When She's Beautiful and Smart too

[crimson_crowd_eater]

Has anyone noticed very high full economy when using Shell V-Power Nitro?

I usually get gas at Costco but it was closed today for expansion, so I went to Shell. I took about 13 gallons and went on my way. I could be feeling nothing but I always seem to feel that my Mustang just works better with V-Power over other 93 octane gas. After some interstate driving, I took a look at my trip computer, which I started as soon as I turned on my car after fueling. I noticed that it was getting high 27's mpg and by the time I was getting off the interstate, my car was getting 29.2. My roundtrip mpg when I got home was 27.0.

So hey, if you want fun and practical, get a V8 Mustang!

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[Schwerin]

I only use V-Power and Shell for years(i miss Shell 94oct) I can't say I've ever noticed any difference between the two in MPG.

 

[ComeIngotIt]

Check this video out:

 

[MikeHTally]

There was a story of someone following a gas tanker around town. It delivered to a lot of different locations and brands. CNET on cars has an article about it as well. The primary recommendation: buy from stations that sell a lot of gas. Theirs will be fresher.

 

[ugstang17]

Found this out recently. Had the same issue with knock. The local chain I had been buying gas from changed from Mobil to a non brand unknowingly (kept the pumps the same color just removed the emblem...I became complacent. Filled up for the dyno, went to do the WOT pulls and had knock just like you see in Alex's video on the leading edge of the pulls. Drove the tank empty, refilled with one of the name brand gases that Alex mentioned, and BAM! Monitored knock on the ngauge and made some WOT pulls and no more knock. datalogged and observed the same to verify.

The state I live in does not monitor octane levels as in many states. The adjacent states do. So the area becomes a dumping grounds for gas that is not up to code for states that monitor and verify octane meets requirements as indicated on the pump. All that is checked is to insure you get a gallon of fuel when the display indicates a gallon was dispensed. Your state or local government can be having an impact on this, so keep that in mind. States where octane is closely monitored and regulated for accuracy (no better term) this may likely not be as big an issue.

As for who's the best? That's as old an argument/discussion as 'Which Oil'. Monitor your knock sensor and if it reads 0 to negative numbers keep using that fuel. If not find a new fuel source. If still in doubt as sometimes on the D550 the knock sensors may pick up some 'false knock' add a can of octane boost to a fill up and see if the problem remains. if so then you need to investigate the source of what may be causing the false knock OR the tuner may consider desensitizing the knock sensors a bit. Most knock (detonation) occurs in the 10-12K hz range. Datalogging is a simple process, especially on HP tuner or Ngauge devices. It's actually easy on SCT as well just not AS EASY. Anyone under age 70 with a basic knowledge of connectivity can datalog and download the file to review in excel spreadsheet or the livelink software that Alex was using that is a free down load from SCT, and yes it will open and view any datalog file that is saved as a ,csv file (a standard spreadsheet extension). The labels may be a little odd looking but they are clear enough to comprehend.

 

[geep81]

For the past nearly 10 years now I only put Shell V-power in my cars. I had a couple times that I used other brands in the past and got a bad tank of gas. Has never happened with Shell. An old family friend was a chemical engineer for BP and he advised never to buy BP gas lol.

I can't say Shell is better or worse, but I do know I swear by it!

 

[1MEAN18]

Most people don't care to believe it, so I suggest Googling it. All gas is the same, all made in the same refineries then bulk shipped to the (insert brand name here) to have additives added then trucked to retail locations. Difference between brand x and brand y is all in your head (placebo effect).

 

[Tseg]

There was a story of someone following a gas tanker around town. It delivered to a lot of different locations and brands. CNET on cars has an article about it as well. The primary recommendation: buy from stations that sell a lot of gas. Theirs will be fresher.

Good urban legend. Gas stations get full tankers full of gas, then the tanker goes back to the gas terminal and can get a different flavor (additive pack) and go to a different branded outlet. With that said, yes, there is some unscrupulous moonlighting by some unscrupulous truck owners and unscrupulous gas station owners and maybe that truck owner makes a series of 1-compartment deliveries and gets paid cash-under-the-table. In any business there are some slimy businesspeople, but I would not say the norm.

 

[Tseg]

Most people don't care to believe it, so I suggest Googling it. All gas is the same, all made in the same refineries then bulk shipped to the (insert brand name here) to have additives added then trucked to retail locations. Difference between brand x and brand y is all in your head (placebo effect).

Again, urban legend. There is a "generic" gasoline available that goes to no-name mom & pop gas stations in rural areas or urban areas, but major brand gasoline have different additive packages that will perform differently against each other in the lab.

 

[Norklin]

How are you getting 29.2 MPG lol.

 

[1MEAN18]

Again, urban legend. There is a "generic" gasoline available that goes to no-name mom & pop gas stations in rural areas or urban areas, but major brand gasoline have different additive packages that will perform differently against each other in the lab.

Yeah, that's what I said. This is the most confusing mistake I see online, everyone seems to think gas for brand x is only refined in one place, and brand y's gas is refined in another refinery. Nope. All the same stuff, and right before its sent to the retail location additives from whatever brand (insert here) is added. Still, even after that, not a whole lot of difference in gas from place to place. Most difference is the geographical area of the country, some federal mandates require different additives, that also applies to winter or summer blends. But, in the end, placebo effect (preference for only one brand) applies. Only other big difference is how quickly the gas is sold and turned over, some places with low volume end up with gas tending to go a bit stale (yes, gas goes stale quickly actually and starts to break down within weeks after blended), and that (to smart people who know about this stuff) can be a huge issue. Also, feds mandate 10% ethanol, and ethanol tends to draw moisture as it sits, the longer it sits...which can then give the retail buyer a bad experience tricking them into thinking that brands gas isn't as good as another retailers (this is particularly bad in high moisture areas and during times of the year where temperature changes are dramatic). The more ya know, the more ya know. This gets talked to death, its worse than opinions on oil viscosity in my opinion. There is no magical gas fairy people. LOL

 

[1MEAN18]

Also, and I've been told this by truckers I know...if they have too much 87 octane left over and don't wanna return with it in the truck, most of them dump it in the premium diluting the premium. Yeah, that goes on everywhere too, so sometimes you might be having an issue (if running a tune that is really maximized and right on the ragged line of safety) by getting "premium" that was actually purposely diluted by a driver who didn't wanna return back to the wholesale tanks and have to offload a small amount of gas, its easier to just dump it all at the station, even in an incorrect underground tank. Thank goodness I run E85 in the GT and E30 in the ST, the extra ethanol (especially in the blended E30 helps ensure I have proper octane, plus I track my OAR also).

 

[MikeHTally]

Good urban legend. Gas stations get full tankers full of gas, then the tanker goes back to the gas terminal and can get a different flavor (additive pack) and go to a different branded outlet. With that said, yes, there is some unscrupulous moonlighting by some unscrupulous truck owners and unscrupulous gas station owners and maybe that truck owner makes a series of 1-compartment deliveries and gets paid cash-under-the-table. In any business there are some slimy businesspeople, but I would not say the norm.

How many mom 'n' pop stations do you think could buy 8,000 gallons of gas at one time? Most likely none. So, 500 gallons here, 300 gallons there, 1,000 gallons in this place. All from the same tanker and same gas. Mom 'n' pop may take a month to sell those 500 gallons, where Costco or Sam's will go through 3,000 gallons in a weekend.

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