David Makes Cents .com

Yesterday I posted about some gas saving tips. It was really popular so I figured I would follow it up with another article dedicated to conserving gas. Yesterday’s article focused more on tips to get extra gas at the pump, todays article will go over tips to drive more efficiently.

Disclaimer: Some of this tips would be dangerous to actually attempt in real world traffic situations. Try them at your own risk!

1) Maintenance - I am sure you have all heard of these before, so I won’t go into too much depth, but here is a list of things you should check to make sure they are in compliance with your owner’s manual: tire pressure, tire balance, wheel alignment, proper motor oil weight and level, Engine Control Module, and oxygen sensors.

2) Lightening your load- This includes taking everything out of your car that isn’t bolted down (and possibly some that are). Some people take out seats, spare tires, tools, airbags(safety issue, please don’t try), and even spare change/everything in your glove compartment.

3) Optimizing Speed- Every car has an optimal speed, for most it is in the 25-55mph range. If you look at a chart of mpg and speed you will see there are usually two peaks of mpg. They usually occur right around 25mph and 55mph. These are the two speeds you should try to maintain to get the best fuel economy.

4) Pulse and glide- This method includes accelerating (slowly of course) to optimum speed (around 55mph) then putting your car in neutral and cutting off the engine. Once you slow down to nearly a stop, repeat the process.

5) Drafting- (Also dangerous) Includes following very closely to another vehicle to reduce wind resistance. The bigger the vehicle your tailing the better, 18-wheelers are ideal. When following one of these its best to stay 1-2 car lengths away(again this is dangerous and not recommended).

6) Taking turns like a mad man- I have read of people taking corners at nearly 50mph. Anytime you hit the breaks, you are losing energy that you engine worked so hard to create for you, so by not breaking, even around corners you will increase you fuel economy(again, very dangerous). You also do this with the engine off. Note in many cars when the engine is off, you lose power breaks and steering, making this even more dangerous.

I have seen, on many online forums, reports of getting up to 70 mpg in an Accord and over 100mpg in cars like the Prius. This type of drivers are known as hypermilers. If you are interested in this kind of thing here are some sites where all those crazy guys hang out and talk about their strategies: cleanmpg.com, greenhybrid.com, and priuschat.com

Filed under: Gas prices, How to Save, Uncategorized by David - 1 Comment →

Gas prices have been in the news lately. I just read an article that says gas might go up to $3.75 a gallon in the coming weeks and remembered that I had received this email a while back about how to save money at the pump. Some of these I am sure you have heard before, but a lot of them were new to me.

I don’t know what you guys are paying for gasoline…. but here in California we are also paying higher, 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 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 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!

 

Filed under: Gas prices, How to Save, Uncategorized by David - 15 Comments →