Is Gas just Gas

[Jonathan Patten]

[ender2664]

Originally Posted by DRKS1D3

Can we close this thread now (3 pages long )? I already answered the OP's question in post #42. The OP drives a V6. No high octane or special gasoline is needed...PERIOD. Put 87 in it and drive away.

Everything put together from this post suggests different.
Using 87 is fine but it pulls timing but full performance will be achieved on 91. That implies to me that there is a choice and you shouldn't just up in 87 and drive away.

[wadeh]

Originally Posted by ender2664

Everything put together from this post suggests different.
Using 87 is fine but it pulls timing but full performance will be achieved on 91. That implies to me that there is a choice and you shouldn't just up in 87 and drive away.

This is true of the V8, but not the V6.

Chevrolet recommends regular unleaded for the V6 and that's what its fuel map is set for. They recommend premium for the V8 and it is the one that pulls timing for regular.

There is no performance benefit to running premium in the V6.

[ender2664]

well, i guess i wasn't reading thoroughly enough, i wasted money on 91 yesterday :(
So even though the compression is 11:1 on the 6, because of the fuel map in the ECU, i can run 87 and no timing will be pulled?

[DagoCountyGee]

Originally Posted by wadeh

This is true of the V8, but not the V6.

Chevrolet recommends regular unleaded for the V6 and that's what its fuel map is set for. They recommend premium for the V8 and it is the one that pulls timing for regular.

There is no performance benefit to running premium in the V6.

The manual says use 87 or better

[Manbearpig]

Originally Posted by DagoCountyGee

The manual says use 87 or better

Which means anything above 87 will run the car, it doesn't state that 91 or 93 have any significant advantages for running on V6s..

The manual is the same for all Camaro trims, obviously it's more cost effective to say 87 or better instead of explaining that V8s obviously have different fuel maps then V6s. Bottom line is 87 is all that is needed unless you're running a modified car. This is supported by facts easily accessible on the web and in various tomes. If someone can prove otherwise I'm sure we'd like to hear it, I wouldn't mind more performance personally.

As for filling up, unless you're driving through the middle of the desert on a regular basis with no civilization to be had for miles except a few sparse gas stations you're going to run across one of the name brand stations. There is no difference between them outside of pricing and extra engine cleaning additive. There are only so many refineries. If you're that worried about it feel free to Google where your nearest unbranded gas station gets their gas from or ask them.

ALL GAS SOLD IN THE US MUST MEET ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY REQUIREMENTS.

In fact, I wouldn't even be worried about the gas, what you should be concerned with is what station you get it from. There are cases where the gas truck due to a deal or what have you between two companies will simply head down the way to the next station with the same gas. This means that if you see a BP for 3.98 a gallon and right down the street is a Shell with 3.90 it could very well be the same gas. If you flip it, the Shell you're filling up at might have the same gas as the hole in the wall station further down the street, this excludes the tank the gas was in, the turnover and multiple other factors. It's all variable.

Now I would be leery of ridiculously cheap gas prices, as it might be some bottom of the barrel gunk two days from stale, or oiled down or what have you, but for the most part, you're not going to see a difference between brands.

Top Tier gas came about when several companies including GM pressed for tougher gasoline standards to prevent buildup in your engine, the companies on said list volunteered to adhere by those standards. That higher price stems from more detergent in the gas to prevent carbon and advertising, at best. If you do encounter this issue after 100,000 miles running some engine cleaner through the car will most likely clear it up, it's a preference issue at best.

So if you want, buy top tier it's a few pennies more. If not, don't worry about your engine exploding out of the chassis.

[DarkneSS]

I've had a V6, you can run 87-93 but the car always seemed to pull stronger on 93. In my SS I only run 93. 91 and up is good but sometimes there is a bit of 87 still in the pump and you can get 93 that is closer to 91 so to cover always run 93.

There is absolutely "bad" gas. I was on E far from home and filled up "93" from a backwoods Gulf. My car almost immediately felt slower. I ran the tank empty, fully filled with 93 and did the fuse pull and the car was back to normal.

Stick to high volume, reputable companies, Shell, Exxon, Sunoco. There is a high volume station near me called "American." They charge a few cents less than the Sunoco across the street but I have no doubt they "water" down their gas. Tested it over a month and I was pulling an unsual 4-5 MPG MORE from Sunoco's.

[ender2664]

Originally Posted by ender2664

So even though the compression is 11:1 on the 6, because of the fuel map in the ECU, i can run 87 and no timing will be pulled?

Is this correct?

[Convert-11]

Originally Posted by 321

+1 MN is a 91 Octane Premium requirement state and most chains went with it, BP as a franchise still offers 93 and I've noticed enough of a difference where I won't go back. Way better mileage, more oomph, smoother idle.

+2 for BP in MN. Drive 30,000+ miles annually on my Malibu and feel the difference when I don't use BP. Also only station I found with 93 for the SS.

Don't want to jack the thread, but what are the opinions on non-oxy gas.

[MBS]

Originally Posted by ender2664

Is this correct?

No it has been proved by others that 87 will pull your timing chain , go to the V6 section and search the forum there have been many posts about this , I read them and decided to switch to the 91/93 and the car runs better with more HP , and for the couple of bucks more per tank it is worth it to me .

[mynetdude]

Originally Posted by wadeh

This is true of the V8, but not the V6.

Chevrolet recommends regular unleaded for the V6 and that's what its fuel map is set for. They recommend premium for the V8 and it is the one that pulls timing for regular.

There is no performance benefit to running premium in the V6.

which is what I gathered after explaining to my uncle I saw no real gains going from 87 to 91/93 (I forget what we have in Oregon, but hey) in my Honda V6 (ok so maybe I saw some gains but not enough to make a difference AND my driving situations were different than the last fill up test so I can't always predict and determine what/how/where I'll drive per tank I just drive when I drive.

[DRKS1D3]

Originally Posted by DagoCountyGee

The manual says use 87 or better

Exactly. The V6 manual states 87 OR better (meaning you can run 87 in it and it will be fine). The SS manual states 91 or higher (meaning running anything lower than 91 will pull timing and reduce power). OP, again, you have a V6, put 87 in it and enjoy your car. For the "few more ponies" you may unlock using a higher octane, try it out and have your butt dyno calibrated correctly.

[CWI]

First off, I did not read every post in this thread, don't need to. I have said many times that contrary to what people think, gas is the same other than additives that are added when the delivery trucks are filled at the wholesaler or distributor's terminal. Also all stations or brands use the same gas.
All the refineries in a particular area feed their gas through a pipeline to a terminal where it all comes together in common tank storage. Therefore you will rarely get gas that is refined in a single refinery. It's the additives that make the difference.

I just avoid the older looking stations that may have debris in their tanks. My SS has 75K miles on it and I have the heads off right now. As expected, there is minimal carbon buildup around the intake valves and basically none around the exhaust valves. This is common due to the fact that the exhaust is hotter and burns the deposits away. The heads were surprisingly clean for the miles. I get gas wherever it is lower priced when I can. Like I said just avoid the older, run down places. I just run some sea foam every now and then to help keep things clean.

I make a living working in oil refineries. I am in a Shell refinery as I type this. I am currently QA/QC on repairs to two boilers. I worked in this same refinery 25 years ago when it was Texaco, which helps to prove my point. I know of no Texaco refineries now. There are plenty of Texaco stations out there though. 7 Eleven has no refinery, nor does Walmart or Albertsons or Murphy or even Love's or Petro or Pilot. And they are huge retailers. They simply get their fuels the same place everyone else does. A distributor that has received gas from several refineries and mixed it in their tanks.

Hope this info helps.

[ender2664]

Originally Posted by CWI

First off, I did not read every post in this thread, don't need to. I have said many times that contrary to what people think, gas is the same other than additives that are added when the delivery trucks are filled at the wholesaler or distributor's terminal. Also all stations or brands use the same gas.
All the refineries in a particular area feed their gas through a pipeline to a terminal where it all comes together in common tank storage. Therefore you will rarely get gas that is refined in a single refinery. It's the additives that make the difference.

I just avoid the older looking stations that may have debris in their tanks. My SS has 75K miles on it and I have the heads off right now. As expected, there is minimal carbon buildup around the intake valves and basically none around the exhaust valves. This is common due to the fact that the exhaust is hotter and burns the deposits away. The heads were surprisingly clean for the miles. I get gas wherever it is lower priced when I can. Like I said just avoid the older, run down places. I just run some sea foam every now and then to help keep things clean.

I make a living working in oil refineries. I am in a Shell refinery as I type this. I am currently QA/QC on repairs to two boilers. I worked in this same refinery 25 years ago when it was Texaco, which helps to prove my point. I know of no Texaco refineries now. There are plenty of Texaco stations out there though. 7 Eleven has no refinery, nor does Walmart or Albertsons or Murphy or even Love's or Petro or Pilot. And they are huge retailers. They simply get their fuels the same place everyone else does. A distributor that has received gas from several refineries and mixed it in their tanks.

Hope this info helps.

Kind of already knew this, but it is good to hear it from someone with first hand knowledge.
But i guess the more important part of the question i asked, to me anyway, is 87 or 91. Since there seems to be a lot of strong opinions on this but no consensus, I will be using 91.
Thank you everyone for all of the good information.