Save money when buying gasoline because divorce ain't cheap

Buying gasoline is somewhat off the beaten divorce path, but since prices has gone sky high lately, we figured you might like some suggestions on how to save a few bucks and get more for your money. Keep track of your mileage and watch your "mpg" go up. Read on...

Have you ever wondered whether the gas pump meter is accurate? It makes sense to us that there must be some error in those meters somewhere, and even *gasp* some of the inaccurate gasoline meters may be intentional.

Here's the deal.

1. Gas up your car during the morning hours, when it is coolest. Gas station storage tanks are kept underground, and the colder the temperature gasoline is, the denser the liquid. As gasoline gets subjected to higher temperatures, it expands. If you are filling your tank during the afternoon or evening, you simply won't get a full gallon. Ask someone in the petroleum business and they will tell you there are specific gravity and temperatures of fuels (gasoline, diesel, jet-fuel, ethanol, etc.). They would tell you that every truckload of fuel is temperature compensated so that the gallonage is actually consistent with the metered amount. That's lovely for the station owner, you say? A mere degree or two elevation in temperature of the gas in the ground can make a significant difference when gasoline gets pumped out, but gas stations are not equipped with temperature compensation at their pumps. Gas up in the afternoon or evening and you'll get less gas for your dollar.
2. If you see a tanker truck delivering fuel to your favorite gas station or convenience store, do not buy any gas for at least 6 hours. There is a high likelihood of dirt and sludge in the underground tank having been stirred up as the gasoline is pumped into the tanks, and if you get gas while this is happening, you can transfer the crap in those tanks into the gas tank of your car.
3. Put gasoline into your vehicle when your gas gauge reads half-full, because the more gas you have in the tank, the less air you have in there, and gasoline evaporates rapidly when its warm outside. You'll be interested to note that gasoline storage tanks have an internal floating "roof" membrane that acts as a barrier between the gas and the atmosphere, thereby minimizing evaporation.
   
4. You may have noticed on the pump nozzle that there are usually several "settings" like slow, medium and fast. Most of us try to speed up the process and let the gasoline rip at high speed. That would be wrong, Tonto. Fill your tank using the slow speed. Most nozzles allow you to "set" the nozzle on one speed without holding it. Set it on slow and go wash the windshield. Check your oil. Do a vehicle walk-around and check tire pressure. What about windshield wiper fluid? Ever get caught without it? It's ugly. Setting the nozzle on slow minimizes vapors created while you are pumping (your dollars vaporizing). Hoses at the pump are corrugated, designed to act as a return path for vapor recovery from gas that has already been metered (gas you've paid for). When you set the nozzle on the high setting, the agitated gas contains more vapor, which is being sucked backed into the underground tank, obviously causing you to get less gasoline for your money.
   

Now why wouldn't gas stations tell you this? :-) We hope this helps. Safe and happy motoring.