July 9, 2016
by Messenger Post

Canandaigua, N.Y.

Sometimes the bumps (click here) along your commute are not from the road but rather from the decisions made at the pump.

The Lane Ranger is reminded of this following AAA’s release this week of a study showing that quality gasoline keeps engines 19 times cleaner.

The independent laboratory testing compared gasolines that meet Top Tier standards — including such brands as Chevron, Exxon, Sunoco and Valero — with gasoline brands that do not participate in the automaker-backed program.

Among the brands tested, AAA reported that non-Top Tier gasolines caused 19 times more engine deposits than the Top Tier brands — often marketed to consumers as having enhanced, engine-cleaning detergent additives — after just 4,000 miles of simulated driving. Such carbon deposits are known to reduce fuel economy, increase emissions and negatively impact vehicle performance, particularly on newer vehicles, the national auto club warned.

“AAA was surprised to learn the extent to which detergent additives impact gasoline quality,” John Nielsen, AAA’s managing director of Automotive Engineering and Repair, said in a media release announcing the findings. “As advertised, tested TOP TIER gasolines kept engines remarkably cleaner than other fuels we tested.”...