With the increasing costs of gas in Hawaii, up 11 cents since January 1, some people are coming to me asking how to save more gas, which gas is better, what grade they should put in, is Costco gas any good, etc.

You can post any gas question on this posting, and I will do my best to answer your questions. Here are some answers to questions I have received from friends.

Q: Is Costco gas OK? They are so cheap, it must be cheap gas.
A: Costco in Hawaii actually gets their gas from Aloha Petroleum, a retailer who also serves customers at their Aloha Gasoline stations. Aloha gas is actually good, and is listed on the Top Tier Gasoline website. That means you are getting quality gas for your vehicle. I don’t know how other Costco gas stations are around the country, but at least Hawaii gets their gas from a top tier gas retailer. So don’t be afraid…it’s not only OK, but good to put in Costco gas.

Q: Does higher octane help my car?
A: Only if your car requires it. If your car manual specifies putting in 91 or higher octane, then you have no choice but to put in premium gas. Most cars requiring this type of gas are sport cars and luxury cars, normally with high horsepower output. If your car manual specifies putting in 87 octane gas, you don’t need to put any higher. There will be no benefit to putting in 92 octane gas in a car that requires only 87. You can read more about it at this link, another article I wrote on gas.

Q: What’s the difference between 76, Shell, Aloha, Chevron, and other gas stations?
A: What I would say first is to go to the Top Tier Gasoline website here and look for the retailer. If the retailer is there, the gas is good. In which case, if you want to save money, go to the retailer that is on the list with the cheapest price. If you feel safe putting in, say Chevron gas, since you put it in for years, continue to put it in since it’s good gas. If your gas isn’t on that list, I would advise switching.

The reason why Shell calls their gas V-Power and Chevron calls theirs Techron is the additives they put into their gas to make it “their own”. They all get their gas from the same refinery, and add their additives and trademark it to be there’s. For the most part, these additives clean your engine and keep them clean. Again, you can read up on this on my other website at this link.

Those are questions I hear most frequently. If you have any more, feel free to reply to this posting.

• Wha? Regular gas $3.19?!
• Here We Go Again…Gas Price Over $3 a Gallon
• Maui Highest Gas Prices in Nation

               
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