Save Money and Not Harm Your Car! Go Generic at the Gas Pump!

By: Scott Siegel


As the price of fuel goes up and up more drivers are thinking about using generic gas from stations that are not affiliated with the big international gas companies like Exxon or Shell. The question is, can you get the same quality of gas from ABC gas station as you can get from the big guys? Will the XYZ gas run your car with out causing damage to your engine?

The answer simply is, there is not much of a significant difference between the generic gas and the more expensive gas except for some additives which each company has added to it's gas. To really understand how this is possible a short look at how the gas refining system treats gas makes the picture easy to see.

By and large gas produced at refineries is a generic product. An example often used to illustrate this is California because it has a standard different from most other states. In California all gas sold has to meet specific environmental specifications. Because of that all gas in California terminals are produced to the same specifications. Since all the gas is the same, gas refiners often share and exchange gasoline and store it at shared terminals in common tanks.

The gas that is made at one refinery is pretty much the same as any other refinery. They all make generic gas. The additives that are put into the generic gas are what makes one brand of gas different from another brand of gas. Each has it's own particular recipe or formula of additives.

The brand additives are put into the gas when the gas is being loaded into tanker trucks. All the oil companies are starting with the same generic gas so the main component that runs your car is all the same. You can see why generic gas is really no different than branded gas.

Just to make sure, there have been some studies on the difference between generic gas and branded gas. A joint study on this was done by ABC News and the Maryland State Comptroller's office.

Scientists at the Maryland Fuel Testing Laboratory engaged a battery of tests on generic and branded gas. The gas was scrutinized for many things including contaminants like excessive sediments or diesel mixed with the gas. The scientists put the gas through an elaborate engine to make sure that the gasoline was the same 87 octane level. The scientists at the lab even made sure that the gas was formulated properly as mandated for the current season.

The good news for you is that the study showed that generic and branded gas are basically the same. They found that for the most part the gas was one and the same. The biggest difference between competing brands of gas is how much detergent or additives are added to it. Even with the additives the differences are small.

Essentially gas is gas is gas. All fuel sold for your vehicle regardless if it is generic or branded will work just fine. The one big difference is really what you already knew, the non branded gas has the lower price.

$100 to $200 per year is the estimate that is used in gauging how much you can save by using generic gas. Go to the generic station the next time you fill up and save yourself some cash.

Article Source: http://www.articleyard.com


Information about the Author:

Scott Siegel is the author of a 143 page book of automotive industry insider information on saving gas and money at the gas pump. Visit us to learn how you can get better gas mileage. Find out how to increase gas mileage.
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