Shell's top grade gasoline contains no ethanol

[smart65 28]

A couple of years ago, I purchased a snow blower. The dealer strongly suggested that I fuel it with Shell's top grade of premium. Apparently ethanol is a negative factor when burned in air-cooled engines. Shell assured him that no ethanol is added to that product. He was also told that they had no plans to add ethanol to it in the future.Given that the 451 models require premium fuel, and ethanol-containing fuels yield poorer fuel economy than fuel without ethanol, I thought it would be interesting to have CsC members try Shell V-Power, and report their results on this thread.

[lebikerboy 96]

Chevron also doesn't add Ethanol to their top grade which is 94 octane...

[smartzuuk 167]

I typically splash blend 87 and 94 at Chevron, rarely will I fill on 94 straight up.I can't tell much difference... perhaps if I ran 87 for long enough I would start to foul things up.

[strawboss 5]

I've noticed a difference between ethanol & non ethanol gas when I started running 4 stroke outboard motors, not only did the engines perform better but needed less carb maintenance when burning "pure" gas.The smaller the engine the more pronounced the difference.The ethanol absorbs moisture which can cause corrosion in an outboard carb quite quickly and with the newer more fuel efficient carbs less corrosion is needed to gum up the works, or so it seems to me.A month or so sitting idle was enough with 10% e-gas.I have a new 2.5 hp Suzuki that was not happy at all on a 10% blend....but on premium Shell it runs great.

[MightyMouseTech 0]

Shell 91 is the only fuel I use in all my cars that require gasoline.

[smart65 28]

I was looking for someone who could quantify the increase in fuel consumption caused by the general addition of ethanol to most brands of gasoline. Apparently this increase is only part of the equation, as detailed in the next paragraph.

The Brazilians seem to benefit by it.

Here is a rundown of the characteristics of ethanol and methanol copied from http://domesticfuel.com/2006/02/13/ethanol-vs-methanol/:

… ethanol is less chemically toxic than methanol, and it carries more energy per gallon. Ethanol contains about 75 percent of the energy of gasoline per gallon, compared to 67 percent for methanol. Both thus achieve fewer miles per gallon than gasoline, but about as many miles per dollar at current prices, and probably many more miles per dollar at future prices.

Methanol is more corrosive than ethanol. This can be dealt with by using appropriate materials in the automobile fuel system. A fuel system made acceptable for methanol use will also be fine for ethanol or pure gasoline.

Both ethanol and methanol are water soluble and biodegradable in the environment. The consequences of a spill of either would be much less than that of petroleum products. If the Exxon Valdez had been carrying either of these fuels instead of oil, the environmental impact caused by its demise would have been negligible.

You can bet that the end-user will never see the increase in "miles per dollar" mentioned above, since pricing is under the control of the producers.

[Huronlad 186]

Read some of the FE threads on sCOA, there is certainly a noticeable difference in consumption between pure gasoline and blended. Gumming issues with ethanol gasoline are also discussed.

[MightyMouseTech 0]

It really should not make any difference in FE. If you only have 5% alcohol, and it has 25% lower energy/L, then it really is only 1% less energy/L of fuel. I doubt anybody has that kind of consistancy between tanks to see the difference. Your right foot makes a MUCH bigger difference.

[MikeT 744]

I'm using 94 at Chevron. They used to have the best leaded premium back in the day too. This is good stuff.

[RedDog 0]

No Chevron in Alberta and two Shell stations in town just converted to something called Centex. I'm not clear who they are or why Shell seems to be backing away from this market.

http://www.centexpetroleum.com/

Generally nothing higher than 91 available here. I've gone to Superstore many times and aren't comfortable about it. I get sporadic engine check light games after fueling there. I wonder about water in their fuel. Any suggestions? Esso? Husky? Husky owns Mohawk and aren't they ga-ga for ethanol?

I'd like to sort this one because my Buell motorcycle calls for minimum 91 octane as well.

Edited October 22, 2011 by RedDog

[RedDog 0]

Follow up to previous post.The ONLY mainstream retailer locally not making mention of ethanol is Shell and they seem to be moving away from this marketplace. All the others based on websites appear to be mixing ethanol (or MAY do so) with their cocktails at patio parties.

[lebikerboy 96]

In BC, oil companies are required to add Ethanol to gasoline as they are required to add biodiesel to diesel...

[BDH 0]

I'd highly recommend against using shell gasoline.A very good friend of mine has been working in the gas industry for 20 years, and has recently moved from runnning an Esso fuel terminal (where they have all those giant tanks where the trucks come to fill up and haul gas to the gas stations) to running a Shell terminal.All gas in Canada comes from either Esso or Shell, regardless of which gas stations sell it. For example, Husky/Mohawk gets their fuel from Esso, and add their own ethanol to it. Co-op gets their fuel from Esso, and add their own proprietary additives to it, Candian tire gets their fuel from Shell, and adds THEIR own additive to it, etc. Every cas company has their own additives, but the 'raw' gasoline all comes from one of two sources, in general.Fuel arrives at the terminals via pipeline. The same pipeline is used to move all types of fuel, from regular consumer gas, to kerosene, to Jet fuel, to diesel, etc. All grades, all types, same pipe.Whenever they switch, for example, from regular gas to diesel, there is a certain amount of 'mixing' that happens inside the pipe, where the gas ends and the diesel starts. This mix of liquids is called 'co-mingle'. It changes in content and proportion, and obviously can't be used.HOWEVER, ESSO takes all of their co-mingle, puts it into rail cars, and sends it back to the refinery, whereas Shell takes their co-mingle, and mixes it in small proportions with their consumer gasoline....regular, mid-grade, and premium, to get rid of it. So, when you fill up with gas that came from Shell, you're getting your gas, plus a little of this and a little of that......maybe some jet fuel, maybe some diesel, some low-grade gas, and some high-grade. They compensate by adding a ton of additives to make the heavier oils burn better in cars, and not gum things up too bad.It's all very legal, as the fuel still meets the minimum specs set forth by the government, it's just lower quality fuel, with random contamination.So, bottom line is to find out where your favorite gas station gets their fuel, and if it's from Shell, you may wish to avoid it.

[Leadwing 565]

On the other hand, if Shell is not using ethanol in their premium gas, it's much better for gas engines of any kind that sit for long periods of time between use (snow blowers, chainsaws, weed whackers, lawn mowers & tractors). The ethanol in gas messes up the internal workings of injectors and ultimately makes annual tear-downs of injectors and carburators a common thing.

I used to have this problem until I got this information from a small engine repair tech who knows what he's talking about (32 years in the business). He does repairs and services on gas engines that don't work after a while of sitting idle, and in almost every case, it is due to the deterioration of the parts in the injectors.

I have been using Shell for the last 4 years, and have not had the problem since.

[Lito 2]

My limited experience (maybe 7 fill ups since I bought my 451?)Shell 91 - 7.25 to 7.36 l/100km (usually the later)Esso top grade (whatever that is in Ottawa) 7.65 l/100km (but used it only once)I don't think we can get better than 91 around these parts, or I would try it.

[Ofeu 0]

For those who travel in Quebec, Ultramar does not have ethanol in their 91. I made a test during the last year. 6 months Petro Canada 94 and 6 months Ultramar 91.(3 winter months, 3 summer months each) No difference in the long run . The same for performance. One time, I filled up at Costco. There was a sticker on the pump saying that all fuels may contain 10% or less ethanol. With that tank i had less milleage and also less performance. Engine was much slower to respond . But it is only one tank, maybe i was'nt lucky that day. Anyway it is always 91 Ultramar first choice for me or Petro Canada 94 in second.Patrice

[MightyMouseTech 0]

My limited experience (maybe 7 fill ups since I bought my 451?)Shell 91 - 7.25 to 7.36 l/100km (usually the later)Esso top grade (whatever that is in Ottawa) 7.65 l/100km (but used it only once)I don't think we can get better than 91 around these parts, or I would try it.

Petrocan sells 94, that is what I use in my Civic now after the "tune". This is since they bought all the Sunoco's in Ontario. So it is probably just Sunoco 94. Edited April 24, 2013 by MightyMouseTech

[Silver 8]

Quote: All gas in Canada comes from either Esso or Shell, regardless of which gas stations sell it.The biggest refinery in Canada is in St.John NB owned by Irving. Petro Can has a refinery in Montreal and Ultramar has one in St. Romuald QC. I'm really not up on central Canada nor the west but there are other sources of fuel besides Esso and Shell.

[Lito 2]

...Petrocan sells 94 ... snip ... So it is probably just Sunoco 94.

Cool! I'll give it a try at next fill up and see how it does/feels. I do remember I used to use the Sunoco on Rideau street in Sandy Hill. Pity it is gone. It was very convenient location for me (ByWard market).

[lebikerboy 96]

Quote: All gas in Canada comes from either Esso or Shell, regardless of which gas stations sell it.The biggest refinery in Canada is in St.John NB owned by Irving. Petro Can has a refinery in Montreal and Ultramar has one in St. Romuald QC. I'm really not up on central Canada nor the west but there are other sources of fuel besides Esso and Shell.

Here in Vancouver, most of the refining is done by Chevron. Love people who make statements that are unverified...

[MightyMouseTech 0]

Cool! I'll give it a try at next fill up and see how it does/feels. I do remember I used to use the Sunoco on Rideau street in Sandy Hill. Pity it is gone. It was very convenient location for me (ByWard market).

Is it still not there, just a PetroCan now?And about refineries...The base fuel does not really matter that much. It is the additive package that makes the biggest difference between them. So, different brands will be different.It is like saying all cakes are the same because they are all made with flour. Edited April 24, 2013 by MightyMouseTech

[Lito 2]

No, it has become a vacant parking lot now

http://goo.gl/maps/jAFzh

[Lito 2]

Just reporting back on my Petrocan 94 first fill up. My consumption went down from 7.25 to 7.36 l/100km (using Shell 91), to 6.9 l/100km. This is based on just one fill up, mind you.Also, I noticed that a sound I can only describe as "pinging" during idle, has all but disappeared using 94.