My gas study

[PsYcNeT]

Originally Posted by burn_this_city

Only V-Power is ethanol free.

Welp that's what I get for only looking at Premium

That said, I really enjoy gassing up with the 94 AKI stuff at Husky or PetroCan. Mileage suffers but the extra kick is nice. Them VQ35DE engines love that ####.

[burn_this_city]

I use the Petro Ultra 94 since my car is tuned to 93 octane. Hate the mileage penalty but love the extra power. Also it has a nice sweet smell to it.

[GGG]

If your engine doesn't take advantage of the extra compression high octane fuel gives then there should be no difference in gas mileage or performance.

[PsYcNeT]

Originally Posted by GGG

If your engine doesn't take advantage of the extra compression high octane fuel gives then there should be no difference in gas mileage or performance.

What kind of dummy would use high octane fuel without an engine equipped to take advantage of it?

[DownhillGoat]

Originally Posted by PsYcNeT

What kind of dummy would use high octane fuel without an engine equipped to take advantage of it?

There's an embarrassingly large amount.

I remember when Petro-Can announced the 94 octane on their facebook page. The amount of butt-dynos recording massive improvements in power in vehicles that came nowhere close to requiring it was astounding.

[burn_this_city]

Originally Posted by fotze

I use the Mohawk 93 (or is it 94 I can't remember) because its the closest gas station. I have been assuming its better than the Shell 91 but WTFK.

If your car is stock, use Shell V-Power. You'll get better mileage out of that gas than the 94 at Mohawk.

[Arya Stark]

Originally Posted by ken0042

Did you run the tank dry- to the point of your car stalling because it ran out of gas? Otherwise the margin of error is in your gauge.

That is why using MPG or L/100 km is a much better way to measure as opposed to distance "per tank."

No, just until the gas light came on then I recorded the km. And I realize it's not going to be 100% accurate or scientific but it just validated my preconceived thoughts that CO-OP didn't have the best quality gas.

[Arya Stark]

Originally Posted by Chill Cosby

Did you record the price difference and include those sweet grocery bucks you get at CO-OP?

No, I never recorded the price since it was irrelevant to me. All that mattered is how much I got on a tank before the gas light came on. And I'm not allowed into CO-OP to take advantage of those coupons, I'm not 65 yet.

[kevman]

Originally Posted by GGG

If your engine doesn't take advantage of the extra compression high octane fuel gives then there should be no difference in gas mileage or performance.

Mostly true but not always the case. Some high compression engines require a certain octane so they don't knock but even some modern low compression engines will see slight benefits in a higher octane by adjusting the timing appropriately. However, the "slight" benefit is in the range of low single digit percentage points and you will not get anywhere close to your money back when purchasing premium fuels.

Edit: Re-read your original statement and we're saying the same thing. Long story short, only run high octane if you have a high compression engine that requires it or if you have money to burn.

[DownhillGoat]

Originally Posted by Arya Stark

No, just until the gas light came on then I recorded the km. And I realize it's not going to be 100% accurate or scientific but it just validated my preconceived thoughts that CO-OP didn't have the best quality gas.

You're talking an average of 16 km/tank better with Shell. If the Shell pump cuts out more than 100 mL later than the CO-OP you're actually getting better quality gas from CO-OP. It doesn't validate anything unless you get right down to decimal places on L/100kms.

[kevman]

Originally Posted by burn_this_city

since all refiners are forced to blend 10% of their total gas pool with ethanol.

Link? When you're in Western BC I've noticed that all pumps say that (including Shell) but around here and eastern BC I've only ever noticed the 10% ethanol blended stickers on Husky and Mohawk pumps.

It's probably important to note that the gas you get has more to do with the region than it does with the service station you bought it from. There are only 3 refineries in Alberta; Suncor (Petro), Shell and Imperial. link Service stations are not in the business of shipping gas all over the country but rather buy from local refineries. Co-op, Safeway, Fast Gas, Centex, etc. service stations buy their gas from one of those refineries. Furthermore, just because you're buying gas at a Shell service station doesn't mean you're buying gas that was refined at a Shell refinery.

Service stations often share nothing more than names with the Oil Producer's/Refiner's themselves.

[PsYcNeT]

Originally Posted by kevman

Link? When you're in Western BC I've noticed that all pumps say that (including Shell) but around here and eastern BC I've only ever noticed the 10% ethanol blended stickers on Husky and Mohawk pumps.

It's probably important to note that the gas you get has more to do with the region than it does with the service station you bought it from. There are only 3 refineries in Alberta; Suncor (Petro), Shell and Imperial. link Service stations are not in the business of shipping gas all over the country but rather buy from local refineries. Co-op, Safeway, Fast Gas, Centex, etc. service stations buy their gas from one of those refineries. Furthermore, just because you're buying gas at a Shell service station doesn't mean you're buying gas that was refined at a Shell refinery.

Service stations often share nothing more than names with the Oil Producer's/Refiner's themselves.

It's actually E5 mandated in Alberta. I'm not sure how Shell is the only company exempt from that.

http://www.biofuelnet.ca/2013/09/26/...uels-mandates/

http://www.biofuelsdigest.com/bdiges...he-world-2014/

[kevman]

/\ Interesting! Also... Bummer!

[burn_this_city]

Originally Posted by kevman

Link? When you're in Western BC I've noticed that all pumps say that (including Shell) but around here and eastern BC I've only ever noticed the 10% ethanol blended stickers on Husky and Mohawk pumps.

It's probably important to note that the gas you get has more to do with the region than it does with the service station you bought it from. There are only 3 refineries in Alberta; Suncor (Petro), Shell and Imperial. link Service stations are not in the business of shipping gas all over the country but rather buy from local refineries. Co-op, Safeway, Fast Gas, Centex, etc. service stations buy their gas from one of those refineries. Furthermore, just because you're buying gas at a Shell service station doesn't mean you're buying gas that was refined at a Shell refinery.

Service stations often share nothing more than names with the Oil Producer's/Refiner's themselves.

It's 5% by law not 10% so I was mistaken there but here you go. Also most companies are blending much more than 5% because ethanol is cheaper.

http://www.ec.gc.ca/energie-energy/d...n&n=0AA71ED2-1

http://www.shell.ca/en/products-serv...power/faq.html

Shell's link says no ethanol in V-Power.

I also dismiss you assertion that Shell gas might not be Shell refined. Maybe for the other fly-by nights you mentioned, but any of the bigger players will self provide for their retailers if they have a refinery here.

[burn_this_city]

Originally Posted by PsYcNeT

It's actually E5 mandated in Alberta. I'm not sure how Shell is the only company exempt from that.

http://www.biofuelnet.ca/2013/09/26/...uels-mandates/

http://www.biofuelsdigest.com/bdiges...he-world-2014/

They aren't exempt, it's 5% of the total pool, so they probably put higher percentages in the lower grades.

[calgarygeologist]

Originally Posted by PsYcNeT

It's actually E5 mandated in Alberta. I'm not sure how Shell is the only company exempt from that.

http://www.biofuelnet.ca/2013/09/26/...uels-mandates/

http://www.biofuelsdigest.com/bdiges...he-world-2014/

Shell is not exempt from any regulation regarding ethanol. If my understanding is correct, the ethanol requirement is 5% ethanol for total fuel sold. They can sell their V-power (or any grade) ethanol free so long as their total deliverable ethanol is at least 5% of the overall volume across all grades.

[PsYcNeT]

That makes a surprising amount of sense.

[burn_this_city]

Originally Posted by PsYcNeT

That makes a surprising amount of sense.

Only reason I know this stuff, I was on the wrong side of the argument with a pure gas evangelist and lost on those details.

[PsYcNeT]

From what I understand, if you're driving a car that is less than 10 years old, the benefits of "pure gas" are negligible beyond more mileage per litre. Sucks for the fuel line rubber being eroded in older vehicles however.

[kevman]

Originally Posted by burn_this_city

but any of the bigger players will self provide for their retailers if they have a refinery here.

They'll try their best based on availability and contracts in place but outages, shutdowns, etc. also influence this. You also said "here"... Shell stations on the west coast (ie, Squamish) have 10% blended ethanol in them leading me to believe that their fuel is NOT coming from the Scotford refinery despite the Shell logo on the pumps.

I am however curious that if the "fly-by nights" as you put it get their gas from the same refinery what makes the Shell pump better?