What brand of gasoline do you use? Why? Are all the major brands (eg, Chevron, Shell, Petro Canada, etc.) the same in terms of quality and performance? All seem to use a cleaning additive of some sort.

Shell (bought Texaco).

Me? I just fill up at Kroger! or at Costco/Sam's, when I'm already in the neighborhood...

Sorry but I just don't see/feel any diff'ce with the 'regular' big name brands in terms of quality and performance...


Oh-oh, my last comment will likely not sit well with some die-hard aficionados out there... but hey, it's an open forum so feel free to rebut away (as long as it remains relatively civil, duh!).

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PS: for those not familiar with Kroger, think of a local/regional grocery store chain like Albertson's/Safeway/Raplh's/Co-Op & the like...

Usually Shell or Texaco as they are part of Top Tier Gasoline. I avoid Arco and Exxon.


TOP TIER Detergent Gasoline is a recently established new standard for gasoline performance. Four of the world's top automakers, BMW, General Motors, Honda, and Toyota recognize that the current EPA minimum detergent requirements do not go far enough to ensure optimal engine performance.

Same station, different companies. Was an Amoco, became a BP, then a Conoco.

You probably want to avoid buying by brand, instead buy at a station that has HIGH volume. This will minimize the chance of buying gas with a high moisture content.

All gas is the same gas. If you follow the truck from the distribution center you will find that the same truck will fill the tanks at an Exxon, Shell, BP, Aomco, Citgo, Valero, Etc...

The ONLY difference between brands is the small amouts of additives that are put in the tanker truck at the distribution center. The additives are approximatly 1-2 quarts for the entire tanker truck.

For me the most important thing is station quality. You want to fill up at a station that sells a lot of fuel. If the fuel is just sitting in the tanks, and the station does not turn it over fast enough, you will get funky stuff growing in it, you will get excessive dirts, you will get water in it. So, any station is good as long as the sell the fuel at a good rate.

Now as far as supporting a brand, I don't uses some brands for personal philosophical reasons, but I know that I might be burning fuel that was processed at one of their plants even if I did not buy it from their "store".

I have a large tank with a pump ect for 100 octane low lead aviation fuel for my aircraft, this fuel has no ethanol, and a very long storage life which modern auto fuel does not have. A fifty fifty mix works well in my cars, trucks and Harley's. never gotten under 40 mpg with the TCH.

TCH-43mpg
VW TDI--48
08 LS 600 HL-20
08 LX 470-16

I tend to go for any branded gas station (excluding Citgo and Valero because they are Venezuelan). I avoid getting gas while the gas delivery truck is at the station because they tend to stir up sediment as they pump into the station's tanks.

B. Goodman