always wondered if filling up in the colder hours of the day yields more gas when the temp rises and the gas expands.
Defined motorsports said:
always wondered if filling up in the colder hours of the day yields more gas when the temp rises and the gas expands.
I've seen that recommendation somewhere.
With bulk storage tanks underground, the fuel temperature won't change much, if at all. You can argue the point that a "hot" tanker truck load will *lower* the density of the fuel in the tank, but that'll cool off in a day or so.
No, the only appreciable issue with cold fuels, is excessively topping off a vehicle that would be driven down the block and parked on a hot street. You *could* encounter a situation where liquid fuel is forced into evaporative emissions equipment, as the fuel in the tank warms up and expands. Not very likely, but possible.
In reply to Defined motorsports :
No because the tanks are underground and mostly unaffected by daily air temp changed.
The single best way to save gas... and I know we all hate to hear it... is to slow down.
The last time gas prices went bonkers back in 2008 or so, I was driving a 97 Ram 1500. By changing my driving habits (using some hypermiling techniques) I went from a 12mpg average to 18. A 50% increase.
I'm daily driving an ND Miata now, and was getting 30mpg on average. By limiting my highway speed to 70mph and using higher gears in the city, I'm now running 37, a 23% increase in fuel economy.
No amount of tire pressure tweaks or time-of-day fueling hacks is going to reap that kind of benefit. I can't wait until prices come down a bit more so I can go back to hooning, but for now, it's slow and steady wins the race.
Mndsm
MegaDork
6/29/22 1:16 p.m.
My tip isn't really a tip at all - abuse Amazon. Use their gas. Jeff bezos sells literally anything you can come up with, and prime is 120$/yr or whatever. I've largely moved to having everything shipped to me because my jeep gets E36 M3 mpg.
I'm getting 42-43 on my commute but a lot of it is less than 60 mph.
My trick is situation-dependent, but when I can I get someone else to pay for my gas. A couple of weeks ago I managed to schedule a work trip from my house to a client site near DC to coincide with a biking gathering with my friends in the area. The 58.5 cents/mile (plus tolls) more than paid for my gas bill for the month.
I'm hoping to finagle a similar trip next week up to Mass and ride at a bike park on the way home.
Slow down is the only one that makes a real noticeable difference. I know for a short time about two decades ago I (practiced non annoying to other road users), hypermiling after complaining I couldn't get more than 25mpg out of my new ZX3 Focus. Well after everyone told me it was my driving I started driving conservatively, then really trying, then practicing hypermiling, then getting good at it. In the space of about a month I went from 25mpg, to 29-30, then up to best of around 33mpg. I then got bored stiff and went back to my normal driving style because life is too short to spend another 30 seconds on my daily commute for the sake of a few gallons of gas.
The other thing, other than daily driving, is freeway speed. Living in Michigan that means the left lane on a 70mpH freeway rolls along at 75mph, and if you're not doing 85, don't so much as think about getting in the right hand lane. But as drag increases with the cube of speed, slowing back down from 85+ to a firm 70 can make a massive difference, like 5mpg or more.
Right now it's immaterial as the Volvo is still down with a broken driveshaft so I'm driving the Tesla model S from work instead. It might be saving me an absolute minimum of $6 a day in gas, but its still not worth it, I'd rather have fun and put gas in.
Remove your roof racks/kayak/bicycle holders and all that jazz unless you need them.
Photography Credit: Engin Akyurt/Unsplash
