Save on gasoline

[Plutonic Panda]

This is an email I got from a friend(an older gentlemen who works in the oil industry), so I don't know the authaniticty of it, but it seems like it's good. Anyways, thought I'd share and there's anything that isn't on here that you could share about saving, I'd love to hear and I'm sure others would as well.

I don't know what you guys are paying for gasoline.... but here in California we are paying up to $3.75 to $4.10 per gallon. My line of work is in petroleum for about 31 years now, so here are some tricks to get more of your money's worth for every gallon:

Here at the Kinder Morgan Pipeline where I work in San Jose, CA we deliver about 4 million gallons in a 24-hour period thru the pipeline.. One day is diesel the next day is jet fuel, and gasoline, regular and premium grades. We have 34-storage tanks here with a total capacity of 16,800,000 gallons.

Only buy or fill up your car or truck in the early morning when the ground temperature is still cold. Remember that all service stations have their storage tanks buried below ground. The colder the ground the more dense the gasoline, when it gets warmer gasoline expands, so buying in the afternoon or in the evening....your gallon is not exactly a gallon. In the petroleum business, the specific gravity and the temperature of the gasoline, diesel and jet fuel, ethanol and other petroleum products plays an important role.

A 1-degree rise in temperature is a big deal for this business. But the service stations do not have temperature compensation at the pumps.

When you're filling up do not squeeze the trigger of the nozzle to a fast mode If you look you will see that the trigger has three (3) stages: low, middle, and high. You should be pumping on low mode, thereby minimizing the vapors that are created while you are pumping. All hoses at the pump have a vapor return. If you are pumping on the fast rate, some of the liquid that goes to your tank becomes vapor. Those vapors are being sucked up and back into the underground storage tank so you're getting less worth for your money.

One of the most important tips is to fill up when your gas tank is HALF FULL. The reason for this is the more gas you have in your tank the less air occupying its empty space. Gasoline evaporates faster than you can imagine. Gasoline storage tanks have an internal floating roof. This roof serves as zero clearance between the gas and the atmosphere, so it minimizes the evaporation. Unlike service stations, here where I work, every truck that we load is temperature compensated so that every gallon is actually the exact amount.

Another reminder, if there is a gasoline truck pumping into the storage tanks when you stop to buy gas, DO NOT fill up; most likely the gasoline is being stirred up as the gas is being delivered, and you might pick up some of the dirt that normally settles on the bottom.

To have an impact, we need to reach literally millions of gas buyers. It's really simple to do.

[ljbab728]

I don't know what part of California he was talking about but I was driving in SoCal last week. I paid a minimum of about $4.10.

[Plutonic Panda]

Yeah, I scratched my head a bit on that one. I haven't been to California for 2 years, but I thought the prices stated were pretty low.

[BBatesokc]

Your friend sent you a mass email that's been around for awhile (changed up with some sorta current gas prices inserted)..... Here are some insights to the claims (as found online).....


"1. Fill your tank in the morning when the temperature is cooler so you get more volume for your money?

The basic science behind this is correct. Liquids expand as they warm. The figure usually cited for gasoline is about a 1% increase in volume per 15-degree rise in temperature. Therefore, if you buy 20 gallons of gas at a 90-degree temperature, due to expansion you end up with about 2% less product for your money than you would have gotten had you pumped 60-degree gasoline. At a retail price of $3.00 per gallon that differential would cost you $1.20.

The thing is, given that the gasoline is pumped from huge underground tanks wherein the temperature is less variable than that of the outside air, it's very unlikely you would encounter a 30-degree variance in fuel temperature in a 24-hour period. In fact, says a physicist interviewed by KLTV News in Jacksonville, over the course of a day the fuel temperature probably varies no more than a scant few degrees, so the actual savings from pumping in the morning would likely amount to only a few cents per fill-up.

2. Don't pump gas if a tanker truck is filling the station's holding tanks, because you'll end up putting dislodged sediment into your own tank?

Probably not. Modern gasoline holding tanks and pumping systems contain filters designed to block any such debris from reaching your car's gas tank. Should some particles squeak by, your engine's fuel filter ought to have no problem taking care of them.

3. Pump gas when your tank is no more than half-empty, because the emptier the tank the more you will lose to evaporation?

The idea here seems to be that the more unfilled space there is in the tank the more gasoline will be able to evaporate and escape into the atmosphere when you open the cap. Which makes sense, although according to physicist Ted Forringer the actual amount of vapor lost this way would be miniscule, adding up to only a few cents' worth per fill-up. A more important concern is the quality and fit of your gas cap, the job of which, in part, is to minimize evaporation on an ongoing basis. By one estimate, a poorly sealed gas cap can result in the evaporation of a gallon of gas in just two weeks' time.

4. Pump gas at the low-speed rather than the high-speed setting because the latter causes more agitation, thus more evaporation?

It does seem logical to assume that the higher the speed of the pump the more it may agitate the fuel, causing more evaporation. But consider this: the longer it takes to pump the fuel the more evaporation can occur too, so any benefits to pumping at the slower speed are probably negated."

The email misses some of the most obvious gas saving practices - like how you drive, type of tires, tire air pressure, etc.....

Edmunds.com has a good article.... http://www.edmunds.com/fuel-economy/...-the-tips.html

[Plutonic Panda]

Wow, haha, that's good information. The only thing I was really skeptical about was the dirt and other debris getting into the tank. I did figure, in this day in age, that there ought to be some kind of filter before it reaches you car. I wonder if gas stations would be held liable for something going wrong? All your other points do seem valid. As you stated, one of the biggest gas saving techniques I've heard of, is going easy on the pedal, and cruising towards red lights in advance. I've heard of some people really getting to know there commuter routes and being able to accurately predict when a light is going to be red and cruising to it a good ways. But thank you for your insight and keeping this in proportion, it's always easy to freak out and go crazy about ideas that might only save a few dollars here and there haha.

[kevinpate]

best gas tips I ever received in my younger days ...
1. don't burn up two gallons of gas running around trying to save a cent here or three cents there.
2. Green means go. However, go does not equal must beat the car next to you off the line.

[Plutonic Panda]

2. Green means go. However, go does not equal must beat the car next to you off the line.

That's something I really need to learn NOT to do. lol

[Larry OKC]

from what I have read over the years, have to agree with BbatesOKC on this one. If you want to do it, fine, but the amount saved is trivial. I have a question...from time to time I have noticed drivers rocking their vehicle (usually a pickup or SUV) from side to side when filling up. Does anyone know the purpose of this. Have asked a few that wee doing it and they didn't have a clue...just something their parent/child/spouse etc had told them to always do???

[kevinpate]

burping their baby?

rinsing the tank sock?

I've heard of folks yakking about rocking their vehicles, but the tales didn't usually involve gasoline stations.

[Martin]

well... i wouldn't know about that, 'cause i never bothered knockin' -M

[Bill Robertson]

1. Fill your tank in the morning when the temperature is cooler so you get more volume for your money?

As Brian referred to, ground temperature changes aren't drastic. There are tons of geothermal websites that have ground temerature data studies. Most show that 4 feet and below the ground temperature changes very little daily. Seasonally yes, daily no.