1. Buy your gasoline in the evening or morning
Gas becomes denser when the temperature is colder. Gas pumps measure the volume of the gas that you pump and do not measure the density. You are getting more gas per gallon when the gas is denser. A congressional committee has estimated that US consumers will pay 2.1 billion dollars more for gas this summer because of this density difference.
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
It is not a good idea to drive your car until the gas tank is almost empty. Loose dirt that may have built up in the gasoline tank over time will get sucked into the engine. This is bad for the engine and will cause a your fuel economy to get worse.
In fact, driving till empty can create a double whammy. Not only will you use more gas because your engine starts to run poorly, you can find yourself buying gas at a higher price. If you are at empty you will have to gas up at the first station you come across or risk running out of gas. That usually means paying a higher price than you should. The choice of where to gas up is taken away from you due to circumstance. You no longer have the option to find the station with the best prices.
Try to keep your gas level above the quarter tank mark if possible. Plan to buy gasoline when your tank is between one quarter and one half full.
3. 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.
Just by turning the nozzle each time you fill up you will get 1.625 gallons of gas free. If you are a two car family you could realize over 3 gallons of "free" gas a year with just a flick of the wrist.
These are just some of many different things you can do to optimize your fuel economy and gasoline purchases. Just thinking about gasoline economy and some of the things you can do to effect it will start to make saving gas a habit.
Scott Siegel has written a 143 page book of automotive industry insider secrets on saving gas and money at the pump (beatthegaspump.com). Visit us to discover how you can get better gas mileage. Find out how to increase gas mileage.
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