I recall hearing the quality of the gas today is not as good as in the past. Is that true and if so, does gas quality have any impact on turbo engines over the long term?
Ethanol contamination has resulted in gasoline that goes "stale" much faster than in the past and is hard on small engines, so in that sense quality has gone down.
Perhaps it's become more specialized to suit picky, computerized engines that are obsessed with emissions control and not with mechanical carbs and such?
The ethanol mandate is 100% politically motivated.
I don't think it's the gas that's getting worse, it's the cars. Not that engines are getting worse, per se, but they are getting more complicated with turbos, electronics, emissions devices, etc, so that they don't tolerate bad gas as well.
Yes and no, depending how you look at it.
I don’t know the entire story, but it goes something like this.
Gas companies stated adding additives to gas. Additives which help clean the fuel injectors and the engine.
Some companies added more, some less.
The federal government steps in and makes a baseline standard, which is LOWER, than what many gas brands were doing.
So the Top Tier gas certification/marketing was created to differentiate, and most major brands use this HIGHER standard.
Never in my life have I had issues with gasoline quality.
