Arco is top tier fuel?

[RCB]

Anyone using it in an Air cooled? Been using Union 76 or Chevron and have stayed away from Arco because of the cost. Cheap gas meant cheap additives. Its like 25cents cheaper than 76/Chevron is right now. Years ago I used it but was advised that it didn't have a very good "package" incorporated into it and 76/Chevron would be a better choice due to the fact they went above and beyond what the Government requirements were.

[seventyfo]

I got a tank of Arco gas in Hoquiam OR on our trip last month and had problems right away ended up changing the fuel filter out. The only Arco gas I got on the trip.
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85 Vanagon GL Westy GW 2.2 (Rebuilt by YT)


"I don't know you well enough to care about your comments". Watkins Cravey

[insyncro]

Stewart's 91 E free is all I run now.
They purchase it in Canada where they don't require ethanol in the mix.
Really good stuff and you feel the difference immediately, plus when idling it is smooth as silk.

Real Gas

[Terry Kay]

This is all that I use--right from a pump--

Sunoco® 260 GTX™ is an unleaded racing fuel that contains no oxygenates and no metallic additives. 260 GTX is a good fuel for many applications that need more detonation protection than typical street gas provides, yet cannot use a leaded fuel. It has been shown to produce repeatable power levels in small block V8 engines to 12:1 compression ratio, and will tolerate more compression in engines with smaller or more efficient combustion chambers. Turbocharged and supercharged race cars that require an unleaded fuel are good candidates for Sunoco 260 GTX.

When Sinclair / then became Arco was around here in the Midwest it was decent fuel--don't know what happened to it when it got out west --

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T.K.

[insyncro]

TK, I used to run Sunoco Race Fuel when I worked at the track.
ELF before that.
Now we have to buy 55gallon barrels so we get oxygenated 112 and mix it with the 91 E free to make a road mix.

Mostly for the 2 strokes and race machines we have, but plenty gets sent through a Van, WBX and Subaru engines.

[RCB]

[RCB]

[Terry Kay]

Pay attention Bobby---jump back 4-5 posts.
No issues, good gas.
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T.K.

[RCB]

[Terry Kay]

"POWER TO USE, NOT ABUSE"

Bobby,

Could have been the gas station who is selling the gas.
I've gotten bad loads of gas in my days, from some obscure stations out in BFE.

Anything is possible.

Or are you saying that all of the Arco gas from every station is all bad?
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T.K.

[j_dirge]

RCB,

I use mostly Chevron/Texaco.. 76 and Shell.
An occasional tank of ARCO is fine. And I doubt you'd have issues even if you used it ALL the time.
A chemical engineer (in my family) who works for a major refinery here.. says most all gas sold (legally) in CA is fine since its all formulated to meet the strict CalEPA seasonal standards.

However, the varying brands have differing cleaners/additives and Rolf (now retired SF Vanangon go-to mechanic) always recommended a good HWY run to clean out injectors now and then.. and/or some Lucas or other "injector cleaner" run in every 4th or 5th tank.

Cheers,
j
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-89 GL Westy, SVX.. finally.

-57 pan f/g buggy with a 67 pancake Type 3 "S"
"Jimi Hendrix owned one. Richard Nixon did not"
-Grand Tour, Season 1, episodes 4 and 5

[Terry Kay]

Marathon gasoline is good stuff.
They add Chevron Textron to their fuel--never had any issues with it.
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T.K.

[insyncro]

[Tully Mars]

I run Arco quite often and have never had a problem. Burn the Costco stuff too. Is there better gasoline in SoCal for a Vanagon? Don't know. But I am not paying 50 cents per gallon extra for Chevron gasoline.
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I'm a man. But I can change.
If I have to.
I guess.
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84 Wolfsburg Westfalia
Hobie Cow

[Terry Kay]

Bob,

Is it one Arco station selling you bad gas, or all of them in your surrounding area?

If the answer us one, go to another and see what happens.
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T.K.

[shadetreetim]

We have been using Arco gas for several years now for our fleet vehicles. There seems to be an Arco on every corner in SoCal, with 6 Arco's within two miles of my office. Prior to switching, we used Shell. When we ran Shell fuel, our trucks had zero fuel related issues, other than the occasional fuel filter due to high miles. For the record, each of our 15 trucks typically runs through 50-70 gallons of fuel in a week, purchased from random Arco stations throughout the Los Angeles / San Diego / Inland Empire area

After switching to Arco, 2/3rds of our trucks have had fuel issues, bucking, stalling, loss of power, etc, with no respect to the age of the vehicle. One Transit Connect Van, with less than 40,000 miles on it, was diagnosed by the dealer as having a bad throttle body, by another mechanic as having a bad computer. I brought it back to the office and treated two tanks of fuel with Marvel Mystery Oil. Symptoms completely disappeared, power was restored... for the next 10,000 miles. We now treat all vehicles to a tank of MMO fuel every month. In my own work truck, I stop at Shell or Chevron every fifth tank or so.

In my wifes Tiguan, she swears it runs worse with Arco gas. We normally use Shell or Chevron in it. My 1.8t in the Vanagon doesn't seem to care either way, but based on our fleet experience, I typically only use Arco for the occasional fill up.

YMMV...Anecdotal at best...That's what she said...
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Tim Potts

Doing my best every time I drive it to dispel the myth these Vanagons have to be slow!


'89 Vanagon Bluestar/Country Homes 1.8T & .77 4th
'74 Jeep CJ5

[Chuey]

Not to be the country bumpkin here, or anything, but I usually use what's cheapest. Even in my aircooled (1964 forty horse bug - admittedly, not a Vanagon), it has never given me a problem.

I have to admit, I don't know if my vehicles would work better if I used more expensive gas.

Chuey

[Hnoroian]

Multiple cars and no problems with arco, including my 68. Every out of town I run a bottle of injector cleaner/fuel system cleaner though. Most of the family uses it too.
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Stupid people do stupid things.

[pb_foots]

Arco is fine, quit stressing. Any stories of bad gas are due to the station, not the refinery.

I don't use Arco anymore because of their stupid central payment kiosk thing. I really don't want to wait in line behind the dirtbag trying to stuff wadded up singles into the machine so he can get 3.00 worth of regular to get to the crack house.

but the gas is fine man, no worries. My has car has had hundreds of gallons of that stuff run through it with zero issues. Also Terrible Herbst, Costco, various no name middle of nowhere gas station gas, etc.

It's not a Bugatti Veyron, it's a low compression engine that'll run on goat piss if it has to.

[Jon Schmid]

I would not consider Arco a top tier fuel. Same with Valero. I only run 76, Chevron or Shell in all my cars and my air cooled ones get an occasional shot of Marvel Mystery Oil as well. The cars run as well as can be expected on CA's ethanol laced crap gas. I've heard good things about Costco gas but since I'm not a member I cannot personally vouch for it.