black783

I have heard a couple of stories now and even have had a sales guy tell me that ARCO gas is bad for V8 engines....it has to do with the detergents they put it in...so they say.

Is this like the Tooth Fairy, Santa, the Easter Bunny,and "I will respect you in the morning"...... Or is there truth to it??? (Not saying the others aren't -- particularly the morning one depending on the experience.)

Kreuzen

...that s***t is bad for my Honda lawn mower! Never will go in any of my cars.

mlongo99

Arco isn't a "top tier" gasolene. That means there really is a difference in the amount of added detergents. I'd avoid it unless you don't mind risking a broken fuel sending unit. And if you plan on keeping your vette for a while, wouldn't you feel better knowing that you used fuel that helps clean the motor?

need-for-speed

Which fuels are "top tier" and is that designation readily visible at the pump, like octane rating is?

BIGGGIE

ARCO? What is that? Is that a Cheap Gas Station..like marathon gas or Farms store gas..?

GGWOODY

Went out with a girl for a while that worked for an environmental company that monitored gas station safety and regulatory. She said that in SoCal, all gass comes from 3 refineries. The additives are the same; any difference is in your head...whether it be chevron, mobil, shell, arco, or thrifty..it's all the same and even if they don't advert the additives they are in there. This is the case in Southern Caifornia, I don't know about the rwest of the country. Since this chick spent 6 hrs a day auditing andmonitoring gas stations, I'll take her word for it...and she was HOT!!!

Vette Fan

Sorry. but that girl must have been smokin crack

Tried Arco once a few years back in a Toyota. It pinged like crazy It's your car, but for me NO ARCO...NO WAY!

JSMDMD

What happened to her????

jabez

Shell, Chevron

Jimwood

Arco gas is fine. Octane is octane.

purple heart

Have you ever heard of "experience?" I'm sure you have, but not knowing your age, let me tell give you a brief summary of mine: I started using Amoco unleaded high test back in 1968 when I bought my first GTO; have been using almost nothing else since with exception of Mobil; I have owned a total of 5 new vettes and and 5 used ones, all of which used either Amoco(always 1st choice) or Mobil. AND NEVER, NEVER HAD I EVER HAD A PROBLEM WITH DIRTY OR BAD GAS, ENGINE KNOCK, PRE-IGNITION, OR LOSS OF POWER, EVER! There you have it, the *****' in your court. Good luck.

NoThugs

This is absolutely correct. My wife worked for a HazMat inpection company here in NorCal. Every gas station here in CA, gets gas from one of 3 refineries.
What happens after it leaves the refineries is anyones guess. The biggest problems are dirt and water in the tanks at the gas stations.

mlongo99

I believe Mobil is too. I think the "top tier" designation is displayed somewhere, but I don't know where. I would assume that since it is a good thing, gas stations would want it to be displayed.

GGWOODY

Apparently I have committment issues...

GGWOODY

Apparently I have committment issues...

calemasters

Currently, Top Tier Detergent Gasoline Standards are meet by:

Chevron
QuikTrip (not to be confused with KwikTrip)
Conoco
Phippips 66
76
Shell
Entec
MFA Oil Company

DP Dave

and Mobil

Another Yellow

The question posted was about ARCO (Atlantic Richfield) which is a different brand than Amoco.

I also only used Amoco until all the gas became unleaded.

whompus

most brands of gas come from the same refinereys. as much as you want to believe it, most brands of gas are pretty much the same

iblumberg

I have read in the various car mags that most gas does come from the same refineries, particularly in California. However, each brand has its own package of additives that include detergent and other magic ingredients. These are added at the station when the tanker fills the undergound tanks.

In my experience, Chevron is the most reliable of the pathetic 91 octane gas varieties that we are stuck with in California. I have had reduced acceleration and pinging (in a number of cars) with Shell and 76 and have not wanted to experiment further.

It does make me mad every time I visit my mother in NJ and see that they pay less for 93 octane than us folks in CA pay for 87, plus unless we can find a race gas station in the neighborhood, we can't get better than 91.