is all gas created equal.?.

[Nuffflavor]

i can do you one better. we have a food market with a gas station on a 2 lane road (1 lane each direction) that i saw for about 2.97 for 92 octane. and about 7 miles away there is another food market (same franchise) off of a 4 lane road (2 lanes each direction) that would sell 92 octane for about 2.85 LOL...this was the same day, since i drive past both of those stations going from my house to my work.

Yeah, 10 cents is a BIG difference... especially on a 7 mile stretch. Sounds like somebody (2.97) is greedy

 

[AMS38U]

ethonal, toulene tanks never have water in em, it like eats water but also very true about the stuff you said fellow htowner....
honestly they wont let gas sit for more then the mixing process at my plant if we are blending it, consider it gone

 

[BillTheCat]

in this car, i'm a little tripped out at the lack of a fuel filter.

Whoa, wait, what? There's no fuel filter in this car? Frack that. I know what my next mod is going to be. Jeebus Horatio Christofferson...

 

[oaklandopen]

come on there has to be a fuel filter. maybe it's not external but there has to be one, or else your injectors would go in like 1000 miles

my guess is that its inside the tank with the high volume low pressure pump, and it's one unit. but that's just a guess, not on my home computer with the mazda3/ms3 shop manual

 

[MikeHTally]

Fuel filter's probably in the tank, like most these days. I've read there is one downstream from the tank as well.

 

[oaklandopen]

just checked it out, there IS a filter but it is part of the fuel pump unit that is in the tank. there is not one for the high pressure pump, only low pressure in the tank

and i guess it is also servicable because there is a disassembly proceedure for the pump, so that means you don't have to replace the whole unit, you can just buy the filter from mazda and do it yourself.

but it's a crying shame it's internal, no one likes to do fuel work cuz it's messy, smelly, and potentially dangerous

 

[mckraut]

BP all the way, although dont like that they use invigorate

Same, I typically only use BP unless I am out of town and can't find it.

 

[Mid_Life_Crisis]

all i know is *most* gas companies are evil

What do you mean most?

I once talked with someone who ran a franchise for a major gas company (I think it was Mobil, but it was a few years ago, so I could be wrong). The owner of the individual station doesn`t usually get to set the prices. Corporate does that. They map out cities by price zones. This is why you see ridiculous s*** like 10 cent price differences right down the road from the same gas companies. The only ones with any control are the Mom and Pop stations that are completely privately owned.

 

[BillTheCat]

What do you mean most?

I once talked with someone who ran a franchise for a major gas company (I think it was Mobil, but it was a few years ago, so I could be wrong). The owner of the individual station doesn`t usually get to set the prices. Corporate does that. They map out cities by price zones. This is why you see ridiculous s*** like 10 cent price differences right down the road from the same gas companies. The only ones with any control are the Mom and Pop stations that are completely privately owned.

Having managed a franchised Exxon station, I'll expand on that a little. As a franchise owner, the corporate office doesn't dictate your street prices to you. But they do require that you buy your gas from the corporate supplier, and they control the wholesale price you are charged. It's up to you how far you mark it up. But corporate can always charge you 10 cents a gallon more or less than the next store up the road, so they can manipulate your pricing in that regard.

A mom & pop station can buy their gas from any supplier they like, and can therefore shop for a better price. But the down side there is that you never know what additives (if any) those stations are using.

When you buy brand name gas, you at least know the additives will be consistent from station to station, week to week, etc.

The owner of my station was very old fashioned, and believed in beating the local competition on price at all times. He was actually a retired tanker truck driver for Chevron. There were times he'd sell 87 octane for a penny less than he paid, just to beat the station across the street. Most of the time, though, he made 2-3 cents per gallon on 87 (before expenses) and no more than 10-12 cents on 93 octane. (Higher octane gets a higher markup)

And 87 octane accounts for about 80-85% of all sales. So for the most part, the poor guy made about 3-5 cents per gallon, tops. Sell 10,000 gallons in a week, you make $3-500.00. Then you have to pay utilities, wages, insurance, etc. This is why all gas stations have either service bays or convenience stores attached- because that's where the money is. The gas is just there to get you to stop in the hopes you'll be tempted to buy a slushie or a pack of cigarettes, etc.

 

[Nuffflavor]

Having managed a franchised Exxon station, I'll expand on that a little. As a franchise owner, the corporate office doesn't dictate your street prices to you. But they do require that you buy your gas from the corporate supplier, and they control the wholesale price you are charged. It's up to you how far you mark it up. But corporate can always charge you 10 cents a gallon more or less than the next store up the road, so they can manipulate your pricing in that regard.

A mom & pop station can buy their gas from any supplier they like, and can therefore shop for a better price. But the down side there is that you never know what additives (if any) those stations are using.

When you buy brand name gas, you at least know the additives will be consistent from station to station, week to week, etc.

The owner of my station was very old fashioned, and believed in beating the local competition on price at all times. He was actually a retired tanker truck driver for Chevron. There were times he'd sell 87 octane for a penny less than he paid, just to beat the station across the street. Most of the time, though, he made 2-3 cents per gallon on 87 (before expenses) and no more than 10-12 cents on 93 octane. (Higher octane gets a higher markup)

And 87 octane accounts for about 80-85% of all sales. So for the most part, the poor guy made about 3-5 cents per gallon, tops. Sell 10,000 gallons in a week, you make $3-500.00. Then you have to pay utilities, wages, insurance, etc. This is why all gas stations have either service bays or convenience stores attached- because that's where the money is. The gas is just there to get you to stop in the hopes you'll be tempted to buy a slushie or a pack of cigarettes, etc.

Hmmmmm... good info. I buy 87 octane for my lawn mower... that is the only use for it in my house hold.

 

[Trv89]

speaking of gas...

i didnt feel that making a whole new thread on gas was worthwhile or in this case acceptable... so here is my question regarding gas mileage in our cars...

I have a 08 MS3... BONE STOCK.

i recently filled up and drove about 295 miles before the " miles left on tank readout" read 0...

then i went and filled up... to my knowladge our cars have a 14.2 gallon tank(dunno) correct me if im wrong....

i guess the question is what does everyone average for " MPTs" or Miles per tank?

now when i filled up i only put in 12.1 gallons until it clicked to a stop.. ( and then i topped off the price to an even $ amt ).. so i had according to the manual 2.1 gallons more could be put in....

but the gauge read i have 0 miles left on tank...

after our cars say "0" how many miles do we actually have left?

any expieriance with this ..?

 

[oaklandopen]

any expieriance with this ..?

simple answer: don't go by the computer, it's not accurate

extended answer: don't top off your tank, ever. with emission devices like the evap canister, you run the risk of flooding it with raw fuel. you're also leaving less room for expansion from any heat the tank is undergoing.

also, if you've never heard there is a term known as "reserve tank" or just "reserve" that you should understand. even though the gas light is on, or the needle is at "0", or the miles to go says "0" there is still a few gallons left. and because you filled up at what you thought was no fuel left and only got 12 gallons, you actually had 2 gallons remaining before you filled up. so don't think of it as you having to put 2 more gallons in because it's a 14 gallon tank


and 295 miles is about average for average driving. that's a little more than i get, but i have endless stop lights and traffic to go through at all times. the only rest i get from them is the occasional time i go on I-95, and at that point im not going at a gas-saving speed anyway.


i have a question, anyone know when winter fuel is coming out in the northeast?

 

[Trv89]

so u shouldnt top off ur tank even if its like .10 cents worth of gas or somehting like that?

 

[Mid_Life_Crisis]

Hmmmmm... good info. I buy 87 octane for my lawn mower... that is the only use for it in my house hold.

Interesting, every gasoline tool I own calls for high octane fuel.

 

[Mid_Life_Crisis]

Having managed a franchised Exxon station, I'll expand on that a little. As a franchise owner, the corporate office doesn't dictate your street prices to you. But they do require that you buy your gas from the corporate supplier, and they control the wholesale price you are charged. It's up to you how far you mark it up. But corporate can always charge you 10 cents a gallon more or less than the next store up the road, so they can manipulate your pricing in that regard.

The person I talked to said that if they tried to set the price too low, then corporate would bump the price to force them to increase theirs to what they wanted it to be. But if they tried to increase it over what they were told to sell it at, they got the same result, almost getting taxed for their extra profit. One way or another they had little choice but to use the recommended price structure.

A mom & pop station can buy their gas from any supplier they like, and can therefore shop for a better price. But the down side there is that you never know what additives (if any) those stations are using.

When you buy brand name gas, you at least know the additives will be consistent from station to station, week to week, etc.

Understood and agreed. I was merely pointing out that these outfits have more control over pricing, not that their gas is better or worse.

 

[BillTheCat]

The person I talked to said that if they tried to set the price too low, then corporate would bump the price to force them to increase theirs to what they wanted it to be. But if they tried to increase it over what they were told to sell it at, they got the same result, almost getting taxed for their extra profit. One way or another they had little choice but to use the recommended price structure.

Exxon never fed us a price structure. They sold us the fuel, and we re-sold it to the public. How much we charged was up to us, but this was back in the early 90's. Back then, the big oil corporations were just beginning a push to get rid of franchisees so they could take over the brick & mortar operations. Lord knows they could have started dictating price to franchisees by now as a way to discourage their continued operation.

Understood and agreed. I was merely pointing out that these outfits have more control over pricing, not that their gas is better or worse.

I wasn't trying to start the "quality" discussion. My bad. I was merely trying to point out that "Mom and Pop's" pricing flexibility also comes with quality flexibility. As in, you never know what you're getting (or not getting) when you save a nickel a gallon by going with the little guys.

Same reason I'd rather go to P.F. Chang's than the local Chinese restaurant... I trust P.F. Chang's to use a higher grade of cat in the chow mein. (rofl2)

 

[Mid_Life_Crisis]

Same reason I'd rather go to P.F. Chang's than the local Chinese restaurant... I trust P.F. Chang's to use a higher grade of cat in the chow mein. (rofl2)

It`s cat in FL? Up here in NC it`s retired hound dog.

 

[pcpower]

what do u guys think about this? same reasoning apply?

I went to a mom n' pop gas station today (basically an independent station rather than a big name). they offer Full Service (aka them filling up the tank instead of you) and it is the same exact price for Ultra 93 as the Self Serve gas stations.

cheaper or lack of additives in their gasoline, or rather are they just trying to drum up more business.

 

[dizzin9]

lucky me i have bp and kangaroo near my place (rant)

but i try my best to fill up on base (aafes) (breakn)

 

[BillTheCat]

I went to a mom n' pop gas station today (basically an independent station rather than a big name). they offer Full Service (aka them filling up the tank instead of you)...

Did you check the settings on your flux capacitor to see what decade you were in? Was there a kid in a life preserver skateboarding down Main Street?

...and it is the same exact price for Ultra 93 as the Self Serve gas stations.

cheaper or lack of additives in their gasoline, or rather are they just trying to drum up more business.

Hard to say for sure, but given the labor costs involved with Full Service, I'd have to wonder about the quality of the fuel. The big question is- was that price normal, or was it a special/temporary deal?