Eric Colen is not happy.
The Chattanooga man spent $50 on gas Thursday and the gauge on his Ford F-150 pickup barely topped the half-full mark.
“I didn’t fill up at night, like I normally do,” he said regretfully. “That would save me at least a dollar.”
Few consumers will pretend they’re enjoying fueling up at nearly $4 per gallon. It’s no wonder that experts and neophytes alike are concerned about getting the most out of their gas tank and trying all sorts of ways — some a little farfetched — to save gas.
At night, for instance, lower temperatures mean gas doesn’t evaporate as quickly so less liquid turns to vapor once it’s out of the nozzle and in your tank — and therefore already paid for by you, Mr. Colen said.
And he’s not alone in his thinking. There are dozens of tip sheets and gas-saving gadgets on the Internet — but which of them are tried-and-true and which are tired urban myths?
Most, at least, agree with Robert Parker, of Parker’s Brainerd Citgo Service on Brainerd Road, who said routine maintenance and observing the speed limit — especially with cruise control — are the best ways to save gas.
Of the tips on the Internet, Mr. Parker’s said fueling up on a half-full tank is the only reasonable trick, because gasoline evaporates quickly and the more gas in the tank, the less air in the empty space.
Some gas pinchers, including the so-called “hypermilers,” go even farther, taking a step into gas-saving danger with such tips as taking curves at high speeds to maintain momentum and coasting engine-off when behind larger vehicles on major highways, using the air draft to pull them along.
Some say to add extra air to your tires — sometimes as much as 50 psi, when most tires need between 30 to 40 psi — to bulge the tire to a smoother, smaller contact point with the road, reducing resistance.
Although he said he was fairly “conservative” on how one can push their vehicle to save gas, Mr. Parker said some tricks are simply dangerous to the car and sometimes to the driver.
Turning off the engine leaves you with no power brakes or steering, therefore much less control, he said. Overinflating tires could break the tire’s bead on the wheel, and then you’re stuck with a totally flat tire, he said.
Mr. Parker said typical advice such as avoiding A/C and not idling more than five minutes are helpful — though they won’t save you a fortune.
Using cruise control in a manual transmission vehicle could actually use more fuel unless you're traveling on an entirely flat road... not much of that around here.
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