Gas / Petrol Stations In Chiang Mai. What Fuels Best?

[richardpwills]

I have been hearing rumours that some gas stations around Chiang Mai have a lower quality of fuel compared to others. I have also heard there is a big difference in performance between the 91 Red fuel and the 91 green fuel.

Does anyone know what fuel is best and what gas station is best for your motorbike?

[naboo]

What's best depends on the bike..... One of mine prefers the red 91, but can run on the green 91 or the 95, the other doesn't mind which 91 I use, and will run on the E20, though not such great mileage. Look on the GT Rider forum 'Gasohol' section for more info on types of fuel.

My preferred tank full comes from the Pure Station. Shame I have to drive nearly all the way to Mae Taeng to get it.

In town, I go for Esso.

[onthedarkside]

I use the red 91, and it's only available at PTT stations as far as I know. Rumour going around that PTT will stop selling red 91 (that's 100% petrol) mid 2012.

It's not about lower fuel quality, just about octane rating and how much other things are mixed into the fuel.

[bobl]

I've filled up at random at many different stations and not noticed any difference...

I am, however, confused about the difference between red 91 green 91 and 95. I'd always assumed that red 91 was bog standard petrol, green 91 was unleaded and 95 was "super"...

[naboo]

I use the red 91, and it's only available at PTT stations as far as I know.

Its available just about everywhere. In fact, I can't off the top of my head think of a place that isn't currently offering it.

[naboo]

I am, however, confused about the difference between red 91 green 91 and 95. I'd always assumed that red 91 was bog standard petrol, green 91 was unleaded and 95 was "super"...

91 red is pure benzine, octane rating (a measure of how much octane there is in the fuel) of 91.

91 green is as above, but with some (10%) ethanol mixed in. Results in a reduction in energy content of about 2%. Also, the ethanol can cause damage to some tanks, fuel lines and carburettors.

95 has a higher octane rating, though only some engines can make use of this (and those engines should not be run on any 91 fuel). In Thailand it is 10% ethanol. Shell V-Power is 95 gasohol, and the E20 you see around in a few places is 95, with 20% ethanol mixed in.

[MESmith]

I'm confused with the colours. I thought I was buying 91 benzine, no gasohol from Cosmo station on superhighway. But it's yellow colour.... It's only for my lawn mower.

[naboo]

I think (not 100% sure) the 91 red benzine is now yellow. i know its definitely not red anymore.

just to add to the confusion. the pumps are (usually) still red though.

[MESmith]

I think (not 100% sure) the 91 red benzine is now yellow. i know its definitely not red anymore.

just to add to the confusion. the pumps are (usually) still red though.

Pump label is yellow. They confirm it's benzine. Petrol is definitely yellow.

[KRS1]

Smaller displacement bikes will see a difference in fuel quality, while it is harder to notice on larger bikes.

PURE is the best but it is far away, the ESSO on the superhighway close to the Nimanheimin intersection is the second best. The Petronas across the from ESSO is my second choice. Get benzine, you aren't saving anything by using gasohol, because you dont go as far do to lower btu's.

The ESSO close to the river and the Petronas along the city moat are not of the same quality as the two others mentioned above.

Ive tried the rest and other stations make my bike sluggish, especially PTT.

Shell is/was passing off gasohol as benzine, i have the hardened fuel lines to prove it.

[onthedarkside]

Fact of he matter is that pump attendants will just answer yes if you ask if it's 'benzine' as in 100% petrol. Don't know how many times I have quizzed the attendants and eventually got them to admit it's gasohol or some other mix.

For me a red coloured pump with 91 = real petrol, anything else (green or yellow pumps) means something else.

I cannot find 91 benzine at Shell or Esso or Caltex. Even these comanies web sites do not list 91 benzine.

[funcat]

some more info here :

[onthedarkside]

Thaivisa is full of topics about this ... here is another one

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/429532-benzine-gasoline-whatever/page__hl__benzine

[KRS1]

Fact of he matter is that pump attendants will just answer yes if you ask if it's 'benzine' as in 100% petrol. Don't know how many times I have quizzed the attendants and eventually got them to admit it's gasohol or some other mix.

For me a red coloured pump with 91 = real petrol, anything else (green or yellow pumps) means something else.

I cannot find 91 benzine at Shell or Esso or Caltex. Even these comanies web sites do not list 91 benzine.

The ESSO in my previous post has benzine, the other ESSO by the river does not.

[onthedarkside]

The ESSO in my previous post has benzine, the other ESSO by the river does not.

Ok thanks for that, I'll check it out. Now the real question is where can I get 95 Benzine for my performance machine ??

[funcat]

The ESSO in my previous post has benzine, the other ESSO by the river does not.

Ok thanks for that, I'll check it out. Now the real question is where can I get 95 Benzine for my performance machine ??

I haven't seen the 95 Benzine for years now,but I've heard that some selective Shell stations may still have it....BTW,what is that "performance machine" ??

[onthedarkside]

I haven't seen the 95 Benzine for years now,but I've heard that some selective Shell stations may still have it....BTW,what is that "performance machine" ??

Nope, Shell changed to V-power 95 a couple of years ago and that's a gasohol mix. My 'machine' does not like it ... engine pinks too much, warning lights come on. Main dealer tells me to buy 95 Benzine. Sigh sigh.

[funcat]

I haven't seen the 95 Benzine for years now,but I've heard that some selective Shell stations may still have it....BTW,what is that "performance machine" ??

Nope, Shell changed to V-power 95 a couple of years ago and that's a gasohol mix. My 'machine' does not like it ... engine pinks too much, warning lights come on. Main dealer tells me to buy 95 Benzine. Sigh sigh.

well.I guess we are stuck with the 91 Benzine than...have to do some adjustments,or buy a power chip ...or just ask your main dealer where to get 95

[mcgriffith]

Lemon Green (retail outlet for Bangchak Petroleum Corp., 2nd largest refiner after TOP, who does all of PTT's stuff) up from the Nimblehymen intersection also sells 91 benzine. Sometimes. When they don't have, I continue to Petronas. When Petronas is sold out, I do the you-ee and hit Esso.

Also, the PTT station on the CMU campus east exit on Irrigation Canal Road almost always has 91 benzine.

I could go into a 5000 word treatise on this, but I'll spare you all, this time.

As mentioned above, gasohol works in small motorbikes, but has the effect of diminished power output (when you're starting with only 5 bhp, you don't want to lose even one iota), and has certain deleterious effects. It's hydrophilic- sucks ambient atmospheric moisture into carburetors and fuel tanks, causing blockages and accelerated rust.

Modern autos with sensors and CPU controlled engine management systems (and specially designed fuel system tubing and plastics, with water filtration components) can easily compensate for gasohols unique characteristics.

Carburetor scooters, say pre-2009 (when the first Honda fuel injected models came out) really don't run so well on any sort of gasohol. They're not tuned for it. They'll run OK, just not that great.

If you buy a new Honda Wave with PGM-FI, or say a CBR or PCX....they are fuel injected and have special components designed to work with gasohol.

[mcgriffith]

PS Only if you have an engine with a high compression ratio, say over 11:1, or are running a turbo or supercharger, do you need high octane fuel. High octane fuel has a slower cumbustion speed (flame propagation), thus helps control pre-ignition/detonation in a high output motor.

It does not create higher horsepower. The rule is- use the lowest octane fuel you can get away with that does not create pre-ignition under high stress conditions. In other words, PTT 91 benzine has a higher power quotient than Shell 95 benzine.

I know this goes against every tenet of marketing BS we've been fed for decades from Big Oil. We've been brainwashed to believe higher octane=higher horsepower.

Google it, go to the SAE or DIN websites, you'll see it.

Or for the short easy read: http://www.aa1car.com/library/octane.htm, or this: http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080327111456AAZQX4v

I used to run 110 octane special fuel in my track bike.

A tuner I know challenged me to try 91 octane (unleaded) in a comparo dyno run.

The 91 eeked out about 1 bhp over the race gas in my GSX-R 1000 that had been tuned and piped to a fare-the-well.

[KRS1]

The ESSO in my previous post has benzine, the other ESSO by the river does not.

Ok thanks for that, I'll check it out. Now the real question is where can I get 95 Benzine for my performance machine ??

You may want to check out the PURE station on route 107, its before 1095...25 kilometers from CNX city center.

Their fuel runs a bit leaner. Worth the ride if it's just for a weekend toy. If your bike is already tuned to run on the lean side you may not see much effect.

My stock engine showed significant performance increase, but after modifying/increasing the airflow the effects have diminished. Reinforcing the fact that it does run leaner than other brands.

The ESSO i referred to earlier seems to have a higher quality when they get in a new batch of canned fuel additives for sale, the fuel attendants will try to sell it to you. I never bought it, but the bike seems to have crisper response whenever they get a new batch in. This ESSO has been very consistent in quality.

Edited January 3, 2012 by KRS1

[WinnieTheKhwai]

How about diesel? I think I had one bad fill-up some time ago which made my engine very unhappy; could have been Esso but not sure. After that I changed the fuel filter, and switched to filling up consistently at Caltex stations (which are VERY elusive for some reason, and tend to be closed and boarded up at random) and changed the fuel filter and it's fine again now.

It seems there's less smoke with this fuel too; I notice when some ultra slow driver pisses me off, then when finally getting past I like to rev it up to 3000 rpm or so which used to produce a nice cloud (after rarely exceeding 2200 rpm in normal driving), but this doesn't work as well on Caltex Techron diesel. ( Could be just my perception.) The cloud-thing only worked once every so many kms.; I guess that clears the exhaust filter or something, because when revving to 3000 or higher after that there's no smoke.

Edited January 4, 2012 by WinnieTheKhwai

[dickyknee]

what about e85? i noticed a fuel stop on the super why near bigC/HomePro that had a price up on the board for it. the same e85 price space was blank 3 week ago. i guess they have just started (re)selling it.

any other places about town selling it?

[Semper]

The ESSO in my previous post has benzine, the other ESSO by the river does not.

Ok thanks for that, I'll check it out. Now the real question is where can I get 95 Benzine for my performance machine ??

Esso HangDong Rd (before Tesco) has 91 benzine. 95 benzine is not available in CM as far as I know.

[elektrified]

You may wish to check with Honda (if you drive a Honda motorcycle) which fuel to use. About 2 years ago I decided to switch to 91 Gasohol for my motorcycle. It ran O.K. for about 5 days and then it began to backfire and the engine had no power. Soon it became close to impossible to start. One day I was in the city and the engine stalled as I was driving. Fortunately it happened right around the corner from my mechanic.The first thing the mechanic said was "you didn't use gasohol did you?" He refused to work on it and said that it had to go to Honda to be sorted out. Had to have it trucked over to the Honda dealer near the Airport. Cost me about 2500 Baht if I recall correctly. They told me there "never use gasohol" in this motorcycle.

[funcat]

You may wish to check with Honda (if you drive a Honda motorcycle) which fuel to use. About 2 years ago I decided to switch to 91 Gasohol for my motorcycle. It ran O.K. for about 5 days and then it began to backfire and the engine had no power. Soon it became close to impossible to start. One day I was in the city and the engine stalled as I was driving. Fortunately it happened right around the corner from my mechanic.The first thing the mechanic said was "you didn't use gasohol did you?" He refused to work on it and said that it had to go to Honda to be sorted out. Had to have it trucked over to the Honda dealer near the Airport. Cost me about 2500 Baht if I recall correctly. They told me there "never use gasohol" in this motorcycle.

What Honda model is this and how old?

[naboo]

what about e85? i noticed a fuel stop on the super why near bigC/HomePro that had a price up on the board for it. the same e85 price space was blank 3 week ago. i guess they have just started (re)selling it.

any other places about town selling it?

85% ethanol. Avoid at all costs unless you know for sure, 100%, that its safe in your engine.

[elektrified]

You may wish to check with Honda (if you drive a Honda motorcycle) which fuel to use. About 2 years ago I decided to switch to 91 Gasohol for my motorcycle. It ran O.K. for about 5 days and then it began to backfire and the engine had no power. Soon it became close to impossible to start. One day I was in the city and the engine stalled as I was driving. Fortunately it happened right around the corner from my mechanic.The first thing the mechanic said was "you didn't use gasohol did you?" He refused to work on it and said that it had to go to Honda to be sorted out. Had to have it trucked over to the Honda dealer near the Airport. Cost me about 2500 Baht if I recall correctly. They told me there "never use gasohol" in this motorcycle.

What Honda model is this and how old?

Honda Dream 125 about 5 years old.

[funcat]

You may wish to check with Honda (if you drive a Honda motorcycle) which fuel to use. About 2 years ago I decided to switch to 91 Gasohol for my motorcycle. It ran O.K. for about 5 days and then it began to backfire and the engine had no power. Soon it became close to impossible to start. One day I was in the city and the engine stalled as I was driving. Fortunately it happened right around the corner from my mechanic.The first thing the mechanic said was "you didn't use gasohol did you?" He refused to work on it and said that it had to go to Honda to be sorted out. Had to have it trucked over to the Honda dealer near the Airport. Cost me about 2500 Baht if I recall correctly. They told me there "never use gasohol" in this motorcycle.

What Honda model is this and how old?

Honda Dream 125 about 5 years old.

My friend has a Dream 7 years old and he has changed to Gasohol 95 about 2 years ago...his mechanic only did some adjustments and he says it's still runs like a dream...

[Sojourner]

I always try to fill up my bikes and car with Caltex 91 benzine. There are still a few stations around Chiang Mai that sell it. Mae Jo Road Caltex and Doi Saket Road in San Sai. Caltex advertise they add Techron (Techrolene) to the mix which is also an after market product that counters the effects of alcohol sitting in tanks and carburetors for extended periods as well as cleaning the crap that forms on the valve stems. I worked at Chevron in El Segundo, CA for years and know the product works as advertised. How much they add to the mix here is anybody's guess.