How to Save on Gas

An email titled “Gas Pumping Tips” has been making the rounds, written by a mystery person who works for Kinder Morgan Pipeline in San Jose CA (we don't know who wrote the original email, but Kinder Morgan Pipeline does exist) and thus has insider knowledge of the gas delivery/gas pumping process….
In it, you get tips like:

• In hot months, pump early in the morning to avoid gas vapor return (that's when the gas heats up, turns into vapor, which is then sucked back into the gas pump rather than into your car
• Fill up when your tank is half full so there’s less air to be displaced
• Don’t fill up when the gas truck is filling the underground storage tanks because that stirs up the dirt in the bottom of the storage tank that can then get into your tank…
  

Unfortunately, upon further research, come to find out that whatever money those tips may save you is so miniscule, if at all, they’re not worth the brain space it takes to remember them.

So here’s the real scoop: things that will actually save you money because they improve the fuel efficiency of your vehicle:

• Regular & timely maintenance, like properly inflated tires, regular filter replacements, and properly aligned wheels - besides being great for your car’s longevity, these will also prove to be fuel-savers
• Mileage is improved by removing weightier equipment from your car when the equipment is not being used, like sporting gear, tools, and roof-racks; they cause extra drag which requires more fuel
• Finally, stop with the “jack-rabbit” starts which eat up fuel…so does driving at higher speeds in both stop & start traffic, and on the highway where the 55 speed limit has been proven to be the most fuel effective

You have been officially alerted….