As the price of fuel goes up and up more drivers are thinking about using generic gas from stations that are not affiliated with the big international gas companies like Exxon or Shell. The question is, can you get the same quality of gas from ABC gas station as you can get from the big guys? Will the XYZ gas run your car with out causing damage to your engine? The answer plain and simple is, there is not much difference between the generic gas and the branded gas other than some additives which each company has added to it's gas. To really understand why it is so similar a quick look at how the gas refining system works makes the picture clear. In general fuel produced at refineries is what is called a generic product. In specific regions of the country gas has to meet certain environmental specifications. Because all gas in those regions gas depots are produced to the same specifications, gas refiners often share and exchange gasoline and store it in common tanks. The gasoline that is produced at one refinery is not really different than another refinery. They all produce what one would call generic gas. It is the chemicals that are added to the generic gas that makes one brand different from another. Each brand has it's own formula of additives. This adding of the brand additives usually takes place when the gas is being put into the tanker truck for distribution. In essence all the companies are starting with the same generic gas as their main component. You can now see why generic gas is really the same as the branded gas. Just to be safe, there have been studies to see if there is a difference between generic fuel and branded fuel. The latest research was a cooperative study was done by the Maryland State Comptroller's office and ABC News. Scientists at the Fuel Testing Lab performed a myriad of tests on generic and branded gasoline. The gasoline was tested for many things including contaminants like excessive sediments or diesel that might have gotten mixed with the gas. The scientists put the fuel into a special test engine to make sure that the fuel was all 87 octane. The chemists at the lab even made sure that the fuel was properly formulated for the current season as mandated by regulations. The good news for you is that the study showed that generic and branded gas are basically the same. They found that for the most part the gas was one and the same. The biggest difference between competing brands of gas is how much detergent or additives are added to it. Even with the additives the differences are small. Essentially gas is gas is gas. All fuel sold for your vehicle regardless if it is generic or branded will work just fine. The one big difference is really what you already knew, the non branded gas has the lower price. $100 to $200 per year is the estimate that is used in gauging how much you can save by using generic gas. Go to the generic station the next time you fill up and save yourself some cash.
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As the price of fuel goes up and up more drivers are thinking about using generic gas from stations that are not affiliated with the big international gas companies like Exxon or Shell. The question is, can you get the same quality of gas from ABC gas station as you can get from the big guys? Will the XYZ gas run your car with out causing damage to your engine?
Scott Siegel is the author of a 143 page manual of industry insider secrets on saving gas and money at the gas pump. Visit us to discover how you can get better gas mileage. Find out how to increase gas mileage. Click here to get your own unique version of this article from the lower gas costs Articles Submissions Service
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