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Old 01-23-2013, 08:26 PM   #1 (permalink)
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Non-top tier gas + additive to save money?

This isn't exactly a question of efficiency as much as it is a question of economics, so I put it here. Typically I would fill my car with Chevron (something about the blue everywhere makes me feel good), but I didn't feel like driving 2 miles just to get to the cheaper Chevron station in the next town so I just filled at a Valero. Typically I avoid Valero/ARCO since it's "lower quality" gas, but I read that the only difference is a small amount of detergents, so I poured 2 ounces of Marvel Mystery Oil in the tank since it's composition suggests that it's a good cleaner.

1 quart of MMO costs about as much as 1 gallon of gasoline, but the additives in gas are well under 1% of the composition, so adding just a few ounces should be bringing the "cleaning power" up quite a bit? So I saved maybe 1 dollar on the actual gasoline getting Valero, and then dumped 30 cents of MMO back in.

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Old 01-23-2013, 09:23 PM   #2 (permalink)
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...that's exactly what GM Owners Manual recommend when using "...non-Tier 1..." gasolines, so you're doing it right.
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Old 01-23-2013, 09:32 PM   #3 (permalink)
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I burn the cheapest fuel w/o additives. No problems.
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Old 01-23-2013, 11:17 PM   #4 (permalink)
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Old Tele man View Post
...that's exactly what GM Owners Manual recommend when using "...non-Tier 1..." gasolines, so you're doing it right.
Really? :O

Gonna buy more Valero from now on, my credit card gives 3.3% off on gas so that makes up the difference between them and ARCO.
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Old 01-25-2013, 07:56 PM   #5 (permalink)
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Frank Lee View Post
I burn the cheapest fuel w/o additives. No problems.
Same here.
I tried adding a bottle of Techron Fuel System Cleaner to a fill-up in my Mustang last Summer. It made NO difference in FE, but it cost over $85.00 per gallon. ($7.99 + tax for a 12 oz bottle) I'll just continue purchasing my fuel from Safeway and not adding anything to it.
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Old 01-25-2013, 09:16 PM   #6 (permalink)
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I've found good results with Lucas Fuel Treatment. The small 4 oz. bottles are expensive, but you can by it in quart and gallon sizes.
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Old 01-27-2013, 01:30 AM   #7 (permalink)
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I buy the cheapest gas without going out of my way. No additives.
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Old 04-30-2014, 12:53 AM   #8 (permalink)
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I recently looked into this very same thing for my cruze. I have been unable to find any data supporting the benefits of using top tier gas in your vehicles. If anyone knows of any published data (non-biased) could you please post the link. Otherwise the website Top Tier Gasoline actually has a list of top tier gas suppliers if anyone is interested.
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Old 04-30-2014, 05:01 AM   #9 (permalink)
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Top tier fuel is likely unnecessary. That said, if it does somehow keep the fuel system cleaner, then an occasional fill-up at a non-top tier fuel station will not significantly affect fuel system cleanliness.

I've never had a fuel system failure, and I've always run Arco gas for hundreds of thousands of miles.

FYI- Costco fuel is the cheapest in my area, and it is now Top Tier (ie equivalent to Chevron, Texaco, etc.)

It is very unlikely that cheap gas will ruin a fuel system, and even if it did, fuel systems are easy to service.
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Last edited by redpoint5; 04-30-2014 at 01:01 PM..
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Old 04-30-2014, 05:13 AM   #10 (permalink)
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