I’ve noticed sometimes that there’s some half-baked videos or blogs or whatever that purport this or that frugal trick, but if you look at the time or math, it’s not actually frugal for you.
What are some examples of that you’ve come across? The things that “aren’t worth it”?
For me it’s couponing. (Although I haven’t heard people talk about it recently–has it fallen out of “style”, or have businesses caught up to the loopholes folks used to exploit?)
Cheap gas ain’t good gas anyway. You end up paying for it later in lost fuel efficiency.
You can buy Top Tier now, or you can buy a bottle of polyetheramine later.
Edit to add: this is about the type and quantity of detergent pack, not about the octane/grade. Brands are required to have 2x the EPA mandated minimum detergent in all grades and at all locations to carry the Top Tier logo.
Costco carries it. So the generalization of cheap = bad does not always hold. But it very often will.
In the US, there aren’t that many refineries. No matter what gas station you go to, your gas is most likely coming from the same closest refinery. The only exceptions here are a few of the name brands, and even then it may not be true, they have their detergent blended too it.
The detergent is the biggest difference. Top Tier brands are guaranteed to have 2x the EPA mandated minimum detergent levels.
If you aren’t getting more detergent at the pump, you end up having to pour it in later to restore performance.
Can you cite any evidence that lower tier gas gives worse MPG?
Lower octane gas definitely gives you less power. The owner’s manual for my car gives two different horsepower ratings for different octane gasoline.
Project Farm did a scientific comparison and while the higher octane fuel does give a bit more power and efficiency it doesn’t generally result in much difference. Like less than 5%.
Lower octane is not lower tiered. Lower tiered is buying gas at Kroger or Costco vs Shell
https://www.consumerreports.org/cars/fuel-economy-efficiency/top-tier-gas-is-better-for-your-car-and-might-be-among-the-c-a9639508891/
That article is talking about the quality of gas and not regular vs premium. Quality is very important and “top tier” is a rating that sets a minimum quantity of detergents and max water content. So it’s good to try and find that top tier sticker on the pump but it’s still marketing. Top tier is a company AFAIK that sells the label after verifying the gas meets their requirements. All gas comes from the same place in your area so the top tier thing is even more questionable.
Also that article mentioned regular vs premium and says not to bother using premium if your vehicle doesn’t require it.
Top Tier is about detergent pack, not about regular versus premium, so I’m not sure why you bring that up. Top Tier requires 2x the EPA mandated minimum detergent.
Oh shoot thought you replied to my comment, can’t trace lines well I guess.
I was looking into it a bit and the whole thing seems scummy. Yes it sets requirements that are hand wavey good for your engine. But it also seems to force gas stations into using only a handful of vendors so they get that sticker. It’s endorsed by the big automakers but they also endorse the regular fuel standards. I wonder who is paying top tier LLC for the sticker and all their marketing?
The stations that carry it tend to only carry one brand to begin with. The owner of that brand is generally the one that pays, as they have to submit for testing at their own expense.
It’s not always more expensive. All Costco gas is Top Tier, for instance.
They require the brand to use the 2x detergent level for every grade, at every location, to display the Top Tier logo.
I go through a tank of gas every 1-2 days. When I don’t fill with Top Tier, my fuel economy goes down on that tank. When I consistently don’t fill with Top Tier, my fuel economy goes down even on my next tank of Top Tier. That’s when it’s time to throw in a bottle of polyetheramine (Techron, Redline, Gumout Regane, etc.) to clean things up.
DI engines unfortunately require deeper, periodic cleaning, as the additive will not reach the valves. But I do not have a DI engine, so the detergent makes a significant difference.
It particularly makes a difference in how often I have to (or do not have to) replace lifters to keep them in spec. This engine has solid, non-adjustable lifters.