Truck stop fuel always better then non-truck stop?

I need some advice on fuel in the bay area. I for the most part have been a Chevron follower for my whole driving life, but unfortunately no Chevron around here carries diesel. Anyways I filled up for the first time earlier this week at a local Shell, but now my car smokes on hot starts and the performance seems to have suffered.

Only Shell and Valero carry diesel around here and I have never had very good luck with their gasoline when I had a gasser. But I did find a Shell truck stop in Livermore (Geno's Country Store) and one by where I go to school in Oakland (Unocal 76 truck stop). I was assuming that due to the higher turnover fuel at these locations it would probably be better fuel. Is this usually the case or do I just need to try different stations to see what works best?

Thanks

I need some advice on fuel (snip)

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__. Sorry to not be able to give you advice on CA fuels (I'm a loooonnnggg way from there) but my experience has been that diesel fuel is a total crapshoot -- and mostly crap. Sometimes, you'll get fuel from a rattly, dirty backwoods truckstop that starts easily, idles quietly, gives no smoke, and gives super mileage. Other times, you'll stop at a fine, new-looking place with "Premium" stickers all over the pumps and the fuel is bad enough to make SkyPup's knees buckle. Dunno what to do about it but spearmint and when you find a good fuel, keep buying it!

__. Sorry this isn't much help, but I think it pretty accurately reflects the state of things (although, since you have low-sulfur fuel in CA, details may differ out there. As always, YMMV.)
Bruce Henderson, S. Coastal NC

I need some advice on fuel in the bay area. I for the most part have been a Chevron follower for my whole driving life, but unfortunately no Chevron around here carries diesel.

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If you are in Fremont, the Chevron on Auto Mall and Grimmer has diesel. But it is currently quite expensive. Up the street on Grimmer is a no-name about 25 cents less expensive per gallon, and an Olympian at 34 cents less expensive per gallon.

Don't know exactly where you are located. But when I went to the bay area to visit, I looked on my ARCO ECD-1 list to get my fuel. I filled up at the ARCO in Oakland. Not the best part of town, but damn good fuel.

I can't believe how much better the ECD-1 runs. It is really good fuel.

I ran 3 different types of fuel for over 45,000 miles now. Texaco, Shell and Amacco, not Premium Amacco but sh*t non-Amacco but it was like $1.45 gal compared to $2.09 elsewhere in other stations.

The Shell? Okay, consistantly high 40's on a 5-speed. The Amacco was good, 47-50 but smoked terrible, smoked at idle, smoked always.

Then I went back to Texaco Premium. I have injector up-grade and a tuning box and no smoke and mid-50's consistantly, mid-50's as before. Mid-50's hard into the throttle or babying it. Mid-50's and no smoke and it turns much faster rpm 2,000 - 4,000 then with the other two fuel choices.

I run Diesel Kleen, go to Texaco stations used by pick-up truck locals with PowerStrokes and high turn-over pumps. I may pay .20 cents more a gallon, $1.63 to $1.77 a gallon but get 800 miles on a vented tank without smoke.

Just my thoughts. I ran Mobil once or twice. It smoked, poor fuel economy and ran like a doggie run over. I used Sunoco and ...it sucked. I tried Citco, Exxon, BP, Hess a couple of times. Sh*t, fuel mileage was bad, car didn't rev...

I stick with only Texaco. I use a credit card that allows .09 cents off a gallon if Shell or Texaco and a rebate of 0.06% on total purchases with the card. I get $40.00 in rebates a month and I use the charge card for everything paying it off at the end of the month. So I'll stick with Texaco and get almost 2 tank fulls for free off-setting the price of the lower fuels and their lower initial costs.

M.D.

I haven't been through too many tanks of fuel yet, but I've had the best luck with Amoco "Premier" diesel fuel. If you ever see a guy filling diesel with his tanker, ask him where they deliver the best diesel fuel to. They might know, or direct you to someone who does know. They can often tell you where to stay away from too.

I pay 5 cents more per gallon for the "Premier" diesel fuel, but I get better mileage, and much smoother idle. No smoke at all. I also dump in the recommended amount of powerservice at every fill. It's going to be weird when I go cross-country on a trip and won't have a clue what fuel is good and what fuel is crap.

Don't know exactly where you are located. But when I went to the bay area to visit, I looked on my ARCO ECD-1 list to get my fuel. I filled up at the ARCO in Oakland. Not the best part of town, but damn good fuel.

I can't believe how much better the ECD-1 runs. It is really good fuel.

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Well look what the cat drug in from out-of-state .

Have you had a change to compare whatever you returned to California with in your tank compared to the old reliable Arco ECD-1 ULSD yet? Just wondering how badly it smoked with the out of California non-CARB fuel that it has had a steady diet of recently?

How does it run now that you've got it all worked over? Will it show a higher reading on the speedo that Charlie posted? Or have you had it up that high since the changes. Any check engine lights yet?

Good to have you back. Give me a landline when you have the time tomorrow or whenever you can from the salt mines.

I haven't had the good fortune to find any of the Uber-Arco when I've been visiting in California, but just the run of the mill stuff I've bought at various places along I-5 have all been noticeably better than what I usually buy up here in Washington. Doesn't seem to matter whether I buy at a truck stop or a car-oriented service station.

I don't get the chance to run back-to-back tanks of different brands of CA-spec fuel so I can't add anything more to the discussion other than if the original poster thinks he gets bad stuff in CA he should never leave the state!

I haven't had the good fortune to find any of the Uber-Arco when I've been visiting in California, but just the run of the mill stuff I've bought at various places along I-5 have all been noticeably better than what I usually buy up here in Washington. Doesn't seem to matter whether I buy at a truck stop or a car-oriented service station.

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That's CARB fuel for you. You don't hear anyone calling California fuel rotgut because of the California Air Resources Board requirements. It does evidently make a difference!

What might impress you about the Arco ECD-1 ULSD fuel is its slightly lower fuel mileage, less power and generally slightly higher price depending on the competion nearby, and if yours has a tendency to smoke at all, it most likely will lessen that. Evidently removing most of the Sulfur may lessen the BTUs?

After changing from Arco ECD-1 fuel to regular CARB fuel (Chevron) at my cardlock location, mileage is up, smoke is up, but power is up also. I can control the smoke with my right foot, but when I really step on it, I hope that you're not behind me!

I am probably going to go to that Arco in Oakland (its about 10 minutes from my school) on my next fillup and get some ECD-1 and throw about 8 oz. of Powerservice (silver bottle). Their website says typical cetane of 54

I am assuming that with the ultra low sulfer diesel there will be less soot (correct me if I am wrong) and ultimately things will stay cleaner.

AMerican Oil COmpany... AMOCO.