only half filling the tank = € savings ?

ZygOte

Is there any real merit in the idea that never having your tank more than half full will save a reasonable amount of money on an annual basis based on a lower average car weight?

This is one really for you mathematical heads out there, is there a way to express this roughly in a forumula factoring the weight of the car, fuel tank size, manufacturer stated mpg of the car and assuming for the purposes of the example constant cost per litre of petrol over a period of time ?

my maths is brutal and im not sure of all the factors invlolved
anyone tried this before or know what the forumala would be ?

asdasd

Not sure of the formulas but it makes some sense. A car will need more energy if it is weighed down. As to the savings I would have to know the proportion of a half a tanks weight as a percentage of the cars entire weight.

roughan

Im sure you would save as much if you took a S*it before you went to drive

mickdw

Not sure of the calcs but it has to be a decent saving. Half a tank in an average saloon weights about 30 kg. You only have the advantage half of the time though as even if you fill it up, you will let it down low before filling it again so for half your driving you will be at the low fuel levels anyway.
And dont forget the interest on the extra €30 in the bank compared to slowing you down in you tank

SV

1 litre is only a kilo

You're talking about saving **** all weight. terrible idea.

decent saving?
30kilos..right, and the car weighs?! and the driver?!


seriously.

Rowley Birkin QC

Once again, the hassle of going to the station repeatedly for €20/30 is just too much for the potential few euros saved.

Brimming it ftw.

NewApproach

Emptying out the boot would be a better place to start than only half filling the tank to be honest...

Cookie_Monster

If its just you in the car you could take out all the other seats too, that'd save some more weight. Spare wheel, get rid of that too sure it's only weighing you down:rolleyes:

Do you really think that if you drive a 1200-1800 kg car that 30 kg is gonna make a big enough difference to even notice it?

L1011

bigkev49 wrote: »

Once again, the hassle of going to the station repeatedly for €20/30 is just too much for the potential few euros saved.

Brimming it ftw.

30 euros is all my tank holds from the warning light going on!

mickdw

ClioV6 wrote: »

1 litre is only a kilo

You're talking about saving **** all weight. terrible idea.

decent saving?
30kilos..right, and the car weighs?! and the driver?!


seriously.

Its half the weight of a smallish passenger.
So we shall say person drives 30,000 miles per year. half that due to being light on fuel half the time (rough figures)
So how much energy does it take to transport a smallish person 15,000 miles. I can tell you, you would need a few cans of coke and mars bars inside you to walk that distance and a car is certainly not carrying you free of charge regardless of how heavy the car or the driver are.

seriously.

draycottgirlz

old tale.....

Flyer1

1 litre is 0.72KG

Average 50 litre tank, thats 25 litres, so thats 18KG. Ain't gonna make a difference.

The only realy way to save fuel is to drive efficiently, keep the tyres round and avoid the 3 litre twin turbos.

maidhc

Humm...

You could also take out un-necessary seats, insulation, the spare wheel, the jack, replace the glass with perspex and drive naked with no shoes...

But would you?

Mr.David

The couple of cents you may save by only ever half filling the tank would be negated by having to drive to and from a petrol station twice as often.

Also, it would require giving up on life entirely and losing all sense of perspective. If you worry about 10c over the course of 400 miles then why the hell do you have a car in the first place?

mickdw

Mr.David wrote: »

10c over the course of 400 miles

My car and myself weigh 1500 kg approx

So 30Kg out of 1500kg is 2%

I will half that due to aerodynamic forces which will be unchanged. so 1% of my €5000 fuel bill for the year is €50. Its nothing major but its there. True you may use some of this pulling into the petrol station. Is it worth it? Time/effort wasted getting petrol. Most would say not. But the question here was whether there was a saving to be made and nobody can say you can carry weight around for free.

biko

I think it's part of the hypermiling concept?
Empty car of everything but what you need that day.
Brake and accelerate slowly.
Try to have as few stops as possible (if you see a red light in the distance slow down so you give it time to change to green)
...

Lex Luthor

ZygOte wrote: »

Is there any real merit in the idea that never having your tank more than half full will save a reasonable amount of money on an annual basis based on a lower average car weight?

This is one really for you mathematical heads out there, is there a way to express this roughly in a forumula factoring the weight of the car, fuel tank size, manufacturer stated mpg of the car and assuming for the purposes of the example constant cost per litre of petrol over a period of time ?

my maths is brutal and im not sure of all the factors invlolved
anyone tried this before or know what the forumala would be ?

you must be having a slow day....!!!!!!!!:rolleyes:

Darragh29

ZygOte wrote: »

Is there any real merit in the idea that never having your tank more than half full will save a reasonable amount of money on an annual basis based on a lower average car weight?

This is one really for you mathematical heads out there, is there a way to express this roughly in a forumula factoring the weight of the car, fuel tank size, manufacturer stated mpg of the car and assuming for the purposes of the example constant cost per litre of petrol over a period of time ?

my maths is brutal and im not sure of all the factors invlolved
anyone tried this before or know what the forumala would be ?

Well there is a theoretical saving to be made. Any fuel that is over and above what is necessary to get from A to B, causes unnecessary energy to be spent moving the excess fuel from A to B.

coco06

Read this on another site that seems to have some usefull info if you are
that interested.... it says at the bottom to share this info with people so here ye go, take from it what you want..

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 below ground. The colder the ground, the denser the fuel, when it gets warmer petrol expands, so buying in the afternoon or in the evening.... your litre is not exactly a litre.
In the petroleum business, the specific gravity and the temperature of the petrol, diesel and jet fuel, ethanol and other petroleum products play an important role. A 1degree rise in temperature is a big deal for this business. But the service stations do not have temperature compensation at the pumps.

WHEN YOU'RE 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 minimizing the vapours that are created, while you are pumping. All hoses at the pump have a vapour return. If you are pumping on the fast rate, some of the liquid that goes to 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 your 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 the petrol and the atmosphere, so it minimizes 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 THE 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 of the dirt that normally settles on the bottom.
Hope, this will help you get the maximum value for your money.
DO SHARE THESE TIPS WITH OTHERS! LET’S SHARE INFORMATION AND BENEFIT ALL, FOR THE BETTER OF MANKIND.
***********************

maidhc

coco06 wrote: »

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 below ground. The colder the ground, the denser the fuel, when it gets warmer petrol expands, so buying in the afternoon or in the evening.... your litre is not exactly a litre.

The ground temperature won't rise by much until spring, so I wouldn't be too concerned about that one!

cormie

I've only put a drop in on a few occasions when I knew diesel would be dropping in price. A full tank for me is about 80 litres, has meant the difference of a tenner per fill in some expensive-vs-cheap garages. I put in about €4 once when I was very low and knew I'd be passing a much cheaper place in the next few miles :pac:

If I knew prices were going to stay the same and be the same for every station I went to. I'd always fill up. Means only one visit, only one receipt request, only one VAT expenses entry, only one hole punch, only one marking, only having to eat an apple with the smell of diesel off my fingers once etc etc

cormie

coco06 wrote: »

Read this on another site that seems to have some usefull info if you are
that interested.... it says at the bottom to share this info with people so here ye go, take from it what you want..

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 below ground. The colder the ground, the denser the fuel, when it gets warmer petrol expands, so buying in the afternoon or in the evening.... your litre is not exactly a litre.
In the petroleum business, the specific gravity and the temperature of the petrol, diesel and jet fuel, ethanol and other petroleum products play an important role. A 1degree rise in temperature is a big deal for this business. But the service stations do not have temperature compensation at the pumps.

WHEN YOU'RE 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 minimizing the vapours that are created, while you are pumping. All hoses at the pump have a vapour return. If you are pumping on the fast rate, some of the liquid that goes to 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 your 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 the petrol and the atmosphere, so it minimizes 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 THE 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 of the dirt that normally settles on the bottom.
Hope, this will help you get the maximum value for your money.
DO SHARE THESE TIPS WITH OTHERS! LET’S SHARE INFORMATION AND BENEFIT ALL, FOR THE BETTER OF MANKIND.
***********************

I posted that exact thing here before and it was seen to be total bull by the more knowledgeable posters here

L1011

That exact email has been debunked on here at least 3 times.

SV

mickdw wrote: »

Its half the weight of a smallish passenger.
So we shall say person drives 30,000 miles per year. half that due to being light on fuel half the time (rough figures)
So how much energy does it take to transport a smallish person 15,000 miles. I can tell you, you would need a few cans of coke and mars bars inside you to walk that distance and a car is certainly not carrying you free of charge regardless of how heavy the car or the driver are.

seriously.

The savings are tiny. They're not 'decent'.


seriously.

Darragh29

coco06 wrote: »

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 below ground. The colder the ground, the denser the fuel, when it gets warmer petrol expands, so buying in the afternoon or in the evening.... your litre is not exactly a litre.
In the petroleum business, the specific gravity and the temperature of the petrol, diesel and jet fuel, ethanol and other petroleum products play an important role. A 1degree rise in temperature is a big deal for this business. But the service stations do not have temperature compensation at the pumps.

I think this one falls flat on its t*ts because fuel is metered volumetrically. :rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes:

coco06

Darragh29 wrote: »

I think this one falls flat on its t*ts because fuel is metered volumetrically. :rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes:

Fair enough, just something that i had read before. sorry about the repeat info.
If interest rates drop again (as mentioned in the news today) you wont have to worry about petrol prices or savings as we will all be rich again and will go back to the stage when most people wouldnt even know how much they paid for petrol!

antodeco

For the past 2 months Ive only been filling my tank up by half each time (c 30 litres). Ive saved myself a fair amount due to the price dropping. Each week it has dropped by around 1 or 2c. Most places I have been going to have dropped by 2c. I have to do a "half fill" every week at least. This means a saving of 60c - €1 (dependant on how much I use) per week. Over around a 6 - 8 week period, its nearly a €10. Not a huge amount, but it would get me a burger and a drink in Eddie Rockets. Now, if I only ate half the burger, and brought the rest home, I would get twice as much out of it

SV

antodeco wrote: »

For the past 2 months Ive only been filling my tank up by half each time (c 30 litres). Ive saved myself a fair amount due to the price dropping. Each week it has dropped by around 1 or 2c. Most places I have been going to have dropped by 2c. I have to do a "half fill" every week at least. This means a saving of 60c - €1 (dependant on how much I use) per week. Over around a 6 - 8 week period, its nearly a €10. Not a huge amount, but it would get me a burger and a drink in Eddie Rockets. Now, if I only ate half the burger, and brought the rest home, I would get twice as much out of it

Now THAT makes sense in filling up by half.

As for all this 'weight saving' crap though..sorry, no dice.

Del2005

antodeco wrote: »

For the past 2 months Ive only been filling my tank up by half each time (c 30 litres). Ive saved myself a fair amount due to the price dropping. Each week it has dropped by around 1 or 2c. Most places I have been going to have dropped by 2c. I have to do a "half fill" every week at least. This means a saving of 60c - €1 (dependant on how much I use) per week. Over around a 6 - 8 week period, its nearly a €10. Not a huge amount, but it would get me a burger and a drink in Eddie Rockets. Now, if I only ate half the burger, and brought the rest home, I would get twice as much out of it

OK, so you saved €10 by half filling up every week for 2 months. Would the time you've spent in the petrol station not have been better at home or in work? That's around an extra hour you'd have at home or earning money in work as opposed to standing in a cold petrol station. Only asking as people are mad to save a few cent but waste hours of their time saving a little bit of money, me I value my time over money.

Eoin

I find that only half filling the tank costs me 50% less than filling it all the way to the brim. I save so much this way, that I go twice as often to the petrol station.