Which gasoline brand is better for cars

Which gasoline brand is better for cars can be answered in a few different ways: the impact of gasoline on car engines; gasoline brands and car mileage; gasoline brands and price. There are top tier gasoline brands that have higher concentrations of detergents and additives. High performance cars run better on top tier gasoline than cheaper gas.

I asked a mechanic last week his preference for the gasoline that helps his car run better. He said it really doesn’t matter. He mentioned the model of his BMW – a 2006 – and he’s used all gasoline brands from Shell to Chevron and he even said “crappy ARCO” and his conclusion is the brand of gasoline doesn’t affect the performance of a car.

Gasoline brands are not the same, however.

On another Hub, I listed several gasoline brands and which ones people preferred. Shell was the favorite. The Hub is Shell, Chevron, Mobil: which brand is better?

When looking up gasoline brands online, I came across a Web site where the author of an article always filled up with Shell gasoline. The article is titled “Is one gasoline brand better than another?” The author wrote that his family used Shell gasoline when he was growing up and he started using Shell while driving. He even correctly pointed out that gasoline trucks will swap gasoline if it’s economical. Texaco may make arrangements with Shell or Chevron to have a tanker fill their station. Click here for the Web site punny.org and the link to the article.

A chemist who is also a Corvette enthusiast does use premium gas in his car and he agrees that oil companies swap gasoline – the base gasoline – at their refineries:

Oil companies swap base gasoline all the time. Let's say I have a refinery in Houston and you have one in Dallas. It makes little sense for me to truck my Houston gasoline to Dallas and for you to truck your gasoline from Dallas to Houston when gasoline is a commodity product. So, I let you draw 100,000 gallons of base gasoline from my storage tank in Houston for your Houston gas stations, and you let me draw 100,000 gallons of base gasoline from your Dallas holding tanks for my Dallas gas stations. That way, we both save on shipping.

But he points out the difference in the gasoline brands is the additives used in the base. He then makes an argument for using one brand of gasoline for 5,000 miles and then switching brands for another 5,000 miles to get rid of the deposits that build up on car engines. It’s an article worth reading.

Another question is about adding fuel mileage additives to the gas tank. Do the ones bought at Kragen or Auto Zone really help? This opinion from the Web site Chiefengineer.org says start at the pump:

The first rule of gasoline additives for all consumers to understand is that gasoline additives have pretty much always been offered - right at the gas pump. And if someone is interested in finding ways to increase their gas mileage through additives, increasing the grade of gasoline you use is a pretty good first-step.

For someone really interested in choosing the best brand of gasoline for their car, try to alternate gas every 1,000 miles to determine if the mileage is the same or different. For me and my family, we have a 2000 Chevy Astro van and a 1996 Nissan Pathfinder. I’m not worried about choosing the wrong gasoline brand.