Bought a 2010 Civic this week, and was told the Dealer has used QT gas in it. I want to do one of the major brands - BP, Phillips 66, Shell, Mobile. I read that all gas is the same, and the difference is the additives they add. They say some brands have more detergent additives than others.
I want to give my new car the best match for it’s manufacturer’s engine, but don’t know how to find that out. Do I call Honda, or are all 1.8, 140 HP 4 cylinders the same. I don’t think they are.
I know QT is good, but I actually want to use the brand name.
Your Civic is an ECONOMY car; I would put in any gas from a clean filling station that is the LEAST expensive.
Forget what the dealer told you; in your case, gas is gas, as long as it is the right grade.! In France over 50% of all gas sold is by supermarkets like Carrefour and Walmart! These do not have their own refineries; they buy gas from major oil companies.
Countless surveys of high mileage car owners reveal that none used any special gas or oil; they just followed the owner’s manual and took good care of their vehicles.
I agree with Docnick. The cheap place with the long lines is a good tipoff.
Honda’s engineers apparently believe differently than you do Doc.
As do the engineers at Toyota, GM, VW, Audi, and BMW.
From the website, www.toptiergas.com:
[i]TOP TIER Detergent Gasoline is the premier standard for gasoline performance. Six of the world’s top automakers, BMW, General Motors, Honda, Toyota, Volkswagen and Audi recognize that the current EPA minimum detergent requirements do not go far enough to ensure optimal engine performance.
Since the minimum additive performance standards were first established by EPA in 1995, most gasoline marketers have actually reduced the concentration level of detergent additive in their gasoline by up to 50%. As a result, the ability of a vehicle to maintain stringent Tier 2 emission standards have been hampered, leading to engine deposits which can have a big impact on in-use emissions and driver satisfaction.
These automakers have raised the bar. TOP TIER Detergent Gasoline help drivers avoid lower quality gasoline which can leave deposits on critical engine parts, which reduces engine performance. That’s something both drivers and automakers want to avoid.[/i]
If the OP goes to the Top Tier site, he can see which brands of gas contain the amount of additives necessary to satisfy the requirements of Honda and the other listed car makers.
I can tell you that a friend of mine had consistent driveability problems with his Honda Accord. I suggested that he switch from Sunoco to Shell gas. After about 4 tanks of Shell regular, his long-term driveability problems disappeared.
Coincidence? Possibly.
However, since the Shell station that he and I patronize is always the cheapest major-brand gas station in the area, we certainly have nothing to lose by using Shell gas, as opposed to brands that are not designated “Top Tier”.
Thanks. But doesn’t an engine get used to the specific additives in the gas, and changing brands based on lowest price at the time could add to engine wear?
I’ve heard of top tier gas, but I’m not familiar with the term “QT” gas.
You can change brands of gas any time. Your car doesn’t get “used” to a particular gas. Sometimes you can get a batch of bad gas from any service station, branded or generic can both sell bad gas. It is rare.
The problem is the quality of all gas is declining in general. Perhaps top tier gas may make a difference. So far in my '03 Civic I burn pretty much anything. When at home I do tend to go to the same gas station because I haven’t had any problems with the gas. It happens to be an off brand, Enrite.
No. Engines don’t “get used to” anything.
I never heard of “QT” gas. Is that a brand in your area?
You might want to check out http://www.TopTierGas.com
I believe Honda recommends Top Tier brands. I use Top Tier brands when I can get them, but will use whatever is handy otherwise.
Gasoline IS pretty much all the same. It’s not something worth worrying about, or going out of your way to get. You can use any brand at all in your new Civic without worry.
Shall we discuss e10 vs. straight gasoline? That will open a can of worms.
When your car is due for its first oil change you’re going to get the same sort of answers when you ask which is the “best” brand of oil. Or oil filter.
QT is a large company out west that specializes in clean, well maintained convenience stores that sell gas. QT stands for Quik Trip. They have the best soda on the planet because they chill it before it’s dispensed. I always seek them out when I travel in the western states because their prices are very fair and their premises are always cleaner than McDonalds.
Get comments. The quality of the gas is more dependent upon local distribution practices which are now tightly regulated, than any other factor. Don’t be caught up in the gas hoopla when the best thing you can do for your car is drive it sanely and keep it under cover and clean.
…and Quik Trip is one of the Top Tier brands, according to the TT website.
Please tell me about e10 versus straight gasoline. Does Phillips 66 and Shell both have the ethanol in their gas? There seems to be disagreement over whether ethanol is okay or not. Have to do first fill up in an hour, so ASAP if you can.
QT is a convience store that sells gas, and i saw that it’s listed in the Top Tier retailer list.
Please tell me about e10 versus straight gasoline. Does Phillips 66 and Shell both have the ethanol in their gas? There seems to be disagreement over whether ethanol is okay or not. Have to do first fill up in an hour, so ASAP if you can.
QT is a convience store that sells gas, and i saw that it’s listed in the Top Tier retailer list.
P.S. Thanks for your help in my search for the Civic.
In many areas it’s almost impossible to avoid e10, which is gasoline with 10% ethanol.
E10 will NOT harm your car, and you can safely use it all the time. Your fuel mileage will be about 10% lower than with straight gasoline, but other than that there are no problems with e10.
In my area fuel pumps dispensing e10 are clearly marked. There are a few stations near me that sell straight gasoline, and they usually have lines because many people seem to prefer it.
The interesting thing is, none of the straight gas stations in my area is a Top Tier brand. All of the Top Tier brands near me sell e10 exclusively.
Talk about a conundrum! Should I buy straight gas or Top Tier gas? I sometimes wonder how I get any sleep at all worrying about this.
Just kidding.
I own an Acura (Honda) and a Subaru. Both use regular 87 octane gasoline. I purchase Top Tier brands when it’s convenient. I purchase straight gas when it’s convenient. And, when it’s convenient, I purchase gasoline which is neither Top Tier nor straight gasoline.
Other than the fuel mileage it makes no difference whatsoever that I can tell.
Now, octane. Your Civic uses 87 octane regular gas. There is NO benefit at all to buying higher octane, such as “mid-grade” or “premium.” These grades are not “better,” they just have more octane. Some engines need the extra octane, yours does not.
It would be a complete waste of money to put anything other than regular, 87-octane gas in a Civic. Don’t waste your money.
I suggest you stop at any convenient filling station on your way to wherever you’re going and fill your new Civic. It’s not worth driving out of your way to get “special” gas.
If “QT” stands for Quick Trip, which is a Top Tier retailer, that would be a good place to fill up.
Where I live, Top Tier means good gas to me. We belong to a grocery co-operative that has a very busy gas station. Their gas comes straight from a “top Tier” refinery. My other station, the one with the good car wash, is a Sunoco owned one, and also has good gas.
Reputable gas retailers with high volume and clean stations sell gas with sufficient detergent in it to make Chevlum’s Honda run 300,000 trouble-free miles if he maintains it well.
In this site we do recommend you stay away from dirty stations in remote areas, and such seasonal operations as “Joe’s Bait & Tackle” in the Ozarks.
If Honda built super-finicky engines that only ran well on the very best, I might agree with the Top Tier only philosophy.
For a car that calls for regular, using premium is likely a total waste of money at best.
The answer to your question is in the owner’s manual. As long as you are using a fuel that meets the specifications in the owner’s manual, you need nothing more, unless there is a problem with the car or if Honda issues a notice that they have changed their recommendations.
Additional additives are a total waste for 98% if cars. They often are recommended by those who are selling them or providing fuel with them already mixed.
Using an additive when there is no need, will cost you more and in a few situations it may cause problems.
I would suggest that you would be best served if you avoid ethanol. It is not likely to cause damage, but it can cause some drivability problems for some cars especially in spring.
Don’t worry, Be happy!
VDC, my friend, I’m surprised you’re quoting from the TopTier site to validate TopTier as the best gas for Hondas…or any cars. I’m willing to bet you’ll find very similar statements on any other gasoline company’s site.
The definitive authority is the owner’s manual. And I seriously doubt if it recommends a specific brand.
Or, alternatively, I’d believe the API website. I’ll bet that a visit there would clarify my belief that all major gasoline brands’ products contain extremely similar (if not exactly the same) additive packages, and as we all know the gas itself comes from the same distribution pipes.
Fuel mileage is huge for me- budget and all, which is why I got a small car. But I also need the car to last 20 years or so. Does the e10 add to engine life? Or is it just for better emission control?
Okay, I want to avoid enthanol. Does Phillips 66 and Shell have ethanol. They are close to me and Top Tier.
Neither. It’s a government subsidy to the corn growing giants, paid for by us taxpayers. It takes more energy to produce ethanol than you get out of it. I consider it a scam.
E10 doesn’t add or subtract from engine life vs. straight gasoline, and I don’t think it makes any measurable difference in emissions.
If fuel mileage is paramount try to find a station selling straight gasoline (no ethanol). If there aren’t any in your area don’t worry about it.
If you want your car to last 20 years, the best thing you can do is park it in a garage as often as possible. The weather will kill your car much more quickly than ethanol will.
Where I live there is a Shell station that sells straight gas - no ethanol. When I travel, however, all the Shell stations I’ve found have e10.
The brand name is not as important as the refinery from which the gasoline came. The stations near my house that have straight gas all get their gas from the same refinery, even though they sell it under several different brand names.
It can be confusing.
Good luck with your new Civic.