What's the Difference Between Regular and Discount Gas?

Itsme · 10-30-2005, 05:22 AM

Oct. 29, 2005— The cost of gassing up is higher than ever these days, and one money-saving option may be to opt for generic gas rather than name brands.

Even though the average motorist with a mid-size car could save up to a $100 a year by filling up with generic, many people wonder about the quality of no-name brands.

At one station in Maryland, a Mobil station was charging $2.62 a gallon, 20 cents more than the generic Liberty station across the street.

A joint study by ABC News and the Maryland State Comptroller's Office examined the difference between name brand and generic gasses. Chemists at the Maryland Fuel Testing Laboratory conducted a battery of tests: They verified that the gas was formulated correctly for the season, checked for contaminants like excessive sediments or diesel accidentally mixed with the gas, and they ran the gas through an elaborate engine to ensure that it was all the same 87 octane level.

Here's some good news for consumer: Regular and discount gas are basically similar.

"By and large, it's one and the same," said Bob Crawford of the Maryland Fuel Testing Lab. "You will find results will almost mirror each other. There are going to be slight variations, but gasoline is gasoline."

The primary difference between competing brands is the amount of detergent the distributors add to it. Even still, the difference is generally minor: The E.P.A requires all gas to have a minimum amount of detergent to keep a car's engine clean.

"You would be paying for brand loyalty, primarily," said Crawford, explaining why brand name gas costs more. "Some people feel more comfortable dealing with a particular brand."

Crawford, who has been studying fuel for 36 years, uses whatever gas is the cheapest. Some cars require premium gas, but generally, regular is fine.

Brands like Mobil and Sunoco keep their gas formulas secret, but Mobil says it adds at least twice the amount of detergent as generic gas, and that it adds the same amount to all three grades of gas.

InfiniteNothing · 10-30-2005, 10:38 AM

Since the independents are about 10 cents cheaper now in SD I've been getting independent gas. But the main difference is detergents. It's not always the case though that the generic gas is cheaper: It tends to be more volatile than "name brand" gas.

Sirrich3 · 10-30-2005, 01:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by InfiniteNothing

Since the independents are about 10 cents cheaper now in SD I've been getting independent gas. But the main difference is detergents. It's not always the case though that the generic gas is cheaper: It tends to be more volatile than "name brand" gas.

i agree

mechmike0034 · 10-30-2005, 08:59 PM

Sellers of "Generic" gas buy spot loads and part loads from gasoline wholesalers. All gasoline of a particular octane rating is the same, and it all comes from the same place. Detergents and additives are added at the wholesale level, which is what gives the gas it's "brand". Shell uses one additive package, Mobil uses another, etc. With part loads, (for example, half a load of Shell and half a load of Mobil) two different additive packages may result in an overall lower detergent level, and sometimes different additive packages don't "play nice" when mixed in the retailer's tank. Problems with this are rare, though. The actual chemistry details are way over my head.

I've been buying a lot of Costco gas since prices went up, and I have not noticed any short-term performance difference in any of my vehicles.

Overall, running "generic" gas isn't as risky as it used to be. I'd still recommend a bottle of Techron twice a year (as I always have) as preventative maintenance.

kimchicowboy · 10-30-2005, 09:08 PM

yeah. i just don't understand how someone would go to a brand like shell and pay $0.20 more than go to a generic place right across the street.

attgig · 10-31-2005, 09:23 AM

if it's bad to mix gasoline at the gas stations because the detergents mixing with each other could make it have less detergents total.... wouldn't the same thing happen in the gas tank if you got gas from two different stations?

so if it's gonna happen anyways (unless you always seek out the same gas station which i know some of u do), why not just get the cheap stuff =).

thresher · 10-31-2005, 09:36 AM

Since we're on the subject, and I don't know how many of you have them: DON'T MIX GAS FROM DIFFERENT CO'S FOR YOUR BOAT or Jetski! Your boat motor is very sensitive to detergents and water/gas seperation and will react very differently from one retailer to another. Without installing and regularly checking a gas/water seperator, you're playing roulette.

mechmike0034 · 10-31-2005, 09:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by attgig

if it's bad to mix gasoline at the gas stations because the detergents mixing with each other could make it have less detergents total.... wouldn't the same thing happen in the gas tank if you got gas from two different stations?

Sure...

The difference is in the scale. Your tank holds 15 gallons (for example), the station's might hold 100,000. The proportions and chemical quantities could be different between the two.

Like I said - this is less of a problem than it used to be. I mix brands all the time, and have yet to see a problem from it. I have gotten some tanks of bad gas occasionally over the years, but they've been rare considering the mileage I have driven during that same time.

Cubsfan · 10-31-2005, 09:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mechmike0034

I have gotten some tanks of bad gas occasionally over the years, but they've been rare considering the mileage I have driven during that same time.

So what's a bad tank of gas mean? How would I know if I got a bad tank of gas?

Guess maybe I've never gotten one

DarkFury · 10-31-2005, 12:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cubsfan

So what's a bad tank of gas mean? How would I know if I got a bad tank of gas?

Guess maybe I've never gotten one

Gas with excessive "water" in it would count as a "bad tank" of gas....

Also, gas that for whatever reason makes your vehicle knock and ping when you are using the correct octane rating would be considered "bad gas" as well.

My Daddy swore off Texaco gas many years ago citing that it was "bad gas"...

DarkFury · 10-31-2005, 12:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kimchicowboy

yeah. i just don't understand how someone would go to a brand like shell and pay $0.20 more than go to a generic place right across the street.

Heh.. with my Shell card, I just knocked 5% off of that price and STILL got what I perceive as "good gas"

Brand loyalty... is the answer as well as your history with the product. You find something you like and you stick to it.

We do it all the time with more than just gas... Just like how some folks like Coke & Pepsi versus the "store brand colas". Basically from what they are made from they are the "same thing" aren't they?

tupacboy · 10-31-2005, 02:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DarkFury

Heh.. with my Shell card, I just knocked 5% off of that price and STILL got what I perceive as "good gas"

Brand loyalty... is the answer as well as your history with the product. You find something you like and you stick to it.

We do it all the time with more than just gas... Just like how some folks like Coke & Pepsi versus the "store brand colas". Basically from what they are made from they are the "same thing" aren't they?

i love shell... i use the same card

get my 5%!! and shell around here is actually pretty cheap... premium is at $2.86....

attgig · 10-31-2005, 02:25 PM

I use my amex blue card and get the same 5% at any gas station. can also use my citibank card to get that 5% off anywhere as well.

the credit card isn't enough to draw me to shell, which my parents used almost exclusively when i was growing up because they were the most convenient stations around where I lived. I guess brand loyalty don't me as much to me as the bling bling does.

DarkFury · 10-31-2005, 03:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by attgig

I use my amex blue card and get the same 5% at any gas station. can also use my citibank card to get that 5% off anywhere as well.

the credit card isn't enough to draw me to shell, which my parents used almost exclusively when i was growing up because they were the most convenient stations around where I lived. I guess brand loyalty don't me as much to me as the bling bling does.

Well I just stated the 5% discount as to why the gas station across the street doesn't appeal to me...

Pretty much, "brand loyalty" and trust are the major factors of why I choose Shell over other gasoline providers, including BP/Amoco and the rest of the pack.

(Back in the day, I used to be big on Amoco and/or Exxon... however my '89 Furd Probe started knockin' and pinging with it and Shell calmed it down. After that, I became a loyal follower of the clam.

guiseppewv · 10-31-2005, 03:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by attgig

can also use my citibank card to get that 5% off anywhere as well.

I like to get 5% off the least expensive gas. I have found that the Exxons and BPs around here have the least expensive gas.

mechmike0034 · 10-31-2005, 04:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DarkFury

Gas with excessive "water" in it would count as a "bad tank" of gas....

Also, gas that for whatever reason makes your vehicle knock and ping when you are using the correct octane rating would be considered "bad gas" as well.

Yup...

I bought a tank once some years ago, drove about ten miles (just enough to start pumping the newly purchased gas into the carb) and had NO power, stumbling, etc. It must have had water in it. I put a bottle of isopropyl alcohol in the tank (absorbs water) and drove it out.

Gotten some knock/ping stuff once or twice over the years as well. I've never had a deposit/crud problem, again due to my fondness for biannual applications of Techron.

rollhard · 10-31-2005, 05:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Itsme

Crawford, who has been studying fuel for 36 years, uses whatever gas is the cheapest. Some cars require premium gas, but generally, regular is fine.

cars that require regular should stick to regular. there are no benefits to putting higher octane. cars that need or require premium gas needs that. I dont care what the reports say.

10-30-2005, 05:22 AM	#1
Itsme Vice Admiral Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Southern California Posts: 4,813	What's the Difference Between Regular and Discount Gas? Oct. 29, 2005— The cost of gassing up is higher than ever these days, and one money-saving option may be to opt for generic gas rather than name brands. Even though the average motorist with a mid-size car could save up to a $100 a year by filling up with generic, many people wonder about the quality of no-name brands. At one station in Maryland, a Mobil station was charging $2.62 a gallon, 20 cents more than the generic Liberty station across the street. A joint study by ABC News and the Maryland State Comptroller's Office examined the difference between name brand and generic gasses. Chemists at the Maryland Fuel Testing Laboratory conducted a battery of tests: They verified that the gas was formulated correctly for the season, checked for contaminants like excessive sediments or diesel accidentally mixed with the gas, and they ran the gas through an elaborate engine to ensure that it was all the same 87 octane level. Here's some good news for consumer: Regular and discount gas are basically similar. "By and large, it's one and the same," said Bob Crawford of the Maryland Fuel Testing Lab. "You will find results will almost mirror each other. There are going to be slight variations, but gasoline is gasoline." The primary difference between competing brands is the amount of detergent the distributors add to it. Even still, the difference is generally minor: The E.P.A requires all gas to have a minimum amount of detergent to keep a car's engine clean. "You would be paying for brand loyalty, primarily," said Crawford, explaining why brand name gas costs more. "Some people feel more comfortable dealing with a particular brand." Crawford, who has been studying fuel for 36 years, uses whatever gas is the cheapest. Some cars require premium gas, but generally, regular is fine. Brands like Mobil and Sunoco keep their gas formulas secret, but Mobil says it adds at least twice the amount of detergent as generic gas, and that it adds the same amount to all three grades of gas.

10-30-2005, 10:38 AM	#2
InfiniteNothing Chief of Naval Operations Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: San Diego Posts: 10,086	Since the independents are about 10 cents cheaper now in SD I've been getting independent gas. But the main difference is detergents. It's not always the case though that the generic gas is cheaper: It tends to be more volatile than "name brand" gas. __________________ As for our common defense, we reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals.

10-30-2005, 08:59 PM	#5
mechmike0034 aka the keg killer Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Ala-effin'-bama! Posts: 2,738	Sellers of "Generic" gas buy spot loads and part loads from gasoline wholesalers. All gasoline of a particular octane rating is the same, and it all comes from the same place. Detergents and additives are added at the wholesale level, which is what gives the gas it's "brand". Shell uses one additive package, Mobil uses another, etc. With part loads, (for example, half a load of Shell and half a load of Mobil) two different additive packages may result in an overall lower detergent level, and sometimes different additive packages don't "play nice" when mixed in the retailer's tank. Problems with this are rare, though. The actual chemistry details are way over my head. I've been buying a lot of Costco gas since prices went up, and I have not noticed any short-term performance difference in any of my vehicles. Overall, running "generic" gas isn't as risky as it used to be. I'd still recommend a bottle of Techron twice a year (as I always have) as preventative maintenance. __________________ "The price of progress is trouble." (C. F. "Boss" Kettering) "50% of the American public has below-average intelligence. 70% of the American public now has regular access to the Internet. Do the math." (unknown) Last edited by mechmike0034 : 10-30-2005 at 09:03 PM.

10-30-2005, 09:08 PM	#6
kimchicowboy Admiral Join Date: May 2000 Location: in the middle of the pacific ocean Posts: 5,344	yeah. i just don't understand how someone would go to a brand like shell and pay $0.20 more than go to a generic place right across the street. __________________ "I pick my nose too but never eat it." - bachviet, 3/30/04 if anyone wants to go scuba diving in oahu or wants to learn who to scuba dive in oahu, PM me.

10-31-2005, 09:23 AM	#7
attgig Chief of Naval Operations Join Date: Jun 2000 Location: the burbs of baltimore Posts: 11,924	if it's bad to mix gasoline at the gas stations because the detergents mixing with each other could make it have less detergents total.... wouldn't the same thing happen in the gas tank if you got gas from two different stations? so if it's gonna happen anyways (unless you always seek out the same gas station which i know some of u do), why not just get the cheap stuff =). __________________

10-31-2005, 09:36 AM	#8
thresher Commander Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: St.Augustine FL. Plymouth Rock is a newbie! Posts: 1,223	Since we're on the subject, and I don't know how many of you have them: DON'T MIX GAS FROM DIFFERENT CO'S FOR YOUR BOAT or Jetski! Your boat motor is very sensitive to detergents and water/gas seperation and will react very differently from one retailer to another. Without installing and regularly checking a gas/water seperator, you're playing roulette. __________________ Wait a second... you're telling me Sixpac Shakur is a CHICK?

10-31-2005, 02:25 PM	#14
attgig Chief of Naval Operations Join Date: Jun 2000 Location: the burbs of baltimore Posts: 11,924	I use my amex blue card and get the same 5% at any gas station. can also use my citibank card to get that 5% off anywhere as well. the credit card isn't enough to draw me to shell, which my parents used almost exclusively when i was growing up because they were the most convenient stations around where I lived. I guess brand loyalty don't me as much to me as the bling bling does.

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