Top Tier Detergent Gasoline is a designation given to participating Gasoline

Gasoline

Gasoline , or petrol , is a toxic, translucent, petroleum-derived liquid that is primarily used as a fuel in internal combustion engines. It consists mostly of organic compounds obtained by the fractional distillation of petroleum, enhanced with a variety of additives. Some gasolines also contain...

 brands in the U.S. and Canada that meet voluntary industry standards.

History

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

United States Environmental Protection Agency

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is an agency of the federal government of the United States charged with protecting human health and the environment, by writing and enforcing regulations based on laws passed by Congress...

 (EPA) introduced the minimum gasoline detergent standard in 1995 and soon after most gasoline marketers who had previously provided higher levels of detergents reduced the concentration level of detergents in commercial gasoline to meet the new standard. Whether the higher detergent levels were necessary remains disputed. The levels required are necessary to meet emissions standards but not engine longevity standards.

In 2004 BMW

BMW

Bayerische Motoren Werke AG is a German automobile, motorcycle and engine manufacturing company founded in 1916. It also owns and produces the Mini marque, and is the parent company of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. BMW produces motorcycles under BMW Motorrad and Husqvarna brands...

, General Motors

General Motors

General Motors Company , commonly known as GM, formerly incorporated as General Motors Corporation, is an American multinational automotive corporation headquartered in Detroit, Michigan and the world's second-largest automaker in 2010...

, Honda

Honda

is a Japanese public multinational corporation primarily known as a manufacturer of automobiles and motorcycles.Honda has been the world's largest motorcycle manufacturer since 1959, as well as the world's largest manufacturer of internal combustion engines measured by volume, producing more than...

, and Toyota established a proprietary standard for a class of gasoline called Top Tier Detergent Gasoline with increased levels of detergents. Volkswagen

Volkswagen

Volkswagen is a German automobile manufacturer and is the original and biggest-selling marque of the Volkswagen Group, which now also owns the Audi, Bentley, Bugatti, Lamborghini, SEAT, and Škoda marques and the truck manufacturer Scania.Volkswagen means "people's car" in German, where it is...

/Audi

Audi

Audi AG is a German automobile manufacturer, from supermini to crossover SUVs in various body styles and price ranges that are marketed under the Audi brand , positioned as the premium brand within the Volkswagen Group....

 joined the consortium in 2007.

Gas brands can participate and get Top Tier listing if they meet certain standards.

Availability

In 2004 the standard was adopted by just a few gasoline distributors, Chevron

Chevron Corporation

Chevron Corporation is an American multinational energy corporation headquartered in San Ramon, California, United States and active in more than 180 countries. It is engaged in every aspect of the oil, gas, and geothermal energy industries, including exploration and production; refining,...

, QuikTrip

QuikTrip

QuikTrip is a Tulsa-based chain of convenience stores primarily found in the Midwestern and Southern United States....

, Kwik Trip

Kwik Trip

Kwik Trip/Kwik Star is a chain of convenience stores founded in 1965 with locations throughout Wisconsin and Minnesota under the name Kwik Trip, and in northeast Iowa under the name Kwik Star . The company also operates stores under the name Hearty Platter and Tobacco Outlet Plus. Kwik Trip, Inc...

, Conoco-Phillips, Shell

Shell Oil Company

Shell Oil Company is the United States-based subsidiary of Royal Dutch Shell, a multinational oil company of Anglo Dutch origins, which is amongst the largest oil companies in the world. Approximately 22,000 Shell employees are based in the U.S. The head office in the U.S. is in Houston, Texas...

, Entec Stations, and MFA Oil Company. Since then many gasoline distributors have met the proprietary standard and it can be found in numerous gas stations all over North America. ExxonMobil, Aloha Petroleum, KwikTrip, KwikStar, Somerset Refinery Inc., Tri-Par Oil Company, Shell Canada, Chevron Canada, Sunoco Canada and Petro Canada have since received Top Tier recognition. Meeting this standard allows gasoline marketers to differentiate themselves from their competition. All stations selling the brand must meet Top Tier standards before the brand is qualified.

Purpose of detergents in gasoline

While General Motors' "field guru" Andrew Buczynsky says that no one has identified the exact molecule in gasoline that causes engine buildup, he says that top tier detergent gasoline will remove the deposits. Without some level of detergents engine deposits form in most vehicles and this causes reduced fuel efficiency

Fuel efficiency

Fuel efficiency is a form of thermal efficiency, meaning the efficiency of a process that converts chemical potential energy contained in a carrier fuel into kinetic energy or work. Overall fuel efficiency may vary per device, which in turn may vary per application, and this spectrum of variance is...

, acceleration, and power as well as increasing emissions and rough idling.

Which vehicles will benefit from using this gas

According to its marketers, all vehicles will benefit from using Top Tier Detergent Gasoline over gasoline meeting the basic EPA standard. Deposits will reputedly be minimized on fuel injectors, intake valves, and combustion chambers.

New vehicles will supposedly benefit by keeping their engine clean and running optimally, older vehicles may benefit with increased engine performance and prolonged vehicle life.

Using this gas is purported to have the following benefits over gasolines just meeting the EPA standard:

• Improved fuel efficiency
• Reduced driving upsets (rough idle, stalling and surge)
• Improved acceleration
• Increased engine power
• Reduced emissions

Criticism

Several car manufacturers believe that using top tier detergent gasoline has an impact on all vehicles. Some critics believe that using top tier detergent gasoline is only critical on high-end vehicles; otherwise, using engine cleaner every 100,000 miles should clean up any carbon buildup. Other critics say that top tier detergent gasolines cause little or no decrease on the amount of buildup on a car's engine.

Before a standard used was the BMW Unlimited Mileage Test. Arco claims to meet this. BMW now mentions Top Tier gas in its owner's manuals but not the unlimited mileage test. Arco is not listed as a Top Tier gas.

Ford recommends BP fuels and mentions it on Ford car gas caps. BP is not on the Top Tier gas list.