WetteVette

I was reading my 97 owners manual and it says: "Your vehicle was not designed for fuel that contains methanol. Don't use it. It can corrode metal parts in your fuel system and also damage plastic and rubber parts". I live in central California, and I'm sure I've read on gas pumps around here that "this fuel may contain methanol". Are there some CA fuels that absolutely don't use it? Am I overly paranoid? I've always stuck with reputable gas like Chevron, Shell, or 76 Union.

DevilDog II

I used Mobil for years but recently switched to Shell.

blacksedan87

I use only Chevron with Techron in my car. It is a Top Tier fuel and has Techron which reduces the sulfur deposits, that can lead to fuel gauge issues.

Oldvetter

Use a Top Tier gas, do an internet search.

C5-Dawg

I wouldn't worry too much. Since most oil companies stopped using MTBE as an additive, most switched to using some ethanol (5% I think) in its place, as an octane booster, I believe. Just stick with top tier gas and keep driving.

Face it, gas sucks here in CA, 91 octane for $3.07 gal. Waddaya gonna do, drive to Nevada for gas?

Vic Montaner

Not again...........use Chevron or Shell only. All else at your own risk.

gpz

i live canada and use Sunoco 94 octane..great fuel for my c5 vette.

ttboyvette

I thought BP Amaco was one of the best?

Corvette-Chris

My father owns a Citgo station and alot of times the gas is pulled out of an ExxonMobil terminal. Just stick with a high octane, good brand gas and you will be fine.

OzzyC4

So far a bunch of opinions have been given, none of which address the question, is it ok to use a methanol blend fuel. not which brand is best.

The Chevron and Shell where I live are both oxygenated with an alcohol mixture. I too would like to know GM's position on the use of these fuels in our cars.

Did a little google research: Looks as if oxygenated fuel is made with ethanol, not methanol.
http://www.chevron.com/products/prod...ated-gasoline/

WetteVette

Thanks, Larry, for doing my homework! I thought I might be wrong about the ethanol vs methanol issue. The words are so similar. You are the only one who correctly addressed my question. However, I do understand the "top tier" fuel thing. All the "major" brands (Chevron, Shell, 76 Union) are top tier sellers. Guess I'll be just fine if I continue to use them.

docpat

Is HESS considered a top tier? I use 93 octane in my 2003 C5.

blacksedan87

http://www.toptiergas.com

rustyguns

i bought some gas at Luv's Truck stop and i pinged like crazy! aaaaagh!

OzzyC4

Last fall the wife and I took a roadd trip in her '04Tahoe 5.3.For the first 1300 + miles is averaged 18.6 mpg (actual). We filled up at eh Pilot station near barstow CA. On that tank of fuel we hadd the average drop to 15.1! And to top that thought off, itss mostly downhill to LA from Barstow. Never again will I buy non Chevron Testero Mobil Exxon gas if I have any other option available.

2 GRUMPY

SHELL V POWER 93 OCTANE FOR ME !!!!!!

BiggieBoy

BP, Shell or Marathon. They all work fine and I don't see any differance between them..

Tigershark3

I've tried to use this exclusively.. In our area it's 100% gasoline w/ no alcohol. You'll get better MPG w/o alcohol as alcohol burns faster than gasoline. You should see the poor MPG w/ E85 fuel. Yikes

OzzyC4

Alcohol actually burns slower than gasoline.That slower burn is what allows the usage of very high compression ratios in race engines. A race engine running on methanol requires jetting twice the size of the same engine on gasoline (assuming the gasoline wouldnt detonate at the compression ratio the alki engine is running).
The reason the mileage drops is because alcohol contains less btu's per gallon then gasoline does. Therefore it takes more alcohol to get the same amount of btu's and those btus are what makes our engines go round and round.
Normally oxygenated gasoline at the pump is a 90/10 mixture. (not to be confused with E85)
The oxygenated blend contains app. 118000 btu's per gallon.
100% gasoline contains app. 125000 btu's per gallon.
100% ethanol contains app. 840000 btu's per gallon.
Running the oxygenated fuel will normally reduce mileage by app 7%. If your LS1 gets 30 mpg hiway on 100% gasoline, it will drop to around 28 mpg hiway with the oxygenated fuel.

As for octane rating, why run anymore octane the the engine needs?
Octane is the resistance to combustion, the higher the octane the less the motor will detonate (knock or ping). Once that level of octane is acheived the rest is nothing more than $$ out of your pocket.

If you want to run hi octane fuel and dont mind the cost, try E85, it is 100-105 octane. Just remember the btu's per gallon go down with the increase in alcohol content, so you fuel economy will drop, but you will have the enjoyment of telling everyone you only run 105!
Only use E85 if your Vette or any other vehicle is E85 rated by the manufacturer.



http://xtronics.com/reference/energy_density.htm

http://www.jwiwood.com/faq/conversion.html

Tom/99

I use Shell 95% of the time in all my cars.