Seasonal gasoline formula - should I care?

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Tangible

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I sometimes go for months on a single tank of gas because of my driving pattern. I know that there are different summer and winter formulas for gas. Will there be any ill-effects from driving in cold weather with summer gas from my last refueling in August?
 
My driving habits let me keep the same gas in the tank for 6 to 8 months so I always use Stabil. (And @insightman thought I only shilled for RainX!)
I should get paid for endorsing
Stabil, RainX and 303 Protectant.
 
Tangible said:
I sometimes go for months on a single tank of gas because of my driving pattern. I know that there are different summer and winter formulas for gas. Will there be any ill-effects from driving in cold weather with summer gas from my last refueling in August?
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Possibly. But I wouldn't worry too much. Winter gasoline is mixed to have higher volatility so it can be ignited more easily in cold weather. Summer blends reduce the volatility to lower the chances of it evaporating before it ever gets to the engine and causing excess pollution. So in principle if it gets really cold a summer blend can make the engine run rough in winter.

But these cars are over-engineered and standards are usually set for the lowest common denominators. I suspect the car will run just fine. The pressurized tank should take care of most of the humidity and volatility issues that makes gas "go bad".
 
Tangible said:
I sometimes go for months on a single tank of gas because of my driving pattern. I know that there are different summer and winter formulas for gas. Will there be any ill-effects from driving in cold weather with summer gas from my last refueling in August?
Click to expand...

I’ve heard that gasoline loses its octane rating over time. I’m sure the pressurized fuel system on the clarity helps with this, but I don’t know if it stops it completely.
I’d be more concerned with that then summer versus winter blends unless you’re dealing with Arctic temperatures.
If I only filled up a few times a year I might put high-octane in for that reason. I’m not a fuel engineer though, that’s just my amateur opinion.


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Don't bother with high octane fuel. What you really want is ethanol free fuel. The ethanol is what causes fuel line issues if it sits long enough.
 
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