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A friend of mine is local distributor for Chevron products including fuel. Techron is added at terminal which is why it called top tier. All Chevron and top tier brands are all carried by distributors and name is on tank. Other with none are just fuel haulers to other buyers that buy gasoline from say Chevron with no additive. Often if you look they add additive cleaner at pumps for a additional charge.
Is that what Kroger sells at the pump? I remember some annoying recording coming on and for an additional fee you could add all kinds of junk to your gas......by doing that though it was no longer cheaper than anyone else...in fact it was significantly more.
A friend of mine is local distributor for Chevron products including fuel. Techron is added at terminal which is why it called top tier. All Chevron and top tier brands are all carried by distributors and name is on tank. Other with none are just fuel haulers to other buyers that buy gasoline from say Chevron with no additive. Often if you look they add additive cleaner at pumps for a additional charge.
So Chevron has a gasoline rack in every state in every major area just to distribute their own brand of fuel that comes directly from their refinery that is in every state in every major area?
Wow, that is impressive, really.
So you are saying that a clearly marked Exxon truck is waiting in line to fill up at a Shell refinery? Not say it isn’t happening. This is like Hertz renting out Avis cars.
Thats exactly what I am saying. I see it every time I drive in and every time I drive out of work since I drive right past the fueling docks which are located by the main entrance. Yes I see exxon, shell, bp and every other color of truck lined up buying the same exact fuel. Some like shell have their own additive tank that pumps in their own additives. Its a tiny few hundred gallon tank. That is the only difference possible.
We also premix in ethanol so all fuel sold from here has ethanol and yet somehow I see stations that advertise no ethanol that I know get fueled from here. Though they are cracking down on that.
No clue. My parents have filled up their cars from no-name stations for 20+ years and absolutely no problems. My wife always goes to the Wawa and I generally go to a Wawa or Pilot. Again no problems. Gas is gas, unless the station owner is doing something illegal.
If you don't believe my empirical examples (which is normal), check out Edmonds on the toipc. Is Cheap Gas Bad for Your Car?
If you are near a Costco gas station, you should be aware that their gas is Top Tier certified, and is almost always the least expensive Top Tier gas in a particular area.
Yesterday, I paid $2.23 per gallon at my local Costco, while the stations near them--including Top Tier brands, brands that are not Top Tier certified, and also no-name stations--were charging anywhere from $2.45 to $2.65 per gallon.
Can you buy gas at Costco if you are not a Costco member? There are a few Costco's near me, but I'm more of a BJ's guy.
Quote:
Originally Posted by HappyRider
Sun Oil is not “top tier”? What do you then say to “US Petro Gas”? Petro? God knows what they are selling. Luke Oil (yup, Russian) is relatively new in our area and often is the most expensive gas. I know Wawa sells Sunoco gas.
I wondered this myself - how can the official gas of Nascar not be "top tier"? If I'm in a rural area and my only choice is Sunoco or something I've never heard of then I will use Sunoco. I think all gas comes from the same place; the difference is the additives that each gas company adds to it. As we all know, not all additives are created equal, so Top Tier is just a standard that ensures the additives used meet a certain level of quality.
Can you buy gas at Costco if you are not a Costco member? There are a few Costco's near me, but I'm more of a BJ's guy.
I think that it depends on the state where you reside. In my state (NJ), you can't compel somebody to be a club member in order to buy gas or prescriptions. That is why anyone can buy gas and can fill their prescriptions at a Costco in NJ. This may or may not be true in your state.
However, Costco's other policies may prove to be a problem for some people. They accept ONLY American Express cards and "selected" debit cards for gas purchases. They do not accept cash. As to which debit cards are accepted by them, I couldn't tell you, as I only use my Amex card for gas purchases.
I wondered this myself - how can the official gas of Nascar not be "top tier"?
How? Why? Because it's not!
Most likely, this is because the-powers-that-be at Sunoco's parent company don't want to spend the extra money for the additional additives and/or because they don't want to spend the money for the testing regimen that is necessary in order to receive the Top Tier certification.
For several years, Costco's gas actually met the Top Tier standards, but because their management was reluctant to spend the big bucks for the testing/certification, they couldn't display the Top Tier signage until recently.
Last edited by Retriever; 12-12-2014 at 07:59 AM..
I use to worry about the brand but there really is not a lot of difference. The gas your Sunoco gets at $3.90 vs. say the Stop n Shop across the street at $3.75 plus $.05 off is the same. They pick it up from the same terminal, the difference is in the additives put in for engine cleaning, protection, etc. If you are getting bad gas then it is from the fact that the tanks/station is old and have issues with possible leaks or condensation or any number of things.
I use BJ's gas since it is insanely cheaper than any station nearby, especially since I use 93 in the GLI.
So you are saying that a clearly marked Exxon truck is waiting in line to fill up at a Shell refinery? Not say it isn’t happening. This is like Hertz renting out Avis cars.
It's a matter of practical economics, you know here in PA you can choose who your electric provider is. If you choose the expensive green company your electric is still coming from a variety of sources because there is no way to separate it over the distribution network. It's the same thing with gas, as someone already mentioned the primary difference is the additives that are added once it gets to that specific companies local facilities.
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