Not all top teir does. QT is top Teir and I have seen peoples engines blow using QT, which is why they have to guarantee the fuel now. Fuel deposits can build as quickly as one tank from what I understand. If Im wrong, then all I know is that it does help. Go fig!
Just trying to get educated here: what else do Top Tier gasolines do besides the better detergent packages? Any references for the rapid buildup of deposits from one tank to the next? I can see it over thousands of miles, but not in 300 miles of driving. Thanks.
Just trying to get educated here: what else do Top Tier gasolines do besides the better detergent packages? Any references for the rapid buildup of deposits from one tank to the next? I can see it over thousands of miles, but not in 300 miles of driving. Thanks.
Hmm, I'm going to look into this further. It may not be just the removal of build up but the chemical itself might make the fuel burn more effectively, which is why GM and Ford use it in brand new engines for MPG and emission tests.
In my quest to determine the cause of low mpg in our smarts (28.3mpg last tank) I have just filled up with Shell premium. I had been using Valero, a local independent and the closest to my home. I am looking forward to seeing if there is any change.
Here's my question: the Top Tier designation seems totally related to the additive (detergent) packages in these brands. Since all of our smart engines are relatively low mileage at this point, it's unlikely using some "inferior" gas would have built up enough deposits that it would impact mpg. And if so, switching to Top Tier gas would not immediately result in better mpg.
So, what's the advantage, if any? Octane is octane (unless ethanol is added, in which case we get lower mpg, not higher) and unless there's some other hidden factor here I'm not clear on why using a Top Tier gas equals higher mpg.
If you read my original post (again), you will note that the effect of switching to Top Tier is an IMMEDIATE 10-12% improvement in MPG. Conversely, going back to general brands produces an IMMEDIATE 10-12% deterioration in average MPG.
If you read my original post (again), you will note that the effect of switching to Top Tier is an IMMEDIATE 10-12% improvement in MPG.
You'll have to use larger type, I can't quite hear you.
That two things happen concurrently doesn't necessarily signify cause and effect. No doubt the mpg went up, but why? What would be the reason(s) for an immediate increase in mpg from using a 91 (or 92 or 93) octane gas from one company vs. using the same octane gas from another company. "It's better gas" doesn't count.
You'll have to use larger type, I can't quite hear you.
That two things happen concurrently doesn't necessarily signify cause and effect. No doubt the mpg went up, but why? What would be the reason(s) for an immediate increase in mpg from using a 91 (or 92 or 93) octane gas from one company vs. using the same octane gas from another company. "It's better gas" doesn't count.
From the Top Tier website:
Why TOP TIER
The intention of the TOP TIER Detergent Gasoline standards is to create a winning situation for gasoline retailers, auto manufacturers and drivers. Currently, many gasoline retailers provide fuels with lower-quality additive packages that can build up deposits on fuel injectors and on intake valves. Others can build up deposits in combustion chambers and may lead to intake valve sticking. These lower levels of additives can have negative impacts on engine performance and vehicle responsiveness.
I do not have a scangauge but it does show the old adage; you get what you pay for. In my area, Shell has the higher gas prices.
I don't have a Scangauge either, but SOTP (seat-of-the-pants) driving told me that my smart liked Shell V-Power. I just finished a trip from WV to NJ to DE to MD and back to WV. I used premium during the entire trip in my overloaded smart (about 560+ lbs of passengers and cargo on the trip up and back) climbing the Appalachians. However, on the way back I just happened to stop at a Shell station in MD before going back over the mountains. The car seemed to perform noticeably better on inclines and I was able to use 5th more and maintain a better speed when I did downshift into 4th climbing hills. I will fill up this evening and compute MPG for this tank and for the entire trip.
Of course, I was slogging through traffic for an hour and half over the Chesapeake bridge and on I-95 in addition to a tankful of stop-and-go in Rehoboth Beach/Ocean City while sightseeing, so I expect the overall mileage to probably be in the low 40s. We'll see...
I have used shell although I have only filled up one time so far (had car one week.) According to my scanguage I have been getting around 40 mpg (while still breaking the motor in.)
That two things happen concurrently doesn't necessarily signify cause and effect. No doubt the mpg went up, but why?
When push comes to shove, I don't care about cause/effect nearly as much as I care about facts. ScanGauge consistently gives me 10-12%. That's a fact I can take to the bank.
Knowing the cause may be of intellectual interest on the margin, but in the mean it changes nothing.
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