The separated mix is put into a transmix tank and sold off to companies that re-refine it and sell the result. At transit points there are product/water separators. Very little of the water gets into the product in the batches, this is just pure physics. The name refiners use the same product only the additives, color and name differentiates one from the other.īetween huge batches on the pipeline, in between, say, 87 octane house brand and 93 octane house brand a slug of water separates the two products. Then it becomes an individualized product XXXXX's Super Blue 93 octane or YYYYY's Wonder Blend 87 octane. When it gets delivered to a breakout delivery tank farm the individual refiner mixes in the additives, detergents, color, etc. Refiner "A"'s product is stored in the same tanks, in transit, as refiner "B","C","D" and "E". Valero, Shell, Exxon, Marathon, all make their products to an industry standard in three octanes levels and they own and use the pipeline. When gasoline is shipped from the Gulf Coast refineries it's shipped in huge "batches" through the "finished product" interstate pipelines. The budget station around the corner doesn’t make the list, no surprise, but then again, neither do Exxon, Mobil, BP, Gulf and others.Ĭar & Driver has some interesting things to say on the topic, as well: Ĭlick & Clack: “A Real Gas”. Although the list will change, and gas stations may in time receive a Top Tier logo that’ll make them easier to identify, here’s the list as of today: Even switching to Top Tier gas for the next 20,000 miles is thought to do a power of good. And if you use Top Tier gas all or even most of the time, it is widely expected by the car gurus I’ve since read that you’ll have much less carbon buildup and other junk on your valves, injectors, throttle, and whatnot. To be on the list of Top Tier gas stations, every grade of gas for sale at every gasoline retailer has to meet Top Tier specs. In 2004 BMW, General Motors, Honda, Toyota, Volkswagen and Audi created a new standard, which they call Top Tier, that exceeds the federal standards.
Change what you add to the gas, and you get a difference in how clean your car’s engine stays over time. Then I come across a Click & Clack column, in which they say that pretty much all the gasoline you’ll ever buy at every service station is sourced from the same big old tanks of gas at the same refineries, with the primary difference being the additives some brands bring to the party. And I kind of worry about it every time I fill up after that.
And I’m thinking: Such as? But they don’t say. So I’m reading the owner’s manual for my car, and it says to be sure to use a quality, detergent gasoline.