www.jsonline.com/wheels/peak/feb03/119491.asp
PRINT THIS STORY My gas is better than yours: The debate continues New York Times Last Updated: Feb. And everyone knows the driver who brags that he will only fill up at the cheapest station in town - and always knows which one it is. Some of us also know the tomato-tomahto couple who can't agree. One partner is fastidious about gasoline, demanding only a particular brand. The other would rather get it at Wal-Mart and save a couple of dollars for coffee. Does the driver who insists on a higher-priced brand of gasoline guard his automobile from decay and disruption? Yes, there are differences in brands of gasoline but then again, there aren't. All gasoline sold in the United States is basically the same stuff, mingled near the distribution point in the same gigantic tanks and it is all of good quality. But when the gasoline rivers branch off to be pumped into separate trucks, companies tinker with it, taking that consistently good product (whether regular or premium) and spicing it with their own chemical signatures, the additives that they claim set them apart. "I can't say one brand is better than another," said Edward Murphy, a spokesman for the American Petroleum Institute, a trade group that represents oil companies in Washington. "Base gas is a freely traded commodity that must meet certain government specifications. It flows through common pipelines into commingled storage tanks." What he could say, he added, is that "the major brands spend R-and-D money on patented additives, which they add to the basic gas." Ron Baker, director of the Petroleum Extension Service of the University of Texas at Austin, is well informed on these additives, which are the true distinguishing elements of gasoline brands. He described them as "detergents and other chemicals" designed to keep gasoline from evaporating, keep engines from corroding, help engines run well in different climates and seasons, and keep engines clean. The goal, he added, is "forming less deposits when the gasoline burns, for better mileage, performance and exhaust emissions." Gabriel Shenhar, the senior auto test engineer for Consumers Union, the publisher of Consumer Reports, has experience that ought to make him a determined scoffer at brand preference. "We tried to conduct tests a few years ago to measure the differences in acceleration and fuel economy of different gasoline brands," he said. "We bagged the test, because any differences we found were not greater than those you find day to day caused by changing air temperatures or humidity." Overwhelming choices About 36% of adult gasoline users are loyal to one brand or another, said Robert Pasikoff, the president of Brand Keys, a New York brand consulting firm. That leaves 64% to be lured into stations by low prices or special promotions. Perhaps these uncommitted consumers are overwhelmed by the sheer number of brands - "a couple of hundred," according to Trilby Lundberg, an analyst responsible for the Lundberg Survey, which tracks daily prices and sales at the nation's gas stations. "Sunoco is big in New York and Pennsylvania, but not in the West at all," Lundberg said. "The 76 brand is huge all over the West but not on the east coast." Amoco (now BP at many stations), unknown in Texas, is the top-selling gasoline in the New York metropolitan area. "At our Little Rock terminal, we store and distribute gasoline for many major brands," said Oakley Bohannon, national accounts director of the Truman Arnold Cos. "All the gasoline taps off the same Texas Eastern pipeline, then goes into commingled 150,000-barrel tanks." The distinctive additives go in as tank trucks are filled. The brands acquire their differences just before the gasoline is taken to stations. "If it's a load for Shell stations," Bohannon said, "the pump injects the Shell additive package with a measured squirt into every 40 gallons of gas." For unbranded gasolines, like those sold at low-cost outlets, the additive is a generic version that meets minimum federal standards. The ratio is about a third of a gallon of additive to every 1,000 gallons of gasoline. Gasoline companies aren't telling what's in their unique additive packages. But whether these details make a difference to a driver is an open question. "The majors claim they go beyond the federal standard in formulating their additives," Bohannon said. "I can't argue that, but it's a mystery to me if it's better, and I'm not sure what it practically means. I've sold billions of gallons of unbranded gas over the years and it has never been a problem." Major brands tout their own additives while vaguely denigrating one another's. Chevron, whose additive is acknowledged as the most expensive, says it keeps combustion chambers free of deposits while "some of" its competitors' additives will increase these deposits. Dave Harvey, the developer of Citgo's additives, says his creation includes a corrosion inhibitor and a de-emulsifier that "others" don't have. Sunoco says its additives perform "above the minimum levels" in cleaning up intake valves and fuel injectors. Shell claims its formula keeps intake valves clean while an unnamed "convenience store gas" damages them. "The consumer has to take on faith what's in the pump" said Baker, the University of Texas extension director. "I took an informal poll of staff at the University of Texas Petroleum Extension Service and asked which brand of gas they think is best," Baker said. "They all threw up their hands and shrugged their shoulders." The tomato-tomahto couple may as well just keep arguing. A version of this story appeared in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel on Feb.
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