Is Arco bad gas? [Archive]

mike

12-08-2007, 10:38 AM

Arco isn't the greatest, but isn't the worst, I wouldn't run it in a Turbo car, but you have a 2.0 right? It would be fine for that, not all gas is equal, the ethanol content varies from brand to brand, Shell and Chevron have the lowest I've ever tested (which is all I run in my car), however places like Arco and Exxon have checked in as high as 12%, which in a 10 gallon tank means 1.2 gallons, which is bad, it can cause misfires and poor performance. I checked a car with Costco and oddly enough, it was lower than I expected at 5%.

DTolo

12-08-2007, 10:48 AM

I have done experiments with the gas on base and gas out in town. When I fill my Jetta with gas out in town (Chevron or Shell of course, NEVER EXXON/MOBILE) I will get about 30 miles or sometimes more to a tank compared gas on base. It pretty much pays for the price difference, and I assume runs cleaner too.

RollinInGreenz

12-08-2007, 10:51 AM

I hate Arco.

not because their gas is lesser quality, but because they don't take credit cards at the pump.

I try to run only 76, cause it seems to make a little more powarr

GTi_01

12-08-2007, 11:00 AM

I try to run only 76, cause it seems to make a little more powarr

thats all i run in my car. every once in awhile i'll put shell, but thats if 76 is no where in sight. good quality and doesn't make my exhaust smell like shell does. :tdown:

RollinInGreenz

12-08-2007, 11:15 AM

76 also has race gas at the pump...which is rad :)

DTolo

12-08-2007, 11:16 AM

I think certain gas stations have different contracts too. I used to work at an "Astro" gas station, I was the manager there. We got the same gas as the Texaco kitty corner from us. Our arrived in a truck that said WSCO Petroleum, but it was the exact same gas. One time WSCO was short on trucks, so they did the unthinkable and let out the secret to all that saw.... They let the truck with the "TEXACO" logo fill our tanks.

mario

12-08-2007, 11:51 AM

gas is gas. . . all gas comes from the same 3-4 suppliers in SoCal and gets rebranded as "X". . . it's your PERCEPTION that makes gas different.

That being said, the reason why arco gas is cheaper is because
1) they don't take credit cards (and, therefore, do not have to pay the credit card companies a fee. . . and therefore, that fee doesn't get passed on to you)
2) with a debit card purchase (where they have to pay a fee--albeit smaller--the price is actually higher. . .in other words, there's usually a "small" (less than $1) charge to use the card.
3) the price you see is a "cash" price. . .

but there's no diff between ARCO/76/Shell/Mobil aside from your perception.

Diesel on the other hand. . .very different.

GTIcrazy

12-08-2007, 12:04 PM

In Southern California, a lot of the gas is Arco gas. A designer that I had used to work across from the Arco refinery in Carson and he would see tankers from every company there to fill up. The other brands just have different additives in the mix.

NaKoRuRu

12-08-2007, 12:29 PM

Gas is gas, different companies just ad their own additives and call it vpower.

gas is gas. . . all gas comes from the same 3-4 suppliers in SoCal and gets rebranded as "X". . . it's your PERCEPTION that makes gas different.

That being said, the reason why arco gas is cheaper is because
1) they don't take credit cards (and, therefore, do not have to pay the credit card companies a fee. . . and therefore, that fee doesn't get passed on to you)
2) with a debit card purchase (where they have to pay a fee--albeit smaller--the price is actually higher. . .in other words, there's usually a "small" (less than $1) charge to use the card.
3) the price you see is a "cash" price. . .

but there's no diff between ARCO/76/Shell/Mobil aside from your perception.

Diesel on the other hand. . .very different.

In Southern California, a lot of the gas is Arco gas. A designer that I had used to work across from the Arco refinery in Carson and he would see tankers from every company there to fill up. The other brands just have different additives in the mix.

w000000t:hitit:

Rento_VW

12-08-2007, 01:33 PM

I'm still only going to get 76.. Right behind my house.

Monster8V

12-08-2007, 01:51 PM

for DD use, Arco is fine. Ive NEVER had problems running it in the Beetle with the chip on.

Its funny, when I was down in Mission Valley watching all the different brand fuel trucks lining up at the tank farm getting fuel from the same hole, made me realize its all the same junk sold with their own little gimics to get you to pay more for it.

bmwmandan2002

12-08-2007, 02:19 PM

mario

12-08-2007, 04:02 PM

I only use chevron, it seems to make the cars run the best, but oddly enough, for those of you who live in riverside, the best gas i have found is at the food4less on vanburen and california, it makes the car run the strongest and it lasts along time, no one ever believes me till they put in a tank, and then its like the clouds parted and the light could suddenly shine....

still makes me laugh when i read statements like this.

now, if we were talking about diesel and diesel quality, then maybe a statement like this would make sense (but for different underlying reasons than discussed here). . .

get the cheapest stuff you can find.

now, if your car is making 150hp/liter, then we can start talking "gas 'quality'" if you want.

(PS: Biodiesel. . . no warr necessary)

bmwmandan2002

12-08-2007, 04:32 PM

well i may only have a seat of pants o'meter but being that i have driven over 3,000 different cars i would say its pretty well tuned, but im glad i gave you a chuckle none the less

still makes me laugh when i read statements like this.

now, if we were talking about diesel and diesel quality, then maybe a statement like this would make sense (but for different underlying reasons than discussed here). . .

get the cheapest stuff you can find.

now, if your car is making 150hp/liter, then we can start talking "gas 'quality'" if you want.

(PS: Biodiesel. . . no warr necessary)

PhätTony

12-08-2007, 05:41 PM

A note to all about paying credit for gas. A debit of $50 is taken out automatically no matter the amount of gas paid. You dont notice but the difference goes back into your card/account within 2 days.

and thats one to grow on *tune*

Ivan

12-08-2007, 06:06 PM

"Mario: What do you think about this if
you say "gas is gas".:confused:

not all gas is equal, the ethanol content varies from brand to brand, Shell and Chevron have the lowest I've ever tested (which is all I run in my car), however places like Arco and Exxon have checked in as high as 12%, which in a 10 gallon tank means 1.2 gallons, which is bad, it can cause misfires and poor performance. I checked a car with Costco and oddly enough, it was lower than I expected at 5%.

sensinitas

12-08-2007, 06:23 PM

Hmmm...interesting findings...keep this discussion going. This is something I've wondered for a long time. :tup:

mike

12-08-2007, 07:45 PM

There is a difference whether Mario wants to believe it or not, There are additives that add a slight gain in efficiency, cleaning agents, and burn better, making more power and burning cleaner. I mean, I work on cars for a living and have been around them in all shapes and forms since I was a kid, I think I know a thing or three about fuels.

I mean, if you were going to get hammered, sure, Popov will get the job done, But Grey Goose is a little better.

Why would you want to put Popov in your car? Basically certain manufactures of fuels have taken the industry lead and guaranteed that their fuels are superior, read for yourself.

http://www.toptiergas.com/

Ivan

12-08-2007, 10:47 PM

I like store brand vadka myself.

Thanks for the advice. So you have some sort of tester to see
how much ethanol is in the gas? How about octane?

Doesn't shell just use good stuff additives in the 91, or is it in the 87 too?
I'm going to fill up with shell and see if that can get me better milage.

I've always used arco for my turbo car. Just because it's cheaper.

Monster8V

12-09-2007, 12:04 AM

On another note and basically backing up Mikes comments, I spent a couple 3 years rebuilding general aviation engines (Lycoming, Teledyne, Continental) when they come due. I could always tell which engine got 85 octane (Tons of carbon) and which engine was given 92 octane fuel. (Much cleaner)

But for a low compression commuter car engine, put in whats cheap. I know my wife puts 87 in the Beetle Turbo S every chance she gets. (Yeah, I put the GIAC back to stock mode.)

Ivan

12-09-2007, 12:28 AM

crazy, 87 in a turbo car?!

super b5.5

12-09-2007, 12:55 AM

well i may only have a seat of pants o'meter but being that i have driven over 3,000 different cars i would say its pretty well tuned, but im glad i gave you a chuckle none the less

jesus dan thats alot of cars!

Monster8V

12-09-2007, 01:21 AM

crazy, 87 in a turbo car?!

Its a commuter car, not a race car.

sensinitas

12-09-2007, 10:29 AM

bmwmandan2002

12-09-2007, 10:32 AM

comes with the job :cool:
jesus dan thats alot of cars!

DarkstaR

12-09-2007, 10:40 AM

I hate Arco.

not because their gas is lesser quality, but because they don't take credit cards at the pump.

I try to run only 76, cause it seems to make a little more powarr

x2. I only run 76 or Shell. they're not too far from where I live too :tup:

Monster8V

12-09-2007, 11:05 AM

So far there's physical proof that some gas is better, but there's no physical proof that Arco is the same as any other gasoline. So as of now, my conclusion is Arco is a worse option than Chevron, 76, or Shell. Good to know.

based on what? A few "seat of the pants opinions"?? Your question "(Is Arco bad gas?") and your own conclusion is that Arco is not bad gas. Thats some proccess you got there! :D

sensinitas

12-09-2007, 11:26 AM

based on what? A few "seat of the pants opinions"?? Your question "(Is Arco bad gas?") and your own conclusion is that Arco is not bad gas. Thats some proccess you got there! :D

Maybe you didn't read the whole thread. Mike had some great points, providing evidence that Arco is a worse option than the other companies listed. It's not TERRIBLE, but other companies may be better. Even one of your replies backs that up. My conclusion is acutally the opposite of what you stated. Put your glasses on.

Monster8V

12-09-2007, 11:52 AM

ncttrnl

12-09-2007, 12:17 PM

I generally go to the same chevron station because its on my way home from work and its pretty cheap.

I don't know if its true or not but I've heard people say you should rotate through a couple brands of fuel. The thought is that the additives works better or worse on different things so maybe v-power cleans out what techron misses or even cleans out the techron itself.

Mario is partially right about fuel coming from the same place. All the gas does come from the same place on the same lines. Even different grades and types are mixed in one line separated by no physical barrier. They used to used a plug in between products called a "pig". Now they pump one product down the pipe and then pump another right behind it. At the end of the line, they separate the fuels. The portion of fuel between two different products that is all mixed up is used for something else while the "pure" product they get out of the pipe is sold to different fuel companies to blend however they want.

That means they can add ethanol, cleaners, etc. That also means that if they have older or maybe contaminated processing systems, that crap goes into their gas too. Gas is really only equal up until the end of the pipelines from the refineries. After that, its all in the hands of the distributor.

sensinitas

12-09-2007, 01:50 PM

I did read the whole thread, even read the link he provided.
All that the link showed is that Arco is not a customer of "Top Pier Gas".
Really tho, conclude what you want. Be sure to only go to Exxon and buy premuim for your high performance 2 litre Jetta. :tup:

I'm not trying to improve the performance of my 2 litre jetta. Just interested in the subject of different quality gas. You're quite the moderator.

mike

12-09-2007, 02:24 PM

I think what the basic consensus is, that any car can run on anything that is sold out of the pump in this state, If you have a turbo, you can run 87 in it for your commute, but you wouldn't want to pistol whip it in 100 degree heat, doing so, over the course of say, 60K miles, there will be a cost if you did in performance and carbon build up since carbon acts like a sponge and soaks up gas, causing poor fuel mileage and performance.

Running good gas over the long term just ensures better health on certain things.

huitzi

12-09-2007, 02:32 PM

MOBIL good?

DTolo

12-09-2007, 02:53 PM

I'm not trying to improve the performance of my 2 litre jetta. Just interested in the subject of different quality gas. You're quite the moderator.

Shawn's a good Smart Ass. Remember it is a forum where body language and tone (and many other implicit forms of communication) cannot be read.

Take everything as differences in opinion and logic based on different sources. No need to go personal.

Plus, even if he does give you a hard time, I'd still bet he'd comment back on a "help" forum if u had problems, as just about anyone would.

:drama: over a "good gas" thread...:D

Monster8V

12-09-2007, 03:06 PM

improve the performance of my 2 litre jetta. Just interested in the subject of different quality gas. You're quite the moderator.

Dont get mad man were just talking. Im not trying to piss you off im only trying to widen your perspective on the subject that you yourself brought up. Feel free to disagree with my opinion all you want, thats why its called debate or a discussion. If we agreed on absolutely everything then this place would be boring and we would have nothing to talk about.

Ill reiterate what I said before, I agree that the quality of gas differs from brand to brand. :tup:I also threw out there something that I thought could save you some cash in that a basic commuter car would do just fine on any cheap fuel sold in the states. You could run 91 fuel year round if you want to but do you need to?

My mod status has nothing to do with my comments in this thread so dont trip.

sensinitas

12-09-2007, 08:49 PM

Dont get mad man were just talking. Im not trying to piss you off im only trying to widen your perspective on the subject that you yourself brought up. Feel free to disagree with my opinion all you want, thats why its called debate or a discussion. If we agreed on absolutely everything then this place would be boring and we would have nothing to talk about.

Ill reiterate what I said before, I agree that the quality of gas differs from brand to brand. :tup:I also threw out there something that I thought could save you some cash in that a basic commuter car would do just fine on any cheap fuel sold in the states. You could run 91 fuel year round if you want to but do you need to?

My mod status has nothing to do with my comments in this thread so dont trip.

I'm running an Autotech Q-chip on my 2.slow, so I have to run 91 to avoid knocking.

I did read the whole thread, even read the link he provided.
All that the link showed is that Arco is not a customer of "Top Pier Gas".
Really tho, conclude what you want. Be sure to only go to Exxon and buy premuim for your high performance 2 litre Jetta. :tup:

So you're telling me with that comment you're not trying to piss me off? Wow.

oc-audica

12-09-2007, 08:54 PM

Arco ... it can cause misfires and poor performance.

I'd stray away
;)

DTolo

12-09-2007, 09:58 PM

Shawn's a good Smart Ass. Remember it is a forum where body language and tone (and many other implicit forms of communication) cannot be read.

Take everything as differences in opinion and logic based on different sources. No need to go personal.

Plus, even if he does give you a hard time, I'd still bet he'd comment back on a "help" forum if u had problems, as just about anyone would.

So you're telling me with that comment you're not trying to piss me off? Wow.

Did you read my last post?

Monster8V

12-09-2007, 10:40 PM

So you're telling me with that comment you're not trying to piss me off? Wow.

Why would agreeing with what you already believe piss you off? If I were trying to piss you off I might resort to name calling, which I never did. Oh well, in the end it doesnt matter.

Ivan

12-09-2007, 10:41 PM

Great.... everyone is crying.

sensinitas

12-10-2007, 07:26 AM

Why would agreeing with what you already believe piss you off? If I were trying to piss you off I might resort to name calling, which I never did. Oh well, in the end it doesnt matter.

It was your smart ass comments that pissed me off. Over it. You're funny

sensinitas

12-10-2007, 07:30 AM

Did you read my last post?

Yes. If this is a forum where body language and tone cannot be read, then your boy shouldn't be saying things that will be taken the wrong way.

And, I have no doubt that he, and anyone that could, would comment back in a help forum.