top tier gasoline

I would imagine this top tier gasoline thing was and is a device created by some industry group to gain loyalty to some device regulated or not. A device required or not.

Remember techrlolene and all the others that have come and gone?
Shell had some story like that when I was a kid and when I stole gas from moms car she always filled with shell the briggs motor pistone head valves looked like white charcoal when I tore it down.

I think if you get to the truth there are mandated requirements for US EPA regulated motor vehicles that mandates some level of detergency. Each place I go to has some BS name for their compliance to some standard as cleaner burns cleaner and cleans things. Hey guess what the addition of methanol is probably corrosive enough to meet some criteria. Marketing ploys are all over the pump to insight some idea that more is better and "buy me"

It's been forever since I have considered cleaning the injectors valves or the like. I guess if ypu get into jiffylube they offer those services with toulene benzene and the like. There was a time the smudge on the throttle body was the devil of everything.

Things have evolved and cars are required to run 100 thousand miles flawlessly without emission related need PERIOD

for many that goes on with a set of plugs at 100k and maybe an air filter or two on to and over 200k.

Whay is it that you have that is so finicky that it requires some grade of fuel so high grade?


Doing searches to top tier information doesn't really bring much new or pertinent. Perhapas a passing marketing blitz.
Hokus pokus

have 125,000 on original plugs its amazing

I buy gas at whatever station in the cheapest or handy, and look at gasbuddy regularly, especially when traveling, and have never noticed any difference at all. I recently bought some E15 by accident and my truck seemed to run fine and got 20mpg, and it's not a flex-fuel.

Using an independent engine testing lab that specializes in fuel analysis, AAA sought to answer the question: Is ?Top Tier? gasoline worth the price? The short answer is yes.

eight automakers?Audi, BMW, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, General Motors, Honda, Mercedes-Benz, Toyota, and Volkswagen?have united in support of Top Tier gas, specifically recommending it to their owners with the goal of preserving their engines? original performance and emissions over time.

Have you read your owner's manual?

It clearly states in my owner's manual to use only top tier. Before that I had no clue that it existed.
Call it FAKE NEWS if you want.
Consumer reports

Reading the article, the main concern is intake valve deposits.

Just about all the car and light truck engines are now GDI (gas direct injection). It's an improvement, gives the ability to run higher compression without detonation because the gas isn't in the cylinder until time to fire. Higher compression gives more power and better mileage.

But, there is a problem. The fuel goes directly into the cylinder, not in the intake, so the back side of the intake valve tends to build carbon deposits. The traditional fuel systems kept the back of the valve somewhat clean by the fuel constantly bathing the back of the valve, but even then when the guides and seals get sloppy, or the vehicle sees short trips and city driving, they will carbon up.

The deposits come from burning oil that comes down the guide. The mfg's require only approved oil, and a strict oil change policy. The problem can be far more serious than just lagging performance. If enough carbon builds, it can break off, hold a valve open, or get on top of a piston. Not good!

The requirement of high detergent gas can help keep deposits out of the combustion chamber, and keep the injectors clean, and may have something to do with the elimination of a serviceable fuel filter.

But, it still doesn't address the valve deposits, because gas never goes there! I don't know what they are doing to remedy the problem, possibly some are injecting "some" fuel in the intake. In that case the high detergent fuel would be essential.

The list of suppliers looks to about cover all that I can think of. One missing though, Murphy, is Walmart gas!

Does Cadillac use direct injection?

If it's a 2014 or later it probably is.

Since 2009 Cadillac has offered direct injection. It's an option. You'd have to know what engine you have. Unless you have a carburetor.

It's a 2018 XT5

(quoted from post at 21:08:36 08/01/18) It's a 2018 XT5

Click to expand...

Yes, the 3.6L DI engine is direct injection (DI) .

Top Tier gas originated with the vehicle manufacturers in an effort to improve reliability and reduce warranty claims. Wikipedia describes the history of Top Tier in <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Top_Tier_Detergent_Gasoline">this article</a>.

From the Wikipedia article:
"In 2004 representatives of BMW, General Motors, Honda, and Toyota got together to specify what makes a good fuel. Using recommendations from the Worldwide Fuel Charter, a global committee of automakers and engine manufacturers, they established a proprietary standard for a class of gasoline called "TOP TIER" Detergent Gasoline The new standard required increased levels of detergents, and restricted metallic content. Volkswagen/Audi joined the group of automakers in 2007."

It is certainly not a "marketing blitz" by refineries.

If there is Methanol in pump gas, that's news to me.

Only place I know of where they use Methanol fuel is the drag strip.

Ethanol methanol I am an idiot congrats. Just don't make me yours.
actually I've assisted the fuel man at the drags. Watching booth as he made the round hawking drums of the stuff. Jugs of
nitro. And take home some race gas for the toys. I'd used race gas more than once to dilute pump gas and get through
emission tests and lean misfires

Would have to agree on this topic on Top Tier gasoline. Just did a quick search on the topic and there are many more brands recognized as Top Tier, than when I came across the topic some time ago. A friend of mine used to come to the farm and help in the spring and fall. He was from a large and highly populated metropolitan area about 4 hours away. I would put gasoline in his truck for his return trip and it was from our local coop cardtrol station (Cenex). He always had indicated that gasoline provided consistently better fuel economy versus what he bought in the city where he lived, and running a tankful on a long trip seemed to clean things up some, as he thought his small block V8 ran better after making a few of those trips in the spring and fall. I have most always used a recognized brand of fuel, and most often it has been from a Cenex station or a BP station. I seem to have good running engines, with 1 over 200k and 2 over 300k miles. I will add I found out who had decent gasoline and who had crappy gasoline back in the 1990's when I had a full size Ford sedan with a fuel injected 302 V8 engine. That engine was the most finicky engine I have ever had. Crappy fuel would allow pinging and poorer fuel economy, while good fuel would not ping and the fuel economy would be better.