j84buick

Everyone swears by Chevron but as us MN guys know we don't have them. What gas does everyone put in their rides in MN? I am usually not fussy but most of the time get Super America 91 octane with the ocasional Holiday 91 mixed in.

YLWFVR75

Do you guys have Shell?

Run Shell 93 all the time here SE Michigan.

superdutymike27

This may not apply, but a very, very good tuner in the Naperville, IL. area once told me never to use Shell products, but to use BP's 93 octane at the very least?

I would tend to listen to him, at least in this area.

Quick Silver Z

I Run Shell 93 all the time here SE Illinois (with an occasional jug of Techron). Mike, did your tuner give you any reasons why not to use Shell???

j84buick

Yeah we have some shells around. We also have BP. Funny how there are so many opinions out there.

superdutymike27

[QUOTE=Quick Silver Z;1574086763]I Run Shell 93 all the time here SE Illinois (with an occasional jug of Techron). Mike, did you tuner give you any reasons why not to use Shell???[/QUOTE

From what I was told it promotes engine knocking or knocks? Didn't really get into the specifics, just told to stop and use BP from here on out? I guess cars are like body's, each one was different?

j84buick

Sounds like from the research I have done it points to Shell V-power in my area as the best choice. With a bottle of techron dropped in every oil change or so.

H2LS3

I only do BP. Most all around me have 93.

Double G

I also was told by tuners in my area that the best numbers come from BP gas always.

YLWFVR75

And this is based on what empirical data?

GreenDream

I run Shell 93 here in Central Michigan. And I know for a fact that it comes from the Marathon terminal because my company hauls it there.
Most all Michigan gas comes from Marathon which is where your Super America comes from in Minnesota. Marathon owns SSA.
Now you have your Shell which is "Nitrogen Enriched" or your BP with "Invigorate".. Guess what, there is not a Shell terminal in Michigan or BP terminal north of Detroit. It all comes from Marathons Refinery in Detroit and we have never been asked to blend in any additive. Its hype and gas is gas. Just stay with the higher octane for your Vette.

Illinois427

Okay, this is more than anyone really wants to know, but here is my rant on this:

I used to work for one of the majors mentioned in this post, and I now work for the other major mentioned. It is correct that the base gasoline is treated as a commodity throughout the country. Gasoline branded as Shell might have been refined by Mobil, Marathon, BP or any of a number of other refiners (including Shell) depending on where you live. I completely disagree that there is no difference between branded motor fuels and that gas is gas though. Millions of dollars are spent developing (and marketing) the additives that make branded gasolines better than unbranded fuels (i.e. SSA, Speedway, Quick Trip, 7-Eleven, grocery stores, Sams, Walmart, Costco, etc.). A few years ago, BP started marketing the "Invigorate' additive for their fuel. The additive was blended for several months before they actual rolled the "Invigorate" marketing out in the individual markets so that they could be sure that all gasoline at all of the local stations would contain "Invigorate" prior to their advertising campaign. More importantly (at least in my opinion), the majors test the quality of the fuels at the local stations on a periodic basis to assure that the fuel in the underground storage tanks meets their specifications for quality and cleanliness. The industry has become more fragmented over the years and most of the fuels are now distributed by local distributors known as "Jobbers". While I don't know the Michigan market well enough to speak to the exact situation described above, if that jobber is pulling fuel from the terminal without adding the branded additives, that won't last. Finally, both of the companies I've worked for required 5 micron filters at the pump (known as MPD in the industry). These filters look very much like the spin on oil filters we use on our cars and are housed in the bottom of each individual MPD. The unbrandeds don't like to use 5 micron filters because they clog more frequently requiring more frequent service calls. Most of the unbrandeds I know of use 10 micron or higher filters. I don't get any sort of discount on motor fuels that my company markets, but I wouldn't ever put unbranded fuel in the tank of anything I own. While you might go for years without problems from unbranded fuels, you just don't have the technical experts watching the quality that you do with the major brands.

GreenDream

I certainly acknowledge that there is a difference between branded and unbranded gas. SSA however is Marathon branded fuel. We deliver to all their stations in Michigan. I do not dispute that branded fuel for all the majors receives additives injected at the terminal when loading, but I can assure you that the terminals do not have storage for tanks for "Invigorate" or Nitrogen". Marathon, Shell, Sunoco, BP in Michigan all all getting the same gas. Very few Major Oil companies own the stations anymore. They have sold them to jobbers and these jobbers buy on a daily basis from the Brand or terminal that has the lowest price for that day. I know that all the major brands do monitor and test the gas in their tanks, but I seldom if ever get a call to pump out bad product unless they have phase seperation from water blending with the ethanol. Jobbers and station owners that are flying majors flags will even buy unbranded fuel if they can save a dime. It is a cutthroat industry out there.

Illinois427

You are correct, but believe me that we spend alot of time and energy assuring that the gas in our branded sites is not unbranded. We will pull the flag if they are caught doing that one time. The jobbers have a tough time getting away with it because they make minimum gallon commitments and we watch for any variation in sales by individual site. If a site suddenly doesn't buy gasoline from us but is still in business, you can bet we are all over it. You are also right that it is rare to pump out the Under Ground Storage Tanks unless there is a water or sediment issue. Ethanol is a pain to deal with and it is only going to get worse.

GreenDream

Yeah, now they are talking off going to 15% ethanol.. My 81 Vette hated that stuff and it got to be too difficult to find straight gas. I am not a big proponent of burning our food in our cars and trucks. That said, hauling ethanol has been a boon to our company since it can't be sent through pipelines. Have a great memorial day..

j84buick

Good info. I filled up with my first official Shell V Power tank. Only 92 Octane though. I thought I saw Shell about 5 years ago in my area had 93 Octane. I had to drive past the 1st Shell statio. It didn't say V-power and the pumps looked way too old.

Are there any rules as to how long the gas can sit in the tanks? I always wondered if a station sells very little premium how long that gas can sit down there.

GreenDream

V Power here is 93 octane. Premium will definately sit longer than Regular as there is not as much call for it. However, the stations don't want a lot of inventory sitting in their tanks and closely monitor what they have compared to what they will sell. And going back a step further, how long was it in the tank at the terminal and the refinery before that. Gas really doesn't deteriorate as much as Sta-Bil would have you believe.