1. The evening or morning is the time to buy your gasoline.
Gasoline, following the laws of physics, becomes denser when the temperature is colder. How does this help you when you fill up? Pumps that dispense gas only measure the volume of the gas that you pump and not the density. If the gasoline is denser, you are getting more gas per gallon. How much will this save? US consumers will pay 2.1 billion dollars more for fuel this summer due to this change in density. That is according to research done by congress.
This means that if you fill up your gas tank in the cooler morning temperatures, or in the colder evening hours, that you'll be getting better gas price economy. Filling up your gas tank later in the evening may also help you to avoid the rush of day hours and you will not waste gas idling while waiting for a pump to open up.
2. Avoid driving when your gas tank is close to empty
Driving your car until the gas tank is almost empty can cost you fuel economy and could damage your engine. Dirt that has accumulated in the fuel tank over time can be pulled into the engine. This will cause the engine to operate less efficiently and will reduce the miles per gallon your engine runs at.
You could get a double whammy in spending more for fuel.In addition to the loss of fuel economy if you are at empty you will have to fill your tank at the first station you come across and that usually will mean paying a higher price than you need to. The choice of where to gas up is taken away from you due to circumstance.
Keep your gas level above the quarter tank mark if at all possible. You should plan to purchase gas when your tank is somewhere between one half and one quarter full.
3. Save with a flick of the wrist, turn the nozzle
Try turning the nozzle of the hose a full 180 degrees when you have finished filling up your gas tank . This will enable the gas in the nozzle to enter your tank. In some cases it could be as much as an entire half cup. This bonus, if left alone will provide the next customer with a bonus.
Once you get into the habit of turning the hose you'll find yourself doing it without thinking. That extra half cup that you get each time that you fill your gas tank can add up to a lot of extra gas at the end of the year that you would have otherwise left for the next motorist.
If you fill up once a week and you can squeeze an extra half cup out of the hose each time, that would be 52 half cups per year. That would equate to 1.625 gallons.
If you are a two car family that fills up each car once a week you would reap the benefit of over 3 gallons of "free" gas a year. Three free gallons of gas just by flicking your wrist.
These are just a few of many things you can do to maximize your fuel economy and gas purchases. Just thinking about gas and the things you can do will help you make a habit out of saving gas.
