Shell.
I'll run out of gas before I buy Texaco.

 

i dont know about you guys but i got a Honda Ruckus and i notice if i run shell, my ruck boggs down pretty bad but when i pump valero, circle k, or 7/11 i get better mpgs and accelerates faster. ive also read in some magazine that the more detergents/addictives are added to the fuel, it'll make your car run rich and not burn it right and someother stuff and this was a legit article from car and driver. but i dont know dont quote me its just what i have experienced and read

 

Anything from 0-10% ethanol will run perfectly in this car.

 

from the owner's manual:

"Fuel Recommendation

Your vehicle is designed to operate on premium unleaded gasoline with a pump octane number of 91 or higher. Use of a lower octane gasoline can cause occasional metallic knocking noises in the engine and will result in decreased engine performance. Use of a gasoline with a pump octane number less than 87 can lead to engine damage. We recommend quality gasoline containing detergent additives that help prevent fuel system and engine deposits.

In addition, in order to maintain good performance, fuel economy, and emissions control, we strongly recommend, in areas where it is available, the use of gasoline that does NOT contain manganese-based fuel additives such as MMT.

Use of gasoline with these additives may adversely affect performance, and cause the malfunction indicator lamp on your instrument panel to come on. If this happens, contact your authorized dealer for service.

Some gasoline today is blended with oxygenates such as ethanol or MTBE. Your vehicle is designed to operate on oxygenated gasoline containing up to 10% ethanol by volume and up to 15% MTBE by volume. Do not use gasoline containing methanol.

If you notice any undesirable operating symptoms, try another service station or switch to another brand of gasoline."

 

Most of us nowa days will be using ethanol spiked gasoline because thats all thats available. I have to admit though, my car seems to run just fine on it. One advantage of ethanol is its nature to absorb water so after a few years, there shouldn't be any water in the bottom of the tank. On the other hand, it attracts water out of the atmosphere somewhat and if allowed it sit in a tank for an extended period, that 10% may move a little through evaporation and water content could go a little higher ( I think) . What all this means (good or bad) , I don't know. Realistically , with a good seal with the gas cap, it may be a non issue.

 

dont all suppliers share the same pipeline?

 

Dude, I know what you mean. Valeros are EVERYWHERE here. And where I live (North central 1604) there aren't many gas stations around in general cause of the Edwards Aquifer or whatever..
Closest Shell from me (I perfer Shell cause of the low ethanol content, which doesn't matter much for the S2000 but definitely felt the difference in the Z) is 3 miles away. There are like no joke, 4 or 5 Valeros I see on the way to the shell..

 

Does anyone use fuel stabilizers (e.g., STA-BIL) on a regular basis? I'm not talking about storing the car, but just to keep the fuel fresh longer.

 

In our area all but Chevron. They have their own pipeline from the Gulf to Chattanooga.

 

Uh...no. All pump gasoline has about 111,400 BTU/gallon. The difference between grades is negligible. The benefits of retarding detonation from higher octane blends, however, is significant.