The Economic Case For Paying Cashiers $40,000 A Year

[Gaspar]

They had different additives and their gas was considered "private label" (no idea what that means, but that is what it was described as).  The fact is i worked with people who were employed during that period and remember issues with the Redline branded fuel, and considering I was employed a mere 5 years after the discontinuation of redline, things were still fresh in peoples minds. 

And yes, what you said was absolutely correct, they all moved away from the idea of branded blends... but it wasn't until after Redline.  And I want to say that there was something between Redline and Guaranteed Gasoline, but I don't remember.

The refineries offer a top grade blend with an additive mix.  Each retailer then has the opportunity to brand that however they want.  Most of these blends set the bar at 110% of the EPA's standard for detergent additives, but some may contain up to 300% EPA recommendations.  There are two types of additive, those that contain oxygenates to improve combustion, and  those that release nitrogen durring combustion to protect and clean the surface of the cylinder and valves (typically classified as detergents).  Top Tier fuels contain both (each state regulates the minimums and maximums differently though).

Each retailer then markets the Top Tier blend under their own premium brand, such as Optimax, V-Power, and the name you were looking for from QuikTrip is IQ Gasoline.  To my knowledge, Shell is the only one still pushing a premium blend in its marketing.

The amount of oxygenate or nitrolized detergent additive in fuel is far less important than the quality of the fuel itself.  If you are using Top Tier fuel with ethanol, there is a big trade-off.  While ethanol will burn clean in most cars, you lose efficiency because you create a lower vapor pressure durring combustion, and if your vehicle is turbo-charged this is multiplied. . .but that is not the primary problem with alcohol as fuel.  Gasoline is very friendly to metal parts, on a molecular basis.  It is also easily evaporated out of engine oil and reburnt.  Gasoline repels water and will not homogenate with it.  Add ethanol, and no matter what additives you introduce, they are only lipstick on a pig.

From a mechanical standpoint, ethanol naturally uptakes moisture and becomes homogenous with it.  It also acts as a vehicle to deliver moisture and other compounds from the combustion chamber to the engine oil through seepage around the rings. Ethanol corrodes many metals on a molecular level, but worst of all, it breaks down many organic and petroleum compounds such as rubber, plastic, and organic gasket materials.  Those compounds are then disolved in the fuel and burnt durring combustion leaving significant buildup over time.  Even worse, this does not start in your gas tank, it starts in the blending facility where the ethanol is introduced.  From the fiberglass resin underground tanks at your filling station to the pumping equipment to the rubber hose you use to fill up your tank, to the nylon impeller in your fuel pump, and the aluminum fuel line running under your vehicle, ethanol fuel is a very different creature by the time it gets to your car, and is eating its way toward your engine, and bringing with it many uninvited guests.  Ethanol's natural ability to absorb organic compounds is great when you are making a cask of scotch, but not so great in your gas tank.

From an environmental standpoint, it still currently requires more energy to produce a gallon of ethanol than that gallon can produce, and much of that energy is related to the burning of fossil fuels, so the reduction in carbon output by the consumer does not outweigh the increase in carbon output from the production, and they still have not found a way around this. 

From an economic standpoint, because production of ethanol is subsidized, it subtracts productivity from the market.  Farmers are encouraged to raise corn for fuel rather than other food crops and that drives up the global cost of food.  Hard corn with a high sugar ratio is also taxing on the soil, so it is necessary to engage in significant chemical soil amendment to produce it on a consistent level, and that opens up a whole other bag of unintended consequences.  Because the product costs more energy to produce than it yields, without government subsidies, its production would cease because the market could not bear it.

Long story short, if you are concerned about the performance and longevity of your vehicle, or even the environment, it is best to purchase Top Tier 100% fuel from a reputable source.  I typically buy from Valero, Shamrock, Phillips, some Shell stations, some Texacos.