Guess I'm loading up my 87 tune..

[Joyride]

In California 87 is already $4/ gallon so we use to it lol but I don’t know no matter what gas prices do no point in switching from 91/93 to lower grade just cuz fuel prices go up. 30k miles of 91 and I ain’t switching now lol Unless obviously cheaper grade is the only stuff you can get

Yep! San Diego gas easily up over $4...Needless to say Costco gets a lot of love.

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[MTB-BRUH]

Yep! San Diego gas easily up over $4...Needless to say Costco gets a lot of love.

haha dang, I’m on the opposite side of the state and we are at $4.49 or so for 91 Chevron. Personally only use Chevron or shell if I can and we don’t have a Costco gas station lol

 

[Chris M]

$3.16 for 91 octane this past week at Costco in Phoenix.
Makes me glad not to be any closer to CA than I already am.
I feel for y'all.

 

[Joyride]

haha dang, I’m on the opposite side of the state and we are at $4.49 or so for 91 Chevron. Personally only use Chevron or shell if I can and we don’t have a Costco gas station lol

Same. Chevron is usually my go to but even with the Albertsons/Vons discount it's too rich for me right now.

 

[Joyride]

$3.16 for 91 octane this past week at Costco in Phoenix.
Makes me glad not to be any closer to CA than I already am.
I feel for y'all.

Well, we are the only dummies that voted to raise fuel taxes on ourselves. So I don't blame ya for staying away lol.

 

[SymChris]

Not sure if we’re turning this into a gas costing thread but this was in my area (Mississauga, Ontario, Canada), and this has dropped quite a bit, about 8 cents a litre, since last weekend, which is opposite because this is a long weekend here (God save the queen?).

Anyways, this is with the Shell I go to mostly:

87 - $1.229 per litre / $4.65 per gallon
89 - $1.449 per litre / $5.48 per gallon
91 (v-power) - $1.549 per litre / $5.86 per gallon

I went with 30 litres of 91 (bonus AirMiles each 30l). Was running 89 the past few tanks.

Note: I didn’t do any currency conversion, the above $$& are CAD$….

 

[Leftcoast]

Well, we are the only dummies that voted to raise fuel taxes on ourselves. So I don't blame ya for staying away lol.

I remember the California air in the 60s and 70s. It was beyond terrible in LA and the Bay Area. Now you can smell older vehicles before you see them. Imagine every vehicle stinking like that and you have the 60s. Most younger people don't know how screwed up it was. I heard the Bay Area air was equivalent to a pack of cigarettes a day and LA was 2 packs. I'll pay a buck a gallon to have better air. Your results may be different.

 

[FloggingBishop]

haha dang, I’m on the opposite side of the state and we are at $4.49 or so for 91 Chevron. Personally only use Chevron or shell if I can and we don’t have a Costco gas station lol

Don’t know how it is down there, but up here Costco buys the most basic of gas with only enough additive to make it legal for motor use, they then add their own 11 herbs and spices to it... I avoid Costco if I can. Shell Silver is my flavour. Chevron from what I know is good too. Exxon/Esso/Mobil is my third choice if I don’t have a Shell or PetroCan near me.

 

[Joyride]

I remember the California air in the 60s and 70s. It was beyond terrible in LA and the Bay Area. Now you can smell older vehicles before you see them. Imagine every vehicle stinking like that and you have the 60s. Most younger people don't know how screwed up it was. I heard the Bay Area air was equivalent to a pack of cigarettes a day and LA was 2 packs. I'll pay a buck a gallon to have better air. Your results may be different.

Heard the same thing. Not sure there’s a direct correlation that higher gas prices equal better air but I’m no scientist, especially that last gas tax hike. I’m sure advancements in vehicles and emissions technology have more to do with it. Most folks in my small universe drive as much as they always have, just unfortunately pay more to do it. Although I’m right there with you that clean air is much better.

 

[Langwilliams]

I remember the California air in the 60s and 70s. It was beyond terrible in LA and the Bay Area. Now you can smell older vehicles before you see them. Imagine every vehicle stinking like that and you have the 60s. Most younger people don't know how screwed up it was. I heard the Bay Area air was equivalent to a pack of cigarettes a day and LA was 2 packs. I'll pay a buck a gallon to have better air. Your results may be different.

I remember seeing the smog reports on the news as a kid. I lived in Ohio an it was so bad in CA they reported on it here. If CA is like Ohio the gas tax funds road maint an improvements. The improvement in air quality came from several changed forced by the gov an EPA an CARB. While I believe the gov an EPA over reach with their power, getting rid of leaded gas an reducing the emissions was a positive change...at first it sucked because the muscle cars of the 60's were replaced by lame 130 HP V8 cars that were choked down by smog controls. BUT the same controls that at first killed performance have now given us 700 hp cars from the factory. CA is the largest car market in the US an CARB uses that to try to control the auto industry. The push for 50 mpg fleet avg is crazy....it could be done but only by building cars no one wants an would buy. The push for ever increasing percentages of all electric zero emission vehicles is too aggressive...the infrastructure isn't in place an the minerals in the batteries have their problems too. CA has black outs an rolling brown outs as it is...imagine a million or more new EV's being plugged in every night.

 

[tfisher15]

Don’t know how it is down there, but up here Costco buys the most basic of gas with only enough additive to make it legal for motor use, they then add their own 11 herbs and spices to it... I avoid Costco if I can. Shell Silver is my flavour. Chevron from what I know is good too. Exxon/Esso/Mobil is my third choice if I don’t have a Shell or PetroCan near me.

I think your wrong about Costco gas. See this info from AAA:

AAA hired an independent lab to complete 4,000 miles of simulated driving to compare Top Tier gasoline with the cheaper blends. Their findings show that the additive packages in Top Tier gas resulted in fewer carbon deposits than those found in the non-Top Tier gasoline test.

The study also found that there were some secondary benefits to the better additive packages, including slightly better fuel economy and better drivability. The benefits are apparent, but do consumers really care?

The Top Tier gasoline specification was created by a group of automakers in 2004 in response to the minimum gasoline detergent standard introduced by the EPA in 1995. The EPA standard was designed to meet emissions targets but didn’t account for engine longevity. So, automakers created a new higher standard to prevent long-term issues such as clogged fuel injectors and contaminated combustion chambers.

Top Tier gasoline is widely available and can even be found at wholesale retailer Costco. Most gasoline comes from similar sources and is transported along the same pipelines until it reaches a local distributor. The distributor sells the gas to local stations and blends in an additive package based on the brand and specification. Some gasoline gets a very basic additive package but Top Tier gas gets a very specific package that has been tested to meet the Top Tier standards.

According to the AAA study, the non-Top Tier fuel caused carbon deposits that were 19 times higher than the deposits from the Top Tier fuel. They also saw better drivability and better fuel economy when the better fuel was used. Emissions were also reduced, likely due to the ban of metallic additives in Top Tier fuel.

 

[FloggingBishop]

I think your wrong about Costco gas. See this info from AAA:

AAA hired an independent lab to complete 4,000 miles of simulated driving to compare Top Tier gasoline with the cheaper blends. Their findings show that the additive packages in Top Tier gas resulted in fewer carbon deposits than those found in the non-Top Tier gasoline test.

The study also found that there were some secondary benefits to the better additive packages, including slightly better fuel economy and better drivability. The benefits are apparent, but do consumers really care?

The Top Tier gasoline specification was created by a group of automakers in 2004 in response to the minimum gasoline detergent standard introduced by the EPA in 1995. The EPA standard was designed to meet emissions targets but didn’t account for engine longevity. So, automakers created a new higher standard to prevent long-term issues such as clogged fuel injectors and contaminated combustion chambers.

Top Tier gasoline is widely available and can even be found at wholesale retailer Costco. Most gasoline comes from similar sources and is transported along the same pipelines until it reaches a local distributor. The distributor sells the gas to local stations and blends in an additive package based on the brand and specification. Some gasoline gets a very basic additive package but Top Tier gas gets a very specific package that has been tested to meet the Top Tier standards.

According to the AAA study, the non-Top Tier fuel caused carbon deposits that were 19 times higher than the deposits from the Top Tier fuel. They also saw better drivability and better fuel economy when the better fuel was used. Emissions were also reduced, likely due to the ban of metallic additives in Top Tier fuel.

Note the first line in my post... I am not sure about down there (as in the US). Also they compared top tier too cheaper blends... does that mean 91 to 87? They didn’t compare to brands like Shell or BP? If they did what grade did they compare?

I actually work at a distribution terminal , Costco being one place we ship too... I am not 100% sure what xylene blend they add to their gas, however I know the recipe when it leaves. They use a computer system to calculate their treatment rates once they receive gas into their tanks,based on volume in each tank, since it’s not side streamed or mixed like it would be at a loading rack, I choose not to trust that I am actually getting enough DCA’s. I am by no means saying they have bad gas, I 100% believe they properly maintain their tanks and equipment, I just don’t know what they use, I am going to assume it’s a reputable BASF product, and that it is properly blended. I would use Costco if I had too, over a place that was unbranded and seemed janky.

there is much more then just the gasoline or ethanol that is actually in your gas, and that stuff is actually required to help keep engines clean and running properly. If Costco injected at the dispenser instead of into the tank I’d have no issue with it.

if Costco is your flavour and you like it and have had no issues then great, I am only giving my personal recommendation.
As for AAA doing studies, that’s great anecdotal proof for sure that I am wrong. But you have to always consider the baselines and sample pool.

I have seen a paper up here by one company (won’t name, and I did work for them for 12 years previously) that said their gasoline blend was the best, however the gas buddy website polled members on their personal experiences and found that over 3500 people found that said company was their third choice based on mileage. CAA (Canada’s AAA) also stated that said company came in 4th in an independent study, and they plugged the Gas Buddy second place brand. It’s all subjective to many factors. Personally I think my company is the best from what I know, but I don’t plug them, there are other brands that are almost the same in quality and performance where the difference wouldn’t matter.

gasoline’s have to meet a set standard and I find that corporate companies (Costco, No Frills, Canadian Tire, or what you have down south) generally aren’t in the fuel business as their man source of income. Shell, ESSO/Exxon/Mobil, Chevron, BP, PetroCanada, etc are, and will generally want to create a brand loyalty with the consumer by competing not only in price but quality.

I also know what most the majors put into their fuels, and the treatment rates, for me if I can get more additives for the same price I will go for that, but Costco isn’t adding a bunch of DCA (as far as I know). I can be very wrong on this, as I generally ship for the majors, and corporates to a lesser degree.

if Costco injected their additive at the tanks using a blender or had a tank mixer I am sure there wouldn’t be any issues, and I am sure there isn’t really a huge one now, my opinion is based on over 17 years in this industry and knowledge of how things are blended and what is blended. If Costco is working for you and you have no issues then absolutely continue using Costco. I do know people that have bikes, boats, and a guy with a C8 Corvette that refuse to use Costco because they have had issues or felt that it under performed compared to other brands. Maybe in regular every day vehicle use it is 100% fine, I just choose not to use it. If you’re curious I would recommend Shell Silver or V-Power, PetroCanada 89 or 91 (only if the station doesn’t have 93/94 as a choice as the 91 will have ethanol if it does), ESSO/Exxon/Mobil 89 or 91 (same as for PetroCan with the 93/94 thing), or a Valero brand (up here that’s Ultramar and sometimes Pioneer I think).

it’s sort of the same as the smaller unbranded corner stores. If it’s branded then they have to meet that brands standard for tank and equipment maintenance and not just the bare minimum.

in short, maybe it’s different in the US opposed to Canada, but up here I won’t go to Costco, Canadian Tire, En Route, No frills etc unless I have no other option.

also that study sort of supports another point I make... Additives matter, and Top Tier, ie 91, 93, 94 will have more additives... it’s a weird study.... it’s like comparing a high quality item to a cheaper version of it. Compare brands, not grades.... obviously 91 will have better additive treatment and performance over 87

 

[Joyride]

Don’t know how it is down there, but up here Costco buys the most basic of gas with only enough additive to make it legal for motor use, they then add their own 11 herbs and spices to it... I avoid Costco if I can. Shell Silver is my flavour. Chevron from what I know is good too. Exxon/Esso/Mobil is my third choice if I don’t have a Shell or PetroCan near me.

This I did not know but makes sense to keep the price down. I usually go to Chevron and the Shell near me.

 

[Langwilliams]

Most expensive tank to date today....$63 for shell 93. I could have saved $4 on the tank with 91 BP.

Avg was 21.3 on this tank.

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