the daily commute: blog 
the daily commute's blog
some unusual gas-saving tips
by Brian ShraderPublished Jun 20, 2008
Views: 428
Here are some ideas on a site called Petrostrategies.org, run by a company that provides consulting services for the oil and gas industry.
These ideas are from "a 31-year industry pro who works for Kinder-Morgan Pipeline in San Jose, CA." Not being a "31-year industry pro," I don't know how accurate these ideas are. There seems to be a building consensus in our comments section that it's all fiction, except maybe for Number 2. So, beware!
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Fill up your car or truck in the morning when the temperature is still cool. Remember that all service stations have their storage tanks buried below ground; and the colder the ground, the denser the gasoline. When it gets warmer gasoline expands, so if you're filling up in the afternoon or in the evening, what should be a gallon is not exactly a gallon. In the petroleum business, the specific gravity and temperature of the fuel (gasoline, diesel, jet fuel, ethanol and other petroleum products) are significant. Every truckload that we load is temperature-compensated so that the indicated volume is actually the amount pumped. A one-degree rise in temperature is a big deal for businesses, but service stations don't have temperature compensation at their pumps .
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If a tanker truck is filling the station's tank at the time you want to buy gas, do not fill up; most likely dirt and sludge in the tank is being stirred up when gas is being delivered, and you might be transferring that dirt from the bottom of their tank into your car's tank
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Fill up when your gas tank is half-full (or half-empty), because the more gas you have in your tank the less air there is and gasoline evaporates rapidly, especially when it's warm. (Gasoline storage tanks have an internal floating "roof" membrane to act as a barrier between the gas and the atmosphere, thereby minimizing evaporation .)
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If you look at the trigger you'll see that it has three delivery settings: slow, medium and high. When you're filling up do not squeeze the trigger of the nozzle to the high setting. You should be pumping at the slow setting, thereby minimizing vapors created while you are pumping. Hoses at the pump are corrugated; the corrugations act as a return path for vapor recovery from gas that already has been metered. If you are pumping at the high setting, the agitated gasoline contains more vapor, which is being sucked back into the underground tank so you're getting less gas for your money .
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July 22, 2008 5:41 p.m.
And yes, ground temperature changes, so yes the gas temperature can change as well. These tips would be great if we were all driving 18 wheelers instead of cars, but I don't think everyone here is a trucker. Temperature issues really matter in the southwest, but not here in NC. Density (viscosity) matters with your engine oil, not your gas. A gallon is a gallon is a gallon whether it is water, milk, oil or gas. What they WEIGH is going to be different because of the viscosity.
Best way to save gas? Don't drive like Earnhardt, drive like grandma. Also, turn off your air conditioning, it can add up to 120 extra miles to a tank of gas in a Honda Civic and up to 75 extra miles in a V8 Hemi. Regardless of how many times WRAL and all the other news channels try to tell you that turning off the AC is just a myth, try it for once and find out the truth.
July 7, 2008 3:31 p.m.
GOLO member since August 20, 2007
June 20, 2008 12:15 p.m.
-Angela
GOLO member since July 2, 2007
June 20, 2008 11:59 a.m.
Here’s another one that should fit right in with this bunch:
Fill your tires with helium. It’ll make your car weigh less and you’ll get better gas mileage.
STS
GOLO member since June 7, 2008
June 20, 2008 11:55 a.m.
June 20, 2008 11:45 a.m.
GOLO member since October 18, 2007
June 20, 2008 11:40 a.m.
GOLO member since April 24, 2008
June 20, 2008 11:38 a.m.
GOLO member since April 24, 2008
June 20, 2008 11:34 a.m.
June 20, 2008 11:32 a.m.
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