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Top Tier Gasoline


gjb89

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Techron is considered to be one of the best additives on the market. It is excellent at cleaning soft and some medium deposits within the combustion chamber. This is why utilizing a top tier fuel is so important as you don't want deposits to get caked to the point of hardness that only a manual cleaning takes care of it. Techron is largely considered to be the "father" of many of these proprietary additive packages that all of the well known brands are using today.

 

I have often wondered how in the world some of these discount and cheap brands manage to sell their non top-tier fuels at or above the price of top tier fuels. I suspect it comes from a public that largely isn't very aware of the need to run a good fuel(many think gas is just gas) combined with the fact that many of those discount stations are often small or independent which means that they don't have access to some of the logistical advantages the big name brands might.

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As much as I hate to admit it, most people are not enthusiasts like us. They put whatever fuel is convenient or cheap and then takes it in for an oil change when that light pops up on the dash. I utilize the rule that any car that does not have me looking back at it as I walk away after parking it is not a car worth owning.

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500 miles! I'm jealous.

I would think that running a non-top tier tank through once in a while shouldn't be that big a deal. Probably best to also add a bottle of Techron when you do it, tho.

I have heard from a number of sources that Techron is the truly only effective additive. The rest are snake oil. (My dad swore by Marvel Mystery oil in the tank once in a while.) But that brings up a question: Would filling up with a non-top tier gas AND adding a bottle of Techron be equivalent to just filling up with Chevron in the first place? I guess that depends on what additives the non-top tier supplier adds to their gas in the first place, eh? What about using a top tier supplier (like a Costco) and also tossing in a bottle of Techron once in a while? Questions, questions....

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There are different levels of Techron products. For longterm cleaning (ie 1 bottle in 3 months to a year), you would use Techron Concentrate Plus, for example. If you were throwing Techron ProGard with the non top tier fuel, that would probably be better, but even then it would go for 1,000 miles, no need to do with every tankful. Can't say nonTT fuel + Techron = Chevron, but it certainly would be a much improved product. Since the base fuel is only produced by a few refineries, and the main difference is detergents, you would think so, right? But with any station, the difference is going to be the transport tankers and how well they are maintained. Never pump gas if you see the tanker at the station. All the sediment in the tank will have been stirred up and will end up in YOUR vehicle's fuel tank. Ugh.

 

Instead, I WOULD use synthetic marine oil like TC-W3 or the Marvel Mystery Oil, usually at 1 oz of the product to every 5 gallons of fuel pumped. Add before pumping fuel, first tank doesn't matter, but if you add on the second tank as well, then you need to know how much to add. These products burn cleanly and have lubricating properties that help injectors and fuel pumps stay happy despite winter fuel.

 

Always look for a busy station because even if non Top Tier, the fuel has had less chance to go stale/pick up contaminants from the storage tanks.

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Never pump gas if you see the tanker at the station. All the sediment in the tank will have been stirred up and will end up in YOUR vehicle's fuel tank. Ugh.

 

Always look for a busy station because even if non Top Tier, the fuel has had less chance to go stale/pick up contaminants from the storage tanks.

 

That first part really isn't the case anymore. Modern tanks (since the EPA forced replacements in 2009) have their pickups away from the bottom and have large fuel filters inline to each dispenser (pump). The bottom 500 - 800 gallons of the tank can't be picked up by the dispensers and has to be pumped out from the top when tanks need to be emptied. Also, the tanks are sealed to prevent water intrusion and that practically eliminates particulates as well.

 

The part about buying from a busy station is very true - especially when buying E10 because the fuel has a tendency to absorb moisture and to separate while sitting in the tank. But you should also be aware of the pump speed... if it seems to be pumping slowly, stop and go somewhere else. The most common cause of slow fuel rate is a clogged filter which indicates poor maintenance at the station. Either water or particulates will clog the filter and you don't want either of them in your gas.

 

Another common thing is always finding a station with separate hoses for each grade if you are buying high octane gas. The theory is that a single hose dispenser (the most common type these days) probably has about a gallon of whatever was last pumped still in the hose and that is usually regular 87 octane. Most dispensers really only retain about a half gallon in the hose but even if it was a full gallon, it wouldn't make any significant difference unless you're only buying 3-4 gallons (for a motorcycle for example). Even then, three gallons of 91 octane mixed with one gallon of 87 only reduces the octane to 90. For any fill up with more total gallons, the difference becomes insignificant.

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Just a queston, I have about 500 miles on my three week old edge naturally aspirated 3.5 L V6. I plan on using top tier fuel, but I always don't have access to it. Would it be very detrimental to use NON top tier fuel every once and awhile? Say maybe every 3 tanks or so.

Thanks

Lenny

I am generally purchase a tank of gas a day and do buy top tier almost every time, but on occasions I have had to buy non top tier. The only real issue I find is lower MPG's in most cases. I would not worry about it and if you do get gas and fill up you may have some gas left in the tank and as stated above it will mix in but be diluted.

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  • 1 year later...

Costco is my go to Top Tier provider. There is one right on my way to work and that sticker is on all their pumps. We are planning about a 2k mile trip at the end of this month and I plan to run Top Tier (as always) and some Techron through the Edge to help keep her running nice and clean!

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  • 6 months later...

Thought this video was relevant to the (older) discussion.

https://youtu.be/UPWJp7azEvc

 

Out of curiosity I looked up what station's locally had top-tier, and was surprised to learn that only two brands were.

 

Google "top tier gas stations" to see a Google map of the stations in your area that sell top-tier.

 

AAA came out a couple of years ago promoting top tier gas. https://newsroom.aaa.com/2016/07/aaa-not-gasoline-created-equal/

Edited by enigma-2
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