Corvette Owners and Sunoco Gasoline

[caninelver]

How about 100 octane Sunoco?

I usually look for Sunoco stations because they almost all have 94 around my area. The other night I was shocked to discover a separate gas tank next to the regular one (I had assumed it was diesel) offering sunoco race formula 100 octane. It had a price of $4.19 per gallon. The 94 was something like $2.20 a gallon. I can't see where 6 more octane is worth 2 bucks more. Hasn't anybody else seen this?

 

[invinceablevett]

No more Sunocos up here in Canada.ad

 

[Mr. Lucky]

What, however, is the octane rating of Shell-V gas?

Sorry about the late reply, but I just found this thread in a search.

Here is the answer to the octane question:
http://www.shell.com/home/Framework?siteId=us-en&FC2=&FC3=/us-en/tailored/shell_for_motorists/fuels/optimax/optimax_faqs_ga_1602.html#12

—Bob

 

[WhalePirot]

So all those with dirty injectors, line up w/o special cleaners! (see another thread)

I wonder what multiple of minimum cleaning agents other fuels have.

I bypass Shell for other isues, like anyone cares.

I found ARCO to be VERY corrosive to the TBs on my old setup and have been told the same by mechanics; was told they use methane not ethane, as why.

I always heard the octane rating is less science than art, due to variables in how it is computed ala UTOG ratings on tires. I could be dismayed at 'only' having 91 octane for the CA Vette, but it runs great on it. I did feel a huge decline in power after driving back from Colorado Springs, years ago, and with the stock engine; previously having non-CA fuel until the refill in Barstow, CA. The performance decline was noticeable. Those of you who have recently been forced to use oxygenated fuel know the feeling.

I am very conscious of my personal environmental actions. I have insulated and much more, for years and years, and my driving (and flying) saves fuel, mostly. I was unhappy that Reagan undid many of the things Carter put in place to move us along a more sensible energy plan. I don't expect to see any conservation efforts from the Feds again, for at least four years, for obvious reasons.

 

[RonJ]

Here in CNY, Sunoco has been selling 91 octance in lieu of 94 for a few months now, generally for a couple of cents less than current 93 octane prices. I have used 91 in my L98 with no seeming difference in performance. Generally I am not too brand loyal except I always use premium.

Shouldn't an L98 run on 87 octane? Chevy says 87 octane for my 85. Just because it's a 'vette doen't mean it has to use super.

My 85 gets "name brand" 87 octane with no problems. And a stock L98 sure doesn't need 94!! For what gasoline is worth nowdays, sure makes a difference on a fill-up!

My two cents ... Ron ...

 

[mdcruiser]

So all those with dirty injectors, line up w/o special cleaners! (see another thread)

I wonder what multiple of minimum cleaning agents other fuels have.

I bypass Shell for other isues, like anyone cares.

I found ARCO to be VERY corrosive to the TBs on my old setup and have been told the same by mechanics; was told they use methane not ethane, as why.

I always heard the octane rating is less science than art, due to variables in how it is computed ala UTOG ratings on tires. I could be dismayed at 'only' having 91 octane for the CA Vette, but it runs great on it. I did feel a huge decline in power after driving back from Colorado Springs, years ago, and with the stock engine; previously having non-CA fuel until the refill in Barstow, CA. The performance decline was noticeable. Those of you who have recently been forced to use oxygenated fuel know the feeling.

I am very conscious of my personal environmental actions. I have insulated and much more, for years and years, and my driving (and flying) saves fuel, mostly. I was unhappy that Reagan undid many of the things Carter put in place to move us along a more sensible energy plan. I don't expect to see any conservation efforts from the Feds again, for at least four years, for obvious reasons.

WhalePirot,

I fully respect your political views, but I also think that they are properly foreign to this forum. For what it's worth, I totally disagree with you. Government mandates are an incredibly inefficient way to improve the environment. The Reagan administration and the current administration believe in structuring markets so that self-interest leads to a cleaner environment, and in large measure these incentives are succeeding.

I won't go into any more detail, although I am an academic and very strongly believe that studies back up the view that free markets are most compatible with environmental health. [See, for example, the excellent work of PERC, the Political Economy Research Center, in Bozeman MT. I note that I have no affiliation with PERC.Mostly, though, I just want to make sure forum members realize that there is more than one point of view here. Again, I respect those whose politics differ from my own, and I strongly believe we should try to keep politics out of this forum. Let's concentrate on our common interest, the Corvette!

Cheers,
Mdcruiser

 

[67HEAVEN]

No more Sunocos up here in Canada.ad

Lots of Sunoco stations here in Ontario. Here's what John Powell has to say about Ultra 94...
http://www.powellmotorsport.com/ultra94.html

 

[lnirenberg]

Better late then never. In the past I had been involved in a family business that owned many hundreds of gas station/c-stores. Gasoline refining and manufacturing is a regional business and not every company in the gasoline retail business has refinaries in every US market so they all buy from each other. Whether the different brand names contain different additives, well frankly I am skeptical. Like bottled water its all in the marketing. There have been enough cases of dealer up-labeling low octane fuel as high octane fuel that I'm just happy when my car doesn't ping on super. Let the buyer beware.

67 Heaven--is there a way to move the political side of this thread to The Edge? I take strong exception to mdcruisers comments, not offended just strongly disagree. Everything we do, including our love for cars, has political ramifications. Government may not be the entire solution but neither are corporations driven by the need to maintain stock price at any cost, Enron et al. I am personally glad to find like minded vette enthusiasts who see this hobby in a much broader context and recognize the contradictions it produces.

 

[67HEAVEN]

67 Heaven--is there a way to move the political side of this thread to The Edge? I take strong exception to mdcruisers comments, not offended just strongly disagree.

Perhaps you would start a thread and characterize it as to frame the discussion over in The Edge. I wouldn't know what, specifically, to separate out of this thread.

 

[PleasantVette]

Oh, woe is me...

Too bad Chevy doesn't make a motorcycle.

Lordy, lordy..... we will have to start constraining the amount of fossil fuels we are extracting. What will the western world do?

Don't mean to sound contradictory or sarcastic - but at the rate we (the human race) are going we will run out of fossil fuels for purposes of gasoline and related uses in 50 to 100 years.... this movement discussed in this thread should have stopped before it even got started, unfortunately. In other words, we should have stopped producing the more refined fuels a long time ago. The process by which to get these fuels "better" (in and of itself) requires alot of energy waste.

The sad thing is my race car only runs on 104 octane and my motorcycle requires minimum 91.

Its times such as these when I sit on both sides of the fence and wonder..... talk about feeling hypocritical.

 

[Hib Halverson]

(snip)
I am very conscious of my personal environmental actions. I have insulated and much more, for years and years, and my driving (and flying) saves fuel, mostly. I was unhappy that Reagan undid many of the things Carter put in place to move us along a more sensible energy plan. I don't expect to see any conservation efforts from the Feds again, for at least four years, for obvious reasons.

Oh...please. Spare me.

I'm sorry but, looking at the above and, then, reading your sig line indicates that you talk all this environmental responsiblity hocus-pocus yet you'll drive a Corvette. If you were truly "conscious of" your "personal environmental actions", you'd drive a hybrid or, better yet use public transportation.

Not only that, your car is highly modified and some of those modifications are hardly
"environmentally-concious".

In my opinion, you're just another trend follower who wants to appear fashionable amongst liberal friends but is not believing enough in environmentalism to practice some of the environmentally-concious habits any good tree hugger should follow.

As for Regan and Carter?
Keyrist.
What the hell did Jimmy Carter do to make the world truly a better place?
Regan...uh well...he orchestrated the final defeat of communism which made the world a better place for hundreds of millions of people. Carter can build all the habitat-for-humanity homes he wants but he's never going to eclipse Regan's Presidency.

 

[DocOhm]

I operated a service station for a few yrs. The gas does come down the same pipline, but the additives are put in when it is loaded onto the truck. Different additives for diff brands. Before Texaco was bought out by shell stations that displayed the texaco sign were spot checked for the proper gas. If the gas was not the texaco gas the station would lose it's right to display the texaco sign. I have done a comparison over the last 3000 miles in my 90 vette and have found that the Shell premium 91 oct. runs the best and gets the best milage of any other gas in this area , It is even better than the BP which at one time was Standard Oil Company . I also found out that my vette just hates reg. All around I average just over 22 mpg on the shell .I try any other gas and the milage drops to 20mpg. Most of my driving is from 15 to 50 miles each way. very little city driving .

I will wade into this discussion a bit. First off, my credentials, I've worked as an engineer in a mid-west refinery for 25+ years. I know all the ins and outs of how gasoline is made. The guy quoted above is correct, unless you live close to a refinery (like I do) your gasoline comes down a pipeline from somewhere. The only difference is in octane rating. We make two kinds, the regular 87 octane and the high octane, 93. The pump them mixes the two to get the mid-grades. It's all the same gasoline (by octane rating) until it hits the truck rack. There, they have different additives for different brands. The big names have special additives they protect very carefully from each other. The cheapo brands don't put any in. The good additives keep your engine clean. No additives let it get clogged up. You should only run high octane in engines that need it, it doesn't make a plain engine run any better or cleaner. You just waste money. On the other hand, don't put low octane in a high performance engine like a 'vette! If the knock sensors are working properly you won't hurt anything but you'll loose performance. If the sensors have problems and don't catch the knock, you could hurt the engine. By the way, NEVER buy gas at a station where the truck is filling the tanks! When they fill the tanks it usually stirs up the gasoline in there and any water condensation in the underground tank can get mixed in with the gas, then you will pump that into your car! They don't run very well on a water/gasoline mix! I learned this lesson the HARD way a long time ago.

 

[lnirenberg]

What the hell did Jimmy Carter do to make the world truly a better place?

Although this digression probably is better suited to THE EDGE here goes. Think CAFE standards--I don't think it was the defeat of communism that led to the production of a 400 hp world class sports car with 20+ mpg ratings. This thread was somehow related to cars at one time wasn't it?

 

[Remo]

Upon talking to the attendant, he informed me that.....

You folks have all brought up some very stimulating questions. Many of these issues are being researshed by top scientists throughout the world. But if you want to get the real answers I suggest you contact Rob's gas station attendant.

Remo:cool

 

[Z06 Tom]

...In my opinion, you're just another trend follower who wants to appear fashionable amongst liberal friends but is not believing enough in environmentalism to practice some of the environmentally-concious habits any good tree hugger should follow.

As for Regan and Carter?
Keyrist.
What the hell did Jimmy Carter do to make the world truly a better place?
Regan...uh well...he orchestrated the final defeat of communism which made the world a better place for hundreds of millions of people. Carter can build all the habitat-for-humanity homes he wants but he's never going to eclipse Regan's Presidency.

You beat me to the punch Hib. Ain't revisionist history great!! I just love liberals who start comparing Carter to Regan. Talk about bringing a knife to a gun fight. :eyerole

BTW: All I run in my Z is Sunoco 94. I wonder what IT'LL cost this Summer?! :ugh

I run a can of Torco in each tank also. FI and detonation don't mix.

 

[Doug Do]

Follow the money guys! No new "fuel" will be found (so tho speak) until it is profitable to the guys holding the oil/gas money now. Nothing is done for the betterment of us......only the money trail.

 

[doylede]

1) Move the political junk to the EDGE. What's political junk? Here's an example.
I support Hib. Carter was the worst president of the 20th century, and I'm from Georgia.

2) We've heard from people in various sectors of the oil well to gas pump supply chain. No one has mentioned the State Government mandated formulas that cause different "receipes" to be shipped to different states. This practice destroys the savings inherent in mass producing gas for all of America.

3) Purely selfish. - I don't care what gas costs. I will buy it and burn it in my Vette.

4) For those who have graced this thread with their long term views, DON'T
look to Jane Fonda for answers in Political Science,
look to Ralph Nader for answers in Engineering,
look to Jimmy Carter for answers in Statecraft (ask Mrs. Thatcher),
look to Jesse Jackson for answers in Social Science,
because
modern versions of Henry Ford, Andrew Carnegie, Albert Einstein, Ronald Reagen, Ross Pirot and John von Neuman will pilot us past the imagined death traps of the naysaying liberals.

 

[wishuwerehere82]

At $2.48 a gallon, Sunoco and all the others are going to be getting a lot less of my business. Once I get the Harley out for the summer.