Question: Arco gas????

[riversidedan]

With the price of gas these days am wondering if anyone here uses ARCO PREMIUM, if so have you had any problems?

 

[Red Vette]

I use top tier gasoline in my vettes as recommended by GM to keep injectors and valves clean. I was wondering about the C7 that by-passes the washing action of the valves with direct injection. I believe GM recommends top tier to keep contaminants off the injectors. From what I read, unless you install a catch can on youir C7, your valves will coke, especially Z51 models.

The internet lists the top tier retailers and more are added as they comply with the car company specifications. For a while, the list was fairly limited to Texaco, Shell, Phillips-Conoco. The list has been expanded since my last search, and I see that Arco has been added along with BP, Exxon, Mobil, and others. Makes the choice easier as I travel back to the NCM. I would think that Arco would be a wise choice. Only in a pinch will I use non top tier fuels such as Sinclair and several others. Last year I filled with Pilot premium in Kansas on I-70 and the 02 coupe did not run well. Learned my lesson. Don't forget, it is the cleaning action with the detergents and other additives that GM wants you to use to lessen engine deposits. After the Pilot incident, I now carry a list (from Google search) of top tier gasolines, and always use premium. Why have an expensive performance vehicle and use low grade fuel to save some change? BTW, our resident expert, C4C5specialist does not recommend the use of lower octance fuels - he gave a very informative seminar on this at our last CruseFest at Mid America Motor Works. I always follow his advice; thanks Paul!

Barrett

 

[catbert]

Interestingly, Costco now claims top-tier status for their fuels. Not only that, they claim they add 5 times the detergent required by the standard.

 

[kpic]

USA	Canada	Puerto Rico
76 Stations	Chevron Canada	Puma Energy Caribe, LLC
Aloha Petroleum	CO-OP	Shell
ARCO	Esso
BP	Petro-Canada
Chevron	Shell Canada
Conoco	Tempo
Costco Wholesale
CountryMark
Entec Stations
Express Convenience Centers
Exxon
Hawaii Fueling Network (HFN)
Holiday Stationstores
Kwik Trip / Kwik Star
MFA Oil Co.
Mobil
Ohana Fuels
Phillips 66
Quik Trip
Road Ranger
Scheirl Oil
Shell
SuperAmerica
Texaco
Tri-Par Oil Co.

Top Tier Gasoline

Note those are in alphabetical order.

This article is a good read also: Detergent in gas helps the engine run cleaner and smoother so just how much is in there? - WXYZ.com

The Costco site gets extra points: http://www.costco.com/gasoline.html

 

[LLC5]

Interestingly, Costco now claims top-tier status for their fuels. Not only that, they claim they add 5 times the detergent required by the standard.

I just started using Costco fuel, $.30 a gallon cheaper than any other Top Tiers in my area. You really want to use Top Tier fuel in any vehicle (even 87 octane vehicles) to keep carbon build up to a minimum for 1) the injectors (even more important with direct injection), 2) the intake valves, and 3) the top of the pistons and ring lands. A lean mixture or misfire (dirty injectors and carbon on the intake valves), or detonation (carbon build up on the pistons) will result in the PCM pulling back ignition timing and reducing power output and fuel mileage. You actually do get what you pay for with Top Tier fuels.

 

[kpic]

I use Costco for two reasons; it is top tier fuel. Also due to Costco and SC tax it is a lot less expensive than NC gas. Plus, the tune on the Corvette requires 93.

 

[WhalePirot]

With the price of gas these days am wondering if anyone here uses ARCO PREMIUM, if so have you had any problems?

Yes, and no. Ran that and Costco fuels with no issues of late.

Once upon a time I found ARCO to be corrosive to the TBIs, but I heard their formulation changed long ago.

 

[riversidedan]

thanx for the replys but seems to be all Im hearing is "hear says" and no confirmations

 

[Vettehead Mikey]

thanx for the replys but seems to be all Im hearing is "hear says" and no confirmations

The Top Tier website states very clearly that Arco meets their standards. What more proof do you want?

 

[kpic]

Yes, and no. Ran that and Costco fuels with no issues of late.

Once upon a time I found ARCO to be corrosive to the TBIs, but I heard their formulation changed long ago.

Judging by your engine specs those "issues" are important; my Corvette is boosted so they are important here also.

I'm not a fan of alcohol in gas. It can be corrosive to certain engine and rubber components.

 

[LLC5]

thanx for the replys but seems to be all Im hearing is "hear says" and no confirmations

Arco has traditionally been a fuel to stay away from, but now that they are Top Tier that could change. They have not been a Top Tier fuel very long so any confirmations of the quality of the fuel would be suspect anyway. I am even suspect of Costco Top Tier fuel since it is so new to me, but it is less expensive enough ($.30 a gallon) for me to try it and see how it works. I have noticed that Arco fuel prices have increased quite a bit lately, the Arco and Chevron that I pass every day are only $.03 difference now and for that small of a difference I would say to stay with the known quality fuel, Chevron. Top Tier is only a detergent package and is no assurance of quality fuel, so you have to try each brand and decide for your self, but I would recommend to chose a Top Tier fuel no matter the brand. Good luck with it.

 

[riversidedan]

Its not that Im for or against ARCO these days gas prices have gone crazy so I think everyone wants the lowest price they can find, however I donot want anything that will harm the vette! Ive been using chevron and think its a good "techron" fuel but am also reading others who use other fuels, so sometimes ya don't know what to think, As for ARCO I think its time to start asking these station owners some questions

just curious, what are the signs of using bad gas in our vettes??

 

[LLC5]

Its not that Im for or against ARCO these days gas prices have gone crazy so I think everyone wants the lowest price they can find, however I donot want anything that will harm the vette! Ive been using chevron and think its a good "techron" fuel but am also reading others who use other fuels, so sometimes ya don't know what to think, As for ARCO I think its time to start asking these station owners some questions

just curious, what are the signs of using bad gas in our vettes??

Taking longer to start (longer cranking of the engine before starting), misfire, lumpier idle, and fuel mileage and power. I monitor fuel mileage carefully, but it is hard to do since ambient temps and driving habits change constantly. It takes a long time to come up with a valid comparison, but with the on board computers and the DIC it is a little easier. I always make sure that I see a problem (or a non-problem) at least 3-4 times before I make any conclusions, and even then I keep monitoring the situation for any discrepancies. Good luck.

 

[Vettehead Mikey]

just curious, what are the signs of using bad gas in our vettes??

Bad gas is usually defined as contaminated gas, most often from water. Depending on the concentration, there's anywhere from no effect to unable to start with everything in between.

If you're trying to suggest that some brands of gas are better than other, consider that all gas comes from maybe 1 or 2 regional refineries and not a different facility for each brand.

 

[catbert]

Bad gas is also gas without enough of the rights detergents and other additives to prevent deposits on the valves and injectors.

 

[Vettehead Mikey]

Bad gas is also gas without enough of the rights detergents and other additives to prevent deposits on the valves and injectors.

How much of an issue is that on C4s? I don't know of anyone that's been able to draw a solid link between non-top tier gas and engine problems.

 

[kpic]

Which gasoline is best for mileage, your car's engine and your wallet? - ABC15 Arizona
Posted: 2:49 PM, May 20, 2011

Updated: 8:21 AM, May 25, 2011


The article is not current; however, the pictures of the valves is accurate.

"-- Among premium fuels (92 or 93 octane), Shell took the top spot (31.0 mg), followed by BP (26.4 mg) and Exxon (21.2 mg). CITGO (9.4 mg) and Pilot 92 (8.8 mg) lagged behind the other three brands -- including the trio's regular gasoline samples."
It is old information, but I run my trucks a long time. When the pedal got stiff, a few tanks of Shell and it loosened up.

 

[catbert]

How much of an issue is that on C4s? I don't know of anyone that's been able to draw a solid link between non-top tier gas and engine problems.

I can't see any reason C4s wouldn't get the same deposit build-up as any other engine, but that's just me. I've seen plenty of C4s disassembled, and the deposits looked the same as other engines. It just makes sense to use a high detergent fuel, if there is a choice. Fortunately, there are twice as many choices as there were a couple years ago. As I remember the first list of top tier had seven or eight brands.

 

[Vettehead Mikey]

I can't see any reason C4s wouldn't get the same deposit build-up as any other engine, but that's just me. I've seen plenty of C4s disassembled, and the deposits looked the same as other engines. It just makes sense to use a high detergent fuel, if there is a choice. Fortunately, there are twice as many choices as there were a couple years ago. As I remember the first list of top tier had seven or eight brands.

Thanks for that insight.

I'm in a similar position of seeing many disassembled engines that all look more or less the same in amount and type of deposits which were operated on a wide variety of gasoline brands. Relatively few gas brands here are Top Tier.

Makes me wonder.

I also note that not all OEMs promote Top Tier gasoline, notable F*rd and Chrysl*r. Are they better at designing engines? :L

 

[kpic]

Their "spray" pattern may be coarser or as it isn't required yet they may not have conformed to the EPA's Tier II emissions yet.

As injectors clog, the spray patterns are not uniform which creates lean and rich pockets in the combustion chamber. There are also a few different types of injectors and as usual each has their own advantages and disadvantages.

Excluding intake valves, the deposits affect GDI (gasoline direct injection) systems more than other systems. At first GDI was limited to more expensive vehicles, but now it is found in others (Ford Focus and some Hyundai). So time will tell, if the other OEMs start requiring top tier.

I believe Honda said it best: "Chris Martin at Honda says, 'we've supported it [Top Tier gasoline] because we've seen a benefit from it for our consumers in the long run.' . . . . 'We don't require that our vehicle owners use Top Tier gas' Martin said, but it helps 'make sure the engines are going to last as long as they could"

That probably means it isn't covered in warranty.