100% gasoline good stuff

[Legacy777]

Josh,
Thanks for the info.

RE: unbranded gasoline...I'm guessing that applies to our local Fred Meyer, Albertsons and Safeway grocery stores, and Costco gas outlets. Is it likely they are all the same source w/the same additive package? I've never kept track of the trucks that supply them to note whether they are the same.

Also, not in my area but on the coast - Seattle area- they have Arco stations, which are always cheaper than any others, IIRC. Have you heard anything about their gas?

Thanks,
Td

Yes, all those would be unbranded. As for the same source, probably not. Maybe the same refinery for a small area, but you will have different storage terminals and truck terminals that the fuel will come from. The transport trucks are called jobbers and they will have contracts with local retail outlets to supply fuel. The jobbers will go to the terminal down the street one day because its price is 2 cents cheaper. Then the next week the terminal across town has fuel for 5 cents cheaper, so they'll go there. As long as the jobbers have contracts with the terminals, and the terminals have the fuel & brand they want, they will tend to chase the lowest price.

I know of Arco and yes they are typically the cheapest, but I don't really know much about their practices or why they are always cheapest.

[entirelyturbo]

I've mentioned this before, but this is a good thread to bring it up again. Gasoline is a fungible product or a commodity. For example the Valero (Shell) refinery in Beaumont, TX is producing gasoline that will go into another company's tank farm and pipeline, and as long as the gasoline from BP's refinery is of the same grade and octane, it gets mixed with the stuff from Valero, Exxon, etc.

During the BP Gulf oil spill, a lot of people here in Florida (and probably in the other Gulf states as well) tried to start a boycott against BP by refusing to buy gas from any BP stations. But one local news station here in Orlando had the sense to state what you said, Josh. They were making the point that by not buying fuel from your local BP station, you're just hurting your local economy. It wouldn't affect the corporation at all.

The ONLY differentiation between retail gasoline (assuming the same grade & octane) is the additive package that gets put in when it's loaded onto the tanker truck at the truck loading rack. The majors, Exxon/Mobil, BP, Shell, Chevron, etc all have their own additive. This is typically referred to as "branded" gasoline. Other retail gasoline stores sell unbranded gasoline. All the terminals where the fuel is loaded onto the truck have an unbranded or "house" additive that gets added to the gasoline. The amount injected is determined by the owner of the truck terminal.

In addition to the additive, the storage terminal, transport, and retail outlet can have an affect on the gasoline quality. If you have a terminal that is poorly run/maintained, old, or unqualified personnel that could affect the quality of what makes it into your gas tank.

By quality, do you mean the cleanliness of the fuel? I'm gathering that what you're saying is that a Chevron station can be buying fuel from one of these shadier storage terminals and actually have dirtier or more watery fuel than the mom & pop station down the street. But because it uses the required additives, it's still Top Tier gas... while the mom & pop place isn't.

[Legacy777]

By quality, do you mean the cleanliness of the fuel? I'm gathering that what you're saying is that a Chevron station can be buying fuel from one of these shadier storage terminals and actually have dirtier or more watery fuel than the mom & pop station down the street. But because it uses the required additives, it's still Top Tier gas... while the mom & pop place isn't.

Yeah, whether there is any dirt/debris/water, that kind of stuff. Or possibly contamination from other products, such as diesel or lower octanes.

There's typically filtration along the various loading points, so dirt and debris isn't as a huge an issue as contamination from other fuels or water.

If you look at how much gasoline and diesel is transported, and sold and how little of it is really "bad" the percentages show it's not a normal occurance for fuel to get contaminated at the end retail tanks. If there is a problem, it's usually due to a truck transport issue or driver/loading error.