What’s everyone think about Shell’s premium fuel with detergent? I normally use 87 from places like Costco or Meijer, but once every month or two, I run a tank of Shell 93 for ‘extra cleaning.’ Is this backed by any real data, or am I just throwing money away? Maybe the detergents in regular 87 are enough?
I can only speak from my own experience with my vehicles. I stick to Shell mostly, using 87 for daily driving, and I switch to 93 every third tank. I haven’t had any fuel-related problems, and my 2021 3.5 EB gets 23-25 mpg. I changed my spark plugs at 100K, and the difference between the old ones and new was minimal. Before this, I ran regular gas in my previous F150, and the plugs were in much worse shape at 100K miles. Of course, your experience could vary.
@Tracy
I’ve seen a guy run nothing but cheap Walmart gas in almost the same truck, and he’s hit 150K miles without issues. He’s meticulous about oil changes since the company pays for them. Honestly, most vehicles these days should easily hit 200K miles if you do the right maintenance. Of course, many cars don’t get taken care of, or they rust or get into accidents before they hit that mark.
I always use Shell, and always 93. Does it help? Maybe. I don’t use anything else, so it’s hard to compare. Shell rewards and deals like T-Mobile Tuesdays help knock some cents off per gallon, though.
It really depends on the engine and what you’re doing with the vehicle. When I tow, I use premium, especially if it’s top-tier fuel. This changes how the engine injects fuel, especially when turbos are engaged, which is most of the time when towing. My theory is that using more port injection keeps the valves cleaner, and the additives in premium gas help too. From what I’ve seen when checking my plugs, this seems to work.
Higher octane doesn’t clean anything, so I think it’s a waste of money for most people.
Emory said:
Higher octane doesn’t clean anything, so I think it’s a waste of money for most people.
It’s not the octane that does the cleaning—it’s the additives.
Emory said:
Higher octane doesn’t clean anything, so I think it’s a waste of money for most people.
It’s not the octane that does the cleaning—it’s the additives.
Yep, totally agree. I just meant the octane itself doesn’t do much cleaning. I’ve seen people get really hung up on octane numbers when it’s more about the fuel quality and additives.
Emory said:
Higher octane doesn’t clean anything, so I think it’s a waste of money for most people.
Exactly. Top Tier fuels all have to meet a minimum requirement for detergents, whether it’s 87 or 93. Modern vehicles are smart enough to adjust when they detect lower-octane fuel, but higher-octane is only necessary for certain engines.
Canadian here, driving a 2016 5.0. I mostly run Petro Canada, and occasionally put in some Ultra 94, but I don’t notice any big differences in how the truck runs or in fuel economy. Changing the plugs made more of an improvement than changing fuels.
As long as you’re using a fuel that’s higher than your engine’s minimum octane requirement, it probably won’t make much difference. Your car will probably rust out or get into an accident before the fuel choice really matters. That said, oil changes are way more critical for the engine’s life. If you’ve got a Ford Ecoboost and you tow or haul in hot weather, your minimum octane should be 89 or 90.
I’ve been in the gas transfer business for years, and it’s all just marketing. All gasoline in the U.S. has to meet DOT standards, so there’s not much difference. Sure, Shell and others may add proprietary blends of additives, but they’re usually in such small amounts that they won’t make much of a difference. The additives are more for branding and marketing purposes. Ethanol content and octane rating are the real factors.
@Oli
You’d be surprised how potent some additives are. A drop of certain chemicals can treat hundreds of gallons of fuel.
Always use 91+ in turbo engines. Spend some time on tuning forums and you’ll hear all the stories—knock, pre-detonation, melted rings—you name it.
Zan said:
Always use 91+ in turbo engines. Spend some time on tuning forums and you’ll hear all the stories—knock, pre-detonation, melted rings—you name it.
I run premium in my ‘18 5.0 too. If I put in 87, it makes weird noises during acceleration, probably because the engine’s trying to compensate.
This is just my experience, but I used to get about 10-15% better fuel economy with even basic 87 octane from Shell. I haven’t tried the higher-octane stuff because the 87 seems to do the job.
Some cars are made to run on premium fuel, but others like my 2019 F150 5.0 are made to run on regular. I haven’t noticed any difference in performance or fuel economy using up to E15.
Totally just my experience, but my Mustang always seemed to run smoother on Shell than anything else.
For most people, I don’t think it matters as long as you’re using good quality fuel with detergents. Premium might give a small improvement, but unless you’re towing in tough conditions, it’s probably not needed. As far as I know, the detergent packages are the same for regular and premium fuel. The main difference is the octane.
I’ve got a 5.0 with 210K miles and I just run the cheapest gas I can find. No problems yet.