what you might have regionally where you live, but it does indicate that as a practical consideration it makes sense to load fuel close to a refinery. Still - they have customers to serve and may still need to get fuel delivered from further away by rail, ship, or pipe depending on how much fuel they can get from the closest refinery.
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