Top Tier Gas

Cowpie · May 18, 2016

Top Tier will help with combustion chamber deposits and injector cleaning, but will do nothing for a valves on a DI motor, only on a port injection setup.

There are hundreds of thousands of vehicle owners that live in areas were getting Top Tier is not practical. Many rural towns, they only have fuel stations that are run by convenience stores or farmer co-op operations. Me, for instance, I am not going to burn up several gallons of fuel to get to and from a location that has Top Tier.

Now, to be fair in all this, I will run a good PEA based cleaner like Gumout Regane, Amsoil P.I., or Techron thru the tank every few thousand miles to overcome any issues with non top tier fuel.

Ethanol is a cleaner also. For flex fuel vehicles, higher concentrations of ethanol occasionally will clean out things.

One thing that I would have on a DI motor is a PCV line oil filtration setup, or "catch can" as some like to call it. One of the worse things for DI intake valves is oil residue and vapors coming thru the PCV line and into the intake. I cakes up on intake valves. Even port injected motors with AFM can benefit. I used a catch can setup on my 5.3L and moved it over to my 2500 6.0L when I traded up.

This is just from the 6.0L. The 5.3L was even worse. See if you think this junk going to you intake is a good thing. Picture was done one evening recently. Not the best. But there is about 3 oz of oil in the first and the second stage gets what the first missed.

gr8almty1 · May 18, 2016

Not only do I get top tier gas, I get it from the same gas station by my house every fill up. I even make it a point to get it from the same pump to ensure its coming from the same underground tank. Why? Who knows. I'm weird.

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Deanjo · May 18, 2016

There are hundreds of thousands of vehicle owners that live in areas were getting Top Tier is not practical. Many rural towns, they only have fuel stations that are run by convenience stores or farmer co-op operations. Me, for instance, I am not going to burn up several gallons of fuel to get to and from a location that has Top Tier.

I find it hard to believe that Top Tier is so hard to find in the US given the huge list of suppliers and chains listed as Top Tier providers. Even in Saskatchewan, which has a far far far lower population density than pretty much any US state (Sask is 1.8 people per square km which isn't even half then the Canadian national average) you cannot help but trip over Top Tier fuel providers (you actually have to be in a large city to even find one that ISN'T a top tier provider). Even the Co-op's in a hamlet of 60 people has Top Tier. E85 on the other hand, is absolutely nearly impossible to find in Canada. IIRC the only stations that offer it is in Ontario.

Edit: Apparently there is one station in BC that now offers E85 as well now http://driving.ca/chevrolet/auto-news/news/western-canadas-first-e85-ethanol-gas-station-ready-to-pump

As far as GM's recommendation to use Top Tier (as well as others), that recommendation came out AFTER DI systems started being extensively used so it seems odd that your hypothesis directly conflicts with the recommendations of these auto manufacturers that they put out after starting to use DI.

Cowpie · May 18, 2016

Well, let's see. All the stations within a 20 mile radius of me... Casey's General Stores, nope. Hy-Vee stores, nope. Kim & Go convenience stores, nope. Murphy USA, nope. The closest top tier fuel outlet is a Phillips 66 that is 25 miles away, and it sits along the interstate highway where prices are higher to take advantage of the travelers than the more rural places. So my 2500 getting it's 13-14 mpg average, I use about 4 gallons of gas (round trip) just to track down top tier and pay more for it as well? That could be the new definition of stupid in the dictionary.

BigBadSierra · May 18, 2016

Well, let's see. All the stations within a 20 mile radius of me... Casey's General Stores, nope. Hy-Vee stores, nope. Kim & Go convenience stores, nope. Murphy USA, nope. The closest top tier fuel outlet is a Phillips 66 that is 25 miles away, and it sits along the interstate highway where prices are higher to take advantage of the travelers than the more rural places. So my 2500 getting it's 13-14 mpg average, I use about 4 gallons of gas (round trip) just to track down top tier and pay more for it as well? That could be the new definition of stupid in the dictionary.

Find out where they buy their fuel from... They most likely get it from a vendor that's on the list.

Thomcat · May 18, 2016

Hate to say this, but most of the smaller stations end up with the top tier stuff in their tanks as well. Had a friend of a friend who was a long haul driver for petroleum. When the tanker truck would load up they would put the additives in the tank, that entire tank though would not be needed to fill the station up so he would drop off at another store. So though the has might have been for a top tier store the local 7-11 could possibly get the rest depending on his route.

While it is true the DI engines use a dry air flow intake system and no actual fuel comes across the valves, the injectors still flow fuel so they do benefit from the detergents as do the piston tops, combustion chamber and valve faces.

True, but you have no way of knowing when mom and pop stations get the good stuff and when they get the dregs with the minimal or no additives, whereas brand names always get the good stuff with their additive pack. They are under no obligation or contract to a brand name supplier as to whose shipment is being thrown into their tanks, quality or grade of the gas, or periodic maintenance of the tanks other than that which may be required, if any, by their State.

Worked in my uncles brand name service station in NY in the late 60s and knew many of the tanker drivers. He was a private owner rather than a company owned station, but he had to abide by their tank maintenance contract as well as buying exclusively from their branded source. Seems all the brand names and independents would fill up using the same exact grade fuel from the bulk tanks in Jersey. The difference being that the brand name drivers also had installed a proprietary additive pack specific to their brand into the load. Independent/private contractors may or may not have anything further put into their tanker other than the raw gas and under no scrutiny, other than if the mom and pop owner verifying the dye color, as to what grade or anything else that was in the tank from a previous load.

When you buy from a brand name you have greater assurance that the station owners fuel storage tanks and the branded tankers are subject to mandatory inspection and periodic inspection for water and filth which is just as important as what you are throwing into your tank. Big deal, I'm a brand name snob.....but I have never gotten stuck with water in the tank or had a fuel screen clogged with crap. Creeps me out when I see a generic red tanker throwing fuel into a storage tank.

mdauwald · May 18, 2016

I use Top Tier almost all of the time. The only time I don't is usually on road trips where I am burning the whole tank in a few hours anyway. I'd rather buy gas from the busy truck stop than the small station that might be top tier but might be old gas as well.

Dunc · May 18, 2016

Not sure about this,but my dealer told me I should only use this fuel. Have any of you heard of only using top tier certified gas only? He told me it will clean and keep valves clean. Any thoughts on this? Or is it just B.S.?

Personally, I don't care in the least about the top tier list. The only decision made at the pump is on octane. I only choose 93 octane, or the next highest if that's not available. Other than that I'll buy from whatever place is around when I need it. I'm usually buying from UDF, Shell, or BP in that order...but if I have to buy from a small no name store I don't think twice about it.

Not only do I get top tier gas, I get it from the same gas station by my house every fill up. I even make it a point to get it from the same pump to ensure its coming from the same underground tank. Why? Who knows. I'm weird.

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Do you stop buying fuel when the gas station refills their underground tanks with new batches of fuel?

Cowpie · May 18, 2016

Find out where they buy their fuel from... They most likely get it from a vendor that's on the list.

Same terminal as anyone else. Sully Transport delivers most of the stuff in my area, Casey's has their own tankers. Love's truck stops also does some stations other than their own. A few independent tank trucks. Everyone gets the same gas from the same terminals. Only difference is the top tier stations have extra blended in when the tank is loaded for them. That is specified at the terminal for those stations and blended in the fuel stream to the tank truck.

I concur with others. I don't waste any time worrying about it. Even on road trips, I just use Gas Buddy and find the best value. I probably have filled with top tier at some point, but I didn't bother to check. Just doesn't register on my radar.

FL335i · May 18, 2016

Ask the sales guy how any gas will clean the valves on a direct injection engine. Pour a cup of tea and sit down for that one. It's a DI engine. The injector is in the cylinder, like a diesel. I've run TT and non. No difference IMO. I've even tried 89 vs 87 unloaded loaded. Again, no difference from what I could tell. Marvel mystery is what I run for cleaning things up and all it's going to do is clean and lube the the fuel system and injectors. MM is about the only additive I use. It's cheap, effective and anything more is a waste.