I've always felt that the car runs better with gas from different stations in that order Shell > Esso > Petro but I thought it was probably all in my head. Well, I think I have some hard evidence now from some recent time at the track.

For those who don't know, I have a '12 Boss 302 with the track key (TracKey) and one of the things that the track key changes is timing. I always try to fill up with Shell or Esso when I go to the track but the Esso station I usually go to didn't have any premium and the Shell one was closed at the time (5:45 am) so I figured I would just fill up with Petro.. big mistake. I had a lot of pinging on the straight at WOT and had to use the regular/black key for the rest of the day because it's a lot less aggressive with timing and that took the pinging away.

After leaving the track, I drove straight home instead of filling up which I usually do and put the AC full on to use up gas and the gauge was showing 13 miles of range by the time I was back in Halifax. I filled up with Shell, went back to the track the next day, used the track key and everything was good.

Conclusion: If you're going to the track, road coarse or strip, use Shell or Esso. If you just drive around time, Petro is perfectly fine. I've used Petro several times before, either for convenience or availability at the time, and I've never had an issue around town even during the rare occasions when I ran the track key. I do wish we had 93 tho

 

i miss sunoco ultra 94 back in ontario

 

Sunoco is out now and the petro is selling the ultra 94 now

 

My car loves petro 94. Good mileage and runs great.

 

ah not in NS only 91 here. maybe some octane booster would be worth trying for a tank to see if i notice a difference

 

You probably wouldn't as the car is tuned for 91 with GMS1.

Interesting to hear though, I always go to Petro thinking it is one of the better places to get fuel from. Shell stations always look so... ghetto.

 

i never tank at petro ,they're always the first ones to hike up prices so they don't deserve my business!!

 

All gas in nova scotia is refined at the Imperial oil refinery in dartmouth, so it all the same. normally get 91 at fast fuel for the sobey coupons. But next time I'm empty I'll try shell

Octane rating on North American gas pumps are actually measured in AKI (anti knock-index) not "octane points" as the $7 boosters claim. They are correct, but basically misleading as hell, and a huge scam.

Methanol is wicked for the maritimes, and you can refill the resovoir at Canadian tire for $10. A methanol/91 AKI blend is our best bet, and puts Us in the 125-135 AKI range

 

Shell stations around here do look ghetto but that's just because they're old. It used to keep me away from them too to be honest though lol but not anymore.

I've heard that all gas in NS is refined at the Imperial oil refinery before but I don't think that means it's all the same. The additives can still be different otherwise, you wouldn't be able to advertise it differently from station to station. I could be wrong though but I know I will stay away from Petro whenever I'm going to the track lol.

 

Crap !! I always use ultramar or Irving ! Maybe thats why my car is all messed up !! It hates the gas I give it !

 

Ultra 94.........is what the car begs for.....

 

all we have in washington is 91, and it isnt cheap, usally is at $4 bucks a gallon.

 

lol that would be some bad gas! I've never tried Ultramar or Irving so I can't comment on them though. Hope you get the car fixed soon!

buddy at the track said that most octane boosters make no difference but Lucas can make a difference so I would start there if you want to try some.

nobody2u, I thought GMS1 recommends 93 but 91 is acceptable?

$5.23/gal here.. for 91.. those who have 94 available should ship some to us

 

My car never sees anything but shell 91. I wouldn't put Irving in my lawn mower.

 

I work for irving and I don't use there gas. lmfao

 

Follow up on this thread: esso gas is confirmed purist "NS" gas. Imperial oil refinery is basically esso.

I am trying to confirm if petro can / fast fuel / ultramar source refinery is the esso refinery in dartmouth (then blended off site ) or the source is Irving refinary in NB.

Also need to confirm the original refinary for shell Is in dartmouth, New Brunswick or elsewhere, to confirm the track day results reported.

Tell ya what boys, next time I is working in dartmouth, I'm gonna stop by the refinary and talk to their security gate guy or whatever.

This question has been bugging me for years..,, I need to know the best stations to fill up at to maximize power......

Will update when I can, **** I would gladly pay for the dyno runs needed to give myself closure!

 

please share if you do end up doing that. I doubt we would see a difference in peak power, especially a difference that's significant enough to attribute to better gas rather than dyno error between runs. I would expect to see a smoother curve though with Shell or Esso. A cheaper test would be to log KR if you have a tuner or a gauge that displays KR.

 

Imperial Oil is Esso.

 

This is known.

As an update, talked to the owner of the shell on north/robie.

He confirmed that all gas in NS comes from the dartmouth refinary, and said the same trucks deliver it all around, each station then blends their own additives in. So it all the same source gas, guess it comes down to shell V-power additives or esso "pureness"

I also learned a nifty bit of wisdom, that the best time of day to fill up Is at night/cold. Since apparently when daytime the gas lets off slightly more vapours from the increased temperature, so some of your money actually just goes into the atmosphere, when it leaks around the nozzle.

 

anyone who says the have 10% ethanol comes from irving any thing that's says 0 ethanol comes from darthmouth

 

Good wisdom to have. Thanks bud

 

some info I found around me from talking to the tanker truck guy, Costco gas pumps run shell 95% of the time, if not its petro, I use Costco or shell

 

Looks like Irving/fast fuel is the same as well. Since this post, I've made an effort to only get shell @ the station on north/robie lol. Hard to tell if there is a noticeable difference

 

please tell me you're joking. those fumes would add up to about 1ml in your 49 liter tank lol also the gas is stored in underground tanks that would not be affected by heat, not even for the short period they would see it at the nozzle level. lol

 

this was from a taxi driver one night when i was plastered lol seemed like gospel in my drunken mind

now that your mentioning it, it does seem silly, derp!


an update on this though, Shell uses esso gas as at source as well, and they add their own additive for their "v-power' - shell robie/north attendant


the question is now, esso 91 vs shell 91