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What is TOP TIER gasoline and what role do additives play?
Isn't all gasoline the same?
Can one type of gas really give me better mileage than another?
Can one brand of gasoline work better to clean my engine?
What is TOP TIER gasoline? Where do I find it? Everyone is familiar with the
different octane grades of gas, and the grade prices, available at the pump.
Typically, premium grade gasoline only has a higher level of octane which is required by
some very specific engines.
But premium grade gasoline at the pump
does not necessarily mean a higher quality fuel.
In reality, most cars are designed to run on regular gas which is 87 octane.
You may think that one brand of regular gas is the same as the next one offered
down the street.
But that's not really true.
In fact, fuel marketers often formulate and differentiate their gasoline to deliver
very real performance benefits for their customers.
So what makes one brand of gas different from another?
It's the fuel additives.
Since 1995,
all gas in the U.S. is required by law to contain a minimum quantity of deposit
control additives.
Simply put, these fuel additives help keep engine components clean,
like fuel injectors and intake valves, resulting in lower emissions,
improved fuel economy, and better power in the vehicle.
But in 2004, as engines had already evolved significantly,
six automakers, GM, BMW, Toyota,
Honda, VW, and Audi, began to recommend higher levels of additive.
They felt the current EPA minimum deposit control requirements did not ensure
optimal engine performance,
especially given their ever-advancing engine designs.
These automakers came up with a new standard for gasoline with greater
deposit control performance.
This higher quality gasoline standard is known as TOP TIER.
To achieve a TOP TIER designation,
a gasoline must achieve a higher level of engine cleaning performance through deposit control additives,
can not contain metallic additives, making it a cleaner fuel
and better for emissions, and must be available at all of a fuel marketer's stations.
So TOP TIER gasoline is not a grade or octane level of gas.
Instead, it identifies a gas that contains a standardized higher level of deposit
control performance,
better capable of keeping today's more complex vehicles running at peak performance.
Not every gas station offers TOP TIER gasoline,
but if available,
it is typically identified by the fuel marketer.
Always look for the TOP TIER logo at your favorite gas station.
For more information on TOP TIER gasoline or to see a list of TOP TIER
certified brands,
visit www.toptiergas.com