Writing about different types of fuel is a daily practice on this blog. However, we haven’t answered every question yet. Therefore, we will use this blog to talk about the best 93 octane gas you can buy in the United States. Let’s start with a quick answer:
TOP TIER retailers sell the best 93 octane gasoline in the United States. These retailers sell gasoline with premium additives, resulting in a 95% reduction in intake valve deposits and a 20 – 70% reduction in engine deposits while increasing gas mileage by 2 – 4%.
However, that certainly doesn’t answer the question wholly. Below, we’ll dive deeper into what happens what TOP TIER gasoline is and why you should use it. We’ll take a deep dive into its quality, gas mileage, price, and availability and compare this to types of gasoline that TOP TIER isn’t certified. Read on!
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What Are TOP TIER Retailers?
If you’re looking for the best 93 octane gas, we have to mention TOP TIER retailers. TOP TIER is a trademarked brand in the United States that guarantees a certain quality of gasoline. Arguably, the quality of TOP TIER retailers is a lot better than that of other brands that aren’t part of the trademark (more on that in a moment).
Furthermore, TOP TIER gasoline is recommended by most carmakers in the United States. These include Audi, BMW, GM, Ford, Honda, Toyota, Mercedes-Benz, Navistar, VW, Detroit Diesel, and Stellantis. When your carmaker recommends a specific type of gasoline, it’s most likely a good decision to listen to their advice.
Why Do TOP TIER Retailers Sell The Best 93 Octane?
Quality
The main reason TOP TIER retailers sell the best 93 octane gasoline (or any gasoline for that matter) is that they keep your engine’s internals and your fuel system much cleaner than non-TOP TIER types of gasoline.
This is also not just a marketing trick; independent labs have tested it in association with the American Automobile Association. The laboratorium ran the engine for 100 hours straight for one fuel analysis test, which simulated 4,000 miles of actual use. They selected three non-TOP TIER gasoline and three TOP TIER gasoline. The results are displayed in the table below.
What becomes clear here is that non-TOP TIER fuel results in a significantly higher amount of intake valve deposits than TOP TIER fuels do. On average, non-TOP TIER gasoline had 660.6mg of deposit per intake valve after this test, whereas TOP TIER gasoline had 34.1mg per valve.
Interesting to note here is that fuel #5 exceeded the standard that was set by TOP TIER of less than 50mg per intake valve. However, compared to the other types of gasoline, the worst TOP TIER gasoline is still at least nine times better than non-TOP TIER gasoline.
Besides intake valve deposits, there are two other places where deposits can build up. These include the piston tops and cylinder heads. The image below shows that the deposit in all of these three places combined is still a lot better for TOP TIER gasoline than for non-TOP TIER gasoline.
The main reason why TOP TIER gasoline performs so much better than other types of gasoline is that TOP TIER gasoline has much more detergents added to it than the minimum standard that the EPA sets. This ensures your engine components have less deposit build-up and last longer. Other retailers typically only add the minimum amount of detergents, but this leads to worse performance and lifespan of your fuel system.
Also read: How Much Ethanol In 87 – 93 Octane Gas? (Regular & Premium)
Gas Mileage
The same research found that ‘according to secondary research findings,’ gas mileage drops 2-4% when deposits with long-term gasoline use without an enhanced additive package. It also leads to drivability issues and increased emissions. All of these are reasons to choose TOP TIER gasoline over other types of gasoline.
Price
One of the main reasons some Americans don’t pick TOP TIER gasoline is because the price at the pump seems to be higher. However, in the research done by the AAA, they also researched this particular pain point.
What they found is that there are significant differences between retailers. Therefore, it’s essential to find a retailer in your area that sells TOP TIER gasoline, and that’s not too pricey. Furthermore, they found that gasoline prices depend on region and competition more than on whether or not it’s TOP TIER gasoline.
The conclusion of all this is that over 12 months, they found a 3-cent price difference between non-TOP TIER gasoline and TOP TIER gasoline. Considering the difference in gas mileage and the inevitable cost of extra maintenance when not using TOP TIER gasoline, it’s most likely worth it.
Availability
Finally, it’s essential to talk about the availability of TOP TIER gasoline in the United States. Luckily for most motorists, TOP TIER gasoline is widely available throughout the country.
One thing that’s interesting to note is that BP and Amoco used to be on the list of TOP TIER retailers, but this changed in 2021 when they decided to op for their own additive package instead of the one certified by TOP TIER. This is most likely a cost-saving technique, but the gasoline they sell is worse for your car.
Instead, pick a TOP TIER certified retailer. Below, we’ve added an alphabetical list of all TOP TIER gasoline retailers. All stations that belong to one of these brands sell certified gasoline with added additives. These include:
76, Aloha, ARCO, Beacon, Break Time, Breakaway, Cenex, Chevron, CITGO, Conoco, Costco Wholesale, CountryMark, CountryMark Plus, Diamond Shamrock, Express Mart, Exxon, Fast Fuel, GetGo,
Holiday, Harmons Fuel Stop, Hawaii Fueling Network (HFN), Hele, Kirkland Signature Gasoline, Kwik Star, Kwik Trip, MFA Oil PetroCard 24, Marathon, Meijer Express, Metro Petro, Mobil, Ohana Fuels, Phillips 66,
QT, Quik Trip, Ranger, Ranger Fuel, Ranger Mustang, Ranger Stallion, Ranger Thoroughbred, Reeders, Road Ranger, Rutter’s, Shamrock, Shell, Simonson Station Stores, Sinclair, Sunoco, Texaco, Tobacco Outlet Plus Grocery, Valero, Value America, WOW, and Win-Win.
Also, check out this up-to-date list of retailers.
Is There A Difference Between TOP TIER retailers?
As you saw in the research results above, there are indeed differences between the TOP TIER retailers. Even within this group, some perform better than others. However, the differences are much more minor than the difference between non-TOP TIER gasoline and TOP TIER gasoline.
Furthermore, it’s challenging to determine the exact differences between TOP TIER retailers because almost no studies have been carried out around this topic. Therefore, it’s advised you just op for TOP TIER retailers, which is a good decision no matter how you look at it.
Also read: Why Mixing Different Octane Gasoline May Destroy Your Car
Hi! My name is Stefan; I’m the owner and lead writer at TheDriverAdviser.com.
I’m an active writer on this blog myself, as well as a novice car mechanic. For the really technical stuff, I find writers with experience as a mechanic or who have studied mechanical engineering.
Read more about our fantastic team on our about page!