Poor Gas
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Hotshot
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 10,101
Likes: 40
From: Pa
Poor Gas
Filled up at the local Sunoco station last friday because it was $.07 cheaper than the station across the street I usually use. I had stopped buying gas there a little over a year ago because of worse mpg and detonation issues vs other stations.
Didn't drive it much all weekend. Went to get lunch on tuesday. Got on it on the way home and it sounded like I had some marbles rolling around in the top end. Turned off the radio and heard the detonation. In other words saving $.07 a gallon was a total waste. Worse mpg and detonation killed any savings and hurt power output. All I can attribute the problem with is increased ethanol content and/or Sunocos additive package. That particular Sunoco is kept up very well and they do a lot of gas business but their gas just sucks. Prior to about 2 years ago I got gas there with no issues for years.
Moral of the story use the fuel that runs good in your truck even if its more money. Listen for detonation every now and then.
Didn't drive it much all weekend. Went to get lunch on tuesday. Got on it on the way home and it sounded like I had some marbles rolling around in the top end. Turned off the radio and heard the detonation. In other words saving $.07 a gallon was a total waste. Worse mpg and detonation killed any savings and hurt power output. All I can attribute the problem with is increased ethanol content and/or Sunocos additive package. That particular Sunoco is kept up very well and they do a lot of gas business but their gas just sucks. Prior to about 2 years ago I got gas there with no issues for years.
Moral of the story use the fuel that runs good in your truck even if its more money. Listen for detonation every now and then.
Cargo Master
Joined: Apr 2010
Posts: 3,274
Likes: 4
From: Seattle area
There are certain brands of gas around here that I'll never use, no matter how cheap they are. But I do find myself price shopping around town... Ironically, I was doing that tonight. What is funny is saving $.07 over 30 gallons is just $2.10. I burn more gas than that just price shopping.
FTE Leadership Emeritus
Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 42,561
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From: Long Island USA
What's weird for me is when I buy gas from the cheapest place in town which is a few blocks from my house, everything I put it in runs better and gets better mileage.
One place that charges around $.10 more (Hess), weirdly always seems to put a gallon or two more into my truck when the low-fuel light comes on than the first place does, or compared to any other gas station I visit. And my mileage is lower by the same amount it overpumps. Their pumps are obviously not calibrated correctly, pumping less gas than it says on the pump. And, my vehicles do not seem to have the same get-up-and-go and cold start. I don't go there anymore
I feel no difference between the cheapo place down the road, or the BP on the way to work, or any other name-brand gas station.
Living on Long Island, I suspect all our gas comes from the exact same place, just the additives are different according to brand.
One place that charges around $.10 more (Hess), weirdly always seems to put a gallon or two more into my truck when the low-fuel light comes on than the first place does, or compared to any other gas station I visit. And my mileage is lower by the same amount it overpumps. Their pumps are obviously not calibrated correctly, pumping less gas than it says on the pump. And, my vehicles do not seem to have the same get-up-and-go and cold start. I don't go there anymore
I feel no difference between the cheapo place down the road, or the BP on the way to work, or any other name-brand gas station.
Living on Long Island, I suspect all our gas comes from the exact same place, just the additives are different according to brand.
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Hotshot
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 10,101
Likes: 40
From: Pa
I live about 9-10 miles away from the main gas pipeline that comes up from down south. Both Sunoco and the other stations get gas from the same fill station.(I've seen the trucks in the station and know what truck companies haul fuel where) All I can figure is the additives are different and possibly ethanol content. The pumps are supposed to be checked and inspected annually but who knows what the actual accuracy is. I'll keep buying the no name gas, it runs better.
Postmaster
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 3,924
Likes: 6
From: Richmond BC
There are certain brands of gas around here that I'll never use, no matter how cheap they are. But I do find myself price shopping around town... Ironically, I was doing that tonight. What is funny is saving $.07 over 30 gallons is just $2.10. I burn more gas than that just price shopping.
im the same...
from my personal experience SHELL gas always gives my vehicles issues.
try to NEVER stop in, unless its a no option scenario.
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Cargo Master
Joined: Feb 2012
Posts: 3,396
Likes: 1
From: Crowley, TX
I use either 1 or 2 places for fuel..
1) Kroger Grocery store- as this store is right down the street from the house i can get in and out quickly and there is plenty of room most of the time.. They are unbranded might be shell gas they use as they have seemed to partner up here recently.
2) Quick Trip - They are also unbranded but as usally the cheapest in town by 4-5 cents. I dont normally go here unless I am already in town. They do seem to have a gas war about 3-4 times a year and I have found them to be up to 20 cents less a gallon then anyone else in town. But they have a cramped fuel island with about 20 pumps it gets very difficult to get around in there parking lot
1) Kroger Grocery store- as this store is right down the street from the house i can get in and out quickly and there is plenty of room most of the time.. They are unbranded might be shell gas they use as they have seemed to partner up here recently.
2) Quick Trip - They are also unbranded but as usally the cheapest in town by 4-5 cents. I dont normally go here unless I am already in town. They do seem to have a gas war about 3-4 times a year and I have found them to be up to 20 cents less a gallon then anyone else in town. But they have a cramped fuel island with about 20 pumps it gets very difficult to get around in there parking lot
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Cargo Master
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 3,098
Likes: 136
I can't say I've had issues with any brand of fuel other than coincidences happening that probably were happening long before fill up. I drive my truck infrequently enough that I can fill up at the local grocery store and get $.50 off a gallon with the points accumulated from shopping there. But in my mind I'm saying "I'm spending too much at the grocery store." or "I'm sure this store is overcharging me and I'm losing my $12 difference at fillup because of it." 
Moderator
Joined: May 2004
Posts: 6,507
Likes: 897
From: Home Base Nebraska
We travel all over the country and have no preference on what brand we use, the first thing we look for is ease of getting in and out of a station and the second is the price. We have run into bad loads of gas two many times to count and when you are pulling a RV it doesn't take to long to tell if it's crap. What's really bad is we have a 50 gal aux tank in the bed so when we get a bad load it's a really big load. There's been a few times I had to blend in some good gas so I could get rid of the nasty stuff but after 119K the old V10 just burns it and keeps on going down the road. It was so bad one time that the engine light came with a load from a Pilot station in Central Point Oregon. I also change the filter often because of the unknown quality of gas we get on our travels.
Denny
Denny
Senior User
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 268
Likes: 1
My '99 runs great on everything. I usually use unbranded regular (10% ethanol) at Costco or the local Kroger store. Otherwise I use Shell or Chevron. I pull my 7500# camper with no issues. On a cross country trip a few years ago I bought whenever I needed to at whatever station was available and still had no issues. My truck is bone stock (except for the wheels). Maybe those running a tuner package are more sensitive to gas quality?
Junior User
Joined: Feb 2010
Posts: 76
Likes: 0
From: Sierra Vista, AZ
My truck is happiest with either Chevron or Shell. Especially when I drive to Tucson or Phoenix. It pings quite a bit more on the other brands and the no-name brands when I'm down at those elevations.
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02 F350 XL V10 6sp Manual 4WD 4.30 gears
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02 F350 XL V10 6sp Manual 4WD 4.30 gears
New User
Joined: Apr 2012
Posts: 3
Likes: 0
Funny my v10 gets crappy mpg's no matter what. I know a lot of tanker drivers and all the gas local to you all comes off the same rack. The piplines are hundreds of miles long. The gas companies just by time on the rack. Shell is pumping gas into the pipe 1200 miles away and your pumping exxon gas at a shell station. Oh yeah and when the tanker driver is in a hurry, you don't get all the additives put in your gas. And they are always in a hurry. Just another scam perpatrated on the v10 drivers, trying to hold us down.