What gasoline is best for my car?

Question:

I have a 340 cid 1968 Barracuda and was wondering is gas just gas? I have Shell, Mobil, American, and all the other stations such as BJ’s, Coastal and so on. Shell states that its gas is nitrogen enriched. Mobil states that theirs has detergent and the list goes on and on with these so-called additives.

What’s to believe? Is it a joke, marketing ploy or whatever? I call the companies and they all give me their interpretation.

I really would like to know and I am presently using Shell’s high test 93 in my ’Cuda. What do you think?

Answer:

The answer to your question is both yes and no.

Crude oil is obviously being sourced from the same places throughout the world and gasoline is produced from the oil in essentially the same way throughout the world. And any minor differences in the raw gasoline stock are eliminated when the production from different refineries are mixed together in immense tanks at common distribution points.

By the time gasoline reaches the consumer, however, there are some notable differences. These differences stem from the ways in which different grades of gasoline are blended and, more importantly, what additives are mixed with the gasoline to change its properties. Different brands do use different additive packages to some extent. The federal government mandates the inclusion, and the exclusion, of certain additives that relate to emissions, fuel economy, and irrational and unjust political machinations, but beyond these legal requirements the oil companies are free to formulate their additives as they wish. Of course, all of the companies are working within the same framework, namely the laws of physics, chemistry and so on, so from that perspective they are all trying to accomplish similar goals in similar ways.

So, with all of this as background information, I can’t tell you whether one specific brand is better than the rest for your 340 ‘Cuda.

I can, however, make some general recommendations about gasoline.

First, I do recommend buying major name brands instead of no-name or off brands because you can be confident that major brands have a more complete additives package.

Second, when possible, buy from stations that sell a lot of gas because this helps ensure that their stock is fresh.

And third, and perhaps most importantly, listen to what your car tells you about the gas you’re using. If the engine runs well and doesn’t ping, and the spark plugs don’t get fouled, then the gasoline you’re buying is good.