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Top Tier participating companies has changed

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#21 ·
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.
 
#22 ·
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:

abcnews.go.com

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

abcnews.go.com 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
 
#23 ·
Honda36532 said:
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.
Click to expand...
The base gasoline is the same - it's the additives which are different.
 
#24 ·
Honda36532 said:
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.
Click to expand...
I used to be an oil chemist at a Shell plant between Baton Rouge and New Orleans. We supplied products for various companies, including Shell, of course. We made the non-Shell products to the specs of the purchasing company. Same plant, somewhat different products, same road into and out of the plant.
Sears washers/dryers were made in Whirlpool plant to “Sears” specifications.
“Same fuel”? Maybe, maybe not. Likely not.
 
#26 ·
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.
 
#31 ·
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.
 
#33 ·
bluegrass said:
It says Honda "endorses" the use of Top Tier "where available".
They "recommend" high quality gasoline that contains detergent additives.
It is important to note that Honda is legally required to display the Top Tier logo in owner's manuals.

As noted previously, BP fuel had always exceeded the Top Tier standards, they just chose not to pay the Top Tier organization for marketing.
Does not paying the Top Tier organization mean BP fuel is somehow inferior to other fuels? Of course not.

It is just a marketing scheme that appeals to uninformed consumers who are too lazy to do research on their own.
Click to expand...
You make your points effectively, and I think more so leaving off the personal aspersions.
 
Discussion starter · #34 ·
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.
 
#38 · (Edited)
retiredboss said:
Correct as of 2017. I retired in 2020 and can’t find any updated info.
Click to expand...
If Top Tier was so important/influential/necessary in 2022, then why haven't they done any actual testing of fuel additives on modern-day engines?
It's been 5 years since this document discussed "developing a DI engine performance requirement" and "evaluating most reliable metrics which correlate to injector build up, keep clean and clean up."

Yet in that time, they have released ZERO information/data on the impact of Top Tier additives on modern engines.
What else do they have to do other than run tests and provide evidence of Top Tier effectiveness?
Wouldn't such research and findings be critical in marketing the importance of Top Tier fuel?

Is it possible Top Tier has conducted tests in the past 5 years, but such tests didn't yield the results they were hoping for?
 
#40 ·
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.

 
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