"Top Tier" fuel is just a marketing organization set up to extract money from fuel companies.
This has absolutely nothing to do with obtaining ingredients. It has everything to do with a company's willingness to pay the Top Tier licensing fees.

BP and Amoco probably decided they didn't want to be held hostage by this group any longer, and weren't willing to fork over millions of dollars to this group.
The ingredients/detergents/additives in their fuel still meets/exceeds Top Tier "standards", but because they aren't paying licensing fees, they can't use the "Top Tier" designation.

I would urge consumers to actually look into what Top Tier fuel means, and what the low & irrelevant "standards" are, before seeking out fuel stations that pay for this branding.

 

If that were true, how do you explain the endorsement by Honda for recommending the use of Top Tier:

 

If that were true, how do you explain the endorsement by Honda for recommending the use of Top Tier:

Because they've signed a legal agreement with the Top Tier organization that REQUIRES them to display the "Top Tier" logo in owners manuals...

Do you know what "Top Tier fuel" means? Do you know what the standards are to be considered a Top Tier fuel?
You should really research it for yourself before consuming the marketing Kool-Aid.

 

We have uncovered a conspiracy???

 

There is no conspiracy.
Top Tier is similar to any other marketing organization, industry trade group, lobbying organization, ect.
They collect fees and hope to wield influence and power.

The more important question you have failed to research is...how do the actual requirements needed to be considered a Top Tier fuel benefit you?

 

Top Tier Gas!

If you really love your truck, one thing that's very smart to use is Top Tier gas. I've also noticed a bit more mileage on trips, which is a bonus. Not sure if everyone knows about this, but Costco has this at all their stations and if you aren't near a costco you can use the search on their...

www.ridgelineownersclub.com

 

I did a little reading about this. Most of the info seemed like it was regurgitated info from Top Tier. I ended up deciding to just get cheap Walmart or BJs gas.

I am curious about Top Tier and gas quality though.

 

Top Tier Gasoline Is Worth the Extra Price, Study Shows - Consumer Reports

Top Tier gas is worth the extra cost, per a study by AAA. CR lists car brands that recommend Top Tier gasoline and gas stations where you can buy Top Tier gas.

www.consumerreports.org

FYI Amoco is a BP brand. By giving up their top tier designation the BP/Amoco franchises are free to purchase what ever fuel/fuel grade they want, so depending on the location and the franchise, the quality of the fuel may or may not meet the top tier standards.

 

FYI Amoco is a BP brand. By giving up their top tier designation the BP/Amoco franchises are free to purchase what ever fuel/fuel grade they want, so depending on the location and the franchise, the quality of the fuel may or may not meet the top tier standards.

You don't think BP has certain standards that individual BP-branded gas stations must meet? This was from the BP website...
"Although all three BP-branded gasoline grades treated with the company’s proprietary Invigorate additive have always exceeded the TOP TIER standard for detergency..."

I assume you did NOT actually read the details of the AAA study you referenced. If so, you would know...

• Premium fuel was used in the test, because it "contains higher concentrations of additives."
• A particular engine was selected for testing which had a know design flaw that "accelerates intake valve deposit formation."

Therefore, the supposed test result benefits are only applicable to someone who has a Ford 2.3L port injected motor and exclusively uses premium fuel.
The article also conveniently only reported 1 of the 3 test results...

• Piston Top Test: 2 of the 3 Top Tier fuels had MORE deposits than the non-Top Tier fuels.
• Cylinder Head Test: All 3 Top Tier fuels had MORE deposits than the non-Top Tier fuels.
• Intake Vale Test: The only test to show favorable results for Top Tier fuels (and the only test mentioned in the article). The only reason this showed more buildup is because the test engine had an inherent flaw...The Ford 2.3L port fuel injected engine was used because "the orientation and temperature of the intake valves accelerate intake valve deposit formation."

 

I think that Honda referencing Top Tier in the owners manual throw folks off. For the stations with a mile or so from my house, only Sunoco and Mobil qualify. I usually use these two anyway. One thing I can say for sure, locally, tip tier has nothing to do with price. Unbranded gasoline can be more expensive than the brand names.

 

I prefer and will keep using Top Tier gasoline for a number of reasons:

• My preferred brand is Top Tier
• I cannot independently prove that non-Top Tier gasoline is just as good as Top Tier
• I feel that using Top Tier gasoline helps ensure a higher quality fuel

I also don't use engine oil that isn't API-certified, eat meat that isn't USDA-inspected, buy appliances that aren't UL-listed, hire unlicensed contractors, or use doctors that have no diploma for similar reasons.

 

I cannot independently prove that non-Top Tier gasoline is just as good as Top Tier

I have a question about this, I couldn't find independently evidence that Top Tier gasoline is better than non-top tier. Are there studies I couldn't find when looking the other week? The most I could find seemed like regurgitation of the Top Tier press releases. Or conjecture in comments, one said Walmart gas was either of two name brands I forgot the names of, I think one was on the Top Tier list.

 

Many fuel MARKETERS aren't making, refining, or blending the additives into the gasoline. They count on others to do that.

Getting proper polymer and other dispersants additives during covid restrictions and supply issues was the main reason more than a few allowed top tier status to drop.

Interek is one the labs the does the independent ASTM D 6201 deposit testing. Thats another expense they didn't want to pay even if they can get the proper additives to make our dirty nasty gasolines to pay the test.

Top Tier Gasoline Services

www.intertek.com

Fuel Deposit Control Additive Testing Services

Vehicle and engine dynamometer fuel deposit control additive testing, on vehicle and engine configurations, for automotive OEM and fuel clients.

www.intertek.com

 

Here's a little secret for saving $ on initial fuel cost and running really clean. Buy E15 regular. That 5% ethanol addition will make up for many deposits and you won't notice the MPG drop in that small of an ethanol boost. Cleaner burn, less deposits, all for less $ normally than E10 regular.

 

I used to live between Baton Rouge and New Orleans, and my office was a stone's throw from Shell, and Motiva refineries. Just a few miles away was Marathon refinery. I can tell you I see name-brand trucks loading fuel and no-name (jobbers) petroleum marketer trucks at the same locations getting the same fuel.

 

The base gasoline is the same - it's the additives which are different.

 

I have read before--might have been in Consumer Reports--that the quality of gas from all major companies is similar--they all use similar additives, etc.

Smaller gas stations might use a lesser grade and are more prone to having water and other contaminants in the gas, so I've read.

I virtually always get from a larger company, but it's not something I worry too much about. If I'm in western Nebraska and have to fill up at Bob's Filling Station, so be it.

Here are a couple of articles discussing this issue:

Generic vs. Brand-Name Gas: Are They Different?

abcnews.go.com

Is Cheap Gas Bad for Your Car? | Edmunds

Is there much difference in the quality between off-brand cheap gas and gas from well-known companies?

www.edmunds.com

 

No, there’s no difference in gasoline itself but brands do mix in different additives

The EPA and state set minimum standards for fuel and additives but many companies exceed minimum requirements.

www.wtsp.com

.

 

Here are some quotes from the three articles posted by zroger73 and OmahaJeff.
I haven't seen a single piece of unbiased evidence indicating Top Tier gas holds any advantages.

With the help of the Maryland State Comptroller, ABC News compared gas from a name-brand Mobil station and a generic Liberty station. Maryland Fuel Testing Laboratory chemists conducted a battery of tests. "By and large, it's one and the same. … You will find results will almost mirror each other," If you're paying for a particular brand of gasoline, "you would be paying more for brand loyalty, primarily," Crawford said.

Steve Mazor, chief automotive engineer with the Automobile Club of Southern California, summed it up this way: "Buy the cheapest gas that is closest to you."

The Auto Club's Mazor was more forthcoming, and has some interesting results from a blind test he did on three samples of gasoline from both major and independent gas stations. "We tested emissions, fuel economy and performance and we could not tell the difference," he says.

Randy Stephens, chief engineer for Toyota's Avalon, isn't wholly convinced by the claims of engine protection afforded by higher-priced gas. He says fuel experts at his company study the effects of different brands of gas on the Toyota engines. Automotive engineers disassemble engines after 10,000 miles of running them on different brands of gas to see if there is a difference. "Honestly, in the 10 years I've been in charge of Avalon, I've never seen one come back with any sort of deposit issue," Stephens says.

The report also notes you shouldn’t panic if you’ve never sought out this ‘Top Tier’ gas because, chances are, you’re using it and don’t even know it. Most major brands – like BP, Chevron, Costco, Exxon, Marathon – manufacture their gas with additives that meet the ‘Top Tier’ designation requirements.

 

Can't wait to see the future Top Tier power gimmicks in EV charging. Do you think they'll add electrical contact cleaners to their power?

 

Can't wait to see the future Top Tier power gimmicks in EV charging. Do you think they'll add electrical contact cleaners to their power?

When will they come out with "TTE" - top tier electricity?

 

Gender Neutral Electrons!

 

So that would be Electrons that identify as non-binary? Those would be some very trendy Electrons!

 

@bluegrass is right. I agree with him. There. Done. Gavel has been banged.

 

Top Tier gasoline to me is like the more expensive oil sold in pretty bottles vs generic branded oil - one is just as good as the other. I have been purchasing and using gasoline for almost 50 years without preference for brand or designations such as Top Tier. All of the gasoline burns, the vehicle always goes, and the vehicle lasts a long time with no ill effects related to the fuel choice.

 

This thread is a hoot. Where I live gas is $4.149, whether it is Top Tier certified or not. I buy the Top Tier because it's like getting a Coke for Pepsi prices.

 

I received a response from Kwik Trip, a brand with hundreds of locations in Wisconsin who always took pride in showing they are a Top Tier gasoline grand.:

"Due to the supply chain shortages we could not guarantee their additive. So currently we do not carry the Top Tier product. Kwik Trip however takes pride in their fuel and will continue to back our fuel 100%. Currently we have no timeline or approval on whether or not top tier additive will available again. We are in the process of removing all marketing on this."

During this time when shortages are interrupting our lifestyle in many ways, I will watch the Top Tier list of providers and until my favorites return to a normal product, I will refuel at brands that are on the list.

 

Developing a DI Engine Performance Requirement EPA allows TOP TIER test results in Tier 3 in place of LAC testing

 

Developing a DI Engine Performance Requirement EPA allows TOP TIER test results in Tier 3 in place of LAC testing

Correct me if I'm wrong, but the takeaway from this document is...
The Top Tier organization does NOT have any testing or requirements based on modern-day direct injection engines.

 

Characteristics of Top Tier gasolineEdit
In order to be certified as Top Tier, a gasoline must pass a series of performance tests that demonstrate specified levels of: 1) deposit control on intake valves; 2) deposit control on fuel injectors; 3) deposit control on combustion chambers; 4) prevention of intake-valve sticking.[3]Gasoline marketers agree when they sign on to Top Tier program that all their grades of gasoline meet these standards.[9] However, premium grade gasoline may have yet higher levels of detergent additives.[10] Typically, Top Tier gasolines will contain two to three times the amount of detergent additives currently required by the EPA.[11] The extra additives are estimated to cost less than a cent per gallon.[12]
In addition to the detergent additive requirement, Top Tier gasoline cannot contain metallic additives, because they can be harmful to a car's emissions-control systems.[3]
According to its auto industry research and to automotive journalists, all vehicles will benefit from using Top Tier Detergent Gasoline over gasoline meeting the basic EPA standard.[9][2][13] New vehicles will supposedly benefit by keeping their engine clean and running optimally, while older vehicles may benefit with increased engine performance and prolonged vehicle life.

• Detergents; see also Top Tier Detergent Gasoline
  • Aminesaka "nitrogen enriched"
    • Polybuteneamine (PBA)
    • Polyetheramine (PEA); see also Techron
    • Polyisobutyleneamine (PIBA)

 

A little off topic, but just a 2 hour drive away from me is a refinery.
This refinery is branded Husky, but all the gas stations for at least a 6 hour drive around, but also more, get the exact same gas delivered, from the same rack, at the same refinery. So if in central BC just fill up anywhere, be it a mom and pop station, or anyone of the dozen name brands. A fuel truck comes to my farm every 2 weeks, fills up my fuel tanks here, then goes to a brand name gas station and drops the remaining fuel on the truck into their under ground tanks. Their same trucks ( about 10 semis from the way the drivers talk, and I've talked to many drivers from there in depth about fuel, and delivery) haul the identical fuel to many different branded stations, loggers, mines, farmers, businesses and more. They even do split loads between two different branded stations on the same trip. If people think that they are getting better gas or diesel at a different station down the street, they are wrong, at least in this whole very large region.
Maybe if someone were to drive 10 hours its different, but otherwise no.

 

A little off topic, but just a 2 hour drive away from me is a refinery.
This refinery is branded Husky, but all the gas stations for at least a 6 hour drive around, but also more, get the exact same gas delivered, from the same rack, at the same refinery. So if in central BC just fill up anywhere, be it a mom and pop station, or anyone of the dozen name brands. A fuel truck comes to my farm every 2 weeks, fills up my fuel tanks here, then goes to a brand name gas station and drops the remaining fuel on the truck into their under ground tanks. Their same trucks ( about 10 semis from the way the drivers talk, and I've talked to many drivers from there in depth about fuel, and delivery) haul the identical fuel to many different branded stations, loggers, mines, farmers, businesses and more. They even do split loads between two different branded stations on the same trip. If people think that they are getting better gas or diesel at a different station down the street, they are wrong, at least in this whole very large region.
Maybe if someone were to drive 10 hours its different, but otherwise no.

It may be a regional or even a business thing. I have had more than one Costco employee that I know tell me that Costco put the additives in when the fuel is delivered. Costco usually gets 2 or 3 trucks a day in our area. They know how much is being delivered and figure out the precise quantity of additives that they need to put in when the truck arrives. Apparently the dumping of that much fuel into the underground tanks does the mixing.

Here we only have two fuels you can buy in this area. Midland and Phillips. Midland has various grades the retailer can order depending on the additives. Phillips is the go to for the stations that sell Top Tier, Quik Trip, Costco, of course Phillips 66 and any others selling Top Tier fuels.

Midland is used by Dillon's, a Kroger subsidiary. Kroger either cannot or will not divulge the level of additives their gas contains. For me it doesn't matter, Quik Trip is close, and here the gas prices only differ if you go to the little off brand mom and pop places that also sell paraphernalia, cigars, cigarettes, stale donuts, etc. The kind of places I would never buy gas from anyway.

I also hit the Phillips 66 stations, but then the #1 DIL is a senior executive with Conoco/Phillips so It never hurts to support the "family" business.

 

The gasoline fuel formulations are mandated by region and season, even in Canada.

The only difference is polymeric additives MOST of the time. Those additive packages are racked in and fuel truck drivers have NO clue who gets what additive package.

There are more highly refined fuels for racing, testing, and people who will pay for them. CO-OP fuels in Canada use a very advanced and higher treat rate of polymeric additives.

 

Great discussion!

Really enjoying it.