Costco vs shell gas

[tigeo]

I'm pretty sure my car is plotting to enslave mankind, so.........

AHAHAHAHAHAHAH

You would think reading some of this stuff. "My car needs to learn the premium fuel".

 

[vjmvjm]

I always use Costco gas. It is significantly cheaper and there are millions of other people who use it in their much higher performance cars than GTI's without issue. If your mpg dropped 5 mpg there is definitely a different factor than the gas. There is no way that you would lose that much because of the gas type. Shell and Chevron use marketing tactics to trick you into paying their higher prices. Its not better gas. The only places you need to watch out for are the no-name non-chain stations.

Everybody knows the more you pay, the better the gas is. Plus Shell has Nitroglycerin, or whatever that NiTRO+ is. That's why I always buy gas at the most expensive station in town.

(Actually, 85.27% Costco in the GTI. I've never used Shell in the car, I'm not about to pay those outrageous prices to support their marketing campaigns.)

 

[PureWhiteMk7]

The manager at Costco in Van Nuys said their supplier is Chevron so there is that.

 

[Strange Mud]

so some Google research tends to say the additives cost about $0.01 per gallon. I couldn't see any numbers on Top Tier cost but IF the licensing fee is the same (and that would be a HUGE number for Top Tier because 384 million gallons sold in USA per day!!!). I'm going to have to say Top Tier designation doesn't really cost much which is why a bunch of stations are certified Top Tier.

https://toptiergas.com/licensed-brands/

 

[tigeo]

Costco has their "Top Tier" additive pack added at the pump - it's kept in a separate storage tank and is metered in. This from a friend who installs gas/additive systems for the gas stations. Pretty interesting stuff. I try to use Costco gas almost exclusively to the extent I can/is realistic (not near my house/commute) b/c it's so much cheaper than everywhere else and my car runs just fine on it (especially mixed with 4 gal of Sheetz "Flex Fuel"...

 

[tigeo]

Everybody knows the more you pay, the better the gas is. Plus Shell has Nitroglycerin, or whatever that NiTRO+ is. That's why I always buy gas at the most expensive station in town.

(Actually, 85.27% Costco in the GTI. I've never used Shell in the car, I'm not about to pay those outrageous prices to support their marketing campaigns.)

It's like Chernobly....has Nitrotrinarium!

 

[GTIfan99]

AHAHAHAHAHAHAH

You would think reading some of this stuff. "My car needs to learn the premium fuel".

In my 18, I was daily driving with 87 and autocross/tracking with 93. Couldn't really tell a difference and the car ran flawless after the switch back and forth. No time to learn. I ran the 93 to prevent detonation in high heat high load driving. I run 93 in the 19 with a 91 stg 1 tune just to prevent knock when I do beat on the car.

I will say that the 19 stock didn't like 87, but that's because VW screwed up the 19.

 

[tigeo]

In my 18, I was daily driving with 87 and autocross/tracking with 93. Couldn't really tell a difference and the car ran flawless after the switch back and forth. No time to learn. I ran the 93 to prevent detonation in high heat high load driving. I run 93 in the 19 with a 91 stg 1 tune just to prevent knock when I do beat on the car.

I will say that the 19 stock didn't like 87, but that's because VW screwed up the 19.

Funny thing is, you can log all of it to remove any ambiguity. When I run 93 on my 93-tuned car, I still get a little timing pull under a WOT pull. When I run E30, I get zero. If I ran 91 or even 87, I would just expect more pull/less power is all. Someone with a stock-tuned car can easily log it and show what the differences are.

 

[jimlloyd40]

I found that if I spit on the tip of the gas handle before I put it in the tank, I get better mileage.

A little lube always helps get the tip in.

I know of a super fluid that I could use but I would get arrested for that. Might even negate the need for premium fuel.

 

[GTIfan99]

I know of a super fluid that I could use but I would get arrested for that. Might even negate the need for premium fuel.

Yeah, but you'd have to keep hand lotion and Kleenex in your car at all times. Kind of a hassle.

 

[KevinC]

Another piece of trivia about Costco - they change their tank filters OFTEN and used to brag about it. 2 things happen - your gas pumps faster, and obviously having a clean, frequently-changed filter should do a better job keeping crap out of your tank. Ever fill up and get frustrated with a chronically-slow pump? That's the filter - way past due to be changed.

 

[jimlloyd40]

Yeah, but you'd have to keep hand lotion and Kleenex in your car at all times. Kind of a hassle.

I do keep those things in my car. But it's because I'm in the car ten hours per day.

 

[jimlloyd40]

Another piece of trivia about Costco - they change their tank filters OFTEN and used to brag about it. 2 things happen - your gas pumps faster, and obviously having a clean, frequently-changed filter should do a better job keeping crap out of your tank. Ever fill up and get frustrated with a chronically-slow pump? That's the filter - way past due to be changed.

Plus they get multiple truckloads of fuel daily so it's always fresh.

 

[blaqsheep]

Not sure about the US but in Canada there's a limited number of refineries so word on the street is, Canadian Costco gas is typically Shell or Esso 91.

Plus as others have noted, they drive crazy volume so gas is usually fresh as opposed to some stations that have had gas in tanks for a while.

 

[Mike-E]

My previous car was an STI. About every six months it would start stumbling bigly. The dealer told me to disconnect the battery, wait 10 minutes, reconnect it and drive the car like I stole it. I'd do that and it was good for another 6 months. I only used 93 octane QT (top tier) gas. One day going to work the stumble stated. I needed gas and pulled into a BP station and filled up. The stumble cleared. From that point on, I only used BP/Exon or Shell gas and the stumble never returned.
Find the gas that is best for your car. You spent ~$30,000 for a car, don't cheap out on gas.