Save money on gas

[Kat Kanning]

Posted for freedominnh:

"I don't know what you guys are paying for gasoline.... but here in
California we are paying up to $3.50 per gallon. But 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. In slow mode you should be pumping on low speed,
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 other 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 or HALF EMPTY . 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. Hope this will help
you get the most value for your money.

DO SHARE THESE TIPS WITH OTHERS!

WHERE TO BUY USA GAS, THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT TO KNOW. READ ON

Gas rationing in the 80's worked even though we grumbled about it. It might
even be good for us! The Saudis are boycotting American goods. We should
return the favor.

An interesting thought is to boycott their GAS.

Every time you fill up the car, you can avoid putting more money into the
coffers of Saudi Arabia . Just buy from gas companies that don't import
their oil from the Saudis.

Nothing is more frustrating than the feeling that every time I fill-up the
tank, I am sending my money to people who are trying to kill me, my family,
and my friends.

I thought it might be interesting for you to know which oil companies are
the best to buy gas from and which major companies import Middle Eastern
oil.

These companies import Middle Eastern oil:

Shell........................... 205,742,000 barrels
Chevron/Texaco......... 144,332,000 barrels
Exxon /Mobil............... 130,082,000 barrels
Marathon/Speedway... 117,740,000 barrels
Amoco.............................62,231,000 barrels

Citgo gas is from South America, from a Dictator who hates Americans. If
you do the math at $30/barrel, these imports amount to over $18 BILLION!
(oil is now $90 - $100 a barrel)

Here are some large companies that do not import Middle Eastern oil:

Sunoco...................0 barrels
Conoco..................0 barrels
Sinclair.................0 barrels
B P/Phillips.............0 barrels
Hess.......................0 barrels
ARC0....................0 barrels

If you go to Sunoco.com, you will get a list of the station locations
near you.

All of this information is available from the Department of Energy and each
is required to state where they get their oil and how much they are
importing. But to have an impact, we need to reach literally millions of gas

buyers. It's really simple to do.  Now, don't wimp out at this point....
keep reading and I'll explain how simple it is to reach millions of people!!

I'm sending this note to about thirty people. If each of you send it to at
least ten more (30 x 10 = 300)...and those 300 send it to at least ten more
(300 x 10 = 3,000) .. and so on, by the time the message
reaches the sixth generation of people, we will have reached over THREE
MILLION consumers !!!!!!!"









2651 N Federal Hwy, Ste 200, Ft. Lauderdale, 33306, United States

[margomaps]

This must be old information, because the person refers to CA gas costing "up to $3.50" a gallon.  The very cheapest gas I could find on http://www.californiagasprices.com/ is $3.65/gallon.  The most expensive was $4.43.

Ok, as for the suggestions offered for saving money on gas...I guess I'll just have to remain skeptical since I'm too lazy to try to debunk some of the statements.

The one about keeping the tank relatively full because of the fear of losing gas through vaporization though -- that sounds quite bogus to me.  For one thing, where are those vapors supposedly going?  As long as you have a gas cap properly tightened on the tank opening, the vapors aren't just going to disappear!  You might lose a bit when you open the cap to refill, but I'd be shocked if it was a significant amount.   And another thing: the gross weight of the car decreases as the fuel burns, and a lighter car will get better mileage than a heavier car, all else equal.  Running the tank down to 1/8 rather than 1/2 before refilling might even result in saving money on gas, with or without losses to vaporization.

I'd also be very, very surprised if you get significantly less dense gas by filling up later in the day versus earlier in the (cooler) morning time.  Those storage tanks are underground a ways, and earth is a good thermal insulator.  That's why hobbit holes, basements, etc., don't change in temperature much.  It could be 100 degrees with scorching sunshine, but my basement temperature might only rise by a degree or two during the day.  Perhaps the first few inches of the soil heat up, but that's about it.  I simply don't buy that the underground gas tanks heat up significantly during the course of a day.

</skepticism hat still on> 

[Kat Kanning]

There was a guy who came to porcfest a couple years ago who had a webpage that had all sorts of driving tips to improve gas mileage.  I can't find a post about it here    might be here somewhere, but can't find it.  Ask Russell, he'd be glad to talk at length on the subject 

[margomaps]

There was a guy who came to porcfest a couple years ago who had a webpage that had all sorts of driving tips to improve gas mileage.  I can't find a post about it here    might be here somewhere, but can't find it.  Ask Russell, he'd be glad to talk at length on the subject 

There are certainly ways to drive to improve mileage, I don't dispute that.  But I think laying off the throttle a little and making sure the car is maintained properly (cooling system, engine lubrication, air filter, and tire pressure) will make a lot more difference than how fast or slow you pump gas into the tank, on a warm versus a cold day!   

[dalebert]

There was a guy who came to porcfest a couple years ago who had a webpage that had all sorts of driving tips to improve gas mileage.  I can't find a post about it here    might be here somewhere, but can't find it.  Ask Russell, he'd be glad to talk at length on the subject 

That was Hunter. Coincidentally I just talked to him on the phone this morning! I hadn't heard from him in a while. Apparently he's been in Nashua. I suggested he put out a porc 411 because his car broke down and I'm in FL and a little while later I heard the 411 call. Hopefully someone was able to give him a ride or something.

[Coconut]

I just got this email at work yesterday. It must be going fast. Anyway, I had to replyall to my company with this, so I might as well post it here too.

http://www.snopes.com/inboxer/household/gastips.asp

[margomaps]

I just got this email at work yesterday. It must be going fast. Anyway, I had to replyall to my company with this, so I might as well post it here too.

http://www.snopes.com/inboxer/household/gastips.asp

Bwahahaha!  I knew my skepticism was well-founded.  Also, the snopes article came to the same conclusion I did about good vehicle maintenance being a more sensible avenue to improved fuel mileage.  It's almost as though I had previously read (or written) that snopes article...but I assure you, I did not!   

[Dylboz]

Snopes it. Waste. Of. Time.

http://www.snopes.com/inboxer/household/gastips.asp

[K. Darien Freeheart]

I finally got my grandparents to check Snopes before sending me e-mails. It's dramatically cut down on my level of uncaught spam.

Anyway...

Gas was much cheaper in New Hampshire two weeks ago. I was QUITE happy to see it under $3.60 a gallon. I'm officially into the realm of "fifty dollar fillups" in my Element.

[ReverendRyan]