Here's info referring to TOP TIER Gasoline in the '15 and '16 FIT owner's manual on page 347 . This also applies to older FITS , https://www.fitfreak.net/forums/3rd-...0-miles-3.html , post 44 on page 3 . May want to read these . http://www.toptiergas.com/ and Retailers . VALERO and CITGO are a few out of many . Sadly , it depends on region for variety . If it's a station with ethanol of 10% ( or greater ) for 87 and 89 , but not the 91 ( non E ) , you may want to consider getting 89 because it's a blend of 87 w/ E10 and 91 ( non E ) making it a E5 with a little gain of detergent as well . Could help preserve the life and efficiency of the vehicle for only a small amount of more money instead possible costly fixes at a shop . ( Click photo to enlarge )

 

For day to day Chevron 87 to save $$.

If I am taking a highway road trip, then 91 to maximize performance and MPG. Gets 1 to 3 MPG better with 91 on my 2009 FIT and now my 2015 FIT.

If Chevron is not available in your area, then Mobil. I would not put lesser quality fuels in a car I own.

There is a reason Chevron cost more.

 

I follow what the manufacturer states in the manual: 87 octane from Chevron because it is the closest station to my house.
We put premium in my wife's car, 2012 Acura MDX, because the manual states that is what we should use.

 

If you trace fuel to the source, in most cities in the US ,, there are only 2 or 3 distinct gas sources, the additives are added at the distributor when the truck leaves the plant. Then base fuel is the same for most stations. (I had some time in the industry and spent a lot of time with the chemists for several oil companies) most quality 89 is NOT blended from 87 and 91/92 octane. Fuel additives don't work consistently that way. The difference between 87-E10 and 89-E10 is insignificant in most cars.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_o...ve_fuel_brands You'll see how convoluted the fuel industry is.. Want even more fun ? Go check out who's on the boards of each oil company, you'll find some "overlap" LOL

Fuel quality is affected more by the cleanliness of the stations tanks you fill up at than the distribution source.

 

Was told different of the 89 w/E5 by 2 large suppliers . Said a blend of the 87 w/E10 and 91 non E for a 89 w/ E5 . A gasoline driver told us that the additives are added at the station as you said . Also stated many gasoline brands come from same distribution depot for a large area . He also said he likes MOBIL the best for quality . Some gas pumps now have a 89 w/E5 sticker near the 89 selector .

 

In many locations there is only one pipeline terminal that services all brands in a geographic area. Even in highly populated areas there are still only a few terminals. As an example all gasoline supplied to the Chicago / Milwaukee metro areas and 100 miles around is trucked from only two terminals. Going beyond that area the fuel is delivered by pipeline from the same two refineries to a local terminal that then supplies all brands for their geographic area. Gone are the days where you had several separate refineries for various brands in any area. It now all comes from the same few places. This saves both in transportation and refining costs.

The only additive mixed at the terminal is Ethanol. This is because ethanol can not be shipped by pipeline and ethanol mixing rules vary by EPA attainment and non-attainment areas. Ethanol has to be delivered to the terminal by rail or truck and mixed locally.

 

Two long stories short 1)Top Tier is hype and 2) Ethanol is an EPA scam. IMO and YMMV

 

Interesting...always suspected people were falling for the higher octane thing for no good reason.

 

No credible authority has ever suggested using a gasoline with a higher octane rating than that recommended by the manufacturer will offer any benefits. Some people have inferred (without solid evidence) that higher octane fuels contain more cleaning additives than lower octane fuels, but that has not been convincingly confirmed. On the other hand, there is solid technical evidence that using a higher octane fuel than recommended for the vehicle may (and the operative word here is MAY, and not WILL) result in less complete combustion that results in problems like carbon build-up.

Both my local Shell and BP stations offer ethanol-free premium (93 octane) fuel, and while I always use that in my motorcycles, I am not convinced the benefits of ethanol-free fuel will outweigh the extra cost and potential for carbon build-up (a known issue with direct injection engines) for my Fit.

 

+1 !!

Ethanol free is almost Unicorn blood in my area..

 

1) Which one do you use and why? 87. I use only TopTierGas, I can say in previous vehicles they too preferred it. ie Shell, BP, Exxon/Mobil

2) Do you really notice a difference using 87 vs. 91 or 92 grade?
Unless you have a vehicle with high mileage from what I understand there generally is no difference.

 

Well I just got burned by not realizing that I was buying "Top Tier" fuel. This really does not apply to the Honda Fit because it uses a high pressure fuel pump in the tank that usually overcomes the vapor pressure problems of ethanol diluted fuel.

In my case I was driving my motorhome to a 1 week rally in Branson, Mo. My engine driven AC compressor leaked all of the refrigerant out and temperature was in the high 90's. I started my on board Onan generator and we ran the overhead AC on the trip to keep cool. I stopped and bought fuel but I did not test it for ethanol. I usually test the fuel at unknown stations, but it was 97 or 98 out and humid. So I just took on 40 gallons and continued my way. I got down the road about 15 minutes and my generator quit. I found a place in the shade behind a Walmart and let it cool while we went inside to cool off. 1 hour later we went on our way in the coach with the generator and AC running again. I got about 20 minutes down the road and it vapor locked again. I fought this problem the rest of the very hot day. The highest temp that I saw was 102. It was not a fun day.

The reason the generator failed and not the main engine is that the electric fuel pump on the generator is only 5 PSI, and mounted on the engine. It has a long way to suck the fuel out of the main tanks. The fuel from the same tank for the main engine is pumped at the tanks forward, where the generator sucks the fuel out of the tanks, reducing the pressure and causing the ethanol to boil at a much lower temperature.

Most modern vehicles have their fuel pumps in the tanks so the fuel is pushed under pressure reducing the vapor lock possibilities. I did have a vapor lock problem 2 years ago in my Blazer at 100 degrees out in the desert of Montana. (The Blazer uses an in tank pump and pressurizes the system to 55 to 60 PSI.) When I finally got to the next town 53 miles away, I stopped at a local garage / towing service. He asked me if I bought fuel at a certain brand name station in the previous town about 90 miles away. I had. He informed me that they sold ethanol diluted fuel. He said he tows in 2 or 3 cars a week from out on the desert when it is hot. All of them that he tows with a vapor lock problem bought ethanol diluted fuel in the previous town. His fix for the vapor lock problem when he get them back to town is to drain the tanks and fill them again at the local no name station with pure gasoline.

I asked what he did with the fuel he drained. He had a bunch of 55 gallon drums lined up that he saves the drained fuel in. He said that he will use the drained "free" fuel himself when the weather gets cooler.

I chose not to drain my tanks. Instead I went to a local restaurant for an hour while the car cooled down. Then I went to the local self service car wash across the street from the restaurant. I sprayed the engine, gas tank tank, and radiator down to completely cool them off. Then I waited until 7:30 in the evening and continued on my way. I drove another 240 miles that evening to get rid of that "top tier" fuel. Once that fuel was gone I never had a problem with vapor lock in that vehicle again.

So much for "Top Tier" craponol diluted fuel.

 

A.A.A. : Top tier gas is healthier for your vehicle . Go to , Some Gasolines Are Healthier for Your Car, AAA Says | Fox Business .

 

Use top tier gas in both cars , lawnmowers ( riding + push ) , generator and snow blowers for years with no issues .

 

Bullfeathers, marketing hype. Check the list, almost all major and a lot of secondary brands are listed.

 

AAA and Honda say use Top Tier; I use Top Tier. At these prices especially. What, I could have saved 25 cents a tank with Craptastic?

 

This is the original report by A.A.A.. AAA: Not All Gasoline Created Equal | AAA NewsRoom and much more info ( 34 pages ) , https://s3.amazonaws.com/association...rt-FINAL-1.pdf .

 

Ditto. Better yet, my local Holiday (Top Tier) station regularly prints $1.00 off coupons in the local shopper and my Holiday credit card automatically discounts five cents off each gallon, so it's a win-win situation.

 

Better Yet: Do as I do:

Buy CHEVRON (or EXXON MOBIL if Chevron is not available in your area) Both TOP TOP tier fuels, and then when you have a little extra cash in your retirement fund or on the side, buy a share of CHEVRON. It yields dividends, and appreciates in value (usually) helping you fund more quality fuel purchases as you grow older. Basically paying yourself and driving confident.

It's the fuel cycle of life.

 

My preferences:

1) Chevron
2) Exxon/Mobile
3) BP