GAS: Best brand (top tier) and type (regular) of gas for mpg & maintenance?

SidCivic

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Hi Civic Friends!

I just bought a 2015 Honda Civic LX Sedan CVT Automatic 1.8 Liter 4 cyclinder, live in sunny San Diego, California, and drive 80% highway miles. Already hit 5k miles in 2.5 months and looks like I'll avg. around 25k miles this first year. Looking to put the best type of gas in the vehicle from the beginning. Concerned most with mpg and maintenance, not necessarily performance since I'm not racing the thing. I have read that top tier gas is best and premium is not worth the slight potential mpg advantage over regular. The research online is very confusing and contradictory, so I thought I'd ask you all for your feedback.

1. What brand of gas do you recommend? - I have read that top tier gas sold at these retailers is better than tier 2 gas or gas at other gas stations. http://www.toptiergas.com/retailers/
2. What type of gas do you recommend (regular or premium)? - I have read that premium MAY provide SLIGHT mpg advantage over regular, but that the increase in mpg is not worth the added cost.

Sorry for any silly questions. First new Honda and trying to treat it right. Thanks for your help!
 

lethal6

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Hands down 100% only gas that has ever gone in my vehicles while I own them is Chevron.

ONLY use regular. If the car was built and tuned for it, you are throwing money away using premium. These cars weren't built for premium and not tuned to take advantage of it. You will NOT gain any MPG by using it and in most cases you might even lose some as it burns off too quick.

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HeX

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If you car recommends regular octane then thats what you use. Here's the simple rule to know: higher octane means a higher combustion temperature is needed to burn the fuel used. If your engine recommends regular then thats what you should use because it cant burn up to the optimal temperature needed to burn higher octanes completely. The wives-tale of premium gas providing better MPG is a false logic principal. If your car recommends premium and you give it regular then its burning the regular too quickly thus losing combustion and requiring more effort and fuel to operate. Its like saying drinking water makes you feel great compared to drinking urine. So ONLY use the recommended gas on a stock engine. When an engine is heavily modified, then higher octanes may be beneficial, but you're not in that category so dont worry about it.

As for which fuel brand to use, I heavily recommend Chevron. They have great fuel and Techron is arguably the best fuel additive for multiple reasons. Chevron researches alot into the most effective fuel additives. I personally hate Shell gas. It always feels like it bogs down my car. Im pretty sure Texacos another great one (I dont have any locally anymore) and BP is also very good. Those are my suggestions.
 
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SidCivic

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Lethal 6 - Thanks for the specifics on Chevron! I have one near my home so I will use that from now on.

HeX - Thanks for the detailed comparison of regular vs. premium! I always used the 87 regular, and will continue to do so with good conscience now.
 


xxBLOOD88SHOTxx

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I've never had an issue with Arco gas, in fact my best MPG in the Subie was from an Arco station. Never any complaints from Chevron. I wont go to the Texaco stations around here because they are low traffic and who knows how long that fuel sits in those tanks.
 

lethal6

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Arco used to be garbage gas, but were bought out by BP in like 2004 I think.

As a heads up if you can't find Chevron stations when you are out and about, Chevron and Texaco are the same company now. At least they are around here. All the stations that were Texaco switched their signs, with the exception of a couple that say Chevron/Texaco. My gas card was even changed and has both logos on it now.
 

XpL0d3r

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No Chevrons or Texaco's out here. It's all Hess, Sunoco, and Mobil, and 7/11's. I drive 4 hours to my hometown and it's those minus 7/11 plus BP and Shell.

So with all my options here, Hess gets my vote. (BP or Shell when visiting home)
 

bairdandrew77

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I typically get gas from Costco, since it's usually the cheapest and my family's paying for the membership. But I'd still say use chevron if you can afford it, I put it in my car every few fill ups

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xxBLOOD88SHOTxx

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Arco used to be garbage gas, but were bought out by BP in like 2004 I think.

As a heads up if you can't find Chevron stations when you are out and about, Chevron and Texaco are the same company now. At least they are around here. All the stations that were Texaco switched their signs, with the exception of a couple that say Chevron/Texaco. My gas card was even changed and has both logos on it now.
Well that's the year I started driving (december anyway) and never had an issue. My gramp's 1985 Sierra has at least 110k exclusively on Arco fuel, and he has had that truck since at least 2001-2002. His Jeep however (04 Wrangler) has 64k on it with primarily Costco gas, and the few tanks I've gone through on it the Arco fuel did worse than his Costco fuel, or so he says. He told me he had a tank average 24mpg, I still don't believe him the way that POS drives.

I need to find a 94 or even 93 station as I'm running a Cobb OTS 93 octane tune on my Legacy but I've only found 92. I just don't rip on it when it is hot out and I've averaged 20 more miles for 3 tanks in a row.

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Osiris19

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I run sunoco and prefer it to most other stations, and Exxon if there's no sunocos

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c00k13

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I always use chevron and keep to regular. No issues with that.

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dameister

New Member
Hi Civic Friends!

I just bought a 2015 Honda Civic LX Sedan CVT Automatic 1.8 Liter 4 cyclinder, live in sunny San Diego, California, and drive 80% highway miles. Already hit 5k miles in 2.5 months and looks like I'll avg. around 25k miles this first year. Looking to put the best type of gas in the vehicle from the beginning. Concerned most with mpg and maintenance, not necessarily performance since I'm not racing the thing. I have read that top tier gas is best and premium is not worth the slight potential mpg advantage over regular. The research online is very confusing and contradictory, so I thought I'd ask you all for your feedback.

1. What brand of gas do you recommend? - I have read that top tier gas sold at these retailers is better than tier 2 gas or gas at other gas stations. http://www.toptiergas.com/retailers/
2. What type of gas do you recommend (regular or premium)? - I have read that premium MAY provide SLIGHT mpg advantage over regular, but that the increase in mpg is not worth the added cost.

Sorry for any silly questions. First new Honda and trying to treat it right. Thanks for your help!
Interesting question... and I don't see anybody yet coming forth with their mpg using whatever gasoline they prefer.
My wife, using the car for going to work about 17 miles one way per day, about 50% country road and 50 % in town: about high 26 to over 37 mpg with ANYOLDGAS type that is CHEAP.
We are talking about $1.83/gallon today at the Sheets, Valero, Exxon, and Costco stations around here
 

HeX

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Interesting question... and I don't see anybody yet coming forth with their mpg using whatever gasoline they prefer.
Well, his MPG inquiry was pertaining more to the comparative use of Premium versus Regular octanes, to which I already replied and answered in length. Besides that, he cared more about fuel quality than brand-specific efficiency. Hence, why no one is providing MPG info.

I personally never completely used a tankful of seemingly poor gas in order to calculate MPG. In the rare instance that I filled up at a less preferred gas station, I would use up half the tankful then fill up with better fuel for the sake of increasing the overall quality via mixing, then drive that tankful to empty. I haven't done that in years once I began the tactic of only putting enough gallons of the low quality fuel to get me to a reputable quality gas station to then fill up. I cant stand how cars run on crappy fuel so I don't have the patience to feel that for a full tankful.
 

'13K24Si

Respected
I use Shell 93 octane in a '13 Si. I can get as much as 39mpg highway if I set the cruise at 55-60mph. When I drive at higher highway speeds, I'm at about 26mpg. The mpg is the same with all the fuels I've used which consists of Shell, Chevron, and Exxon. The mpg will mostly depend on the speeds you drive.
 

ps1man5189

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I used to use chevron because I lived right next to it but now I live next to a bp. Chevron probably is the best gas but bp is excellent too. I also run Castrol edge gold bottle, and techs on fuel system cleaner every oil change. The car is so quiet it almost sounds like a hybrid.


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SidCivic

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I used to use chevron because I lived right next to it but now I live next to a bp. Chevron probably is the best gas but bp is excellent too. I also run Castrol edge gold bottle, and techs on fuel system cleaner every oil change. The car is so quiet it almost sounds like a hybrid.


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Thanks for the tips on this thread and my other 2 threads Ps1 man!
 

HockeyZombies

Respected
I run 87 or 91 non ethanol from Caseys or Hyvee. If your stuck using E 10 gas select it from a name brand station or at least a station that see's plenty of traffic to keep supply fresh. Using Gumout with Regane or All in One Gumout will stabalize the ethanol and has PEA which cleans and protects well and is great for Direct Injection motors. Dont use Marvel Mystery oil, Lucas fuel stabalizer, or Seafoam. Seafoam has alcohol in it,essentially its extra ethanol your car doesnt need. Lucas is basically kerosene, great to soak an old rifle barrel in for rust removal and thats it. Wiki marvel mystery oil..airplane used it and lost octane points and crashed!
 


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