Using non-detergent gasoline and future regrets.

[adam1991]

Where are we getting this 1% water claim? Really just genuinely curious as I will typically fill up at Costco so if there are warranted concerns I'd like to make a change.

He's pulling that claim out of thin air.

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[adam1991]

But the clubs do buy the cheapest fuel of the day

Costco's is always fresh, they use so much--and they add their own additive package to it as the tanker delivers it.

Costco fuel rules. Nobody does it better or with closer attention to detail.

 

[adam1991]

Plus, Costco knows if you're there for the fuel, theres a good chance you might come into the store

My friend and I call it the Costco casino. Go in for the cheap gas, walk out $300 later.

 

[adam1991]

Go in the morning before 9

Costco around here just extended their gas station hours, for just this reason.

 

[crenca]

In my area, Sam's typically has the cheapest gas. I have read here that it's not the greatest quality. If I add Techron to a tank every 3000 miles, will this justify not buying a higher quality fuel?

I keep a bottle or two of Chevron Techron additive in my tool kit in the back. When I can't purchase Shell ( who's additive package includes ZDDP, a real a real anti-wear additive) or Chevron, I mix in the bottle of Techron to whatever cheap gas I'm buying at the moment.

A single bottle every 3,000 miles? It won't hurt, but if the gas you're regularly purchasing in between is not at least Top Tier I suspect that's not enough... maybe every third tank insted?

 

[timhood]

I have considered a Costco membership, primarily to buy gas. What is holding me back is the fact that the place is always packed. 10-15 cars in line at the pumps.

It helps a lot to be able to go outside of peak times. That said, when I’ve traveled, I’ve notice that some locations are just insanely busy. I was at a 23-pump location that was backed up 5 cars deep in all 8 lanes, which each had 3 pumps.

 

[adam1991]

It helps a lot to be able to go outside of peak times. That said, when I’ve traveled, I’ve notice that some locations are just insanely busy. I was at a 23-pump location that was backed up 5 cars deep in all 8 lanes, which each had 3 pumps.

And now imagine how many tankers they get every day.

Fresh gas? You betcha.

On the bright side, the pavement isn't cratered and you're not dealing with landscape trucks with trailers, or people parking at the pumps so they can go in and get smokes and a Monster.

And you're not dealing with two-way traffic from different entrances, with idjits jockeying for position. Those 8 lanes x 5 cars get through pretty quickly.

They're upgrading to 4 pumps per lane as they add new stations or remodel.

 

[brkdncr]

5.00 to 10.00 a tank. I run premium.

its 11-30 cents cheaper per gallon than other stations.

at 19mpg, you’ve saved less than $160 at a 10k service interval, when you’d put in one or two cans of fuel system cleaner by then.

How much time did it cost you though? Let’s assume it takes an extra 5 mins to go to Sam’s/costco instead of any gas station and you fill up every 350 miles.

you’ve spent over two hours in line.

assuming those two cans of techron were $10, that’s a cost savings of $70/hr over 10k miles.

Since I used some pretty conservative numbers for gas savings and time spent waiting, and didn’t include the membership fee, I wouldn’t be surprised if it comes out to be a net loss.

 

[timhood]

its 11-30 cents cheaper per gallon than other stations.

at 19mpg, you’ve saved less than $160 at a 10k service interval, when you’d put in one or two cans of fuel system cleaner by then.

How much time did it cost you though? Let’s assume it takes an extra 5 mins to go to Sam’s/costco instead of any gas station and you fill up every 350 miles.

you’ve spent over two hours in line.

assuming those two cans of techron were $10, that’s a cost savings of $70/hr over 10k miles.

Since I used some pretty conservative numbers for gas savings and time spent waiting, and didn’t include the membership fee, I wouldn’t be surprised if it comes out to be a net loss.

Yes, time has value. But those bottles of Techron are good for one tank. The bottles state they treat about 15 gallons or so. So, putting in one or two bottles is like only using Top Tier gas for one or two fill-ups every 10k miles. I don’t think that is going to cut it.

 

[adam1991]

10k service interval

yikes. 10K? Yikes.




Anyway:

10k service interval, when you’d put in one or two cans of fuel system cleaner by then.

It says, use every 3000 miles. So yeah, 3 cans. $30.

But 3 cans across 28 tanks (at your 10K service intervals)? Vs. just using Top Tier gas every tank?

 

[crenca]

On the bright side, the pavement isn't cratered and you're not dealing with landscape trucks with trailers, or people parking at the pumps so they can go in and get smokes and a Monster.

And you're not dealing with two-way traffic from different entrances, with idjits jockeying for position. Those 8 lanes x 5 cars get through pretty quickly.

Ha, good points. It's nuts how some politicians think they are going to take this circus and worsen it X10 by convincing me to purchase an EV...

 

[MadMan4BamaNATL]

Don't know about Costco, not a member, but I do run QT gas regularly; always 93. I have the 2.7 and don't like the de-tuned 87 feel. Not sure if premium actually gets more additive and detergent, but just in case, that's why I get it. Even if the 93 is a tad older in the tank, even degraded, it should still be better than old 87.

The "water in fuel" talk is mostly a conspiracy theory, so please don't do too much of that. water in your gas will kill your engine and do so quickly. Sure, this may happen in shady areas, but as long as you're at a decent station in a nicer area with good traffic, don't think you have to worry about fuel tampering.

Even ran QT 93 in my former BMWs with no hesitation, but my favorite when I see one is Shell 93. Sure, it's marketing, but if it makes me feel better, that's worth a few cents.

Now, Bucees gas is another story. Bucees gives at least an extra 10hp and 3mpg in their premium. yep!

 

[B22-2023]

I keep a bottle or two of Chevron Techron additive in my tool kit in the back.

I do this (Techron or Lucas) also because in the West for long road trips, past 2-3 years, tons of gas stations have no gas/broken pumps. In the middle of no where and main routes, crummy convenience stops, Mavericks and Valeros - you name it, and we’ve all seen it. One reason to have a few gallons spare strapped on. At that point it’s take whatever gas that can be found, and it’s usually not looking good from the looks of the place, so in goes the additive.

 

[bkirchhoff]

Good question.

I stopped running anything but top tier fuel after noticing two things:

One was my first car, when I was broke all the time, and it started to have injector issues around 60k miles. This was a '96, and it was years ago, and that's what the Techron is supposed to prevent, so I'm not gonna harp on that - I honestly want to know the answer to your question too. $20 every 10 fillups is a lot cheaper than an additional $10 every fillup, if it can prevent this.

The second was the quality seemed to be inconsistent. Not always - most of the time it was ok. But every few fill-ups, I would get one that would cause the truck to hesitate and/or get crappy mileage. My dad would always say "water in the gas" - which may or may not be true. And that very well may be a station-by-station thing and isn't universal to non-Top Tier gas. Sams is big enough that may not be an issue.

So, I can't answer your question, but following to see what others say.

I have the same philosophy on this as you but it came from my high school chemistry teacher. He advised us to use the same gas station as much as possible so you know where things went wrong if you get a bad tank. And to buy top tier fuel. Back in those days, the regulations were more lax and you really could end up getting lower quality, bottom of the barrel fuel at the no name convenience shops.

While that has changed over the years and laws around consistency in fuel quality have improved, the fuel additives have grown to be the distinguishing factor separating quality by location of purchase. I’ve consistently read Shell has the best formula. Couple that with my trying to avoid ethanol and I’ve landed at using a high volume gas station in town where I live that offers 91 octane non-ethanol at a killer price. Their price means they go through their fuel fast as it’s consistently $0.10 - $0.15 cheaper per gallon than the top tier brand premium but they offer their premium without the ethanol. On road trips, it’s always Shell premium 93 octane when I can’t find a non-ethanol station nearby. I started that with my motorcycles and now just use that in everything I have with an ICE.

 

[adam1991]

Not sure if premium actually gets more additive and detergent

That used to be the case, until the feds created standards for the additive levels.

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