Costco or Sam's club Gas really bad?

[bcj]

Originally Posted by Celica00

does Seattle have 93 octane?

No. We've only got 91 available in most name brand stations.
Some very small retailers have different options, but they are few, far away
and the fuel may have been sitting in the tanks a long time.

[BobbyDee]

Im glad someone brought this up. I tried Costco gas for a month and Chevron for a month. Throughout these tests, i paid close attention to crickets/any noise in the engine bay, and mileage I was getting. So far at the end of the testing I came to conclusion, they were the same. The mileage numbers weren't exactly accurate (because it varies on driving style) but were close enough to be exact. (probably a couple miles higher or less every fill up) So for me, im gonna fill up at costco, the lines dont really bother me because i really enjoy listening to my sound system in my car, but thats the only downside for costco. Right now in the Los Angeles, gas for Costco 91 is $2.85 and the cheapest Chevron 91 I go to $3.03. Both are local to me.

Another reason I costco gas convinced me was, I noticed there was wayyy more high end cars than the twins. M3, AMG line Mercedes, and S-line Audis, and STI were filling up at costco. Could be a lease or costco gas is the same or just as good as other brands.

[mav1178]

Originally Posted by Fred E

http://www.costco.com/kirkland-signature-gasoline.html

Costco is using 5x the EPA required amount of detergent additives in their fuel. "Top Tier" status is granted to brands that use the minimum amount of detergent listed in both the Clean Air Act and 40 CFR Part 80 by the EPA.

What's the difference between the minimum, 5x, and 50x the detergent as required by the Federal Govt?

I never take anything that a manufacturer or Direct Market Retailer (DMR) says at face value. Having worked in a marketing-sensitive industry for so long (automotive aftermarket + tech industry), it's just all a bunch of BS to me.

-alex

[finch1750]

I use Costco and its fine. Pretty much everything has been fine that I have used except the one time I used Arco when I was bone dry almost and crickets got hella loud. Only done it once but I haven't used it since to see if it was coincidence.

[gtslow]

Costco is great for 2 reason:

1. The Price
2. You know with the amount of people going through the gas is fresh


The only downside is the lines, but those can be avoided depending upon the time that you go.

[Locust]

Shell and nothing else. Chevron knocks. Costco has minimum additives. Etc. Then again my Evo is more picky than the FR-S.

[zonda]

mainly use arco, sometimes costco. its a different result every time in terms of crickets. sometimes they both give crickets, sometimes not. engine feels good at 20k

[chaoskaze]

Good to know I should be safe with costco Thank for all the input guys. Time To burn rubber


& ya I avoid Arco @ all cost possible.... even my CRV has absolutely no grunt at all with arco plus mileage got worse.

[fumanchu1]

Originally Posted by extrashaky

IIRC, Walmart and Sam's Club sell Murphy USA gasoline, which is not top tier. I have used Sam's Club gas in both my vehicles, and they ran just fine on it without any major difference in mileage or performance.

HOWEVER, I avoid Sam's Club gas in my BRZ, because it turns the minor chirping of the fuel pump into a cricket symphony. It sounds like I have the whole swamp under my hood. It's the only time I've ever really been annoyed by the chirping crickets. I don't know what the hell they're putting into their additive package to cause that reaction, but it is immediate and impossible to ignore.



The top tier gas standard also requires that the fuel contain at least 8% ethanol. So the folks who search out ethanol-free gas in an attempt to avoid crickets are not running top tier even if they buy it from a station branded as one of the top tier brands.

Not trying to discredit you but Sources?! You're throwing out very specific names and numbers and I would like to know where you got them from (I am genuinely interested in the subject)

[fumanchu1]

Originally Posted by dre208

I've been using Costco 91 and I actually noticed I don't get the crickets as often when I use Costco as opposed to lets say Esso or Petro Canada.

What octane do Costco's have around here? Curious but I only go to Petro since 94 octane)

[DarkSunrise]

Originally Posted by MokSpeed

Exactly. I hate always hearing this. Every since going FI I've become more weary of what I fill my tank with now. I'm always logging and making sure the gas I get isn't knock prone. Gas quality isn't something that can be identified by brand name. You just gotta find pumps that consistently offer quality gas.

Agree, I think this is the only real way to know. You need to log knock and timing advance as you get gas from various pumps. I started doing this a bit with my OFT and found a few surprises locally.

[dre208]

Originally Posted by fumanchu1

What octane do Costco's have around here? Curious but I only go to Petro since 94 octane)

I know they have 91 for sure as that's what I put. I think the other octane was 89. they are quite a bit cheaper though and the lines aren't too bad if you're there at the right times.

[fumanchu1]

Do you need a member's card to buy gas there? or is it like Costco Online where it is not needed

[chaoskaze]

Originally Posted by fumanchu1

Do you need a member's card to buy gas there? or is it like Costco Online where it is not needed

You do.