Interesting read for ecoboost owners

anthonylee337 · February 04, 2015, 06:10:24 PM

http://www.shell.us/products-services/shell-for-motorists/fuels/vpower/faq.html From mile one I used this fuel and now I'm glad I did!

BlackJac · February 04, 2015, 08:19:27 PM

Shell 93 octane is all I use.

nickstewartroc · February 04, 2015, 08:45:05 PM

The problem is that our engines are direct injected. No additives, or fuels for that matter will help with intake valve buildup as it never reaches the intake valves.

Wild13SHO · February 04, 2015, 09:46:17 PM

Quote from: nickstewartroc on February 04, 2015, 08:45:05 PM
The problem is that our engines are direct injected. No additives, or fuels for that matter will help with intake valve buildup as it never reaches the intake valves.

Correct.

Plus that's Shell's website, I'm sure they talk up their own product. I bet Exxon has some good gas too according to their website.

Airbornemaikai · February 04, 2015, 10:06:20 PM

As does Chevron. I use to use Chevron but they are not nationwide like She'll is, so I've switched to Shell although we only have 91 round herr

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IHeartGroceries · February 05, 2015, 12:25:47 AM

Not sure why that's interesting. Looks like any average marketing talk up.
What was interesting was how they answered question 9. I am an operator at a Shell "terminal", like mentioned in the article. Sorry, SOPUS, but your extra teaspoon of proprietary additive doesn't change the fact that basestock is basestock.

Txstrmhntr · February 05, 2015, 12:36:06 AM

Interesting tid bit i learned.. In not all but a good many locations the gasoline you purchase at different stations may have came from the same exact location. Shell/exxon ect just add the additives too it

Also, they brag on the detergents they use as a selling point. Read "40 CFR 80.161" The EPA spells out the detergents pretty well and what and what not they can put in, so in effect all the detergents are the same. And it all has to meet the certification before the end user, so as longs as your getting gas from a certified vendor its pretty much the same deal, with exception of how dirty or how much water might reside in that stations tanks. But out of the truck its pretty much all the same

Txstrmhntr · February 05, 2015, 12:37:29 AM

Feel free to chime in Iheartgroceries since you work at a terminal most my info is secondhand from family that works in the oil/gas world

panther427 · February 05, 2015, 01:22:35 AM

there has been a major change in fuel since the top tier deal started. Before cheap gas really was cheap. If i remeber right the emisions standards applied to fuel quality. And there is still a gap between the two, but its smaller now.

The thing about shells gas that confusses me is they add nitrogen. Yet the job of the cat is to elimate NOX?? how does adding more N to fuel help

wasinger3000 · February 05, 2015, 10:27:53 AM

It's converted when the combustion process happens. Along with a bunch of other phase changing goodness.

IHeartGroceries · February 10, 2015, 12:11:18 AM

I'm not a chemist. So, I haven't a clue as to what makes the nitrogen enriched formulation anything more than a novelty.
Most any branded gasoline is perfectly good gasoline, if purchased from a reliable filling station. It's when you're filling with WalMart or grocery store or mom n pop gasoline that you're getting fuel with a detergent content at a concentration only a smidgeon greater than what the federal mandates as a minimum. Take that for what it's worth.
There's some independent studies out there (on the web) which have tested the effectiveness of these different branded detergents. Google it!
There are so many variables which may lead to compromised or jeopardized product quality...
The best piece of advice I offer to folks is to find a clean, well maintained BRANDED filling station, which sees high throughput, and try to stay exclusive to it.

panther427 · February 10, 2015, 12:21:01 AM

One of the hp tuner guys I used to use when I had my GM cars hated shell fuel. It's been a few years now, but from what I remember him tellin me, he was seeing lower power numbers and more knock from shells v power premium than other brands. This was on dyno tunes.

IHeartGroceries · February 10, 2015, 08:35:38 AM

Which is apart of why I suggest finding what works best. Gasoline differs across the country, region to region. Quality is better in some parts than others. Some is conventional without ethanol as an oxygenate, some with, some reformulated, some reformulated with ethanol as an oxygenate...

You have to remember that there's alot of trading and alot of exchange business going on with refined basestocks. As much as they are rivals in the market, they are also dependent on one another. Each of them don't have the assets or infrastructure to physically market their refined products in all 50 states. But, they trade and sell and exchange barrels to maintain a market presence in as many areas as possible. It's lucrative for both parties. It is a model that works. And it means you may be filling with Shell branded gasoline which originated from the same basestock, same refinery, pipeline, terminal and product tank as the Exxon station across the street.

And this isn't even considering the variables introduced after it is released from a terminal...