Fuel Economy Tips

Fuel buying tips to stretch your fuel dollar

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.

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.

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.

The best tip I have for saving fuel on ANY vehicle is old, worn-out, and boring. Nevertheless, it still stands true: SLOW DOWN. If you stick with the 65 mph speed, you will be amazed at how much fuel it saves. My ¾ ton diesel truck, when driven at speeds of 60-65, will do 22mpg. On a recent trip to Houston, where we were traveling long miles and didn’t have much time flexibility, we drove at the speed limit of 80mph between El Pa so and San Antonio. Our fuel economy dropped to 18mpg. That works out to a loss of 1mpg, or about 5%, for every 5mph faster that you drive.