Most grades of gasoline in one pump

[Hot Rod Hootenanny]

Usually when you pull up to a gas pump you can choose from "diesel," 87, 90, and 93 octanes (85 in high elevation)
So I found the following unordinary situation near Caldwell, Ohio (off of I-77) on Saturday.


Adding to the oddness, on the other side of my vehicle, there was another pump with one different octane than the pump I was using.


Now, I'm well aware of there being wide multitude of octanes and gasolines at stations prior to the "Interstate era," but I thought that was a bygone era. So, skipping diesel, anyone encountered 5 or more different octanes for automobiles at a gas station?

[jeffandnicole]

I can tell by the pump you're at a Sunoco. They are well known for their numerous octane levels. I've even seen racing fuel sold at them...something like 105 octane!

[jp the roadgeek]

I remember Sunoco pumps having 87, 88, 89, 92, and 94, along with diesel. 

[seicer]

There is a Sheetz south of Cleveland, Ohio that has Unleaded 87, Midgrade 89, Premium 93, E85 and E15. If I recall right, it had three handles - with a black handle for 87, 89 and 93, a pink handle for E85, and a blue handle for E15.

[Flint1979]

I can tell it's a Sunoco your at and that's not unusual around here to have that many grades. Usually the most a station has around here is 6 different grades, E85, 87, 89, 91, 93, diesel that's the most I've seen.

[Flint1979]

I can tell by the pump you're at a Sunoco. They are well known for their numerous octane levels. I've even seen racing fuel sold at them...something like 105 octane!

They brand themselves as the official fuel of NASCAR.

[PHLBOS]

One Sunoco station near me changed over to a Liberty station several years ago; but the pumps still have 4 grade choices (87, 89, 91, 93).

[Chris]

It's interesting that they sell so many grades of gasoline in the U.S. In most of Europe there are only two grades (95 and 98 RON) and most gasoline cars fill up with 95 RON (90-91 AKI). Lower grades are rare and often not available at all in many EU countries.

[jeffandnicole]

I can tell by the pump you're at a Sunoco. They are well known for their numerous octane levels. I've even seen racing fuel sold at them...something like 105 octane!

They brand themselves as the official fuel of NASCAR.

About a mile away from me Sunoco had a major refinery (until they shut most of it down several years ago).  There was no mistaking they were the Official Fuel of NASCAR! LOL.  Today some of the tanks are used as holding tanks only, but there's still a significant amount of Sunoco and other fuel trucks going to and from there. 

It also taught me quickly about the fuel industry.  Even though it was completely a Sunoco refinery, you would see all sorts of trucks come in and out.  Regardless if they were Sunoco, Wawa or many other brands and off-brands of gasoline, they all used the refinery for their fuel.

[1995hoo]

One Sunoco station near me changed over to a Liberty station several years ago; but the pumps still have 4 grade choices (87, 89, 91, 93).

Must be franchise-specific because the Sunoco near us that became a Liberty switched to the more conventional three-grade pumps (one of them also has diesel, via a separate nozzle of course).

The most different fuel options I recall from one pump is the Race Trac at the corner of Ben C. Pratt Six Mile Cypress Parkway and Michael Rippe Parkway in Fort Myers. I don't recall what all the grades were and GasBuddy doesn't help, but I recall at least six options (including at least one variation of ethanol), possibly seven. I could ask our relatives who live nearby, but I know they're not interested in that sort of thing to notice.

[SectorZ]

Pride Gas, a series of stations around Springfield MA, had five different octane choices about ten years ago, but I see by now has ended that. They were between 87 and 94, though I don't remember the specifics of the middle three. Was quite a unique thing.

[SP Cook]

There is a Sheetz south of Cleveland, Ohio that has Unleaded 87, Midgrade 89, Premium 93, E85 and E15. If I recall right, it had three handles - with a black handle for 87, 89 and 93, a pink handle for E85, and a blue handle for E15.

This seems to be rolling out at Sheetz around my area.  The E15 comes with a large blue warning label disclaiming liability and directing the customer to read the owner's manual to see if the engine can run on the stuff.  Given the minor price cut from regular (IIRC 8 cents the last time I was there), I cannot imagine they sell a lot.

[02 Park Ave]

The Sheetz in Clearfield PA had an odd ethanol blend.  It wasn't E-85 but rather was labelled as being at least 50% ethanol.

Also, quite awhile ago, five grades was standard for Sunoco here in South Jersey. In addition to the four they have now, they also had an "economy" grade with an octane rating below regular.

[SectorZ]

There is a Sheetz south of Cleveland, Ohio that has Unleaded 87, Midgrade 89, Premium 93, E85 and E15. If I recall right, it had three handles - with a black handle for 87, 89 and 93, a pink handle for E85, and a blue handle for E15.

This seems to be rolling out at Sheetz around my area.  The E15 comes with a large blue warning label disclaiming liability and directing the customer to read the owner's manual to see if the engine can run on the stuff.  Given the minor price cut from regular (IIRC 8 cents the last time I was there), I cannot imagine they sell a lot.

So E15 is cheaper than standard (E10) unleaded, how much was the E85? The only E85 pumps in New England (I know of) are on the Mass Pike and about $1/gallon more expensive than unleaded. Amazing given you get 70% of the normal gas mileage running on it.

[Brandon]

There is a Sheetz south of Cleveland, Ohio that has Unleaded 87, Midgrade 89, Premium 93, E85 and E15. If I recall right, it had three handles - with a black handle for 87, 89 and 93, a pink handle for E85, and a blue handle for E15.

This seems to be rolling out at Sheetz around my area.  The E15 comes with a large blue warning label disclaiming liability and directing the customer to read the owner's manual to see if the engine can run on the stuff.  Given the minor price cut from regular (IIRC 8 cents the last time I was there), I cannot imagine they sell a lot.

So E15 is cheaper than standard (E10) unleaded, how much was the E85? The only E85 pumps in New England (I know of) are on the Mass Pike and about $1/gallon more expensive than unleaded. Amazing given you get 70% of the normal gas mileage running on it.

E85 usually runs somewhere from 50 cents to a buck less than 87 octane in Illinois.  E15 varies from a mere 3 cents less at Thornton's to as much as a dime less than 87 octane elsewhere in Illinois.  I'm really surprised E85 would be more expensive anywhere.

[Jardine]

I think in years past I've seen a pump with 2 varieties of diesel, soy and 'regular' diesel.  Can't say I've seen one recently.

For farm/home delivery, depending on time of the year, diesel options would be for the winter formula (won't gel in the cold) and tractor diesel that is a different color as the tax rate is different as it won't be burned on the hiway.  Obviously, getting caught with the wrong color of diesel fuel at a weigh station is a big infraction. 

Trying to remember if there was ever a time when low sulfur diesel was an option  . . .

[hbelkins]

There is a Sheetz south of Cleveland, Ohio that has Unleaded 87, Midgrade 89, Premium 93, E85 and E15. If I recall right, it had three handles - with a black handle for 87, 89 and 93, a pink handle for E85, and a blue handle for E15.

This seems to be rolling out at Sheetz around my area.  The E15 comes with a large blue warning label disclaiming liability and directing the customer to read the owner's manual to see if the engine can run on the stuff.  Given the minor price cut from regular (IIRC 8 cents the last time I was there), I cannot imagine they sell a lot.

First place I saw it was at the Sheetz in West Huntington. I have seen conflicting warnings about E15. I know E85 is only for flex-fuel vehicles, but I've seen information that indicates my vehicle would run on E15, and other warnings that it would not..

[SP Cook]

E85:  Around here E85 sells for about 70% the price of regular.  Considering E85 yields 70% of the mileage, it is a push.  I have seen it cheaper than that across the river in Ohio, which makes sense considering that farmers vote. 

Diesel.  I'm not an accountant, but my understanding is that the government provides for off-road (mostly farm, marine, and construction) fuel taxes differently.  All gasoline is taxed, and an off-road user fills out a form and gets it refunded.  But they maintain two separate Diesel supplies, one taxed and one not, indicted by a dye additive.  Chemically it is the same stuff.  Getting caught with the wrong stuff is a super violation for a trucker, but I really don't know what jurisdiction they would have over private vehicles. 

You do not see it along the interstates, but out in the country around here, most of the stations, have two Diesel pumps, one labeled "Off-Road Use Only" and, far less expensive.  And you see plenty of Diesel pickups filling up with it.

                                                                                       

[Buck87]

One Sunoco station near me changed over to a Liberty station several years ago; but the pumps still have 4 grade choices (87, 89, 91, 93).

A little over 10 years ago my hometown's Sunoco closed and was taken over by local grocery store. They didn't sell 4 grade choices, so they dealt with the extra button by having two 87's. Can't remember if they had it as 87, 87, 89, 91 or 87, 87, 89, 93, though I did find it be a someone odd setup and always pushed the leftmost 87 to be on the safe side. It remained that way for at least 5 years before they redid the whole station and put in all new pumps.

[NJRoadfan]

There was at least one station around here that had a K-1 kerosene pump in addition to diesel and 3 grades of gas. Guess they got some jet fuel that failed certification from the Bayway Refinery in Linden NJ. 

[jeffandnicole]

I think in years past I've seen a pump with 2 varieties of diesel, soy and 'regular' diesel.  Can't say I've seen one recently.

For farm/home delivery, depending on time of the year, diesel options would be for the winter formula (won't gel in the cold) and tractor diesel that is a different color as the tax rate is different as it won't be burned on the hiway.  Obviously, getting caught with the wrong color of diesel fuel at a weigh station is a big infraction. 

Trying to remember if there was ever a time when low sulfur diesel was an option  . . .

The closest I've seen to that is this station: https://goo.gl/maps/NbtALDfnFyJ2  And when you see the lot, it almost seems like the place should be in some back-country out-of-the-way county road, very unlike what the rest of the region is like.

[tchafe1978]

In Platteville, WI there is a station called the Smart Station, it is locally owned by an ethanol producer. There in one other location in Monroe, WI. It is also 24 hour pay at the pump only, it is not staffed. The pumps have 5 grades, regular unleaded which is 10% ethanol, E15, E25, E35, and E85. All but the regular are listed as being usable only in cars capable of using E85, and if I remember correctly, there is about a 10 cent difference in price between each grade. Can't remember the octane rating off the top of my head. I really don't know what the purpose of so many mid-grades of ethanol blends is. But is's usually my station of choice as the regular is usually 5 cents cheaper than any other station in town.

[jdb1234]

One Sunoco station near me changed over to a Liberty station several years ago; but the pumps still have 4 grade choices (87, 89, 91, 93).

Must be franchise-specific because the Sunoco near us that became a Liberty switched to the more conventional three-grade pumps (one of them also has diesel, via a separate nozzle of course).

The most different fuel options I recall from one pump is the Race Trac at the corner of Ben C. Pratt Six Mile Cypress Parkway and Michael Rippe Parkway in Fort Myers. I don't recall what all the grades were and GasBuddy doesn't help, but I recall at least six options (including at least one variation of ethanol), possibly seven. I could ask our relatives who live nearby, but I know they're not interested in that sort of thing to notice.

It is was like one of the other RaceTracs that I visited in Fort Myers, it probably carried E85 and E0.

[Sam]

I remember Sunoco pumps having 87, 88, 89, 92, and 94, along with diesel.

Oh, man, I can remember Sunoco pumps having 190, 200, 220, 240, and 260.

:old:

[abefroman329]

There is a Sheetz south of Cleveland, Ohio that has Unleaded 87, Midgrade 89, Premium 93, E85 and E15. If I recall right, it had three handles - with a black handle for 87, 89 and 93, a pink handle for E85, and a blue handle for E15.

This seems to be rolling out at Sheetz around my area.  The E15 comes with a large blue warning label disclaiming liability and directing the customer to read the owner's manual to see if the engine can run on the stuff.  Given the minor price cut from regular (IIRC 8 cents the last time I was there), I cannot imagine they sell a lot.

First place I saw it was at the Sheetz in West Huntington. I have seen conflicting warnings about E15. I know E85 is only for flex-fuel vehicles, but I've seen information that indicates my vehicle would run on E15, and other warnings that it would not..

The gas cap on my car (2013 Toyota Camry) says it will run on E15.  I haven't checked the owner's manual to see if it concurs.

I've also heard that you have to run the tank dry and fill it up with E85 in order to actually save money over unleaded, I'm not sure if it's the same with E15.