NWS4Guy

Seems odd, as Shell is a Top Tier, yet you can abolutely get Shell in several states with no ethanol in it. Then again, I suppose they only have to OFFER that in some of their fuel to be a Top Tier, in which case I guess that you would be buying from a Top Tier fuel company, but not necessarily using a Top Tier fuel.

The inclusing of Ethanol reqs just shows that this is a joke of a club, and reinforces to me why BP opts out.

redrocker55

COMPLETELY agree... You get my point 100%. It sounds to me like a bit of a political game. I'm sure it has some merits... But I do completely agree with you... a stand up oil company like a Exxon or BP offers fuel in the same league as any of the "official" top tier companies. And at the same time I wouldn't put 'Jimmy Joe John's quick mart' fuel in my S4...unless I knew for a fact it was being supplied by a large oil company...even at that I would probably pass.

These cars are being sold around the world in countries that don't have nearly the regulations or consistency on their fuels...and I bet they are running just fine there also.

And like you mentioned earlier...the carbon buildup problems are not due to the fuel we are using...since the intake valves are not getting 'washed' by the incoming fuel. A more important factor, to me, is the type of oil that is being run in the vehicle.

NWS4Guy

I'll be careful of any Jimmy Joe John's quick marts I see - LOL!

I'm wary of anyone with 3 first names, and I was born down south

Smith837

Just wanted to briefly revisit this topic. I've been filling up exclusively with Shell V-Power Premium and plan to keep doing so. Once I hit 5K miles, to clean out the deposits, I'm considering switching my gas brand for the next 1K or possibly 5K miles to another TOP TIER brand, although in the NY area, there are few TOP TIER options available (Shell is the only one in my area).

Just noticed that Mobil's Web site says that "Mobil branded retail gasolines meet TOP TIER Detergent Gasoline standards":
http://www.mobil.com/USA-English/GFM...s/Gasoline.asp

But, there's no mention of Mobil on the TOP TIER retailers list:
http://www.toptiergas.com/retailers.html

What gives? :S

It's been suggested that the premium gasolines of some retailers not on the TOP TIER list meet the standard -- and many of their Web sites speak to meeting the standard (for example, Mobil and BP) -- but the TOP TIER Web site isn't granular enough to help navigate those options. I'm left wondering who/what to believe. How up-to-date is the TOP TIER site anyway?

adbender

a couple of canadian retailers offer 94 (petrocanada and sunoco)

i have also noticed that ethanol is not as common a component and they definitely have more detergents.

NABS4

It's all to do with the word "meets" which means that Mobil is confident that their gas does comply but hasn't paid the money to have it tested by the Top Tier people whoever they may be.

Smith837

I guess what I'm wondering is, would it be better to alternate brands even if it means introducing Mobil (technically uncertified), or stick full-time with Shell V-Power? FYI, I am referring the "insider's trick on gasoline additives" mentioned here:
http://www.vettenet.org/octane.html

Shell (along with Chevron) is the most committed to TOP TIER, as all stations in the U.S. and Canada are certified, and Shell V-Power has 5x the minimum detergent requirement + is nitrogen enriched. So before I switch to something else, especially an uncertified brand, I want to make sure it's worth it.

xtr3ma

Trust me, it's worth it.

I go out of my way for V-Power fill up. No crap gas for my S4.

Smith837

To clarify, I'm sold on V-Power and it's currently the only gas I use in my S4. My question was, which is better:

(1) Stick with the V-Power only (i.e., use as the dedicated gas brand for the life of the car), or

(2) Alternate gas brands every 5,000 miles to clean out deposits, even if this means alternating V-Power with a lesser brand, or with a non-certified TOP TIER brand such as Mobil

jdgamble

I used to work in the oil industry (upstream production and refining), and here's what I know.

1. Chevron spends the most money on additive R&D... Techron has generally been regarded as the best additive in the industry.
2. Shell spends a lot of $ on gasoline technology and uses the most detergents, but there are actually some engine components that it can affect negatively... metallurgy thing, but not an issue that I know of with Audi.
3. Exxon, Mobil, 76, and other majors use good additives.
4. The only difference between a lot of gasoline is the additives. Chevron sells Mobil gas at the pump... they just use Techron rather than Mobil additives.
5. Arco is the only refiner that sells (almost) exclusively Arco gas at the pump. Their oxygenation process results in lower costs, and also crappy gasoline. There's a reason it's cheaper.

So basically, I stick with Chevron, Shell, 76 or Mobil, cuz I trust the world domination oil companies!