What brand of gas do you feed your Vanagon?

[t_man]

[seanjenn]

Usually mid grade, high grade if I'm cruising through the passes or loaded down. Not sure if it helps much, makes me feel better though.
About once a month I'll run some Marvel through the system.
I don't ever get gas at a station when the in-ground tanks are being refilled.
No brand loyalty really.
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1987 GL Sunroof
2.1 4 spd

[thisguyfel]

thanks for these tips.
my van is going from daily driver, to purely recreational.
i won't be going through gas nearly as quick as i used to,
so i'm looking at ways to keep things in order.

[buildyourown]

I think more than anything, you should buy gas from newer stations that move some product. You want fresh gas that been stored in newer tanks. The 40yo pumps in the middle of the desert are the scary ones. There is a lot of crap in those old steel tanks. Ever seen one get pulled?

[udidwht]

[randywebb]

[morymob]

My beater, a 3cyl-Geo, ihad used the pure gas when possible. Thru the winter and now that its pretty warm i think the pure-gas has been reformulated as i don't get better mi on it or my WBX either and i check mi at every fill up. Will try thru this mo and if same will just run whatever, eth or not.

[?Waldo?]

[Mark]

Chevron. Not because of any brand loyalty or noted performance-based results but because they're just down the road and usually have the best price during our ongoing gas war.

[greenbus pilot]

You guys have name - brand gas stations?
Anyways, the price is always EXACTLY the same anywhere in town, cuz they all jack it up every day at the same time, in the same increments- usually 5 cents per day. I think they all call each other and agree on the days' price.
And, no, I use whatever is handy. Never had any problem. Yet. It all comes out the same pipe, thru Chicago.
So, if all the stations use the same gas, but a couple claim "top tier", why does it all cost exactly the same?
And then, why does it go up even though their tank was just filled yesterday, and you KNOW that gas was paid for at YESTERDAY'S prevailing price, yet it still jumps daily? Oh yeah, - greed.
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Sent from a white van down the street.

[randywebb]

unless you average a large number of fill ups together, then 10% does not sound like an unusual deviation based on how these things work


re the earlier post:
Et-OH is well known to lower mileage, just as it cleans the engine
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1986 2.1L Westy 2wd Auto Trans.

[?Waldo?]

In a diesel VW I tracked the fuel mileage on the same commute over several tanks of fuel bought alternating between two name brands. There was a 10% difference in fuel economy that directly coincided with which brand I used. This could potentially be an error in their measured quantity, but 10% seems like a really big mistake if that's the case.

[reluctantartist]

I used to be loyal to a brand until everything went to the gasohol fuels. Now if I happen to find a place on the map:

http://pure-gas.org/

If it is close to where I am going I will buy it there. I have noticed a difference in mpg with straight fuel verses the 10% alcohol fuels. For me all of the brands suck, but I will keep Glenn's advice in mind.
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1982 Westy, 1974 412 Variant... Yes, Aircooled's are great! Oh and I do have modern computer controlled vehicles too, but I just don't care about them.

[joseph928]

Safeway gas, we buy a lot of food, makes the gas cheaper! But then again if it will burn we will come! price! is the god of gas now.
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1987 syncro westy tin top sun roof , GW2.3, rear locker, decoupler, Gary Lee tire rack & winch mount, lift, south african grill, big brakes , rhein alloy ,15 BFG AT, Fiamma 10 foot awning ,140 watt rear 85 watt front solar , mppt, truckfridge, automatic fire extinguishing system, tencent oil cooler, And a RMW SS exhaust! - 1971 bug convertible 1776 engine- 2010 Subaru turbo - 1993 Toyota 4x4 truck - 1999 Harley 95 CI, big bore, Andrews cams . Also 80-84- vans. Stock 65 sunroof bug.

[msinabottle]

I listened to a long discussion about this on 'Drive Radio,' a local car repair and maintenance radio show. They were rather firm in recommending what's described on this page:

http://www.toptiergas.com/

All I can say, is that after I switched Winston over to Conoco, he quit eating so many plastic pre-filters, and seems to run and idle better. Mileage went back up to 24 MPG after dipping on the cheaper gas at Sinclair.

I should still replace the pre-filter this season--he's gone two years without a new one!

Best!
_________________
'Winston,' '84 1.9 WBX Westy
Vanagon Poet Laureate: "I have suffered in
many ways, but never, never, never in silence."

[Jake de Villiers]

I've used most everything they sell in western Canada and the USA with good results *EXCEPT* for Union 76. Three different vans, three different stations, yet each time the gas caused a niggling high-speed miss on the highway that went away with the next tank of gas.

So, no 76 for me...
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'84 Vanagon GL 1.9 WBX
'86 Westy Weekender Poptop/2.5 Subaru/5 Speed Posi/Audi Front Brakes/16 x 7 Mercedes Wheels - answers to 'Dixie'
@jakedevilliersmusic1
http://sites.google.com/site/subyjake/mydixiedarlin%27
www.crescentbeachguitar.com
www.thebassspa.com

[morymob]

Being loyal to a gas brand stopped a long time ago, now i just require it being able to lite with a match.

[madspaniard]

Costco, no regrets, no ill effects so far...don't see the value of paying extra for Chevron or Shell
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1991 Westy auto w/ Peloquin TBD

"The only difference between me and a madman is that I'm not mad” - Salvador Dali

[mtwrench540]

i will back you up glenn,my father worked for mobile at a tank farm and across there was exxon and gulf farms,ALL of thier product came down the same big pipeline from N.J.,even diesel! so make your own conclusion,but yes additives are added after the fact!
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87 wolfsberg,74 181w/1915 and lots of patina! learned to fix vw's from hot vw mag in 1964,VWOA instructor,DSM,69 to73,service mgr at different porsche-audi dealers etc,etc,now retired!!! first vw new 64,transplanted 356 eng in 65,400characters are not enough space!!

[WestyBob]

I'll echo I use Chevron whenever possible. I'll also use whatever's available in a pinch like Shell, Conoco and Texaco which all worked fine. BP isn't bad but usually very expensive in my 'hood. Overall I just use regular without any problems.

The only problem I ever had in a vanagon is with the local (Portland) Arco sometimes which is notorious for their additives although often cheapest. In my old air-coolers I could usually burn anything, even Arco, but the vanagons (stock) are a little more touchy.

As already mentioned, the small station in the woods that seldom gets visited has a greater chance for introducing water and crud.