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Tips to better fuel economy.

Tips for better utilizing your fuel economy.

  1. Turn the nozzle When you have finished filling up your gas tank try turning the nozzle of the hose a full 180 degrees. This will drain a bit more gas into your tank; in some cases up to an entire half cup that would otherwise be a bonus to the next gas customer. 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 never have known about.
  2. High octane gas MILES PER GALLON BOOSTER For most cars these days, buying higher octane gas is a waste of your money. Regular unleaded has approximately 87 octane already and is fine for your vehicle. By avoiding buying high octane gas you'll be saving a large amount of money over a period of time. High octane gas is always more expensive at the gas pumps so the next time that you feel guilty for filling up your SUV with regular gas you can be assured that no harm will come to your vehicle. Octane is simply a measurement of how difficult it is to ignite the gas in your car and has nothing to do with the quality of the gas. If you are experiencing engine pings, rattles, or knocks you can switch to high octane gas. However, you shouldn't be experiencing any of those knocks and rattles if you are keeping your vehicle maintained and making sure that you don't miss those scheduled maintenance checkups. If you are driving a new model car you definitely shouldn't be hearing any pings or rattles and if you are you should take your vehicle to a mechanic.
  3. Avoid topping off Try to avoid "topping off" at the gas pumps. When you purchase just a bit of gas at the gas station the pump doesn't have enough time to really activate, resulting in short bursts of fuel that may short change you from the amount of gas that you are purchasing. The best time to replenish your gas tank is when you have half a tank or less left in your vehicle, or when you find a gas price that you just can't afford to miss.
  4. Avoid running your gas tank too close to empty Try not to drive your car when the gas gauge is on empty. You may think that you using very little gas when your car is on empty, but you are in fact using more gas because your vehicle is running less efficiently as it tries to accelerate and decelerate in a normal fashion. Keep your gas level above the quarter tank mark if at all possible.
  5. Avoid buying gasohol You should never purchase gasohol for your car since it contains only two-thirds of the energy of gasoline. This means that you would need to buy much more gasohol to go the same distance on a tank of gasoline. Gasohol is a mixture of ethanol (alcohol made from grain) and gas, and is used by some farmers to help cut the amount of pollution in the air. Even if you are traveling and it seems like the only fuel choice for miles is gasohol try to avoid buying this type of adapted fuel.
  6. Avoid buying gas from a just replenished gas station When a gas station has its underground tanks filled, the particles at the bottom of the tank are stirred up. These particles can become mixed in with the gas that you are putting into your car, which can lead to efficiency problems. The particles can clog your fuel filter, causing your car to stall and start with some difficulty. If the gas station that you have decided to stop at has the lowest gas price in your area you may want to think about taking the time to come back at a later time rather than stopping at the next gas station that is offering a higher price for gas.
  7. Keep your car well tuned One of the best things that you can do is to keep your vehicle as well tuned as you possibly can. This means taking note of those regularly scheduled maintenance checkups that you so often ignore. Studies indicate that a car with an engine that is poorly tuned will increase the amount of fuel consumption from 10 to 20 percent. Information found at
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    shows that when you tune up a car that is due for a checkup or one that has emissions problems, you can increase the gas mileage by up to 4.1 percent.

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Reply to
Krob
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Also, check tire air pressure and alignement.

Reply to
Bassplayer12

Re: your tip...

Not true. Ethanol does contain approximately 70% of the BTU/energy value of gasoline. However, if you have the standard gasoline/ethanol mixture of

90/10, then the final product will contain 97% of the BTU/energy value of straight gasoline.
Reply to
doug

I agree with MOST of these but some of these are 'math issues' only to the extent that they are true but totally inconsequential.

Premium fuels are usually more additives as well as higher octane. But you are correct in that if you don't get an immediate benefit, then buying premium fuel is a waste of money. What benefits you get from premium depends on the gas mix. Some suppliers mix all the additives the same for the mid-range gas the same as the premium, so that's something to consider.

In most modern cars, if your octane is too low, then the engine can ping and knock. If this happens, the engine computer will retard timing, resulting in poorer performance and the driver then tends to use MUCH more 'pedal' to compensate, resulting in much higher gas consumption. City driving by it's stop and go nature seems to disguise this more than highway driving. I had a high performance vehicle that required 92 octane and at least that's what I observed when I used lower octanes. Highway driving was where the high octane really seemed to help milage.

I used to service Gilbarco and Tolkheim pumps and that's not significant. At least, it wasn't significant enough to affect calibration checks. But, when you 'top off' you usually spill quite bit. So the advice not to top is valid.

This is totally messed up. Just the weight difference from driving near empty is significant enough to make a difference in small vehicles. However, low fuel reserves and the added stop and go of going to the service station can kill that advantage pretty quick. You do get more evaporation in an empty tank, but with a sealed system that should be minimal as well. In the winter though, there's an added problem with condensation.

Gasohol is good and bad. Good in the sense that the alcohol can actually 'flush' your system of moisture and some other impurities. Bad also because it can flush your system. One big advantage though is that it allows moisture to 'flush' out. One big detriment is that high alcohol content can cause certain rubber and other synthetic parts in the fuel system to 'dry out' and even damage. 10%-15% shouldn't be too bad in modern vehicles. Unless your vehicle is SPECIFIED for alternative fuels including alcohol, I personally would not go beyond 15% alcohol unless it was a CRITICAL emergency, and then only if I was running it out and able to 'fill and flush' with 'whole gas' immediately. I'd get just enough to get to where I could fill with whole gas.

I'd worry more about the water than anything else, not sediment. Sediment should be caught by the pump filters. Water is SUPPOSED to be tested for and eliminated but some service stations wouldn't bother doing anything unless the whole damn pump shuts off!

This is the best advice I ever see! My Intrepid dropped drastically to under 14mpg and it started 'surging' when I was on the highway with the cruise set. The car has over 190K miles on it. I replaced the O2 sensors and it brought it up to about 18mpg but the surge was still there. I pulled off the intake and replaced a valve in the EGR that was malfunctioning, and replaced all the filters and the plugs. I got to 20mpg but the surge was still there. Finally I bought a new set of high voltage wires. The surge went away and my highway mileage is up to 26mpg.

Also, keep the rest of the vehicle in shape to match. That is, tire pressure and alignment. And don't forget to check for things like dragging brakes!

Reply to
Mike Y

This is very intriuging...so while the nozzle is still in your tank, spin it around?

G
Reply to
FGMartinez

The idea centers on the assumption that the nozzle is tipped up enough in use that the spout acts like a cup and retains fuel after shutoff. Yeah, it can. But it really depends on the nozzle. Next time you fill up the gas can for your mower, give it try and watch how much (or how little) comes out after you shut the nozzle off. Let it stop, then twist the nozzle all around. Then decide how many CCs come out. (And this is a tip to get you to buy a book to save you a ton of money?)

Reply to
Mike Y

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