Generic Gas Can You Save You Money And Not Harm Your Car!

Generic Gas Can You Save You Money And Not Harm Your Car!

By:


As the price of gas continues to go up more consumers are thinking about using generic gas from gas stations that are not part of the international gas companies. The question in many drivers minds is, can I get the same quality of gas from ABC station as I can get from Shell or Exxon? Will the ABC gas be OK for my car?

The answer is yes the generic gas will work just fine. There is really not much difference between the generic gas and the more expensive branded gasoline except for additives that define a company brand. To understand how this can be you can take a quick look at how the gas refining system handles the gas it produces. This makes the generic versus brand argument easy to figure out.

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 gas that is made at one refinery is the same as any other refinery. They all produce what is known as generic gas. The chemicals that are added to the generic gas is what makes one company's gas different from another's. Each brand has it's particular recipe of additives.

Such blending or adding of these brand chemicals or additives typically takes place when the gasoline is being loaded into a tanker truck for further distribution. In other words all the brands are starting with essentially the same generic gas as their main component. So generic gas is basically 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.

The Maryland Fuel Testing Laboratory was where a battery of tests were conducted. The gas was checked for contaminants like excessive sediments or diesel accidentally mixed with the gas. They ran the gas through an elaborate test engine to ensure that the gas was all the same 87 octane level. They even made sure that the gas was formulated correctly for the season.

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.

So basically gas is gas and all the gas sold in stations whether it is from a branded station or a generic station will work just fine in your car. The biggest difference it turns out is only 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.

About the Author:
Scott Siegel is the author of a 143 page book of automotive industry insider secrets on saving gas and money at the gas pump. Visit us to learn how you can get better gas mileage. Find out how to increase gas mileage.
This article is available as a unique content article with free reprint rights.



Article Originally Published On: http://www.articlesnatch.com


Tags: , , , , , , , ,

|

Loading...
Related....
Videos...

Recent Automobiles Articles

Comments

Still can't find what you are looking for? Search for it!

Loading

Site Navigation:

Copyright 2005-2011 ArticleSnatch, LLC - All Rights Reserved.
Privacy Policy | Terms of Service.