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Like % of impurity, octane deviation, % of additives that differentiate one brand with another, etc? hell, they'll even sell to each other to cover for local shortages.
asp PRINT THIS STORY My gas is better than yours: The debate continues New Yo rk 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 par ticular brand. The other would rather get it at Wal-Mart and save a coup le 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, mi ngled near the distribution point in the same gigantic tanks and it is a ll of good quality. But when the gasoline rivers branch off to be pumped into separate trucks, companies tinker with it, taking that consistentl y good product (whether regular or premium) and spicing it with their ow n chemical signatures, the additives that they claim set them apart. "I can't say one brand is better than another," said Edward Murphy, a spoke sman for the American Petroleum Institute, a trade group that represents oil companies in Washington. "Base gas is a freely traded commodity tha t must meet certain government specifications. It flows through common p ipelines 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 Extens ion Service of the University of Texas at Austin, is well informed on th ese additives, which are the true distinguishing elements of gasoline br ands. He described them as "detergents and other chemicals" designed to keep gasoline from evaporating, keep engines from corroding, help engine s run well in different climates and seasons, and keep engines clean. Th e goal, he added, is "forming less deposits when the gasoline burns, for better mileage, performance and exhaust emissions." Gabriel Shenhar, th e senior auto test engineer for Consumers Union, the publisher of Consum er Reports, has experience that ought to make him a determined scoffer a t brand preference. "We tried to conduct tests a few years ago to measur e 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 gasol ine users are loyal to one brand or another, said Robert Pasikoff, the p resident 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 bran ds - "a couple of hundred," according to Trilby Lundberg, an analyst res ponsible 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 o ver 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 metropol itan area. "At our Little Rock terminal, we store and distribute gasolin e for many major brands," said Oakley Bohannon, national accounts direct or of the Truman Arnold Cos. "All the gasoline taps off the same Texas E astern pipeline, then goes into commingled 150,000-barrel tanks." The di stinctive 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 additi ve 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 gasol ine. Gasoline companies aren't telling what's in their unique additive p ackages. But whether these details make a difference to a driver is an o pen question. "The majors claim they go beyond the federal standard in f ormulating 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 m eans. 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 whil e vaguely denigrating one another's. Chevron, whose additive is acknowle dged as the most expensive, says it keeps combustion chambers free of de posits while "some of" its competitors' additives will increase these de posits. Dave Harvey, the developer of Citgo's additives, says his creati on 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 k eeps intake valves clean while an unnamed "convenience store gas" damage s them. "The consumer has to take on faith what's in the pump" said Bake r, the University of Texas extension director. "I took an informal poll of staff at the University of Texas Petroleum Extension Service and aske d which brand of gas they think is best," Baker said. "They all threw up their hands and shrugged their shoulders." The tomato-tomahto couple ma y as well just keep arguing. A version of this story appeared in the Mil waukee Journal Sentinel on Feb.
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