What Did We Call Premium Gas?

[LostMy65]

Was it Ethel?
It seems it used to be called a couple other things back in the day.

[Rickysnickers]

Ethyl, super, or high test

[rsavage]

High test back in the day in my neck of the woods.

[Blue666(2)]

Originally Posted by LostMy65

Was it Ethel?
It seems it used to be called a couple other things back in the day.

I found a few sources for info. Gasoline, in it's most basic form, is a natural byproduct of crude oil production. Some crude oils naturally seperate into heavy & light distillates while in storage. Refining further breaks crude into many products.

These light distillates were little used until the early 1890's when spark ignition engines began to appear. Natural gasoline was often wasted (dumped) due to safety hazards.

Gasoline research began as we tried to develop reliable & more powerful engines. The technologies grew together.

AT many gas stations, a buyer could selct a wide variety of octane levels. https://www.tommcmahon.net/2010/08/s...-gas-pump.html

I found this also but can't verify the source. https://www.stevesnovasite.com/forum.../t-164646.html

[nsb29]

Ethel

[Clyde65]

When I was a kid, there was Premium Leaded and regular leaded fuel

Premium had higher octane to suppress knock

Then unleaded came and leaded was removed.

[NorCalC20LWB]

Ethyl way back when. Had a job in my teens back in the mid '70's pumping gas at night in the Sacramento area (this was before self serve). One of my first nights an older gentleman said "fill it up with ethyl". Me, after standing there looking stupid: "Uhhh, what's ethyl?". Him: "The good stuff". Must be a term from the old days.

[A1971Blazer]

Burt Reynolds in the movie WW and the Dixie Dance Kings
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hVcEqVcsE1s at 43:20

Gas station attendant: "You want regular or Ethyl?"
Burt: "We'll take Ethyl if she's working...if she ain't how 'bout her sister"

Sunoco 260 or Amoco Premium (both 104 octane) was our hot rod "go-to" fuel

[Steeveedee]

How many of you people worked at a gas station and pumped ethyl?

[raises hand]

We used to call it ethyl, but when I worked at a Chevron station they called it Chevron "Supreme".

[The Rocknrod]

Ethyl.

[Killer Bee]

recently had to retire these old tanks that were ready to roll away and replace with newer ones on a slab..

the old gasoline tanks still had the old larger nozzles for leaded fuel, the new one got the smaller nozzle for modern unleaded..

ethyl was the brand name of the lead additive package that could be added to the tank at bulk fill up until around the mid 90's where it was banned completely..

we had ethyl in the smaller gasoline tank up until they quit selling it..

lead increases octane levels and lubricity specifically needed in older valvetrains and higher compression engines to reduce knock..

avgas 100 low lead is still available although can be difficult to obtain depending where you go or who you know..

and although labeled 'low' lead I believe is still higher lead content than premium leaded used to be..

race fuel I believe is still available in drums, not sure if available in bulk or not..


new ul listed 500 gallon tanks, sufficient fuel storage, oil company will deliver anything over 300 gallons without surcharge..



these 500s were installed in the 70's



and these 1000s added in the 80's

[A1971Blazer]

Tetraethyllead (commonly styled tetraethyl lead), abbreviated TEL, is an organolead compound with the formula (CH 3 CH 2) 4 Pb..
TEL is a petro-fuel additive, first being mixed with gasoline (petrol) beginning in the 1920s as a patented octane rating booster that allowed engine compression to be raised substantially.

[Stocker]

In the Sixties on the west coast, Chevron had 3 grades of gasoline, and they each had their own pump color. IIRC, regular was in blue pumps, mid-grade in red pumps, and the good stuff, Chevron Custom Supreme, in white pumps.
As I recall, it had a hint of greenish color and was referred to as 'lime kool-aid'. It was the only gas my 375HP '65 Corvette was happy with.

[The Rocknrod]

I remember my dad being asked this question every time we stopped for gas:

[100%Chevy]

Most of the gas stations i worked at in the late 60's/early 70's only sold 2 chioces---regular or premium.
The bigger brand s had several different octane ratings you could choose.Some even had a knob on the pump to select octane desired,which I think was a crock of bull.
Anybody remember "White gas"?
Mike.

[A1971Blazer]

Originally Posted by 100%Chevy

Most of the gas stations i worked at in the late 60's/early 70's only sold 2 chioces---regular or premium.
The bigger brand s had several different octane ratings you could choose.Some even had a knob on the pump to select octane desired,which I think was a crock of bull.
Anybody remember "White gas"?
Mike.

Amoco..had the unleaded premium "white gas" you could use it in a Coleman lantern or camping stove....it was good fuel for hot rods too..

[Steeveedee]

Originally Posted by 100%Chevy

Most of the gas stations i worked at in the late 60's/early 70's only sold 2 chioces---regular or premium.
The bigger brand s had several different octane ratings you could choose.Some even had a knob on the pump to select octane desired,which I think was a crock of bull.
Anybody remember "White gas"?
Mike.

It may have brought higher octane fuel to the dispenser, but I know that the hose alone holds a gallon, so unless the person before you got the same thing as you did, you may not have gotten what you paid for. Maybe that isn't true, but can anyone tell me how the switching was done? Guaranteed you were going to get one gallon different from what you paid for. Maybe better, maybe worse.

[67ChevyRedneck]

When did gas stations start advertising/assigning an octane level to fuel? I seem to recall that being a part of the pricing signs since I was little (1980's).

[100%Chevy]

Originally Posted by Steeveedee

It may have brought higher octane fuel to the dispenser, but I know that the hose alone holds a gallon, so unless the person before you got the same thing as you did, you may not have gotten what you paid for. Maybe that isn't true, but can anyone tell me how the switching was done? Guaranteed you were going to get one gallon different from what you paid for. Maybe better, maybe worse.

Us poor folks would always drain the hose before hanging up the nozzle!
Mike.

[LostMy65]

Originally Posted by A1971Blazer

Amoco..had the unleaded premium "white gas" you could use it in a Coleman lantern or camping stove....it was good fuel for hot rods too..

White gas didn't smell bad if I remember correctly.
Maybe it's because I don't like the smell of kerosene.

[special-K]

Hi-test or premium is what it was called around here in my time as the general terms. But since all stations were of the oil companies, we used the trade names like Esso Extra, Sunoco 260, Super Shell, (Texaco) Sky Chief, Amoco Premium.

I pumped gas at a Sunoco station in HS. Also mounted tires and took wrecker out to do hot shots or get people unstuck

[Ol Blue K20]

Texaco "Fire Chief Supreme " .I know showing my age. I remember when we started self serve but we still had to wash the windows, oil etc......

[1976gmc20]

Originally Posted by special-K

I pumped gas at a Sunoco station in HS. Also mounted tires and took wrecker out to do hot shots or get people unstuck

The "wrecker" at the Conoco station where I worked was an old four banger Scout with a set of jumper cables and a tow strap

We used to do lots of "no start" calls in the winter. Usually it was to a motel for skiers from Texas who were still running straight 30 or 40 weight oil, which of course turns almost solid at forty below. If the jump didn't work, we would drag them into the heated shop for a few hours to warm up, often followed by an oil change and maybe a tune-up (points/condenser/plugs) and a new battery.


BTW, since people came from all over the country to that station, they called the most expensive gas by a variety of names so I never got stuck on one. I won't make any jokes about "pumping Ethel" - honestly, I won't

[67C10Step]

I grew up in the sticks in north Arkansas and it was High Test or Super in my neck of the woods.

Would ride my 1969 Honda Z50 to the local country store, fill it up with gas, grab a soda and a bag of chips. All for about $1.

Didn’t know I was living the carefree life but I was.

[yuccales]

Originally Posted by 100%Chevy

Us poor folks would always drain the hose before hanging up the nozzle!
Mike.

That's how we got gas for the mini-bike and lawn mower.