Tips On Refuelling

[SpokesT]

Dunno how verifiable any of this is, but it was emailed to me in good faith so worth a try I suppose.

Let us all know how you get on , anyone who tries it out.

By the way, my mates in South Africa are complaining like merry hell about their fuel prices, but it works out around 50p a litre so I always tell them to shut it and stop moaning! It made the 2litre Foucs automatic I had on hoiday there in April really cheap to run in my book!

Good luck with the fuel saving!

TIPS ON FILLING YOUR CAR

I don't know what you guys are paying for petrol..... but here in Durban we are also paying high prices, up to

R 8.50 per litre. My line of work is in petroleum and has been for about 31 years now. So here are some tricks to get more of your money's worth for every litre.

Here at Marian Hill Pipeline where I work in Durban , we deliver about 4 million litres in a 24 hour period thru the pipeline. One day is diesel, the next day is jet fuel, and petrol, LPR and Unleaded. We have 34 storage tanks here with a total capacity of 16,800,000 litres.

Only buy or fill up your car in the early morning when the ground temperature is still cold..

Remember that all Service Stations have their storage tanks buried beneath the ground. The colder the ground the more dense the fuel. When it gets warmer petrol expands, so buying in the afternoon or evening .......... your litre is not exactly a litre. In the petroleum business, the specific gravity and the temperature of the petrol, diesel, jet fuel, ethanol and other petroleum products play an important role. A one degree rise in temperature is a big deal in this business but the Service Stations do not have temperature compensation at the pumps.

When you are filling up do not squeeze the trigger of the nozzle to a fast mode.

If you look you will see that the trigger has three (3) stages; low, middle and high. In slow mode you should be pumping on low speed, thereby minimising the vapours that are created while you are pumping.. All hoses at the pump have a vapour return. If you you are pumping on the fast rate, some of the liquid that goes into your tank becomes vapour. Those vapours are being sucked up and back into the underground storage tank so you're getting less worth for your money.

One of the most important tips is to fill up when your tank is HALF FULL.

The reason for this is, the more fuel you have in you tank, the less air occupying its empty space.. Petrol evaporates faster than you can imagine. Petroleum storage tanks have an internal floating roof. This roof serves as zero clearance between petrol and the atmosphere, so it minimises the evaporation. Unlike Service Stations, here where I work, every truck that we load is temperature compensated so that every litre is actually the exact amount.

Another reminder. If there is a fuel truck pumping into storage tanks when you stop to buy, DO NOT FILL UP. Most likely the petrol/diesel is being stirred up as the fuel is being delivered and you might pick up some dirt that normally settles on the bottom.

Hope this will help you get the most value for your money. Remember to always fill your car when the tank shows 'half'. Always fill up in the early morning. Always fill up in slow mode.

[WylieCoyote]

There was an identical topic to this not that long ago. General consensus is that it's all a load of rubbish and any difference it did make would be so slight you'd never notice it.

Found it here Refuelling from June 15th

Just a small note, if you fill a tank on slow mode, you'd be there till next next Easter filling it up!

[Steve ( West Mids )]

I fill up only in the winter when my tank is half empty and do it on slow trigger, that way it lasts me ages ;)

[SpokesT]

I fill up only in the winter when my tank is half empty and do it on slow trigger, that way it lasts me ages ;)

Damn. I'm never going to make what I've got left last until November's top up

[Noel]

but if you always fill the tank doesn't this make the car heavier and use more fuel?

[Rob]

but if you always fill the tank doesn't this make the car heavier and use more fuel?

70 litres and assuming .8 density, is 56KG so i wouldnt worry too much.

[LennyLexus]

Definitely on older cars does the 1/2-1/4 full - refill help in my experience.

I dont let the Lex get below the first now if I can.

Another tip is to lift the pipe once you have finished filling you will be suprised how much is left in the pipe and goes back in to the forecourt.

[Andy-R]

Best way to save fuel is to walk seriously tho your supposed to keep your windows shut to stop drag, don't use your air con/blowers/lights/heated rear window/stereo/heated seats/wipers/sat-nav(if you have it) and anything that uses the Battery oh and don't eat a big meal before you go driving so your not as heavy oh slow down aswell and buy a Prius :duh:

[WylieCoyote]

At the end of the day, like Andy says, you're advised not to drive with windows open, a/c on, heated seats/windows and so on. You don't buy a car like this to obsess about fuel consumption to that effect. Buy a bicycle if you're that bothered about it! Yes we all hate paying for fuel, but c'est la vie.

[norlec]

I bought my first Lexus 4 weeks ago GS300 sport had Mercs before and they can't touch my Lexus, I have not got money to throw away but only to happy to put the extra juice in my lovely car.

I had to go to the main dealers in Bristol today and they were superb cannot fault them in any way unlike Mercedes main dealers who most of the time are ignorant with no customer relations.

Norman

[Ian D]

As a point of fact, the cold fuel in the morning is right.

I was an engineer in the RAF, and cold fuel always allowed us to put more in the aircraft....which would then sit on the ground and slowly discharge fuel out the vent pipes as the wings and fuel warmed up.............

...............and remember the fuss over the F1 team fuel temperatures?...........

Cold fuel also performs better.

The half-full tank makes sense too (wasn't an issue for aircraft........) as does the fuel rate, but whether or not you want to wait or not or run the risk of the guy behind thumping you, that's personal taste

Cheers,

Ian

[Mike_B]

Cold fuel in the morning doesn't happen at petrol stations - it's stored underground and just like a wine cellar, temperature underground doesn't really change much all year, let alone overnight. I guess with an aircraft the fuel is often kept in bowsers above ground and then transported using vehicle tankers - so is more susceptible to air temperature.

Right now fuel prices seem to be dropping. Therefore the way to save money is to make what you already have last as long as possible by not refilling until you really have to, and then refill in the afternoon to give the garage the opportunity to go outside and change the prices...

[Kit77]

to be honest the best way to save on fuel costs is to use http://www.petrolprices.com/ to check local prices so you can go to the cheapest...

then you can freeze your nuts off whilst filling as slow as possible in the wintery mornings...