The BMW UUC Digest 
Volume 2 : Issue 722 : "text" Format

Messages in this Issue:
  Re: Different fuel?
  Re: Different fuel?
  Re: Different fuel?
  Re: Different fuel?
  Re: Different fuel?
  Re: Redline SL1
  Re: Redline SL1
  Re: Different fuel?
  Re: Different fuel?
  If not Redline, what? <was somethng about CE lights>
  Chevron/techron and gasoline MISINFO

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Date: Sun, 3 Jul 2005 01:12:03 -0400
From: "KMS- Brett Anderson" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: "UUC Digest" <[email protected]>
Subject: Re: Different fuel?
Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>

Gasoline is gasoline.  It is produced to federal specs.  Anal retentives
will use a particular gas in their high performance vehicle because they
chose to.  Most fuel companies add some additive or another, but none are
worth your exclusive use.

For a 92 E36, us #1 fuel oil, it'll work as well as any gasoline on the
market.

Brett Anderson
KMS

For the idiots on this list, the #1 fuel oil is a joke, meant to reference
the fact that Hans Stuck couldn't tell the difference if a 92 325is, or most
other vehicles for that matter, was running on Sunoco 86 Octane, or race
gas.





> -----Original Message-----
> Today I stopped at a station I use periodically to fill up and noticed
> while I was filling the tank the Chevron sign was covered with cardboard
> and thought something might be amiss.  Since I religiously (or could
> this be anallly?) use the 93 octane Chevron with Techron additive, this
> was a concern to me.  The pump still had the Techron logo so I completed
> my fillup and asked the clerk inside if they were in process of changing
> to something other than Chevron.  Her answer was "Oh we haven't been
> Chevron for a couple of months now" and also said it no longer has the
> Techron additive.  She didn't even know what brand it is now.  Since I
> stopped there just because it used to be Chevron, I asked her why the
> pump still had the Techron logo.  She seemed a little befuddled and said
> that was supposed to be removed.  I asked for the manager's name and
> phone number and told her he better be willing to pay for a tuneup if my
> car got screwed up by this change.  I was already kind of mad at myself
> for not stopping at my usual station but just figured I would be OK
> knowing the other one was on the way to my destination.
>
> I've had several people tell me there's no difference in the fuel itself
> and the difference I'm seeing is all in the Techron.  Anyone know if
> there's any truth to this?  Or is this another urban legend that all
> petrol comes from the same truck and they just put a different brand
> name on it?



------------------------------

Date: Sun, 03 Jul 2005 08:50:14 -0500
From: Clarence <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: UUC Digest <[email protected]>
Cc: KMS- Brett Anderson <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: Re: Different fuel?
Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>

But aren't the additives different in the different gasoline brands? 
Some brands, as I understand, are better at keeping injectors clean over 
the long haul. Of course, if one puts in their own additives, buying a 
particular gas may be moot.

The Milwaukee (WI) area had an unusual number of cars whose injectors 
became clogged/damaged late last year.  An investigation pointed to 
gasoline that wasn't up to standards, but nobody was willing to name a 
particular brand. My cynical take is that politics took control of the 
investigation toward the end.  The investigation also brought out the 
lack of testing gasoline in Wisconsin. Lack of oversight will tend to 
lead to companies taking shortcuts; damn the standards.

Back in the days of carburated engines, points and condensors, the 
difference in gasoline brands was easily noticable. With today's 
computerized engine management, I would agree w/Brett about not noticing 
a difference in performance except that I'm still hung up as to the 
additive issue.

BTW, in the late 60's my dad DID run a mix of gasoline and #1 fuel oil 
in his '60 Oldsmobile. He was trying to use what was left from the house 
when we converted to natural gas. It pinged and smoked only a little. 
Fortunately, he didn't blow the engine.

Clarence
West Bend, WI
'87 325iS and '93 525iT may not be considered high performance, but 
they're still restricted to certain brands.


KMS- Brett Anderson wrote:
> Gasoline is gasoline.  It is produced to federal specs.  Anal retentives
> will use a particular gas in their high performance vehicle because they
> chose to.  Most fuel companies add some additive or another, but none are
> worth your exclusive use.
> 
> For a 92 E36, us #1 fuel oil, it'll work as well as any gasoline on the
> market.
> 
> Brett Anderson
> KMS
> 
> For the idiots on this list, the #1 fuel oil is a joke, meant to reference
> the fact that Hans Stuck couldn't tell the difference if a 92 325is, or most
> other vehicles for that matter, was running on Sunoco 86 Octane, or race
> gas.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
>>-----Original Message-----
>>Today I stopped at a station I use periodically to fill up and noticed
>>while I was filling the tank the Chevron sign was covered with cardboard
>>and thought something might be amiss.  Since I religiously (or could
>>this be anallly?) use the 93 octane Chevron with Techron additive, this
>>was a concern to me.  The pump still had the Techron logo so I completed
>>my fillup and asked the clerk inside if they were in process of changing
>>to something other than Chevron.  Her answer was "Oh we haven't been
>>Chevron for a couple of months now" and also said it no longer has the
>>Techron additive.  She didn't even know what brand it is now.  Since I
>>stopped there just because it used to be Chevron, I asked her why the
>>pump still had the Techron logo.  She seemed a little befuddled and said
>>that was supposed to be removed.  I asked for the manager's name and
>>phone number and told her he better be willing to pay for a tuneup if my
>>car got screwed up by this change.  I was already kind of mad at myself
>>for not stopping at my usual station but just figured I would be OK
>>knowing the other one was on the way to my destination.
>>
>>I've had several people tell me there's no difference in the fuel itself
>>and the difference I'm seeing is all in the Techron.  Anyone know if
>>there's any truth to this?  Or is this another urban legend that all
>>petrol comes from the same truck and they just put a different brand
>>name on it?

------------------------------

Date: Sun, 03 Jul 2005 10:13:09 -0700
From: Brad Houser <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: "'KMS- Brett Anderson'" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>,
   "'UUC Digest'" <[email protected]>
Subject: Re: Different fuel?
Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>

 
Brett Wrote:
> 
> Gasoline is gasoline.  It is produced to federal specs.  
>

Yes, but. There are different formulations, conventional and reformulated gas
(RFG). The reformulated ones are for smoggy areas, and they have oxygenates
(ethanol or MTBE) added to reduce ozone emissions. Some of these are "winter
mixes". Each area required to have RFG can have a different mix. Since MTBE is
bad for the environment is was outlawed in California even though it was still
the only kind you could get for several years. Many lakes banned motorboats
unless you could show a receipt that you filled up with non-MTBE fuel, which
until recently was hard to find. 

California is still rather unique with its formulations that there isn't a much
of a commodity market for fuel that can be sold here. Few refineries outside
California can make gas for sale here. This is one reason why I paid $2.53/gal
for premium the other day at Costco (one of the lowest around).

Most of the gas stations in the Bay Area buy their gas from the same refineries,
the additives are put in based on the brand.

Brad H




------------------------------

Date: Sun, 3 Jul 2005 12:18:06 -0700
From: John Bolhuis <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: [email protected]
Subject: Re: Different fuel?
Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>

On Sun, Jul 03, 2005 at 01:12:03AM -0400, KMS- Brett Anderson wrote:
> Gasoline is gasoline.  It is produced to federal specs.  Anal
> retentives will use a particular gas in their high performance vehicle
> because they chose to.  Most fuel companies add some additive or
> another, but none are worth your exclusive use.

 That seems to agree with my spreadsheet of gasoline mileage & brand 
info I keep on my 528.  I can sort it any way I like to draw conclusions 
about what sort of gas the car does better on, but the results are 
always random.  I never hear any pinging thanks to the knock sensors, I 
never have any performance issues thanks to a 6-cyl automatic.  The only 
correlation is between avg speed and avg mpg on any given tankful.

-- 
 "It is an honor to be Cookie Monster."
   -Sesame Street spokeswoman Audrey Shapiro 

------------------------------

Date: Sun, 3 Jul 2005 08:38:05 -0700
From: "Scott & Charlotte Miller" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: "UUC Digest" <[email protected]>
Cc: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: Re: Different fuel?
Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>

Yes, but you need to take it a step further.  At a given octane level,
gasoline is gasoline, more or less.  (Some has more sulfur than
others.)  The difference is in what they mix in with their gas, which
can include:

1.  Ethanol (gasohol)
2.  Additive package, which can include a lot of things, including
oxygenates and fuel system cleaners (like Techron).  BTW, the additive
package is added when the fuel is pumped into the delivery truck.  To
balance production capacity variations, you'll often see trucks from
one gas company taking on a load of another company's gas, but they
use the additive package for the brand they are supposed to be
selling.

After a couple tanks full of Chevron, your car should have
sufficiently recovered from any lack of a proper fuel system cleaner.

Scott Miller
GGC BMW CCA

>Date: Sat, 2 Jul 2005 23:15:17 -0500
>From: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
>To: <[email protected]>
>Subject: Different fuel?
>Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
<snip>
>I've had several people tell me there's no difference in the fuel
itself
>and the difference I'm seeing is all in the Techron.  Anyone know if
>there's any truth to this?  Or is this another urban legend that all
>petrol comes from the same truck and they just put a different brand
>name on it?
>
>TIA
>
>Phil
>
>92 E36/M50




------------------------------

Date: Sun, 3 Jul 2005 08:30:26 -0400
From: "Mark Distelhorst" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: <[email protected]>
Subject: Re: Redline SL1
Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>

Brett,

What are you putting in diffs & trannys now if you're not using Redline?

Mark

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "KMS- Brett Anderson" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: "UUC Digest" <[email protected]>
Sent: Saturday, July 02, 2005 11:48 PM
Subject: Re: [UUC] Redline SL1


> Well I for one, would pay $1 million dollars to a company that can supply 
> an
> additive that prevents the check engine light from coming on.
>
> Think about it.  There are at LEAST 200 different reasons the check engine
> light can come on.  Only 20 or so are related to fuel.
>
> WHAT where the faults that resulted in your check engine light?
>
> Brett Anderson
> KMS
>
> PS, we don't use RedLine products any more, because the myth has finally
> been overcome by the price gouging.
>
>
>
>
>
>
>> -----Original Message-----
>>What does Redline fuel additive do?
>>
>>      Realistically, can it be the difference between getting a CE for O2
>> sensor too rich and the CE staying off?
>> Reason:
>>      Hadn't made the correlation before, after setting up the new
>> airbox/ larger MAF sensor tube setup with an adjustable fpr and 24#
>> injectors and dynoing to best air/fuel for max power, the CE light that
>> had nagged the larger maf tub on a stock sensor project stopped
>> occuring.  It stay off for a few tanks of gas then came on again to stay.
>>      I tend to use SL1 more often than not, but if I run out it might be
>> months or a few thousand miles before I pick it up again.
>>      I had been out of SL1 for a few months, and last week I happened to
>> be by a local place that sells Redline so I got a few bottles.  Put a
>> good dose of it in the tank and finished a bunch of local trips.
>> Next morning I get in the car, start 'Jack up and whoa, no CE.  Wow.
>> The only difference is the SL1.  Drove about half a tank since then and
>> the CE is still off.
>>      So could it be the SL1?  Is my politically incorrect project ready
>> for prime time with no CE lights, providing Redline SL1 is used?
>> tia,
>> Barry
>
>
>
> Search the ARCHIVES:http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]
>
>
> __________________________________________________________________________
> In memory of Michel Potheau - friend, enthusiast, founder of the BMW CCA.
>
> UUC Motorwerks - BMW Performance Fine-tuning and home of the Ultimate
> Short Shifter - accept no substitutes!
> 908-874-9092 . http://www.uucmotorwerks.com
> 



------------------------------

Date: Sun, 3 Jul 2005 08:20:11 -0700
From: "Scott & Charlotte Miller" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: "UUC Digest" <[email protected]>
Subject: Re: Redline SL1
Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>

One thing it does is clean valve deposits.  When Bill Arnold
determined that my (then recently purchased) '90 325i had sticking
valves, he recommended SL-1.  The problem went away.  Of course, I
don't know if my use of Chevron gas vs whatever the previous owner
used had anything to do with this.  But Bill would not have
recommended it for valves if it wouldn't help solve the problem.

I have no idea what it does for injectors, although it is sold as a
fuel system cleaner.  I can't imagine that its mere presence would
result in a different chemical mixture in the exhaust that would
affect CE light activation.

Scott Miller
GGC BMW CCA

>Date: Fri, 01 Jul 2005 23:48:19 -0700
>From: JKerouac <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
>To: "[uucdigest]" <[email protected]>,
>   bmw digest <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
>Subject: Redline SL1
>Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
>
>What does Redline fuel additive do?
>




------------------------------

Date: Sun, 03 Jul 2005 09:57:17 -0400
From: Ed MacVaugh <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: [email protected], [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Subject: Re: Different fuel?
Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>

This is a gag, right?

A car isn't going to need a tune-up because of a change in gasoline.

You are not seeing a difference in performance due to the presence of 
Techron in the fuel.

With the exception of Amoco Ultimate as sold by BP and high octane 
Sunoco, all premium fuels are identical and are traded as commodities on 
the commodities exchange. At the distribution site (and sometimes 
actually at the station) the additive package is combined with the raw fuel.

No urban legends, here. Just the practical realities of the world 
marketplace.

Ed

[EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:

> Today I stopped at a station I use periodically to fill up and noticed 
> while I was filling the tank the Chevron sign was covered with 
> cardboard and thought something might be amiss.  Since I religiously 
> (or could this be anallly?) use the 93 octane Chevron with Techron 
> additive, this was a concern to me.  The pump still had the Techron 
> logo so I completed my fillup and asked the clerk inside if they were 
> in process of changing to something other than Chevron.  Her answer 
> was "Oh we haven't been Chevron for a couple of months now" and also 
> said it no longer has the Techron additive.  She didn't even know what 
> brand it is now.  Since I stopped there just because it used to be 
> Chevron, I asked her why the pump still had the Techron logo.  She 
> seemed a little befuddled and said that was supposed to be removed.  I 
> asked for the manager's name and phone number and told her he better 
> be willing to pay for a tuneup if my car got screwed up by this 
> change.  I was already kind of mad at myself for not stopping at my 
> usual station but just figured I would be OK knowing the other one was 
> on the way to my destination.
>
> I've had several people tell me there's no difference in the fuel 
> itself and the difference I'm seeing is all in the Techron.  Anyone 
> know if there's any truth to this?  Or is this another urban legend 
> that all petrol comes from the same truck and they just put a 
> different brand name on it?
>
> TIA
>
> Phil
>
> 92 E36/M50
>
> Search the 
> ARCHIVES:http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]
>
>
> __________________________________________________________________________ 
>
> In memory of Michel Potheau - friend, enthusiast, founder of the BMW CCA.
>
> UUC Motorwerks - BMW Performance Fine-tuning and home of the Ultimate
> Short Shifter - accept no substitutes!
> 908-874-9092 . http://www.uucmotorwerks.com
>
>

------------------------------

Date: Sun, 3 Jul 2005 09:57:34 -0500
From: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: "Ed MacVaugh" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, <[email protected]>
Subject: Re: Different fuel?
Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>

Actually the local dealer's service dept in my area is who suggested 
using only the Chevron 93 octane.  Although I've never been able to 
trust the dealer service dept, that was one piece of advice they gave me 
that seemed to work.  I had been using Amoco Ultimate and maybe it was 
just my imagination but seemed to me I didn't have as much ping when I 
switched over to Chevron.  Wish we had Sunoco high octane in this area 
(I'm in the Florida panhandle).  I'd try it.  Now there's only 2 Chevron 
stations left here.  Or maybe I should switch back to Amoco/BP.

OTOH, maybe I'll just start buying Techron and adding it.  According to 
Chevron's site, there's even a BMW IVD (intake valve deposit) test. 
This page is pretty interesting and if I'd read it first I probably 
wouldn't have even asked the question.

http://www.chevron.com/products/prodserv/nafl/auto/content/fueladd.shtm

Usual disclaimers....no affiliation with Chevron or any of it's 
subsidiaries.

Phil


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Ed MacVaugh" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: <[email protected]>; <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Sent: Sunday, July 03, 2005 8:57 AM
Subject: Re: [UUC] Different fuel?


> This is a gag, right?
>
> A car isn't going to need a tune-up because of a change in gasoline.
>
> You are not seeing a difference in performance due to the presence of 
> Techron in the fuel.
>
> With the exception of Amoco Ultimate as sold by BP and high octane 
> Sunoco, all premium fuels are identical and are traded as commodities 
> on the commodities exchange. At the distribution site (and sometimes 
> actually at the station) the additive package is combined with the raw 
> fuel.
>
> No urban legends, here. Just the practical realities of the world 
> marketplace.
>
> Ed
>
> [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
>
>> Today I stopped at a station I use periodically to fill up and 
>> noticed while I was filling the tank the Chevron sign was covered 
>> with cardboard and thought something might be amiss.  Since I 
>> religiously (or could this be anallly?) use the 93 octane Chevron 
>> with Techron additive, this was a concern to me.  The pump still had 
>> the Techron logo so I completed my fillup and asked the clerk inside 
>> if they were in process of changing to something other than Chevron. 
>> Her answer was "Oh we haven't been Chevron for a couple of months 
>> now" and also said it no longer has the Techron additive.  She didn't 
>> even know what brand it is now.  Since I stopped there just because 
>> it used to be Chevron, I asked her why the pump still had the Techron 
>> logo.  She seemed a little befuddled and said that was supposed to be 
>> removed.  I asked for the manager's name and phone number and told 
>> her he better be willing to pay for a tuneup if my car got screwed up 
>> by this change.  I was already kind of mad at myself for not stopping 
>> at my usual station but just figured I would be OK knowing the other 
>> one was on the way to my destination.
>>
>> I've had several people tell me there's no difference in the fuel 
>> itself and the difference I'm seeing is all in the Techron.  Anyone 
>> know if there's any truth to this?  Or is this another urban legend 
>> that all petrol comes from the same truck and they just put a 
>> different brand name on it?
>>
>> TIA
>>
>> Phil
>>
>> 92 E36/M50
>>
>> Search the 
>> ARCHIVES:http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]
>>
>>
>> __________________________________________________________________________
>> In memory of Michel Potheau - friend, enthusiast, founder of the BMW 
>> CCA.
>>
>> UUC Motorwerks - BMW Performance Fine-tuning and home of the Ultimate
>> Short Shifter - accept no substitutes!
>> 908-874-9092 . http://www.uucmotorwerks.com
>>
>>
> 



------------------------------

Date: Sun, 3 Jul 2005 08:51:42 -0700 (PDT)
From: Jonathan Brush <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: [email protected]
Subject: If not Redline, what? <was somethng about CE lights>
Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>

So, Brett, if you are off Redline, what are you using?
Jon


Date: Sat, 2 Jul 2005 23:48:26 -0400
From: "KMS- Brett Anderson" 


Brett Anderson
KMS

PS, we don't use RedLine products any more, 
because the myth has finally
been overcome by the price gouging.


__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Tired of spam?  Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around 
http://mail.yahoo.com 

------------------------------

Date: Sun, 3 Jul 2005 13:08:04 -0400
From: "Dennis Liu" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: "BMW List" <[email protected]>
Subject: Chevron/techron and gasoline MISINFO
Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>

Howdy, all.  My $.02 - gasoline companies want you to buy THEIR gasoline, so
they try as hard as possible to differentiate their products.  After all,
gasoline is basically a commodity, and consumers will naturally try to buy a
commodity item at the lowest available price.  That's why Shell is promoting
v-power and Sunoco has Ultra and Chevron has Techron.  To echo most other
responses, yes, gasoline is essentially the same whether you buy it at the
no-name discount place on the corner or the Mobil across the street or the
Chevron on the other side of town (yes, gasoline can vary widely from REGION
to REGION).  What MAY be different is the additive package.  Nearly ALL gas
sold these days have detergent additive packages mixed in.

If you're really, really paranoid about it, go buy a can of techron and
stick it in your tank.  Voila.  Actually, if you do the math, consider this.
If my local discount no-name station sells gas for $0.10 a gallon cheaper,
and I get 17 gallons each time, that's $1.70 I save per refill.  Which would
allow me to buy a can of Techron or STP or whatever cleaner/additive I would
like every few tankfuls - and this stuff is CONCENTRATED, and should
theoretically do an even better job of cleaning the injectors, etc.  OTOH,
let's say you drive 15k miles a year, and get, oh, 22 MPG.  That means that
you're using 682 gallons a year.  If you save $0.10 a gallon (easy enough to
do in greater Boston, maybe even $0.15 if you're diligent), that's almost
$70 a year.  You can buy a lot of fuel cleaners for that money.

Below is more detailed info on this topic I've saved over the years.

vty,

--Dennis

-----Original Message-----
To: 911/993/996
Subject: [911] Re: Gasoline NPC/NFC


I've been living and working out here in Salt Lake City for the past 3
weeks. It's beautiful by the way, absolutely gorgeous, and so is Wyoming, a
state that I've ALWAYS wanted to visit. I'm coming back to see Yellowstone
in the summer.

Anyway, I'm working at a US Postal Processing & Distribution Center in SLC
training their electronic technicians. It just so happens that one of the
technicians previously worked (for 16 years) for a petroleum pipeline
company that runs from San Bernadino to Las Vegas. His (former) company
didn't own the product, they were just paid to pump the fuel from CA to NV.
The main control center is in CA and there are multiple pump stations and
valves along the length of the 200-mile pipeline.

He said they actually have 2 parallel pipelines, a 14" and an 8", that run
along the right-of-way of the Union Pacific railroad (UP is actually a 51%
owner of the pipeline). I asked him if they pump 89 octane one day and 94
octane the next, and he replied that they pump multiple grades in one day in
the SAME pipeline.

As an example, he said they'll start by pumping thousands of barrels of 87
octane into the pipeline, then immediately follow that with thousands of
barrels of 91 octane, and then follow that with thousands of barrels of 94
octane. As long as the pressure in the pipeline remains constant (controlled
by the pumps and valves) the 3 fuels will move along as "columns" or
"slugs".

There will be some mixing of the fuel grades at their "boundaries" due to
the turbulence created by the pumping stations and the bends and turns in
the pipeline. This "boundary layer" fuel is called "trans-mix" for fuel that
is MIXed during TRANSmission.

At the Las Vegas end the first few thousand barrels are pumped into the 87
octane tank. As the boundary layer approaches, the fuel is periodically
sampled and tested. The transmix is then pumped into a separate tank. In
this example, the 87 is diluted with some 91 - good for the 87. The 91 is
diluted with 87 and 94 - kind of a draw. The 94 is diluted with 91 - oops.

The goal is to minimize the amount of transmix, but even so he said that the
fuel companies actually buy back the transmix and RE-refine it, whatever
that means. Hey, good for the pipeline company, they get paid to transport
it, paid to "mix" it, and paid again for the transmix.

I asked him if they ever do a "column" of gasoline followed by a "column" of
diesel and he said they don't do that because the resulting transmix is
useless. He said their 14" main is used for grades of gasoline and the 8"
main is used for diesel, commercial jet fuel (Jet-A), and military jet fuel
(JP-8). McCarran AFB is right there in Las Vegas.

I asked about the "old days" when we were able to buy leaded and unleaded
fuels and he confirmed that those fuels would share the same pipeline. I
asked about the leaded fuels leaving a coating on the inside of the pipeline
and he also confirmed this. Oh well, can't prove that it was responsible for
damaging any cat conv back in the 80s.

Sorry for the long post, just relaying some pertinent info.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

-----Original Message-----
To: 911/993/996
Subject: [911] Re: Gasoline NPC/NFC


Gasoline refined by different oil companies is basically the same stuff with
a few exceptions, like the percentage of alkylate vs. platformate blends,
etc. but they are very similar. The big difference is the additive packages
you are getting. You didn't mention that the tanker truck that recieves the
load of gasoline either already has the additives in the truck or they are
added later but before finally delivery to the station. or the fact that the
amount of product transfered is highly monitored and regulated so that with
the exception of the very longest pipelines the only mixing is at the start
and finish of the shipment. They can track it and control it down to a
fraction of a percentage.

Oil companies also buy and sell a large pecentage of their products on the
wholesale market so if unless the station is near the refinery, it is very
possible it was refined by someone else. If company A refines gasoline in
texas but needs to deliver to stations in Chicago it sometimes makes more
economic sense to sell the product on the wholesale market in Texas and buy
product from company B closer to the final destination. It doesn't always
happen that way, it is highly influenced on the spot market prices and
supply. It costs a lot of money to ship products long distances whether by
truck, rail, ship, or pipline.

Many companies have thier own pipelines and distribution centers, but they
are expensive to build and maintain and operate and limited in scope. The
company I work for has several pipelines but we still have to ship via pipes
owned by other companies. Why buy an entire railroad when you can just buy a
ticket on the train?

----- Original Message -----
To: "911/993/996" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Sent: Wednesday, February 18, 2004 9:02 AM
Subject: [911] Gasoline NPC/NFC


> This may have been mentioned before, but I was watching a program on
> History CHannel and they were talking about all the gas piplines used 
> to distribute gasoline.  The pipeline might start in Texas and travel 
> to the NorthEast.  A oil company, say, Shell, rents the pipeline to 
> ship some of their gas to Boston.  In Boston a Shell company tanker 
> truck connects to the pipe and takes X gallons of gas from the 
> pipeline - there's no way the gas that was put in in Tex is the same 
> as that taken out in Boston.
>
> They're saying all gas is the same!  I though it strange because I
> always thought my car ran better when I used Texaco (or Mobil, or
> whatever) - but it must have been a psychological improvement only 
> since all the gas is basically the same!
>
> Which I guess also means I may as well buy gas a WaWa (a local
> discount
> chain) if it a few pennies cheaper!
>
> The only thing they didn;t address - do any gas companies have their
> own distribution newworks??  You know - their own pipeline, trucks and 
> stations?
>
> Something to chew on.
>




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