Very much so!
2 Likes
I managed a seasonal gas station in a National Park years ago, and the fuel we got came from the single source that existed for that area of Colorado and New Mexico. I asked the driver if we were selling Chevron or something else, and he told me the basic fuel was all the same, but that the distributor had machinery to put in the additives required by each retailer as the truck was being filled. That sounded reasonable to me at the time in a place where it would have been crazy to have separate suppliers for the various brands. I suspect it’s still true to some extent, and Costco gets what it gets, with the additives it specifies, from whoever offers the best price. The cheap off brand stations get less additives, I assume.
1 Like
Still true.
CR has published this article before . . . might have been last year
The engine is the old 2.3 liter sohc inline 4 cylinder, which was used in 1990s era Ford Ranger trucks, as an example
so definitely NOT direct injection
2 Likes
If you have a turbine you really can use Wild Turkey. I remember one using cognac as a stunt.
Not sure of the accuracy, but it was explained to me once that the cheap off brands actually had more additives/detergents, as they would get a mixture of everyone else’s leftovers. Not that a mixture of detergents is a good thing…
Well, as long as you don’t gargle with it …
1 Like
i have a seasoned master mechanic who knows near everything about cars. he has stated the same thing to me. specifically, that the same gas for every station comes out of the same truck, but the additives are then added per the brand. he stated that he has seen numerous times the truck drivers adding the required additives for brand name gases, and not doing so for the cut rate stuff. so i offer that as hearsay corroboration of your comment. my mechanic is supremely trustworthy and would not have made that up.
Agree! A trucking company here delivers gas to many different stations. They may fill up at an EXXON refinery 175 miles away and then unload at our local Co-op gas stations which sell Tier 1 gas. Additives are put in either at the refinery or elsewhere.
If oil companies had their own trucks the public would be hopelessly confused seeing a Shell station being supplied with BP or EXXON Mobil gas, for instance…
Much horse trading between oil companies and gas retailers takes place, but the additive package is specified by the retailer so the main brands all have Tier 1 gas and the heavy discounters may have less additives.
In France 45% of all gas is sold by grocery and department stores. They buy from whoever gives them the best deal but they specify the Tier gas they want.
1 Like
appreciate the reply. just as i replied to the other poster. by people corroborating issue such as this we help pull them out of the realm of ‘urban myth’ and get into to people. i had always wondered, and was thankful when my own mechanic cleared this up for me.
The reassuring part of the article is that Top Tier gas worked retroactively, cleaning out gunk that had already accumulated. Rather than bother with searching out the best gas I add a bottle of additive occasionally.
1 Like
I have to assume that there aren’t any Costco gas stations in your neck of the woods, where you could buy “the best gas” at a lower price than the local competition, and not have to spend money for bottles of additives.
1 Like
I don’t belong. I’ve considered it, but it’s a long trip. The savings wouldn’t make up for the costs. And I’d rather not go out of my way. I don’t have to make a trip to buy a bottle of additive, just add it to the shopping list and stay ahead. I just checked albuquerquegasprices.com: CostCo isn’t the cheapest and is only a penny less than a close-by station.
2 Likes
If you live in a consumer-hostile “red” state, it is entirely possible that you might need to have a Costco membership in order to buy gas. In my consumer-friendly state, ANYONE can buy gas at Costco, as long as he/she has a Visa credit card or an “approved” debit card. Of course, if you don’t live anywhere near a Costco gas station, this is all academic, but when you’re traveling, you might want to consider buying Top Tier gas from Costco when you are near one of their stations.
We don’t have a Costco in the Buffalo Ares and I lice more than 10 miles from a Sams Club , We have a BJs but they charge more for non members.
I buy gas at Tops supermarkets where my wife shops for groceries. Ten cents off a gallon for every 100 you spend and Ten cents off per promotional item. I usually get between .40 to $1.20 a gallon and you can buy 25 gallons at a time. I have not used anything else, except on a trip on my 7 1/2 year car and no problems.
I also don’t like Turkey Hill Ice cream, our local Perry’s brand is much creamier.
Sam’s Club doesn’t sell Top Tier gas anyway…
Thanks to advise I received in this forum, I only use TT gas in my Vibe.
Here are the brands that sell TT gasoline in North America, and Puerto Rico:
https://www.toptiergas.com/consumers/
Diesel in the U.S., and Candada:
https://www.toptiergas.com/diesel-licensed-brands/
Free station locator for IOS; https://itunes.apple.com/app/apple-store/id310730297?mt=8
For Andriod: https://itunes.apple.com/app/apple-store/id310730297?mt=8
First time I heard there’s a Top Tier for diesel.
Huh? Costco’s own website says their gas stations are only open to Costco members or Costco Cash Card customers. What on earth does this have to do with red vs. blue politics?
3 Likes
Because it actually does vary from one state to another. In NJ–which is True Blue and extremely consumer-friendly–it is illegal to require any type of club membership for the purchase of gasoline, and thus, anyone can purchase Costco’s gasoline in this state–as long as they have a Visa credit card or debit card. (Costco gas stations don’t accept cash.) If your state isn’t as consumer-friendly as mine is, then it is time for you to contact your state representatives and ask…Why?
1 Like