wtTL14

I have heard from people that Shell gasoline has a lot of methonal (a chemical that makes your engine run faster and smoother). Having too much of this chemical will dramatically shorten the life of the engine. I heard people said that 20/20 have done a special report on this issue, but not sure. I was wondering if anyone else know about this issue, and what gasoline do you use?

2001TL4KCdude

You can't go wrong with the main brands, Texaco, Amoco, Conoco...
I used Conoco got 22 - 23mpg. Boycott them since 9/11 when they raised gas to $5.63 a gallon
I now use a regional gas, QuickTrip..91 Octane it increased my mileage to 23 - 24mpg. No change in driving habits

samkws

SHELL!!! 91 Optimax Gold!!!

sometimes esso (exxon) if i can't find a shell around...

shell and petro canada(only in canada) gas runs more efficient than others...(source says)

fahoumh

I've been going to Shell for about a year now mainly b/c I collect Air Miles there. But Ferrari apparently uses Shell...this is taken straight from the Shell website:"Shell Optimax Gold was designed in Canada for Canadian driving conditions, using international Shell expertise gained from years of experience developing fuel for motorists and for specialized users - including the Ferrari formula 1 racing team." All it might be is propaganda, but it does have the minimum octane requirement of 91, and I haven't had any knocking.

samkws

yea...
i can collect the airmiles too!!!
i got that easy pay tag...it's sooooo convinient!!

faster pay at the pump!!

shell rulez

andrews32

I collect 5% gas back w/ my Shell Mastercard.

rominl

lmao..... so they mail a tank of gas to you?

2001TL4KCdude

I wonder if UPS delivers that tank of gas

PCVTEC

Esso Speed Pass all the way!!! do a search on About.com on Gas, Octane, etc... it has a lot of information.

juniel

4-5 yrs ago I used to put Shell and Arco 89 octane on my 89 legend and engine was pinging at 3500 to 4000 rpm freeway speeds. After all was sorted out, I changed to chevron, mobil or unocal76 still at 89 octane. Ever since, no engine ping. Todate on my 00 tl and 89legend, I only put either chevron,mobil or unocal 76 w 91octane only. So far so good.

fla-tls

I have no allegiance to any brand of gas, but I remember that methanol is very bad for rubber/plastic components that it encounters (i.e. fuel lines, O-rings, etc). From what I understand it hardens them.

BTW mycar seems to run better (pickup-wise) with 91-92. It runs worse (IMHO) with 93.

dean078

most brand name gasses are good.

stay away from the 'discount' gas places though (redners, HEB, etc.)...tried that once and you can FEEL the difference, even with premium. maybe that's why their premium is cheaper than most brand name regular grade.

hooked2TL

If you check the manual, Acura approves the use of gas with not more than 10% methanol. I've never seen any brand with more than 10%.

medrxman

[COLOR=blue][FONT=times new roman][SIZE=3]

I have been using Shell gasoline since my '92 Miata.
Miata magazine reported that Shell uses MBTA to oxygenate their gasoline as opposed to other gasoline companies using alcohol
based oxygenates which can dissolve varnishes in the gas tank and subsequently clog fuel injectors.

current vehicles:
2000 3.5 RL Vermont Green
2002 3.2 TLS SSM

fla-tls

This is not correct! Acura approves gasoline with 10% ethanol (grain alcohol).

It's on page 312 of the manual. Do not use anything containing methanol.

hooked2TL

Flatl

I stand corrected. Adding that M to ethanol is NOT approved by Acura...

fahoumh

If any fuel company has additives in their products that may be potentially harmful to the consumer's car, wouldn't they have to make it public?

medrxman

Ford knew about the bad Firestone tires..DID THEY TELL THE CONSUMER ?

Obviously if they knew their lips are sealed.

tdoh

I think you meant "ethanol", and it is primarily to make the gas burn cleaner as far as tailpipe emissions are concerned. Essentially, it's a type of alcohol that makes the gas more oxygen-rich (by the addition of an oxygen atom), thereby making it burn a bit cleaner. That is the price to pay for living in a state that is more environmentally conscious than most, if not all other states.

medrxman--I can't say I've heard of MBTA; I think you meant "MTBE"; and yes, MTBE is also an alcohol-based oxygenate. The difference between an MTBE-based gasoline and ethanol-based gas is that MTBE is made up of methanol and isobutylene. FWIW--CA is eliminating MTBE for more "safer" oxygenated fuel (mostly ethanol).

Tony

Eskimo

A bigger problem with gasoline in Canada is the high sulphur content.

The cleanest gas we can get here in Vancouver is from the few Arco stations that are left since they get their supplies from a US refinery where standards are tougher.

The high sulphur content won't be good for the exhaust system.

pianoman41

Most New England states (I know MA is one) were mandated by the federal government a few years ago to sell *only* gas formulated with MTBE, in a response to the enviromentally friendly groups. Within the last year they discovered that MTBE and its byproducts were seeping into aquifers and water supplies everywhere. They've now mandated that all stations *cease* selling MTBE gasoline, I believe by the end of 2002. Up until about six months ago, it didn't matter where you went--all you could find was gasoline with MTBE. And yes, the methanol is detrimental to your engine, although no one can quite say to what extent and when problems start showing as a result. Luckily, MA is following CA's CARB regs and giving MTBE the boot.

chandi999

What would anyone say about the 76 Racing car fuel.. I always pump my gas at 76 and I am pretty satisfied with the outcome. I get 25-26 mpg high way.

samkws

hey man use shell...they have the fewest% of sulphur among all brands selling in canada...only 5%..other are more than 10%...

i was using both esso and shell for gas for my old car...found a little bit difference in performance...or maybe just my own feeling...i was using 87octane...and shell gas gives better off the line accerlation while esso gas gives a livier rev on hwy...now i use shell for my TL all alone coz i never heard anyone says esso is gd as shell...

TommyBoiSxty9

Theres tons of Mobil & Citgo's around here and I dno't really like iether... theres an Exxon about 20min. from my house so for the most part I try to get it there... if not i get mobil..
we have no Shells Amocos, very few BP's, etc.

A few Sunocos dont like thos either.

I've gotten the best with the Exxon

Eskimo

Samkws, Shell and Petro Canada ranks averages middle of the pack when it comes to sulphur content. Esso is the worst at around 700 parts per million. See table: http://www.cbc.ca/consumers/market/f...gas/table.html

Additionally, most oil companies in Canada engages in the practice of switching, which means the gasoline you buy at Shell may come from Chevron, Imperial Oil, Sunoco, refinery. You really don't know who refined the gas. The only exception to this is Irving and Arco. Both these companies produce gasoline with a maximum sulphur content of only 30 ppm, which is what car manufacturers recommend. Anything above this level can lead to premature failure in your O2 sensor, catalytic converter and the rest of the exhaust system.

In the USA, California has one of the toughest standards on sulphur content in gasoline. That is probably why Arco gasoline we get up here in Vancouver is so clean.

Pawel

Wow, this post is realy deep.... I use Mobil Premium since i got my TL. What i found out is that most of the times what's important is the gas station itself..... if you know wha ti mean. once, i got mobil gas from this one station and my car was running like an old hoe.... that's why, i always use only one (yes i use only 1 gas station) gas station. they proved themselves to me...

DragonTL

My father was looking into the convenient store business with some of his business partners, and discovered that no matter what brand of gas you sell, if your supply happens to be short, the company provides you with gas that may not be from the same production company as you advertise to sell.

For example: an Exxon gas station receives Citgo or Chevron gas, even though it is filled with an Exxon truck. The distribution center received the other gas and distributed it accordingly to the supply availability.

I don't know if this is true but my father told me that all gas stations carry relatively the same gas. This applies to gasoline in the states.

The only real difference is the specific gas station maintaining their gas pumps. Some take stricter measures to keep moisture out of their tanks.

From my personal experience, I put in gasoline from major oil companies. They seem to run my car the best compared to no name companies, i.e. Racetrac.

FYI, never put in gasoline from a station that has just received or is in the process of a tanker fill up. The gas that is filling the gas station stirs up sediments that is usually settled at the bottom of the tank and increases the chance that your car receives a portion of those sediments.

fla-tls

This is absolutely correct. Let me tell you a little horror story I was exposed to when I was in my early 20's. I met a friend of mine who worked at a gas station just about the time he was closing up. As part of his nightly duties, he was responsible for checking the level of gasoline in the tanks. The method used by this station was to take a long stick and pour - get this - comet cleansing powder (they were using the type WITH BLEACH) all over the stick, then dip it down into the tank and take a reading. I'm not kidding... it was done EVERY night (imagine the build-up over time).

It is my assumption that newer stations (hopefully) have better, more automated ways of knowing how much fuel is in their tanks, without having to resort to this measuring technique.

I try to use newer stations (not renovated stations - one's I know that are new) for this reason, and for the fact they they have newer tanks with less sediment, rust, etc.

Comments (especially from people who have worked in gas stations) invited!

tdoh

Something for all you car owners across the country to keep in mind--generally speaking, us Californians get crappier gas than the other 49 states...

Tony

Eskimo

tdoh, really? In what way is the gas in Calif. "crappy"? I thought California had the strictest tolerance for gasoline in the whole US of A.

Petrie1997

Aaaahhhh...
the good ol days! I used to do this as a little kid at my family's convenience stores. I saw a guy doing it the other day; so I guess this is still the only method to measure your tanks.
Peter.

samkws

hey gd job...thanks for ur research....now i know esso isn't that great...anyways i never used it after i got my new TL...
and i am not a fan of sunoco coz i don't want to pay 2 more cents for the Ultra 94...since my car requires 91...it has nth to do with higher octanes...

anyways i guess i will stick back with shell...they reformulated their premimum gas this yr and i think they are gd

tdoh

I didn't mean "crappy" as far as emissions go, but that from what others have commented elsewhere, there is a slight performance hit--perceived or otherwise.

Another thing to add--CA premium unleaded gas pump octane is now 91 instead of 92; AFAIK premium gas in other states is still 92, and in some stations even 93 or higher. Heck, a few years ago I saw a 97 (forgot the exact number but I do remember it was definitely higher than 93) pump octane at a 76 gas station in Vegas.

Tony

Eskimo

IC. At least you guys in California can count on low sulphur gas not to foul up your exhaust system down the road.

We have to wait till Jan 2005 before our gas is as clean as yours.

TheBigLaguna

Eskimo:

Thanks for the link to study performed by CBC's Marketplace. It seems that the sulphur content of the gasolines tesed in Quebec are fairly similar (300).

I've tried both Shell and Ultramar and haven't noticed any mileage or performance differences. I fill up with whatever is cheaper and that is usually Ultramar's Premium gas (91 octane) because it costs only 6 cents more per liter than their regular gas (87 octane). Others stations charge 10 cents/liter more for their premium gas (for our American friends that's about US 20 cents more per gallon). And on Thursday's, Ultramar sells Premium for only 3 cents more than regular.

It may sound like chump change, but over a year it adds up to 10-15% lower fuel bill. Over four years, it defrays the expense of replacing the exhaust system. :-)

But I would buy low-sulphur fuel if it were available locally.

wtTL14

Thanks guys for all the research and info you have given me. I have notice that one shell gasoline station gives me more mileage and performance than others. So i am going to stick to one gasoline station.

fahoumh

I sent an e-mail a little while back to Shell asking if they have any methanol in any of their fuels. I just got a reply and here it is:

Hello,

Thank you for taking the time to visit the Shell Canada website.

In response to your inquiry, we do not use Methanol in our gasoline as its use causes a number of problems with product quality. Most OEMs recommend against the use of Methanol in gasoline (check your owners manual!). Methanol can cause problems with shrinking or swelling elastomer seals in the fuel system, it will remove deposits & solvate rust & water into the fuel causing filter plugging, it is detrimental to fuel economy (as it contains oxygen), it causes poorer cold starts and cold driveability (due to it containing oxygen so it enleans the airfuel mixture & it has a high latent heat of vaporization), it can cause hot fuel handling problems as it boils at a single temp so it can vaporize in float bowls & injectors so poor hot restarts. In the distribution system it will tend to combine with any water & often fall out of solution. Its only desirable use is at a very low level (much less than 0.1% vol usually 150 mL in a 40 litre fill) as a gas line anti freeze. It will prevent this but Isopropanol (commonly sold as PREMIUM Gas Line AntiFreeze) is better. I am unaware of any major fuel suppliers in North America that use methanol as a component in gasoline. The National Standard in Canada requires that if Methanol is used in gasoline that a cosolvent must be used which helps to prevent the methanol from falling out of solution.

I hope this helps!

Ken Mitchell

samkws

thx man!!! i thought those companies would never reply ur e-mail...haha...very detailed...gd customer service by Shell...

Scorpius

What about Sunocco Ultra 94? Do that use Methanol, ethanol or what?

fahoumh

I have no idea....why don't you e-mail them? It only took about a week for them to respond to my query.

BTW, what's up with your avatar?