[DavyNM]

since when did BP(USA) return to Top Tier Gas? I could swear that a few years ago, BP was removed(or left) the Top Tier Gas list and I stopped using them.

But I was just looking on their website a minute ago and BP was on the list again???

https://www.toptiergas.com/gasoline-brands/

Edit: something is weird. there are at least 7 BP stations in my area. Yet only 2 of them show up on Top Tier's website in the station locator section.

The more important question: does anyone use BP gas in BMW?

I'm just curious because a brand-new BP station was just built a couple of miles from me. They will become the nearest gas station to my house.

[ZTK_M240i]

BP and Amoco (part of same company) were on the list for many years, then came up with their own "better" detergent group. I guess they got sick of explaining how/why it's better, so they just re-joined the Top Tier group. I use 93 octane from Shell, Amoco, BP and Exxon in my cars and can never tell any difference between them.

[DavyNM]

Originally Posted by ZTK_M240i

BP and Amoco (part of same company) were on the list for many years, then came up with their own "better" detergent group. I guess they got sick of explaining how/why it's better, so they just re-joined the Top Tier group. I use 93 octane from Shell, Amoco, BP and Exxon in my cars and can never tell any difference between them.

my next door neighbor fills up his two Porsches at the Sam's Club gas station near us. (for at least the last 20 years) Both are daily drivers, one for him(911 GTS) and one for his wife(Cayenne). He said he never had a problem resulting from Sam's Club gas.

To be honest, I think Top Tier Gas is partly just marketing gimmick. It's more important to go to gas stations that are clean and have a lot of customers. That way, the gas is fresher and less likely to be contaminated. There was a local Shell station that got sued because they had "abnormal" amounts of water in their underground gas tank, causing severe engine issues for a bunch of local drivers.

[afadeev]

Originally Posted by DavyNM

since when did BP(USA) return to Top Tier Gas? I could swear that a few years ago, BP was removed(or left) the Top Tier Gas list and I stopped using them.

I don't recall that change, and have used BP gas stations as my regular "go to" gas supply sources.
One good thing about BP gas stations is my area is that they do not mark-up prices for credit card vs. cash purchases.

Originally Posted by DavyNM

Edit: something is weird. there are at least 7 BP stations in my area. Yet only 2 of them show up on Top Tier's website in the station locator section.

That list is probably out of date, or not well maintained.
If the refiners is on the list, all distributions points should be on it as well.

Originally Posted by DavyNM

The more important question: does anyone use BP gas in BMW?

Yes.
For decades.
Zero issues.

HTH,
a

[DavyNM]

Originally Posted by afadeev

One good thing about BP gas stations is my area is that they do not mark-up prices for credit card vs. cash purchases.

only Exxon stations in my area have credit vs cash prices for gas. for premium, cash price is 10 cents off. I almost never fill up at that Exxon because that station is almost always empty. I stay away from stations like that because someone told me busy gas stations have fresher gas.(not sure how right that statement is)

[RockCrusher]

Originally Posted by DavyNM

only Exxon stations in my area have credit vs cash prices for gas. for premium, cash price is 10 cents off. I almost never fill up at that Exxon because that station is almost always empty. I stay away from stations like that because someone told me busy gas stations have fresher gas.(not sure how right that statement is)

A gasoline test done by a UK car mag found some same brand gasoline differences in the testing.

One explanation was -- at least with stations offering discount gasoline -- since the station depended upon low prices -- often the bulk gasoline while cheaper was at the lower end of the quality threshold.

The 2nd explanation was stale gasoline. Since this gasoline test used high octane gasoline which was expensive the turn over in the high octane gasoline could be slow. The recommendation was to buy gasoline from a busy station. A busy station was a good sign the gasoline was fresh(er).

As an aside I would fill up at a discount station and while fueling the car would look over at a Chevron gasoline station with gas prices in the range of $1 more per gallon at least for 91 which my cars used. The discount station was busy all the time. The Chevron station had cobwebs over its pumps...

[tracer bullet]

I'm a BP user because it's the only station around that offers 93 octane instead of 91 as the highest like all the others. If I can actually tell the difference with 2 more octane points, LOL I can't say but probably not. And since probably very few other people buy it, it's probably pretty old. But no known issues.

[RockCrusher]

Originally Posted by DavyNM

since when did BP(USA) return to Top Tier Gas? I could swear that a few years ago, BP was removed(or left) the Top Tier Gas list and I stopped using them.

But I was just looking on their website a minute ago and BP was on the list again???

https://www.toptiergas.com/gasoline-brands/

Edit: something is weird. there are at least 7 BP stations in my area. Yet only 2 of them show up on Top Tier's website in the station locator section.

The more important question: does anyone use BP gas in BMW?

I'm just curious because a brand-new BP station was just built a couple of miles from me. They will become the nearest gas station to my house.

I don't think I've ever fueled up with BP gasoline. In my travels -- almost exclusively west of the Mississippi -- BP stations were very rare. I am pretty sure I've seen some but I can't remember where.

My info -- via a google search -- BP became a top tier fuel in 2013. But lost it in 2021. BP still claims to be a "top tier" fuel -- with "Invigorate" -- but doesn't claim to be a top tier gasoline to avoid the the licensing cost.

You might be able to tell at least indirectly. Switch to a top tier fuel for a few fill ups. If the engine runs better well that is almost certainly due to the top tier fuel doing what it is supposed to do.

If the engine doesn't run better then BP while not licensed to use the top tier fuel label appears to offer the benefits of same.

[TboneS54]

Correct me if I'm wrong please, but when we say "quality" of gas, aren't we really talking about the quality of the additives?

Isn't the actual gasoline (same octane grade) all the same basically (not talking about additives/detergents)?

Why would an engine perform better with one gas versus another? The detergents are to keep things clean no? You wouldn't feel that right away (maybe after years, compared to a car getting no detergents).

Or, are there other ingredients added that would boost performance, but what? All I can think of is lead to up the octane.

[JeffinOregon]

Originally Posted by TboneS54

Correct me if I'm wrong please, but when we say "quality" of gas, aren't we really talking about the quality of the additives?

Isn't the actual gasoline (same octane grade) all the same basically (not talking about additives/detergents)?

Why would an engine perform better with one gas versus another? The detergents are to keep things clean no? You wouldn't feel that right away (maybe after years, compared to a car getting no detergents).

Or, are there other ingredients added that would boost performance, but what? All I can think of is lead to up the octane.

The answer to the first two questions is yes.

Pure gasoline is ~85 octane. If you add 10% ethanol, the ethanol increases effective octane to 87.

Octane boosters do not enhance performance directly; they decrease combustion temperatures, which reduces the risk of pre ignition (knocking) in engines with high compression and/or operating temperatures. The downside to octane enhancement is that they tend to leave residue. That’s what the detergent package is designed to counter.

Somewhat paradoxically, the lower the octane rating, the cleaner the combustion and the lower the pollution levels. At high octane levels, such as 93, continuous use of gas with a poor detergent load will result in buildup. BMW seems to conclude that the best solution is Shell.

[tracer bullet]

Originally Posted by JeffinOregon

Pure gasoline is ~85 octane.

Do you have info on that? I'll assume you are right but wondering a source where I can read more. I always thought it was higher (low 90's) but could be wrong.

[jefe2000]

Originally Posted by TboneS54

Isn't the actual gasoline (same octane grade) all the same basically (not talking about additives/detergents)?

Right: in the USA, gasoline is a commodity that comes from a very small set of refineries. The additives (detergents, etc), are what differentiate the fuel between vendors/retailers. You can read more here, for example.

[ericold]

here in europe top tier gas is 100 octane. we have a lot of shell and bp stations.
i remember when i had a friend form chicago back in the 90s here in my house and he asked what is this BP
it seems that year later he probably learned.

now all high compression engines ,is better to run with high octane.they dont gain power with octane ,they work better and cleaner.that might get them the power the car has,not more
more important than top tier gas is a good fuel station.even if you run a 91-95 here in europe- octane, the most important is the owner of the station to be honest and doesnt mix gas with water or other harsh chemicals for your car.
the best top tier gas ,is the most expensive one,shell v-power racing.it is being produced in italy and is imported from there.
maybe its the only ,REAL top tier gas .

[jaffles]

Good point Ericold, perhaps a new gas station is top tier, minimal water and rust in the under ground tanks. I don't go to any that have seen a flood either. I don't fill up if the tanker is refilling the gas station, and I often casually chat while paying how is the place to work at. Figure if the boss/franchise is good than filters will probably be changed when they should, not extend their life to beyond ?

A busy gas station make sense, but if its busy because it cheap doesn't mean fresh new fuel is not mixed with water, rust, and worn out filters.

I also use a product called Fuel Doctor each fill. It kills bacteria from condensation and disperses water into filterable particles. Cleans and lubricates along the way and adds about $1 to the fill.

[RockCrusher]

Originally Posted by jefe2000

Right: in the USA, gasoline is a commodity that comes from a very small set of refineries. The additives (detergents, etc), are what differentiate the fuel between vendors/retailers. You can read more here, for example.

That was an interesting read. That Phillips adds 3x the detergent explains the behavior of my M8's engine. After putting about 12 gallons of Phillips 66 91 in my M8 and then hitting the freeway and after about 20 miles of driving the engine stumbled badly on several attempts at hard acceleration then after a few miles of driving at a steady 70mph subsequent hard accelerations were fine.

I had fueled the M8 with -- I'm a bit shamed to admit -- non top tier fuel from new and when I switched it over to Phillips 66 the car had about 7000 miles on it.