Gas does make a difference (what a moron)

My 07 spec.b had the famous acceleration hesitation problem when I first got it. So I had the dealer reflash and that helped a bit but it was still there. So I reflashed with my AP to stage 1. Much better, but there was still a tiny bit of hesitation around 5k at WOT. So after owning this thing for 7 months I was reading discussions in the archives about peoples preferences for name brand gas to avoid low octane knock issues etc. I purchased my premium from the cheapest independent gas station in town figuring that all this gas comes from the same refineries so whats the diff? Well I thought 'what if the premium pump wasn't pumping 100% premium gas?'.

 

To make a long story short I filled up today with Shell premium and it runs like a dream, no hesitation anywhere. (what a moron!).

 

Thanks for the advise guys, just takes longer for it to sink in to some people.

 

rick

I've heard it from both sides but I still only trust reliable gas stations and the place I get my gas from doesn't even sell low octane also their gas doesn't sit for very long at a time making it better.

Seems to me that there may be a fraudulent behavior going on at the cheap gas station.

The fuel comes from the same refineries, but that does not mean the end product is the same. There are things that are added to it.

What I've heard is that most trucks pull the base gasoline off of the same pipeline. The only difference is that each company adds their own additive package to the tanker truck. I stick to high volume stations because they get the freshest fuel, and are most likely to maintain their tanks and filters best because they have a lot to lose.

I manage a Gulf Station. We check for any water inside the gas once a week. Even those giant storms we had...I checked it everyday. And that time I had about in 1 1/4 inches of water (Thats alot) and I shut it down and called in for emergency siphon. There is a independent gas down the street that customers complain to me about their gas. One of them told me that they dont stick their tanks for water cause they dont want to pay somebody to come suck it out.

 

And if you notice that the pumping is slow is due to a clogged fuel filter. I;ll go somewhere else.

It's generally good to avoid mom and pop gas stations. They are notorious for rust flakes and water in their holding tanks. Usually any chains are OK, although Shell and Chevron are the best to my knowledge.

+1 for shell, i only use shell v power in all of my cars, I love the stuff.

And if you notice that the pumping is slow is due to a clogged fuel filter. I;ll go somewhere else.

 

Good to know! has happened before.

 

dumb question. what if its pumping super fast? is it possible to run no filters?

Sure it's possible that there is no filter, but it may also mean that there is a fresh filter.

It's generally good to avoid mom and pop gas stations. They are notorious for rust flakes and water in their holding tanks. Usually any chains are OK, although Shell and Chevron are the best to my knowledge.

 

If my memory serves me well , there was some kind of gov't mandate within the last 10-15 years that required all gas stations to rip out their old storage tanks and replace them with double walled plastic tanks. EDIT : just Googled it.....it was late 1993----Clean Air Act.....

For the longest time (here in N Y at least) gas station re-fitting was a common sight. I'm not sure if rust is an issue anymore........the water is though. (Especially in the winter months......I had water from bad gas freeze in my '86 Maxima once---had to replace the fuel filter.....frozen solid ! )

and dont forget to add: how long the gas sits at some stations, not everyone uses premium, and when people dont use it the longer it sits. gas starts to get bad after a month