I have a few HRs that One needs /prefer 92 or higher octane, I filled up the other night going out for a ride & do some testing , I encountered a little bit of a ping , I usually use Exxon , Chevron, BP, fuel, After returning from my ride ,I started thinking & did some searching & read about Top Tier Gas Certification, With is a Higher gas quality that exceeds government standards & consistent mix of a octane number. So I did a search for gas station in my area for this certification, in a 5 mile radius there are a few hundred gas stations but Only a hand full with Top Tier certified,, then I started to notice the Ones that where Top Tier where stations where "Not High" Volume gas stations , they only get a Delivery wants every "3to4 weeks" where the other Gas Stations get Gas "every 2 days" , The Top Tier G-S also are dives like only in business for tax write off purposes, Little to No business even in store sales , I lived in same area for over 50 years. Does any one know or familiar with Top Tier certification , is it some kind of Tax write off ,,, Why not the high volume brand-name gas stations be apart or supply Top Tier Gas ? I also was looking if there was a tester for Octane of gasoline , even for Aviation fuel ,,,,,sort of like the old fashion antifreeze ball tester, Nothing was found , Called VP gas & found out only way to check Octane # in a lab pressure & Heat,
From my understanding it has to do with the additives placed in the gas. These additives remove moisture and clean the fuel system. I too notice the popular low price stations usually aren’t in the list. I do know Marathon is on that list now. My everyday 400 horse big pick up knows the difference in performance and mileage on the top tier gas.
I think I 'm miss understood , Not Just Low price stations , even @ Name brand Stations Do not Have , Sell The Top Tier full , Top Tier Fuel ,,, Its Only @ Run down Stations that Do not get a Shipment of fuel 3-4 weeks & its a 1/4 of a load, ( Fuel in the Ground) That the Name brand ""Gas"" companies & store will get a delivery every 2 days, But Are ""Not """Top Tier Fuel Certified But name Band Gas ,(itself) I have called Top Tier Certification Company, the person that I need to talk with Is out for afew weeks. Where Im @ the four counties are Fairfax, Prince William ,Arlington Stafford ,Fredicksburg are Medium big cities just not New York or Chicago. Up until 15 yrs ago , In Stafford Fredicksburg, Prince William Spotsylvania ,Faulquier there small airports Out skirts of city ,You could drive up to 24hrs self sever & get 100 blue , There was even some places, gas stations , speed shops that had Cam2 & Vp on the pump .. Now most vehicles that require a 91 plus Octane ( here on pump you can get 91-94 thats advertised) Most vehicle owners will not know if they really are getting what they think they are because the computer control vehicles will retard and do other things for the lack of Octane, But us that Run non computer control can tell that the octane is lacking. This is why I am personally trying to find out about Top-Tier fuel ,for its Consistently mix & guarantee of the Octane , Because No Octane tester Available ,average 30 gallons a week usage
A lot of top name brands around here are top tier stations. Mobil, Shell, Sunoco are all on the list here.
I use top tier when available. Many of the chains in the rural midwest sell it. One of the engine seminars I attended had mention oi and recommended it.
I seem to recall a gas company like Shell, etc stating they were a Top Tier place, this was back in the ‘70’s I think. But it’s been that long since I heard the phrase. Had no idea it was an actual thing. Always figured it to be a marketing ploy.
Like most things out of Big Corporate America, you need to take 'Top Tier certification' with a few grains of salt. This became a 'thing' a number of years ago when it was discovered that one of the big three was trucking its fuel in from several states away for EPA emission testing purposes. It seems the local flavors weren't consistently delivering the results they wanted. That fuel company was Chevron, and they started touting their 'Top Tier certification'. Anytime there's a bandwagon, people will clamor to get on it. Supposedly this certification was done by the auto makers at that time, although that sounds like it's no longer true. Keep in mind that depending on where you live, the fuel you buy regardless of brand probably all comes from the same refinery; there aren't that many refineries anymore. That basic stock is then sent to a tank farm where it's distributed to dealers. The fuel is then mixed to whatever spec the distributor asks for in terms of octane and additives. If it's a 'branded' fuel, it'll get that brands proprietary additive package if they use one. These can also be tailored to specific local conditions, i.e. weather and elevation. And while octane is important, the additive package can make a difference too. Where you buy can make a difference too. I worked for Chevron in the early '70s, and the corporate owned/operated stations did a much better job of monitoring their tanks for contamination. They were always******ing about the independent dealers allowing too much contamination because it cost them money to remove it, and some repeat offenders lost their franchise over this. You'll usually have fewer issues at high volume stations as the gas has less time to collect condensation. What brand you'll find on the pump will vary regionally. Here in south sound Washington it's Chevron/Texaco, Shell and Arco for the major players. Union 76 used to have a big presence but they've faded badly in the last ten years. There's a bare handful of Exxon stations, another handful of Tesoro stations, and BP/Mobil left the retail market here years ago. Plus some unaffiliated independents. Safeway Grocery has a large network, they're affiliated with and sell Chevron products (although the gas isn't branded as such). It's interesting to note that only one of these brands has a refinery in Washington and oddly enough it's Tesoro. The three big refineries are owned by BP, Phillips 66 and Marathon, none of which sell retail here. Personally, I use Chevron/Texaco and Safeway gas. I've never had any fuel-related issues, even when a car has sat for extended periods. I've avoided Shell since the '70s when I ran into a Shell dealer sneaking in late at night to fill his personal car with Chevron. When I asked him why he didn't use their gas, his comment was 'I've seen what Shell Platformate (their current touted additive at the time) does to an engine'. I wouldn't use Arco in a lawnmower, I've heard plenty of complaints about their gas... And there was one local station selling ethanol-free fuel, they recently closed for lack of business.
Did a check in my area, and found more stations listed than anyone would or could ever use! All were Union 76, Shell, and Chevron. I have to add VP Racing fuel to even premium gas for my Austin gasser as I got carried away when building the engine and compression ended up a little higher. So I adjust each tank with some higher octane mix, and my engine really likes that!
Odd that you find that in your area. Here, NE OK, most big brands, nice stations, etc at top tier. 203 show on my search at top tier station finder!
Not sure where in Virginia you are located but in my area Costco advertises that their gas is "Top Tier".
Costco south of me in Spotsylvania (fredricksburg )About 25 miles away , Another about 30 miles in Prince William county ( Manassas ) fair west of town ,, These are the ones that get a Shipment about 3-4 weeks Top Tier , a Sunco , 2 Exxons ,BP & Shell All less then 1-1/2 of me , & 10 other gas stations , 3 Wawa's , 5 7-11s 2 Sheezts
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