What's In Your Tank?
The Ultimate Driving Machine provides for lots of fun even when I’m not in the driver’s seat. There’s always more stuff to buy, discussions with other UDM owners consisting almost entirely of strings of numbers and letter - 2002, 2002tii, 325ci, 325i, 320i, 525i, 750li, M3, Mcoupe ... And of course you can sign up to be a card carrying member of the Ultimate Driving Machine Car Club of America which produces the outstanding Roundel Magazine. (Then you can buy fancy cases to hold all your back issues.) Roundel is a great mix of automotive news, car reviews, tech advice columns, and articles about general car stuff. It also reassures you that you own the best automotive machine on the planet thus justifying the $80billion you spent on a car.
This month the first thing I turned to was an excellent article on gasoline explaining in easy to understand terms what it is that you’re pumping into your tank. Because admit it you don’t know the difference between Joe’s Corner 87 Octane and Sir Drives a Lot 93 Octane with Zymotron. It’s an article worth reading if you can get your hands on it. The upshot is that all gas comes from the same few regional distributors. What differentiates gasolines is the additives mixed in by each retailer when their truck is loaded at the distribution terminal. These additives are mainly detergents added to reduce deposit buildup on the engine parts that come in contact with the fuel. Some automakers feel that the EPA mandated detergent levels are not enough to protect against fuel related engine problems. So a bunch of fuel retailers got together to create the Top Tier Gasoline Program. The voluntary program requires its members to sell gasoline in all grades that greatly surpasses the EPA mandated level of deposit control. Not an easy task considering all the gas mixes that are out there. QuickTrip even guarantees its gasoline. If you bring in receipts for gas related repairs and proof of gas purchases at QuickTrip locations they will make good on their guarantee. So next time you fill up your tank think about what you’re getting for your $45.00 – are you driving your engine dirty, is it worth it to pay $1.00 more for the SuperPremium across the street?
This month the first thing I turned to was an excellent article on gasoline explaining in easy to understand terms what it is that you’re pumping into your tank. Because admit it you don’t know the difference between Joe’s Corner 87 Octane and Sir Drives a Lot 93 Octane with Zymotron. It’s an article worth reading if you can get your hands on it. The upshot is that all gas comes from the same few regional distributors. What differentiates gasolines is the additives mixed in by each retailer when their truck is loaded at the distribution terminal. These additives are mainly detergents added to reduce deposit buildup on the engine parts that come in contact with the fuel. Some automakers feel that the EPA mandated detergent levels are not enough to protect against fuel related engine problems. So a bunch of fuel retailers got together to create the Top Tier Gasoline Program. The voluntary program requires its members to sell gasoline in all grades that greatly surpasses the EPA mandated level of deposit control. Not an easy task considering all the gas mixes that are out there. QuickTrip even guarantees its gasoline. If you bring in receipts for gas related repairs and proof of gas purchases at QuickTrip locations they will make good on their guarantee. So next time you fill up your tank think about what you’re getting for your $45.00 – are you driving your engine dirty, is it worth it to pay $1.00 more for the SuperPremium across the street?
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