Anyone noticing differences in performance versus gasoline brands?

[NoLaTUNDRA]

I was wondering if others with the 1st gen Tundra with the 4.7L were noticing performance differences when using different brand gasolines? After getting a tankful of water during a fill up and consequently repairing nearly everything to do with fuel delivery to the engine, I have stuck to one gas station. It's an Exxon station. However, immediatley upon making the switch, it seemed like the truck was just missing the same get up and go it used to have. Well, due the recent run up in gas prices, this Exxon station is usually one of the three highest in prices. So, this had me looking. My in-laws have been using the SAMS club station for the past two years without complaint. With a typical price difference of 15-17cents per gallon versus the Exxon station, I figured it might be worth a shot. Well, I've used it now for about a month. I refill my tank once a week, usually when it gets to 1/2 full. After this month I figured I have completely cycled through any gas I had from the Exxon station and now am left with a completely or mostly Sams brand product...which can truely be from any of a number of refiners. Anyway, just at this same time, my truck started with a slight stumble...usually in the 500 - 1000 rpm range. It is completely random. Sometimes occuring at start up and sometimes after it's been running for 10-15 minutes. So, just as an experiment, and I also happened to be a 1/2 a tank, I decided to try the Texaco station. Upon cold startup, it vibrated with a rough idle but ceased. I drove the whole 1 minute to the Texaco station and filled up. Immediately after filling up, the very first start up led to severly worsened stumbling...so bad I thought it was going to kill before I made it out of the station. Then after 20-30 seconds, it all smoothed out. It's been smooth now for 2 days...no stumbling. I'm still scared as all hell to drive it but no stumbling so far. Oh...and not once has the check engine light come on during the 3 days of stumbling. Am I alone on this one?

[Derek24]

No you are not alone. I switched from ARCO to Chevron and I can say that chevron is much better gas. Idles smoother, more on tap power, better gas milage, but a little more $. It may be 10-15 cents more, but in the end you only paying a few bucks more then the cheaper stuff, so its worth it IMO.

[06TundraBoy]

I would never EVER put Arco in my truck....I wouldn't even put it in a beater. Arco gas is BAD!

Chevron gas is awesome. If I'm up for it, I tend to put Shell with V-Power. That stuff kicks ***!

[GORILLA]

NAME BRAND ONLY---- DUE TO THE FILTER SYSTEM.

ASK THE GAS TANKER GUY'S THE NEXT TIME YOU SEE 1 IN A GAS STATION.
SUCH AS AMACO.
there is a difference.

ALSO THE ETHINOL IS A ISSUE, 10% or even higher, in calif. i heard is the worst.

CHEVRON - HAS A CLEANER ALREADY IN THE GAS.

i prefer pure gas, if i find it. with no additive's. mobil is 1 gas station.

and i have to use 93 octane, due to my mod's.
gorilla

[ridehigh]

Lets just say my neighbor is an Arco refinery construction engineer and is offered FREE gas and does not put it in his car! He told me he would rather pay for Mobil or 76, than put Arco gas in his car.

[NoLaTUNDRA]

I work for an oil and gas exploration consulting group in Louisiana. I've never heard of Arco. Are they a smaller refiner? Down here we're used to seeing Shell, Chevron-Texaco, BP, Exxon-Mobil, Conoco-Philips, and Valero. ANYWAY, the symptoms that I've experienced the past few days are similiar to those of the water in gas problem from last year...except not as bad. Soooo thus far I am not adding any ISOheat or fuel conditioners from Toyota. I did that last year and it took nearly two days for a in-tank sample to separate. The shop had no idea what was even in the tank.

"NAME BRAND ONLY---- DUE TO THE FILTER SYSTEM." - GORILLA


What do you mean "due to the filter system?" The tundra's fuel filter system or some sort of filter system on delivery tanker trucks?

[NoLaTUNDRA]

OK I Googled ARCO....LOL...a Wikipedia entry even calls into question ARCO's quality. I'm glad we don't have it down here!

[GORILLA]

the gas gets dropped off at the station and goes into a large underground tank, than the pump pumps out the gas, some stations, such as amaco has a added filter to the pump which refilter's the gas before it goes into your gas tank.

some have double filter's , some stations have none, there for pumping sediment into your gas tank. i know we all have filters, but it might not be good enough.
gorilla

[sr5mike]

OK, my brother works for a company called pettit oil. They are a distributor of gas and oil products. As far as the Seattle area goes the only difference in gas is the additive that they add to the base petroleum. Chevron adds techron Shell adds what ever it is they call it. Now that being said in a 10,000 gallon tanker they are adding a gallon of cleaner. Arco does have there own refinery and there own rack that they pull gas from. If you don’t think I am telling you the truth, how many Chevron, Shell, Texaco and Exxon trucks do you see on the road? Next time a truck is dumping gas look at the name on the side. While they do still have a few trucks they are few and far between. Sams club, Safeway, Wal-Mart and the little mom and pop stores run what they call unbranded. Unbranded can and is a combo of any of the above minus Arco.

[sr5mike]

Arco and BP are the same company.

[kovawa]

I work for British Petroleum, the parent company of ARCO. I hate to admit it but ARCO gas is CRAP! Out here in California the gasoline quality varies widely between brands. Some refiners add more ethanol to the gasoline than others. ARCO is the worst offender in this regard. I have to fill up with ARCO gas in my company truck (2007 chevy siverado 4.8v8) because Bp pays for the fuel, but my Tundra only gets CHEVRON. I've heard thru the company grapevine that ARCO will begin buying TECHRON from CHEVRON and adding it to ARCO gasoline in the near future. This should atleast improve the cleanliness of their fuel to some extent.

[boosted3g]

When i fill up with 20% ethanol it gives my truck a definant boost of power when towing. I think that the stock toyota computer richens up the fuel mixture under load and the little bit of ethanol leans it up a bit to where it should be. We have a station near me called mollies and they deal with Amerigreen and can get nearly anything you want for fuel. I run e85 in my 4wheeler and it definantly gives it a kick in the pants.

[Shwaz]

Huh?

Ethanol has less energy per gallon compared to gasoline. Feeling a boost in power from e85 doesn't make sense to me.

Originally Posted by boosted3g

When i fill up with 20% ethanol it gives my truck a definant boost of power when towing. I think that the stock toyota computer richens up the fuel mixture under load and the little bit of ethanol leans it up a bit to where it should be. We have a station near me called mollies and they deal with Amerigreen and can get nearly anything you want for fuel. I run e85 in my 4wheeler and it definantly gives it a kick in the pants.

[NoLaTUNDRA]

The funny thing is that if you do any sort of research on ethanol, you always come across two distinct camps... The "praise the lord for the almighty corn based alcohol" camp and the "absolute crap and would never put it in my tank" camp. All of the industry types rave about it's cleanliness and the ability to reduce foreign demand. Some of the more "motorhead" types detest the product. Is the truth about the product near the middle?
Like Shwaz said, I have heard the same thing about energy yield per gallon...that it does offer less. I have also heard that continued use of ethanol can leave a residue on injectors and valves. I have also heard the stories of ethanol loosening deposits in the fuel lines and clogging filters and injectors. And then you always come across those who offer up IRL cars as proof that ethanol is fine for automotive engines. I love that IRL comment. These people are comparing a super high output engine that turns 10,000+ rpm for 500 miles and then gets disassembled, cleaned, and reassembled on a weekly basis with an engine that will never be fully disassembled, never cleaned, sits in bumper to bumper traffic, will stop and go, stop and go, gets its oil changed every 3,000 miles if it's lucky, and is expected to last 6-10 years and 150,000 miles. When its all said and done, and you factor in maintenance versus use, the IRL engine is well pampered compared to what a daily driver engine goes through over the course of it's lifetime.

[boosted3g]

E85 will lean a mixture by about 28%. If your engine is running rich e85 will bring it closer to an ideal mixture. To make power with e85 you must rejet or retune and it will net you much more torque and horsepower. I saw an increase of 8% in hp and over 10% more torque. Your ecu will still analyze what is coming out the tailpipe with e85 but its target air fuel ratio will be wrong. I am a supporter of alcohols and even have owned a methanol fuel drag car but to make a vehicle that will run on both like a flex fuel there is too much of a comprimise. Ethanol is ineffecient if it irun through an engine that is capable of running on gas. There is no way around it but on the up side gasoline is more convenient than ethanol. Ever try to start an engine running on alcohol in the winter, it is harder to start. Hense the reason even e85 goes to in essance e70. There is 30% gas during the winter months due to starting. I can go on and on but both have their advantages and disadvantages.

Ethanol does have less energy than gas but when tuned proerly it will make more power. Not more power per volume just more power.