I read a thread where someone said that grocery store gas is real cheap (just above minimum standards) and you shouldn't buy it, whereas brand name gas (Exxon, Shell, etc) is the good stuff.

Where does Wal-Mart Gas fall?

Is Walmart run under the brandname Murphy Oil....if so, not really sure. I would categorize it as unbranded though. Stick with the majors, even if you have to pay that extra $3 a tank. And by majors, I mean Exxon, Shell, Conoco...any store with a parent oil company providing the gas.

I usually don't believe all of the BS about grocery store and Wal-mart gas, but after getting gas at HEB only for a while, my car started to run like crap and a bunch of people suggested switching to a new gas station.

After a few tanks of the new place my car started running right again. I don't know if it's a coincidence or not.

I don't recall the last time I bought a tank of gas at Exxon, Shell, etc. I've been filling up for years at either Sam's or Kroger.

20/20 did a thing on this and found that the Wal-Mart/HEB/Kroger gas is the same as the other gasolines... and only fools paid more for the "Big Brands".

I dunno - I used Wal-Mart gas in my previous vehicle and it started to run s***ty. I took it in to the dealer (yeah, yeah, I'm a sucker) and asked if Wal-Mart gas might've had something to do with it and he said something like "Yeah, it kind of depends on the car you have, but it can make a difference with some. As a rule, I would stay away from it and fill up with premium once every 8 tanks or so." He went on to talk about some additives and what-not that I don't remember about, but I took away from it that I would rather just be safe and stay away from cheapo gas.
FWIW.

I usually buy what's convenient. Why burn $2 worth of gas to save 5-10 cents per gallon.

That said, I was at Sam's one day and the Coastal truck was parked at the gas pumps, so I went over and asked the driver about Sam's gas. He said that more or less the gasoline for every station in B/CS is the same....that it is all delivered via pipeline to the Hearne terminal and that whatever difference there is between brands is the additives that are added at each brand's "rack".

Just relaying what he told me, maybe someone in the business will see this thread and refute or confirm this.

I think there used to be a Citgo rack and perhaps a Gulf (Chevron) rack at a terminus in Bryan, but not sure.




[This message has been edited by AgDotCom (edited 6/26/2006 9:32p).]

When some local Mobil stations switched to Chevron it was the same gas, I'm not even sure the additives changed, but they probably have by now.

AgDotCom...interesting coversation...

did you also ask how many gallons he was pumping out of his truck...then compare this to the capacity of the tank he was pumping into...and backsolve to find out the volume of "additives" ::coughwatercough:: that the station was putting in before consumer purchase?

wouldnt most peoples theories about water in the gasoline be completely impossible? last time i checked oil based products and water dont mix to well, and would surely destroy or do a good bit of damage to those engines for those that fill up at these non-brand name/grocery store gas stations, would it not? it seemed like such a problem would have been discovered by now. correct me if im wrong.. but im pretty sure gas is gas except when certain companies provide additives to enhance engine performance(chevron w/ techron etc)

Its all the same people, we just have to remember that everyones car runs differently from everyone elses

[This message has been edited by svahsvah (edited 6/27/2006 2:05a).]

[This message has been edited by svahsvah (edited 6/27/2006 2:05a).]

Techron is not a performance enhancing additive...it is a detergent...it's it ChevronTexaco's trademark detergent, that they believe will do the best to prevent carbon build up on the valves and intake ports.

congratulations...common sense says no...water and a petrolium poduct will not mix. However similar to oil, water is more dense, and will settle at the bottom of the tank, and...guess where the fuel line is placed in the tank...the bottom. So, it doesn't take much water to make a car run like it's in the special olympics.

Also, "watered down" is a somewhat general term...you wouldn't water down a gallon of oil based paint with water would you? Nope...you'd use paint thinner. There are plently of products that are cheaper than gasoline that are soluable in gasoline, but do not contain the same energy as gasoline...and once added they effectively "water down" the gasoline. The shop can charge the same per gallon, but save on the number of gallons they purchase...even at a 40:1 gasoline:additive mix, which is what a 2 cycle runs on, there is money to be stolen.

I worked one summer as a student at a gasoline terminal in East Texas and watched most every brand of gasoline truck fill up out of the same tanks. Often the additives are even the same with different trade names.

http://www.toptiergas.com/retailers.html

Again, HEB gas comes from the same folks (Exxon, Valero, Koch, etc.) as the gas station gas.

Continue to pay more if you like.

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That said, I was at Sam's one day and the Coastal truck was parked at the gas pumps, so I went over and asked the driver about Sam's gas. He said that more or less the gasoline for every station in B/CS is the same....that it is all delivered via pipeline to the Hearne terminal and that whatever difference there is between brands is the additives that are added at each brand's "rack".

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Bingo.

my car does prefer Exxon (or other name brand) most likely because of the additives.

I know that if I fill up at Heb (which I do occasionally) it knocks really badly and sputters during acceleration (like merging onto the highway, etc).

I used to work for a gasoline distributor several years ago. Most retailers in a particular area do get their gasoline from the same refinery/terminal as every other retailer in that area, with rare exceptions. They may even contract out the same third party trucking outfit to haul the gas. The basic gasoline stock is the same, with each brand using their own propietary "blend" of detergents/additives which is added at the filling rack while loading the truck. I would surmise that the "unbranded" outlets like Sam's, HEB, etc. still use an additive/blend of some sort, just like the majors. It is possible the majors like Exxon and Chevron use a blend of slightly higher quality, but I doubt most cars can really tell the difference. If yours can, use the major brand at least every few fillups to be on the safe side. There are times when water and dirt do find their way into storage tanks due to condensation, leaks, or other means, but trust me, a retailer would have to be pretty stupid to do that intentionally. Think of all the extra expense of fixing/towing people's cars, not to mention the bad publicity.
I would suspect the octane rating is more of a factor in drivability; some cars are designed to run optimally on the higher octane gas, but can often run on regular as long as there is no chronic knocking during regular driving.

IT ALL I YOUR HEADS

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He said that more or less the gasoline for every station in B/CS is the same....that it is all delivered via pipeline to the Hearne terminal and that whatever difference there is between brands is the additives that are added at each brand's "rack".

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Had this confirmed by one of the owners of an oil distributor in Houston. His company delivers gas to Exxons, Shells and Chevrons. Basically said the same thing, each company puts their own additives in at the rack in Hearne. Most gas station tanks are 5-8K gallons, but some go up to 20K.

I did ask him about the "myth" of not filling up when the pump truck is there and he agreed. When they are adding fuel into the tanks, it will stir up anything that's on the bottom an loose. He said most independently owned gas stations will run their tanks near dry before making an order. That can cause more sediments to be mixed with the gas once refilled.

HTH

i use almost nothing but HEB gas and my car runs great

well the thing is, grocery stores will sell gasoline at a loss in an attempt to get you into their stores... but it should be the same gas. gas is gas.