julyccc

I konw this sound crazy. Do you guys use one fuel brand consistantly? My friend only put shell v-power 93 Octane in his M3.
It is suppose to be cleaner and better.

When I got my car a couple of months ago, I started doing the same.


This is a hassle because if I travel to remote area where there is no Shell gas station, I am screwed.

Does it really matter or We are just crazy

s_tsang

i had a friend who put those same thoughts into my head also.. i do have a shell gas station right around the corner so it's not an issue.. but living in jersey, there are a ton of stations with cheaper gas.. can anyone else add their for this??

fuckleberry

urban legend
total
I get from whoever has the best price.

CGTSX2004

iTrader: (1)

Fuel, for the most part, is the same anywhere. The only difference is the amount of moisture that it has absorbed. You should always go to a gas station that is busy and gets fuel often because that fuel will have sat in the tanks for a shorter time and will have absorbed less moisture. This is the only realy difference in fuels. As for as the additives that the different brands put into their fuels, it doesn't seem to make a whole lot of difference in the short run, but might have some effects in the long term.

gsclifton

iTrader: (2)

I just purchase 87 and mix 50/50 with water. Every other refueling I mix 50/50 with diesel. The smoke does not bother me.

I primarily use Chevron and Shell, but I agree that fuel is fuel for the most part. I think it has to do with the quality of the station myself.

Comptech-814

SUNOCO ultra 94 octane ......

jerzpwr

i try to put shell v-power as much as possible. if im at a place where there isnt a shell station i just go for whatevers available.

sauceman

They all need to meet up to the same strict industrial and environmental norms and performances. No significant difference then.

gvtsx

I was in the gas station next to my work and was talking to the ladie behind the counter about gas prices. I know the owner of this gas station, which is generic, but he also owns a Shell right down the road. I asked the ladie why his prices at the Shell were so much higher than his prices at this his generic gas station. She said it was becuase the quality of gas was different. The gas at station she worked at was a lower quality/grade (not octane grade) than the gas at his other Shell station. I don't know exactly what this means but it is some food for thought.

Zephrem

It's not crazy. The difference between gasoline is not in the gas itself, but the additives.

Honda wasn't thrilled by the lack of additives, and joined BMW, Toyota, and GM to create Top Tier Gasoline standards:

http://www.toptiergas.com/index.html

And here is the list of retailers:

http://www.toptiergas.com/retailers.html

Chevron, Shell and 76 are all in the list.

Personally, I thought that this was nonsense at first. But then I began speaking with industry people, and then I had carbon build-up in a VW (using Costco gas, which does not have an additive) and talked with the VW techs. They convinced me otherwise.

I guess that the bottom line whether to use the top tier rankings or not is whether you are going to keep your car for a long or short time.

SPARKIE

SHELL had a class action suit against them about 1-1/2 to 2 years ago because high sulfer content in their gas caused major damage to fuel gauge sensors in some vehicles. They paid out large on this lawsuit.

fuckleberry

"some food for thought" from some "ladies behind the counter" at a local gas station ?

no offense but this post of yours cracks me up HAHAHA

gvtsx

"I'm your huckleberry"

myblacktsx

I've noticed mileage difference between different gas consistently (i.e. tried on several tanks of gas). In particular, I have had Costco gas give me 1-2 miles/gallon less than 76 gas with more-or-less the same driving mix and conditions including tire pressure, weight etc. While I've not done extensive scientific studies on this, I have noticed this with the TSX and other cars that I've owned in the past that there is gas mileage variation depending on which gas is put in.

hondatypes

what happen to sunoco and mobile.......i always thought they were the best..????

gvtsx

http://www.napsnet.com/auto/66974.html

STL

I bet this "top tier" gasoline is really the brainchild of some marketing group. I personally don't put a lot of stock in it...

Zephrem

There is an excellent post in the BMW roadfly forums about the top tier site, who owns it (hint -- not a marketing group), why Honda and the other three manufactures got together to create it, and how the federal government was ticked about these manufacturers setting their own standards. That thread also discusses Exxon's exclusion from the list. It is all about the detergent additive. Can't find it right now, but additional information exists out there...

Zephrem

For what it is worth, here is the C&D column about it:

http://www.caranddriver.com/article....rticle_id=9752

ckiggins314

When I got my RSX back in 2002, the cat converter was always belching a rotten egg smell due to the high sulphur content in some gas. I tried all sorts of brands and found that when using Shell it subsided. Anytime I filled up with a brand other than Shell, the smell would return.

I've used Shell ever since and use it in my TSX now as well. I've beein using midgrade instead of V-Power, however. Has anyone noticed a difference in using V-Power vs. midgrade or 87? Dealer told me that even though the manual says to use 93, 87 will work just fine.

CGTSX2004

iTrader: (1)

There are enough threads discussing this topic. Please don't lead this thread in that direction. But in a nutshell, that money you think you're saving by using 87, isn't really saving you anything in the end because the lower octane gasoline reduces your gas mileage.

STL

1) Since you have only owned your car a little more than a week, how would you really know if the lower-than-recommended octane is doing okay (since you implied that's all you have used)? You won't hear any pings because the computer will retard the timing (which means less power -- and even less MPG).

2) Why on earth would you trust a salesmen/dealer?

3) The manual recommends 91 octane or better (case in point for #2).

mdrlausd

Since my TSX is brand new I have only bought one tank so far. I did find that in my other cars (which also required premium) that I would get about 2 mpg more with Mobil over Shell or BP Amoco. Has anyone else experienced a mileage difference between national brands?

exexexex

my second fill up tonight.Chevron Canada 92.... I only got 461 kms out of the first fill up by myself using Chevron 92 a week ago,the fuel light went off.Gas price is like crazy these days,I got 104.4 at pump for 92.
My friends who own M3,ITRs,they all use Chevron 94 and swear by it.I really wanna try shell sometime to find out what's in their premiums however the cloest gas station to my home now is Chveron.Moving this month end,here I go.

arch

Personally I used Exxon Mobile in all my cars. Every once in a while I'll settle for Chevron.

There are Shell stations everywhere here, I just avoid them. I guess after a friend took his Accord into the dealership for problems, they pinpointed it to the gas he used (Shell). When he told the dealer service department he is a Shell exclusive customer, they reccomended that he stop. They also mentioned other Honda owners having problems that were Shell customers. That was in 1996. Every since then I wont even pull into a Shell parking lot.

julyccc

I am moving to an area where shell is not close by.

I see a few exxon near by.


I think I am in trouble.

julyccc

bro trust me. don't want to put midgrade in your TSX.


use 93 shell v-power. it gets more mileage and the manual said need >91

julyccc

good article . i think I am sticking to Shell

2006CGPTSX

I use Shell most of the time. I ALWAYS use premium gas. If you use the shell mastercard and get the 5% back the price is not too bad. The last time I filled up it was $2.45 a gallon but with the 5% off it is $2.33 not bad in Atlanta for premium.

Later
Damon
2006 TSX
TSX Avg MPG

sauceman

How ironic that my best gas mileage ever was made with generic Canadian Tire gas.

LuvMyTSX

I have used Exxon and Mobil exlusively on all cars I've ever driven, including my TSX, and have never had any problems. The TSX is the first of my cars that have required premium though, and it's all I ever put in it (except one time when the gas attendant put in 87 - I was really pissed and the car didn't have the acceleration and smoothness to it that it did with premium).

Special_Ed

I give mine a constant "diet" of Chevron Supreme 92 Octane......nothing else.

Each brand of gasoline has different additivitives so I just prefer to not keep mixing additives with each fill from different brands.

I think it's also important to keep the same level of octane with each fill.

So, with the same additives + same octane levels with each fill = less worries about fuel related problems. I like to keep my baby fed right

julyccc

I think Chevron is in the list of top tier gas.

I feed my baby shell Vpower 93 only .

JShamoon

I currently have a 94 Integra GSR which requires premium. I have used Shell, Mobil and BP. BP without a doubt gives me the best performance. The car is more lively, responds better and just feels more smooth accelerating. BTW, I live in the Chicagoland area.

Just my