Fuel quality, Cenex vs Conoco vs Texaco

[Hohn]

Hi guys.



For a while now I have been filling up at the local Flying J/Conoco-- the busiest station in town. NO problems yet.



The problem is that they use the same fuel as almost every other station in Cheyenne-- from the local refinery. It is NOT a high grade fuel, even if it IS clean and usually has no water.



Can I do better for fuel? Supposedly Cenex has good quality diesel that isn't jus the same stuff everyone else has. But none of the Cenex stations in town have diesel.



Conoco is the most common station around here. They get their fuel from the local refinery, I'm pretty sure.



I *did* manage to locate a Texaco that has diesel-- and it's almost $0. 09 more per gallon. Now, for gasoline, I'm a BIG fan of Chevron/Texaco. Does Texaco have good diesel that isn't just the same local refinery stuff everyone else has?? I'd pay the extra if that were true.



I'd prefer not to have to run pricey additive in such high doses to get the lubricity and higher cetane I want for my truck.



What are your thoughts on fuel quality of different brands? I wish I could get B20 or B100, but I'd have to drive an hour and buy it in bulk, so it's not practical (though Blue Sun is REALLY good stuff-- I think it's what SBentz runs in the Cummins Dragster).



Justin

 

[DennyDay]

Fuel Quality

Fuel quality in most towns is the same - - Most of the fuel comes from the same pipe line terminal - - regardless of the brand - - In most cases it is the same fuel with a different additive package for some of the major brands.



In todays market I think we are all getting poor quality fuel. I've noticed a drop in fuel mileage during the last few months - - a good sign of lower quality - - and this was at both flying J and BP. I get the same mileage from Speedway at several cents a gallon less cost.



Bottom line, you don't have to buy higher price fuel to get quality, just purchase from a place that sells a lot of fuel so you get clean fuel.



Have fun,

Denny

 

[Alan Reagan]

Hohn, We never did hook up in Georgia. Sorry, Buddy. I finally got home in October.



When I got out of the Navy in 1976, I drove for Conoco. They tend to have a pretty fast turnover in fuel. Mainly because the have their own refineries and they are price competitive.



As long as the fuel is green and not brown, you are getting fresh stuff.



Mileage tends to drop as C. D. Day mentioned. Every winter, I see a drop of 1-2 mpg. I think it has to do with the cold weather and the fact that the engine is not as efficient during periods of cold. I know on the tugs I've ridden over the past three years, they really blow a lot of smoke (unburned fuel) in the cold weather because they have so much trouble getting up to temperature.



Additives are expensive but I think with the varying quality of fuel, they are almost a necessity. The local turbo shop in Macon certainly recommends the regular use of them for lubricating and protecting the pump.

 

[Hohn]

The local turbo shop in Macon certainly recommends the regular use of them for lubricating and protecting the pump.

A&M was good to me-- got my gauges and EZ from them. Take a ride in their silver 24V-- it's pretty cool. Say hi to Rex if you swing by.



JLH

 

[LightmanE300]

Hohn - texaco does not have exclusive fuels - hence they get fuel from the same refineries as the other stations do. Once it hits the terminals , it's put into separate branded trucks and additized/or not and delivered. In any case, texaco offers a premium diesel with a 45 min cetane number and some other additives. Might be your best option if available.

 

[Alan Reagan]

A&M was good to me-- got my gauges and EZ from them. Take a ride in their silver 24V-- it's pretty cool. Say hi to Rex if you swing by.



JLH

Yep, It's A&M that recommends the additives. Down here, I use Phillips 66 fuel and have had good success with it. I worked at Standard Transpipe in Macon when I was going to college. We handled Shell, exclusively. But it was sold at independants as well as Shell stations. But it was Shell fuel.



Phillips comes off a different pipeline and it truly is Phillips. Phillips, Exxon and BP come through that line.

 

[Gene Arnold]

I keep track of every gallon of fuel I burn in my Cummins as well as the gas I burn in my Continental. Call it imaginary if you like, but on a trip with either vehicle records show I get better miles per gallon with Flying J than anything else. Sometimes it is rather insignificant, most times is is as much as 10 percent on both vehicles. Most of my driving is Idaho, Wyoming, Colorado, and Nebraska.

 

[Alan Reagan]

I do the same Gene. I agree, Flying J has good fuel and it's probably because of their turnover rate. The Phillips 66 I buy is from a place with a good turnover of fuel. And it's cheaper than anyone else in this area.