Top Tier+ Gasoline

[mwils]

You people on this forum are great. Seriously. There is very little nonsense here and most people are helpful. But you’re also f’ing nuts with the crap you worry about! Top tier gas!? Pull into a f’ing gas station, put in 87 octane, and enjoy your life! .

Top-tier gasoline has all the cleaning and detergent items blended in or gasoline. It will help your engine keep cleaner and burn fuel better and it’s the same price.

Sponsored

 

[Probity]

I have yet to see a single Station with a Top Tier+ label on their pumps, and probably won’t until ‘sometime’ in 2026. Back in Nov. 2024, Top Tier told us - “Fuel marketers can anticipate accessing these new standards (Top Tier+) on toptiergas.com by early January (2025), with consumer availability of TOP TIER+ Approved Fuels later in 2025.”

The rollout is taking a while. The current additive players I’m aware of with ‘certified’ Top Tier+ additives (Afton Chemicals - HiTEC® 65522 GPA series, BASF - Keropur AP 225-20 formulation, Lubrizol - UltraZol GA9110 Series product line) mainly talk about having deliveries well in advance of the early 2027 ‘mandatory implementation deadline’ (either Jan. or Feb. 2027 depending on who you believe).

From Afton: “TOP TIER™ will allow a two-year window for compliance with the new standard. During this period, two levels of TOP TIER™ performance in the marketplace will be differentiated by names and decals. Compliance with the old standard will be designated as TOP TIER™, while compliance with the new standard will be designated as TOP TIER+™. After the two-year window, only TOP TIER+™ certified fuels will remain in the marketplace.”

Gasoline standards have moved at a somewhat glacial pace. Current mandatory stand is from the 1995 Clean Air Act (few - none? - commercially available GDI engines in mainstream vehicles). Then Top Tier established in 2005 (still very few GDI engines). Now Top Tier+ (aimed specifically at GDI engines) targeting 2027 implementation. Maybe Top Tier++ in 2035-2040?

As far as gas additives go, what Top Tier+ promises is kind of a big deal. Top Tier+ will require cleanup performance with regard to fuel injector deposits rather than (current Top Tier) keep-clean performance. This means Top Tier+ fuels must be able to help eliminate deposits from already-dirty fuel injectors. And what BASF says - "TOP TIER+ formulations should be able to help restore some fuel economy and emissions performance to even older-model vehicles".

Three ‘new’ test methods: 1st test evaluates injector deposit control by measuring injector fouling, 2nd test no increase in particulates from the additive, and 3rd test focuses on protection against stochastic pre-ignition (SPI, harmful pre-ignition event that can occur in modern downsized engines and potentially lead to engine failure).

The new spec requires 50% improved injector performance compared to a dirty reference test, measured through long-term fuel trim—a numeric indicator of how much the engine must compensate to achieve as-designed performance.

-Intake valve deposit control req’ments – no change from Top Tier
-Intake valve sticking no-harm req’ments – no change
-Combustion chamber deposit control req’ments – no change
-GDI fuel injector cleanliness – new req’ment. Why a 2013 GM 2 liter turbo 4-banger as the test engine is beyond me. Kind of a big deal – “The objective is to reduce deposits, with a successful outcome defined as a 50% or greater reduction in IPW (injector pulse width) within 60 hours.”
-GDI particulates no-harm – new req’ment.
- SPI No-Harm Demonstration – new req’ment

Info on current Top Tier+ stuff:
TOP-TIER-Approved-Gasoline_Deposit-Control-Performance-Standard_Rev-G.pdf
TOP_TIER_2025-final.pdf

We’ll see. Right now I’m in 3 movie mental modes about this – Bridge of Spies (Q: are you worried? A: would it help?), Marathon Man (is it safe?), Training Day (it’s not what you know but what you can prove).

 

[Waterick]

I do remember friends having problems back in the late eighties with some of the factory fuel injectioned vehicles available at the time because of them clogging up due to the fuels available at the time. I guess the early federal standard did correct that problem. Now we're dealing with GDI and it's issue of build up on the intake valves. We now have the dual injection as a solution however, there are still many GDI's out there that can use this better standard.

 

[KenR]

People that waste money on Top Tier Gasoline also think $2.00 bottles of drinking water is better the tap water for pennies. Buying designer gas from service stations that no longer offer any level service is nuts. Just they believe paying for little extra nitrogen in tires is a good value also...!

 

[ZABSMAV]

Back when ethanol first came out hundreds of pleasure boats had to be towed back in to Tampa and St.Petersburg Florida from the bay and the Gulf of Mexico.
It’s so called, ‘Detergent’ properties was disintegrating Marine plastic fuel tanks and lines of the day, clogging carbs and EFI marine engines so fast and so bad the coast guard was not able to keep up with the towing demand. It was a mess.

With my own eyes I looked down in my friends fuel tank with a flash light and again when we pumped his tank out the gas looked like it was full of pulp just like in a glass of Orange juice I shit you not !

Evidently the fuel filters could not stop the trash, odd I thought, never understood that.

I’ve never seeked out top tier. Been burning BP for 8 years now because the store manager is a sweet heart and I love her to death, and it’s convenient.

Back when I was driving 80-90,000 miles a year I burned everyfucking thing from any and every store that was in front of me.
Took a EFI 2008 Taco 2.7 Ltr 4 banger to
528,000 trouble free miles on shit fuel.
AND with 10,000 mile oil change intervals !
Yeah I had to sneak that truth in, sorry all you change your oil at 3,000 mile people.

On the rare occasions I noticed a performance problem I’d put in a bottle of Chevrons Techron and haul ass. I’d say a bottle in my gas tank every 30, 40,000 miles.

Top tier gas my ass, this old country boy ain’t falling for that bullshit.

I bought bad gas once, musta had too much water in it. Two little bottles of ‘Dry gas’ from STP cured it.

My Ecoboost does love its Ethanol Free In The summer tho.

In about ten years you won’t even be able to find a good mechanic. When the Gen X’ers and the Boomers are gone human kind is so screwed.
There’s a sucker born every minute,
I did my part by not ever having any kids,
That I know of.
:’P

Our 2023 Maverick hybrid has only seen 88 Octane ethanol-free gasoline. That is all it will ever see. The use of ethanol in gasoline was a way to find additional markets to use corn. Internal combustion engines like in the Maverick are built to run on gasoline.

 

[dcguilbert]

Starting this year (2025), Top Tier gas will start changing to Top Tier+…completing the transition by 2027.

Some Top Tier stations are already offering the Top Tier+ in their most expensive grade.
By 2027, all grades will be Top Tier+ and OEM owners manuals will reflect the new requirement.

“Top Tier” is an OEM designation. Voluntary, but major gas makers adhere because they want to sell gas to OEM vehicles

Below is a great explanation of Top Tier gas & the additive that makes it that way:

I always use top tier premium unleaded in my 25 maverick, first turbo engine I’ve ever had and I want it to last. I’m not hot-ridding my maverick either. Cheaper than a new engine or rebuild. So far so good… 3k miles on it so far. And I use full synthetic oil 5w-30 Castro and change every 5k miles.

 

[Deleted member 45110]

At the cheapy gas station down the street
I asked the owner what type of gas do you sell?
He said
he sells the same fuel that's across the street Shell station and Chevron.
he said he buys fuel from what the tankers and the distributors have that won't fit in their ground tanks.
includes the other local same gas stations over order.
His price is consistently at least .20 cents less per gallon.

From that story, i asked same question at several other non-name brand places.
Same answer.

There are only a few manufacturers that distribute
FUEL
Ask what the non-name brand gas station sells.
Big chance its the same as the big name stations.

 

[scharris99]

I used to work on Porsches in the 80's when CIS injection was common. We'd pull injectors at first hint of a lean miss, put them on a simple pressure pump and run techron through them until they sprayed with full atomization with no streams of liquid. We tried almost every product on the market at that time and Techron was the best by far. After that we told customers to run a bottle of techron in the last tank of gas before every oil change. Customers that followed that process never had the lean miss and we didn't have to pull & clean their injectors.

Personally I run top tier in my cars. In addition to the no name local convenience store stations, there are many that aren't top tier: RaceTrac, Speedway, 7-11, Wawa, Sams, BJs, Bucees to name a few.

 

[Chops]

At the cheapy gas station down the street
I asked the owner what type of gas do you sell?
He said
he sells the same fuel that's across the street Shell station and Chevron.
he said he buys fuel from what the tankers and the distributors have that won't fit in their ground tanks.
includes the other local same gas stations over order.
His price is consistently at least .20 cents less per gallon.

From that story, i asked same question at several other non-name brand places.
Same answer.

There are only a few manufacturers that distribute
FUEL
Ask what the non-name brand gas station sells.
Big chance its the same as the big name stations.

Yes, the gas the same. The Top Tier additives are added to the tanker truck at the terminal.

 

[Chops]

Yes, the gas the same. The Top Tier additives are added to the tanker truck at the terminal.

Per google etc - this is how the additives are added to the tanker truck:

“ Top Tier gasoline gets its detergent additives (the “Top Tier package”) primarily through a process called **splash blending** in the tanker truck itself, rather than being fully pre-blended at the refinery or terminal in most cases. Here’s how it typically works in the U.S. and Canada:

### 1. At the Terminal (Rack)
- The loading rack dispenses **unadditized base gasoline** (CBOB or RBOB) into the tanker truck’s compartments just like it does for non-Top Tier brands.
- While the gasoline is being loaded (or immediately after each compartment is filled), a precise amount of the brand-specific **Top Tier additive package** is injected automatically or manually into each compartment of the truck.

### 2. How the Additive Is Actually Added
There are two common methods:

**A. Automated Injector (most common at large, modern terminals)**
- The rack has a dedicated additive injector system tied to the brand’s additive tank (e.g., Chevron’s Techron, Shell’s V-Power NiTRO+ package, Exxon’s Synergy package, Costco/Kirkland’s licensed package, etc.).
- As gasoline flows past the loading arm, a metering pump injects the exact dose (usually 1–3 gallons of concentrated additive per 8,000–10,000-gallon compartment).
- The injector is controlled by the rack’s computer so the driver simply selects the correct brand/additive on the terminal’s preset panel.

**B. Manual “Jugging” or “Splash Can” (still used at some smaller or older terminals)**
- The driver (or terminal operator) pours pre-measured 1- or 5-gallon jugs/cans of concentrated additive directly into the truck compartment through the manhole on top right after the compartment is filled with base gas.
- This is why you sometimes see truck drivers on top of the tanker pouring in blue, red, or green liquid from plastic jugs — that’s the Top Tier detergent package.

### 3. Mixing
- No special mixing equipment is needed. The additive mixes adequately through **splash blending** — the turbulence as the gasoline is loaded and during transport to the station is enough for uniform distribution.
- By the time the truck reaches the gas station and pumps into the underground tanks, the additive is fully blended.

### Why It’s Done This Way
- Each refiner/marketer (Chevron, Shell, Exxon, etc.) guards its proprietary detergent chemistry, so terminals store dozens of different additive tanks and inject only the correct one when that brand’s truck loads.
- It’s far more efficient than trying to keep hundreds of pre-blended finished gasolines in separate at the terminal.

### Summary
For virtually all Top Tier brands, the magic doesn’t happen at the refinery — it happens in the tanker truck via a small but precisely measured shot of concentrated detergent additive injected or poured in at the loading rack. That’s what turns regular base gasoline into Top Tier fuel.”

 

[Surly Old Bill]

the only bottles of product I've dumped into my fuel tank in the last 50 years have been de-icer. I lived at 10,000' in Colorado for a few years, and with windchill it was -40f overnight on a regular basis in the Winter. The other thing, Seafoam. I only recently did the whole Seafoam injector and fuel thang with my 160k Transit(not Connect). I can attest that after the injector process the engine is a LOT quieter and smoother.

In those particular 160k miles, I've mostly used Top Tier affiliated gas (it's a private company, like Better Business Bureau), but not because I was seeking it out. The stations that were convenient and/or cheap in my area are all Top Tier listed. I've used tanks of Mom'n'Pop gas station gas on roadtrips in the middle of nowhere. I've never had any internal engine issues with it.

 

[Surly Old Bill]

Per google etc - this is how the additives are added to the tanker truck:

“ Top Tier gasoline gets its detergent additives (the “Top Tier package”) primarily through a process called **splash blending** in the tanker truck itself, rather than being fully pre-blended at the refinery or terminal in most cases. Here’s how it typically works in the U.S. and Canada:

### 1. At the Terminal (Rack)
- The loading rack dispenses **unadditized base gasoline** (CBOB or RBOB) into the tanker truck’s compartments just like it does for non-Top Tier brands.
- While the gasoline is being loaded (or immediately after each compartment is filled), a precise amount of the brand-specific **Top Tier additive package** is injected automatically or manually into each compartment of the truck.

### 2. How the Additive Is Actually Added
There are two common methods:

**A. Automated Injector (most common at large, modern terminals)**
- The rack has a dedicated additive injector system tied to the brand’s additive tank (e.g., Chevron’s Techron, Shell’s V-Power NiTRO+ package, Exxon’s Synergy package, Costco/Kirkland’s licensed package, etc.).
- As gasoline flows past the loading arm, a metering pump injects the exact dose (usually 1–3 gallons of concentrated additive per 8,000–10,000-gallon compartment).
- The injector is controlled by the rack’s computer so the driver simply selects the correct brand/additive on the terminal’s preset panel.

**B. Manual “Jugging” or “Splash Can” (still used at some smaller or older terminals)**
- The driver (or terminal operator) pours pre-measured 1- or 5-gallon jugs/cans of concentrated additive directly into the truck compartment through the manhole on top right after the compartment is filled with base gas.
- This is why you sometimes see truck drivers on top of the tanker pouring in blue, red, or green liquid from plastic jugs — that’s the Top Tier detergent package.

### 3. Mixing
- No special mixing equipment is needed. The additive mixes adequately through **splash blending** — the turbulence as the gasoline is loaded and during transport to the station is enough for uniform distribution.
- By the time the truck reaches the gas station and pumps into the underground tanks, the additive is fully blended.

### Why It’s Done This Way
- Each refiner/marketer (Chevron, Shell, Exxon, etc.) guards its proprietary detergent chemistry, so terminals store dozens of different additive tanks and inject only the correct one when that brand’s truck loads.
- It’s far more efficient than trying to keep hundreds of pre-blended finished gasolines in separate at the terminal.

### Summary
For virtually all Top Tier brands, the magic doesn’t happen at the refinery — it happens in the tanker truck via a small but precisely measured shot of concentrated detergent additive injected or poured in at the loading rack. That’s what turns regular base gasoline into Top Tier fuel.”

There is a former tanker driver that posts here that confirmed this. It's mixed in various quantities depending on the refinery customer it's being delivered to, and there are several separate compartments in many gas delivery trailers, one for each of the customers on that day's route.

 

[Mavster Mechanic]

While reading this thread I was wondering if one day a "Top Tier" electricity will be sold lol.

One more thing they don't have to really worry about though. I really can't wait for that tech to be perfected.

The NEWEST car chargers can add 25 miles per minute. For the average car, that is about 1 gallon per minute equivalency.

More to the point; 5 years ago it was half that.

In 5 more years EV recharging will be on par with gasoline refueling.

 

[Mavster Mechanic]

In my area Top Tier fuel sells for the same price as non Top Tier

Evidence that both fuels are the same.
No station is going to give you "better" for free.

No "sticker" on the pump will make your truck last longer.

 

[Chops]

the only bottles of product I've dumped into my fuel tank in the last 50 years have been de-icer. I lived at 10,000' in Colorado for a few years, and with windchill it was -40f overnight on a regular basis in the Winter. The other thing, Seafoam. I only recently did the whole Seafoam injector and fuel thang with my 160k Transit(not Connect). I can attest that after the injector process the engine is a LOT quieter and smoother.

In those particular 160k miles, I've mostly used Top Tier affiliated gas (it's a private company, like Better Business Bureau), but not because I was seeking it out. The stations that were convenient and/or cheap in my area are all Top Tier listed. I've used tanks of Mom'n'Pop gas station gas on roadtrips in the middle of nowhere. I've never had any internal engine issues with it.

The new Top Tier+ gas, besides being “stronger”, is supposed to have a “seafoam” effect on higher mileage vehicles.

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