Fuel Types: What you need to know.

[Howie]

Often times where I work, we tend to slide into the position of working in fuel farms, and testing of refinery ordered fuels before they go into aircraft or even ground vehicles. I'm going to let you in on a few things that I have learned on course, and through working with Shell, Petro-Can, Ultramar and the like, as well as experience.

87, 89, 91, 104 octane- which is best for my car?

The best fuel for your car is what the manufacturer recommends. Whatever is in the manual is best for your stock car PERIOD.

In our case, that is bronze. Or 87 octane, whatever you want to call it, the cheap stuff is best. The only cars that really need High octane fuel are ones with high compression engines (but through neat head designs, this is fading) and forced induction engines. Don't wast money on premium fuel if you don't have to.

But premium fuels have more cleaners.
False. This is a lovely thing called marketing. Remember, the fuel that is in your engine only sits in the chamber for a billionth of a second. CAPP (Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers) and the Government both have stringent regulations of what it is allowed in fuels and what isn't. All gasolines have detergents in them as per the specifications set by them, all grades.

Ok smart arse, what about winter gas?
Also false. This was Petro-cans wonderful marketing genius. The same agencies above require a specific amount of DIA (De-Icing agent) and CI (corrosion inhibitor) in fuels to prevent freezing and fuels from damaging the fuel lines from inside. Very rarely will you see a fuel line rust from the inside-out. All grades have it.

There are less contaminants in premium fuels.
This one is a tough one to answer because I honestly don't know. But lets put a look at the filter points. At the refinery the fuel is filtered to specification. After that it is placed into holding tanks where it goes through another set of filters and a water separator before it gets into the truck. After its in the truck, it has to be filtered again before it is put into the tanks at the gas station. When you squeeze the pump the fuel is pumped from the tank again, where it goes into a fuel/water separator system again, (in case you were curious whats in the bottom of the pump itself) and another filter on the line before it reaches the nozzle. With all these filters, how can it be possible to get bad gas?

There's lots of ways. Every time it moves, there is possibility of contamination. Rust. Dirt. Water. All possible. This is why there are so many filters in the chain. So that way when the fuel transfers, its clear, dry and clean. Ideally. Realistically its just to clear liability but It does work.

Old gas is another problem. Its why modern refueling storage systems have a recirculate system in place. Even tanker trailers have it. Fuel naturally breaks down when stored for a long period of time. Fuel stabiliser helps this. But most people burn it through the car before it starts to break down.

As well, we have 2 other filters. In some cars there is a particulate screen in the filler neck, and another at the fuel pump, and some also have a fuel filter on the fuel line before it meets the engine.

So why is premium thought to be cleaner? Simply put- it doesn't get bought as much. The more you use a distribution system, the more chance for contaminants to be passed. If you buy a fuel tank of 10,000L of premium fuel, you might go through that in 2 months. If you have 10,000L of regular grade, a week. The more you use, the higher the risk of contaminant and system wear.

But you also have fuel that been sitting longer going with premium. Tough, isnt it?

What about nitrogen enriched fuels?

A dual edged sword. Nitrogen enriched fuels DO have a positive cleaning effect on engine components. It is true. Ill give it that. However there is a negative effect on engine performance and slightly increased NOx emissions. However, if your engine is dirty, your going to have roughly the same effect and the same losses. If someone switched your gas to nitrogen enriched fuels, you likely wouldn't notice, unless you do engine teardowns.

What about fuel injector cleaners.

As I said, gasoline already has detergents built in to keep these clean, however, it likely wouldn't hurt to toss some in once in a while. Especially for those that have direct injection engines.

What brand should I buy?

This isn't so much of who's gas but where. What you want to look for is a modern pump. You should be able to see the filter on the nozzle hose and its installation date should be on the pump. Raised port covers in the ground indicate proper drainage of the storage tanks. A clean facility likely keeps up on changing the pump system filters and hose inline filter. If there is a lot of business you will likely get fresh fuel as it hasn't sit in a tank. If your looking for a good station, don't go to ones that accept fuel in the rain or heavy snow, or do (dips) in bad weather. Chances are pretty good that if your going to the place that everyone else is going and its a nice gas station and is clean, you will be fine.

Where don't I want to get gas.

Well the opposite of above of course.

If you buy gas at night you get more gas because its colder and takes up less space.
Almost true. But all pumps certified by Industry Canada will automatically be corrected to 15'c. That being said, to tell this you're looking for a sticker that looks like this:



If the certification falls outside of the dates it should be inspected, then dont bother getting gas there. It may be inaccurate.