Where do you purchase your fuel

[Pyro07]

i purchase my diesel at maverik cheapest in town other than running red dye and risk gettin in trouble for tax evasion

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[Benthic]

<snip>
When people call me an a-hole for investing in BP, I simply and politely inform them that this is the land of opportunity, and I am taking full advantage of it.

As you should!

Brian

[NIS350ZTT]

I usually go to Murphy when I go to the store.

One note about premium vs midgrade vs regular...

Octane is just a rating of how much you can compress gas/air mixture before it auto-ignites. There's nothing inherently "better" about higher octane unless your car requires it. Yes, higher octane can mean better performance, but only if the engine takes advantage of it. The pistons aren't going to start compressing the mixture more just because you put a different type of gas in your car.

Here's some info about it from Quick Trip: The Premium Myth

I actually really like QT, too, but there aren't any where I live now. It's refreshing to see that kind of honesty instead of trying to upsell you, though. :)

I would use the octane rating recommended for your specific vehicle.

Some vehicles require a higher octane rating (91/93) due to higher compression pistons. If you were to use a lower octane rating in such a situation it would cause the vehicle's ECU to adjust settings (cam timing for one) to account for engine pinging/knocking. (at least newer vehicles, likely OBDII) It would also result in a loss of power and gas mileage due to the engine having to use a worse air/fuel mixture, granted we're talking about 2-3HP (likely not even at the wheel) and probably a unnoticeable decrease in fuel efficiency.

The reverse could be said for using a higher octane in a low octane rated vehicle. Better performance and better fuel mileage, again 2-3HP and negligible fuel economy.

Up to you whether you think it is worth it. If I drove a premium-octane vehicle I would abide by it. I drive a regular-octane vehicle and would rather save a couple bucks everytime I fill up and lose the opportunity for 2-3HP (certainly can't 'feel' that).

YMMV

[Eagleks]

Conoco / Phillips
They are very anti-gun, and fired several employees over having guns in their cars in the Company parking lot, etc. and so on. They lobbied heavily against the laws allowing CC licensed people to keep guns in their cars at work.

http://www.allbusiness.com/retail-tr...4486558-1.html
NRA Boycotts ConocoPhillips Over Gun Policy

Monday over the energy giant's attempt to block a state law preventing employers from firing workers who keep guns in their cars on company lots. ConocoPhillips is among several companies challenging an Oklahoma law in federal court that allows workers to keep guns in their locked cars on company property.



NRA-ILA :: NRA Launches National Boycott Against ConocoPhillips
NRA Launches National Boycott Against ConocoPhillips

IDABEL, OK) – Vowing to “spare no effort or expense,” NRA Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre launched an aggressive billboard advertising and national boycott campaign against energy giant ConocoPhillips, in response to the corporation’s anti-gun policy and actions.

“Across the country, we’re going to make ConocoPhillips the example of what happens when a corporation takes away your Second Amendment rights,” LaPierre said at a rally of hundreds of supporters.

[msgt/ret]

One note about premium vs midgrade vs regular...

Octane is just a rating of how much you can compress gas/air mixture before it auto-ignites. There's nothing inherently "better" about higher octane unless your car requires it. Yes, higher octane can mean better performance, but only if the engine takes advantage of it. The pistons aren't going to start compressing the mixture more just because you put a different type of gas in your car.

Here's some info about it from Quick Trip: The Premium Myth

Good point, especially for those of us that have classic vehicles, check the owners manual. I used to have a ’71 Ford LTD, the owners manual called for regular gasoline (minimum 91 octane) try to find regular with that octane now.

[Maltz]

The reverse could be said for using a higher octane in a low octane rated vehicle. Better performance and better fuel mileage, again 2-3HP and negligible fuel economy.

Actually, that is what I was trying to debunk. Of course, if your car requires the higher octane, you should NOT be using anything less. But if your car doesn't require the higher octane, then there is no benefit to using a higher octane.

It's the ENGINE design, not the gas, that gives the extra performance, but such engines require higher octane fuel. And that's where the impression that the gas is somehow responsible comes from.

Quoting from the Quick Trip site I linked in my original post: Higher octane does not mean better quality and it will not result in more power, better performance, greater gas mileage or anything else.

[Benthic]

Is it not true that old cars benefit from higher octane fuel? I thought that with age there would be buildup at the tops of the cylinders that would effectively raise the engine's compression ratio and thus the car might benefit from a higher octane fuel to prevent knocking.

Or is that a load of crap too?

Brian

[Maltz]

Is it not true that old cars benefit from higher octane fuel? I thought that with age there would be buildup at the tops of the cylinders that would effectively raise the engine's compression ratio and thus the car might benefit from a higher octane fuel to prevent knocking.

Or is that a load of crap too?

Brian

That's true, but only if the engine knocks without it. I should have mentioned that scenario. If an engine is knocking because of preignition, higher octane gas can help.

That's the more technical explanation. :) Engines with higher compression ratios require higher octane gas, but engines with lower compressions ratios gain nothing from it. That's really all "octane" rating is -- how much can you compress it before it ignites without the spark. If buildup has increased the compression ratio of your engine and you're engine is knocking/pinging then a higher octane gas may fix it. But higher octane gas won't give you back any of your original mileage/power/etc other than what you gain by fixing the knocking.

[JJVP]

Every time I see one of these post I have to laugh. People don't understand how the gasoline they buy gets to the gas station. Most of the gasoline in the US goes into pipelines that are shared by multiple companies/refineries. The gas gets co-mingled there. So the gas you buy at a Shell station might have been produced at an Exxon refinery.

What differentiates on gas from another is the additives added. Those are added at the distribution centers as the gas is being loaded into the gas trucks. So as the Exxon truck is being loaded, the Exxon additives are blended into the gasoline. The gas itself might have been refined by BP, or Shell or who knows who.

No buying gas from a particular branded gas station only hurts the owner of the gas station, not the company that produced it. The gasoline produced by the boycotted company will be sold no matter what. You will be buying it from the next (other brand) gas station.

You can find info here :

Where Our Gasoline Comes From - Energy Explained, Your Guide To Understanding Energy