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Last updated January 13, 2002 - recent updates in RED.

Amoco Ultimate and BP Super

"Troy,

Good question Troy. So I decided to do a little research on this since I was one of the ones suggesting that all premiums grades were coming from the same bulk distribution tank and were essentially identical except for minor additives. As you know Amoco merged with BP in 1998 to form BP Amoco which also owns ARCO. I found the following info on the BP website under FAQ for Cleaner Fuels USA:

1. Amoco Ultimate and BP Super 93 average only 30 ppm sulfur compared to 114 ppm for the national average.

2. These new and improved fuels are now available in Atlanta, Asheville, Baltimore, Birmingham, Charlotte, Chicago, Detroit, Greensboro, Indianapolis, Memphis, Milwaukee, Nashville, Philadelphia, Raleigh/Durham, Richmond, St. Louis, Twin Cities, and Washington D.C. (I don't know when this was written and whether there is wider distribution today. The other question is whether all Amoco Ultimate and BP Super 93 are the same nationwide? I can get Amoco Ultimate and BP Super 93 here in NJ but are they 30 ppm sulfur or 114?)

3. Lower sulfur improves the effectiveness of catalytic converters enabling them to work more efficiently. (They didn't say it extends the life of the converters which would be of more interest since these cost $1,500 each to replace).

4. Amoco Ultimate is blended to provide excellent cold start and warm-up performance. (This means it contains more butane - a benefit if you live in a cold climate).

5. Amoco Ultimate contains the highest concentration of our deposit control additive to help keep fuel injectors and intake valves clean. (Chevron Supreme with Techron might be more effective but who knows).

If you still have Nik under the hood and live outside California this looks like a good fuel choice. Hmmm, even though I have Al under the hood maybe I'll start using this stuff myself.

I also found that BP Amoco operates 6 refineries in the US (out of 150 total refineries). The Amoco refineries are in the following locations with alkylate production indicated in barrels/day:

- Whiting, IN (36,000)
- Toledo, OH (11,500)
- Mandan, ND (5,600)
- Texas City, TX (62,000)
- Salt Lake City, UT (5,400)
- Yorktown, VA (4,200)

John Dilzell
'94 530ia"