To fill up or not to fill up

dulpit

I've had this conversation with a few people before, and opinions vary. Basically with the price of petrol seemingly creeping up every week (or at least it seems that way in Cork) my question is the following:

"Is it more cost effective to fill a tank when getting petrol?"

My logic was that if you fill up you get the most petrol possible at the lower price, before the price goes up again (and at a garage by me it's gone up twice since new years already). The counter-argument I've heard is that because when you fill up you're carrying more weight, which means you lose fuel efficiency to begin with, so it all works out the same.

Any opinions?

scoobymunster

The weight of a full petrol tank is negligible when all things are considered. It would be less than carrying an extra person on board all the time. Fill up as your finances allow. If you can afford to fill it in one go you save yourself having to make regular visits to the petrol station. If you can only afford 20 euro here and there continue to do so.

Hal1

Just fill up and be done with it. All that starting and stopping doesn't help fuel consumption. I filled up yesterday cost me €70 but she's good on juice in mixed driving too.

Max Power1

dulpit wrote: »

I've had this conversation with a few people before, and opinions vary. Basically with the price of petrol seemingly creeping up every week (or at least it seems that way in Cork) my question is the following:

"Is it more cost effective to fill a tank when getting petrol?"

My logic was that if you fill up you get the most petrol possible at the lower price, before the price goes up again (and at a garage by me it's gone up twice since new years already). The counter-argument I've heard is that because when you fill up you're carrying more weight, which means you lose fuel efficiency to begin with, so it all works out the same.

Any opinions?

It also costs more to drive more often to the filling station - this is a non factor.

Leonard Hofstadter

Any savings by having less weight to carry are negated by the extra trips to the petrol station IMO. Unless of course you can't afford to fill it up because it's towards the end of the month etc, I cannot think of any logical reason not to brim it. It also makes it much easier to work out your fuel consumption too, which I think everyone agrees is important in these recessionary times.

MarkR

I brim it. Only from the bid stations though. Topaz and Texaco normally. I've heard a lot of bad mouthing about tesco fuel though. Filled up there recently, no noticeable difference in mpg.

corktina

Petrol 149.9 in Cork recently...154.9 from the bandit in Kanturk..thats over €2 difference on a tank, a bigger saving than you would make by not filling your tank to save weight

Bandara

corktina wrote: »

Petrol 149.9 in Cork recently...154.9 from the bandit in Kanturk..thats over €2 difference on a tank, a bigger saving than you would make by not filling your tank to save weight

It's very possible that the "bandit" in Kanturk is making less per liter than the guy in Cork

Gophur

Saving weight to save fuel?
Shure, why not just rip out all your seats and refuse to carry any passengers?


Anyone remember the Vauxhall Corsa driver who used to recline his seat because he weighed less the closer he was to the ground!

coylemj

Gophur wrote: »

Anyone remember the Vauxhall Corsa driver who used to recline his seat because he weighed less the closer he was to the ground!

Apart from being a nut case he was also using bad science. The closer you are to the centre of the Earth the greater the force of gravity on your body so you weigh more!

MrFrisp

corktina wrote: »

Petrol 149.9 in Cork recently...154.9 from the bandit in Kanturk..thats over €2 difference on a tank, a bigger saving than you would make by not filling your tank to save weight

I just got My diesel at the Lee Garage on Model Farm Road..

€1.49.9 for the Diesel...

And €1.51.9 for petrol.

He's about 4 or 5 cent cheaper than most other places around South Cork at the moment..

Maybe excluding the garage at the start of the South Link.

I rarely fill up these days though...Too expensive.Usually put in anything between €30 and €50.



.

Top Dog

corktina wrote: »

Petrol 149.9 in Cork recently...154.9 from the bandit in Kanturk..thats over €2 difference on a tank, a bigger saving than you would make by not filling your tank to save weight

That the same bandit thats charging 152.9 per litre of diesel?

I filled up in O'Callaghans on the North Ring of the city for 147.9 instead on Saturday. 5c a litre difference = saving over €4 per fill for us. They always seem to have the cheapest prices for both.

heate

Anyone who is really concerned as to if a full tank of fuel is an economical disaster would want there head examined!
Driving is not an activity for the money conscious because when it all adds up public transport if available is a far cheaper option!
Possibly learn how to hypermile if fuel economy worries you that much - because if your trying to save money start there!

Mycroft H

I put 10-20-50quids worth in at a time. Depending on how much disposable cash i have to spend on diesel. Going out of my way to fill it up is a non issue for me. I can fill up at a place 60 seconds from the house.

Stinicker

heate wrote: »

Anyone who is really concerned as to if a full tank of fuel is an economical disaster would want there head examined!
Driving is not an activity for the money conscious because when it all adds up public transport if available is a far cheaper option!
Possibly learn how to hypermile if fuel economy worries you that much - because if your trying to save money start there!

Public transport in rural Ireland where available is far more expensive than private transport. It sort of works in the city but public transport is not cheap!

Top Dog

heate wrote: »

public transport if available is a far cheaper option!

€51 for an adult to take the train from Cork to Dublin if ticket is bought in the station (€37 + €2 transaction charge if bought online) - my thirsty diesel doesn't cost that much, even including the tolls - so as the above poster points out, its only cheap for travelling around a city.

Chris_Heilong

for an example, imagine carrying 2l of milk in your car, that is the extra weight you will have with a full tank.

Anan1

Chris_Heilong wrote: »

for an example, imagine carrying 2l of milk in your car, that is the extra weight you will have with a full tank.

What now?

MadsL

Chris_Heilong wrote: »

for an example, imagine carrying 2l of milk in your car, that is the extra weight you will have with a full tank.

corktina

SexyGuy wrote: »

I just got My diesel at the Lee Garage on Model Farm Road..

€1.49.9 for the Diesel...

And €1.51.9 for petrol.

He's about 4 or 5 cent cheaper than most other places around South Cork at the moment..

Maybe excluding the garage at the start of the South Link.

I rarely fill up these days though...Too expensive.Usually put in anything between €30 and €50.



.

South Link was the one I quoted the pricce for but even Topaz Commons Rd was only 150.9

MrFrisp

corktina wrote: »

South Link was the one I quoted the pricce for but even Topaz Commons Rd was only 150.9

Cool....

I'm not really sure that 1.0 or 1.9 cent would make much of a difference to be honest.

I really wouldn't go out of My way to go to a another filling station just to save that much per litre.

But thanks for the update,CorkTina.




.

BostonB

Top Dog wrote: »

€51 for an adult to take the train from Cork to Dublin if ticket is bought in the station (€37 + €2 transaction charge if bought online) - my thirsty diesel doesn't cost that much, even including the tolls - so as the above poster points out, its only cheap for travelling around a city.

The cost of you car is more than simply fuel. You have to factor in the cost to buy the car, depreciation, servicing and repairs, tax and insurance. Even if the car is parked on the drive its costing you money.

The train in the city costs me about a €5 a day. The car saves me about an hour or more a day in time saved. Its not as soul sucking experience as the bus or to a much lesser extent the train.

langdang

BostonB wrote: »

The cost of you car is more than simply fuel. You have to factor in the cost to buy the car, depreciation, servicing and repairs, tax and insurance. Even if the car is parked on the drive its costing you money.

The train in the city costs me about a €5 a day. The car saves me about an hour or more a day in time saved. Its not as soul sucking experience as the bus or to a much lesser extent the train.

The cost of public transport is more than simply the fare! (not singling you out for an argument , just pointing out the extra factors in the public transport thing...)
- You are valuing your own time at zero in the above calculation
- You are valuing your own sanity and health at zero (anytime I use public transport I'm always cooped up with (at least) one mental case, one smelly person, and a coughing hacking plague monkey)


As for fill up or not, I think it's all pretty much swings and roundabouts unless you are at the extreme end of things (part filling in the cheapest stations and brimming it in the most expensive, or driving for miles and miles to drop a cent per litre)

BostonB

What did you think I meant by soul sucking experience

Chriscl1

heate wrote: »

Driving is not an activity for the money conscious because when it all adds up public transport if available is a far cheaper option!

But

Top Dog

BostonB wrote: »

The cost of you car is more than simply fuel. You have to factor in the cost to buy the car, depreciation, servicing and repairs, tax and insurance. Even if the car is parked on the drive its costing you money.

The train in the city costs me about a €5 a day. The car saves me about an hour or more a day in time saved. Its not as soul sucking experience as the bus or to a much lesser extent the train.

True enough, there is more to calculating the costs than just the fuel. However, in order to get a train I'd have to drive/walk/taxi to my nearest station which, at 16ish miles away rules out the walking. And even then, the train doesn't take me directly where I want to go.

Just as an example, last week I had to collect my motor from just outside Navan, and I live in Kanturk. So, the costs -
€10 petrol to drive mother in law's car to Cork City
€51 Cork to Dublin train
€1.50 Luas to Bus station
€11.40 Dublin to Navan on bus
2 mile walk from bus stop to nearest taxi rank in Navan
€8 taxi to garage from center of Navan town
Total - €81.90

It then cost me less than €50 to drive home including 3 seperate tolls.

BostonB

I think the main issue you have is making crazy arrangements with your car.

I always fill the tank, setting stuck short of fuel when you might need it, isn't worth the hassle and savings of going around with minimal fuel in the tank. Also if I did that I'd have to fill at the cheapest garage, which isn't the nearest and theres always a queue at the garage. It just doesn't save enough to be worth while. Cycle to work, a couple of days makes a better saving. Or simply avoiding spar shops.

Gophur

Top Dog wrote: »

T........
€11.40 Dublin to Navan on bus
..................

That, alone, is a thundering disgrace.

heate

Top Dog wrote: »

BostonB wrote: »

The cost of you car is more than simply fuel. You have to factor in the cost to buy the car, depreciation, servicing and repairs, tax and insurance. Even if the car is parked on the drive its costing you money.

The train in the city costs me about a €5 a day. The car saves me about an hour or more a day in time saved. Its not as soul sucking experience as the bus or to a much lesser extent the train.

True enough, there is more to calculating the costs than just the fuel. However, in order to get a train I'd have to drive/walk/taxi to my nearest station which, at 16ish miles away rules out the walking. And even then, the train doesn't take me directly where I want to go.

Just as an example, last week I had to collect my motor from just outside Navan, and I live in Kanturk. So, the costs -
€10 petrol to drive mother in law's car to Cork City
€51 Cork to Dublin train
€1.50 Luas to Bus station
€11.40 Dublin to Navan on bus
2 mile walk from bus stop to nearest taxi rank in Navan
€8 taxi to garage from center of Navan town
Total - €81.90

It then cost me less than €50 to drive home including 3 seperate tolls.

Petrol isn't the only consideration!

Put it this way if fuel cost run €50odd a week that's €2,500
Add to that tax at say €500 insurance at €750 repairs at €500 (service tyres etc) and depreciation at €1500
Thats €5750 and essentially doubled your journey costs!

I'm not denying PT is both **** and for losers - I live in Zurich and drive everywhere and have no issue actually sitting in a jam to avoid PT.
If you live in the countryside fair enough but for city dwellers demanding the need of a car to drive into town etc and complaining about costs getting a damn Luas or Bus

Top Dog

BostonB wrote: »

I think the main issue you have is making crazy arrangements with your car.

BostonB

You and me both. Cork to Kanturk.

Top Dog

BostonB wrote: »

You and me both. Cork to Kanturk.

Front wheel bearing collapsed on the motorway just outside Kells when we were on the way to visit friends near Nobber. Would have cost me €450 to have the tow-truck bring it back home for me, so I let them fix it at their base in Navan and collected it when it was done.

tobsey

I tend to brim the car when I'm filling up but I think that's mainly because I get paid by the month. If it's a few days before pay day i might throw 20 quid in just to get me over the line. If I got paid by the week I'd probably just throw ~30 euro in each pay day.

My car has a 50l tank which I think is a bout 40kg. The average male adult weighs double that and doesn't get any lighter the further you drive. I can't imagine the extra weight would make any noticable difference.

creedp

Top Dog wrote: »

€51 for an adult to take the train from Cork to Dublin if ticket is bought in the station (€37 + €2 transaction charge if bought online) - my thirsty diesel doesn't cost that much, even including the tolls - so as the above poster points out, its only cheap for travelling around a city.

That's not always the case though. I know a guy who was tellng me he comutes from Dundalk to Dublin on the train and has a tax saver annual ticket. Cost per week for this 200km per day return trip - €24. I get a (private) bus from Drogheda to Dublin 128km and its now €60 per week which is nearly comparable to driving (€70 per week in diesel alone)

Top Dog

creedp wrote: »

That's not always the case though. I know a guy who was tellng me he comutes from Dundalk to Dublin on the train and has a tax saver annual ticket. Cost per week for this 200km per day return trip - €24. I get a (private) bus from Drogheda to Dublin 128km and its now €60 per week which is nearly comparable to driving (€70 per week in diesel alone)

Thank feck!

The saver ticket sounds good, but do you not see the commonality above? All roads/rails lead to Dublin ... feck the rest of the country

creedp

Top Dog wrote: »

Thank feck!

The saver ticket sounds good, but do you not see the commonality above? All roads/rails lead to Dublin ... feck the rest of the country

I was only quoting prices on the route Im aware of .. have no idea of what's the story in the rest of the county. I would have thought though that the tax saver ticket applies on all commuter routes .. not sure about the private direct bus routes.

On the tolls issue, Im from Cork and all I know is that if I go through all tolls from Drogheda to Cork I'd be shelling out €16 on a return trip .. These days I avoid the tolls that are least problematic, e.g. Abbeyleix.

Jesus Shaves

Chriscl1 wrote: »

But

I want that


I'd disagree with the people saying weight doesn't make a difference
The less weight the better, I've noticed an increase in mpg by taking out the spare tyre and only filling up €20 at a time, plus the car performs much better
Even if you're only increasing your mpg by 3 or 4 it's worth it
Plus you don't have to go out of your way to make a stop at a garage
Just pull into one on your daily commute

creedp

darokane wrote: »

I want that


I'd disagree with the people saying weight doesn't make a difference
The less weight the better, I've noticed an increase in mpg by taking out the spare tyre and only filling up €20 at a time, plus the car performs much better
Even if you're only increasing your mpg by 3 or 4 it's worth it
Plus you don't have to go out of your way to make a stop at a garage
Just pull into one on your daily commute

I have an S-Max that didn't have a spare wheel and had 2 blow-outs within 2 months of each others due to a pothole and a kerb which resulted in 2 call-outs and 2 tyres - €200 each time. The bloody foam repair kits are a joke so I subseqently purchased a 2nd hand space saver for a Mondeo as I wasn't going to get caught out like that again. Think again about ditching the spare wheel as the few cents you save on fuel will be lost on the double if you get a blow out.

Jesus Shaves

creedp wrote: »

I have an S-Max that didn't have a spare wheel and had 2 blow-outs within 2 months of each others due to a pothole and a kerb which resulted in 2 call-outs and 2 tyres - €200 each time. The bloody foam repair kits are a joke so I subseqently purchased a 2nd hand space saver for a Mondeo as I wasn't going to get caught out like that again. Think again about ditching the spare wheel as the few cents you save on fuel will be lost on the double if you get a blow out.

Yeah it's 50/50 on these things happening, if i'm driving long distances the spare wheel goes back in

creedp

darokane wrote: »

Yeah it's 50/50 on these things happening, if i'm driving long distances the spare wheel goes back in

Course the funny thing is I haven't had a blow out or puncture since I got the spare but Im sure if I took it out ........

Chris_Heilong

dulpit wrote: »

The counter-argument I've heard is that because when you fill up you're carrying more weight, which means you lose fuel efficiency to begin with, so it all works out the same.
Any opinions?

Sorry I was only referring to this part of the OP post, meaning that the extra weight was nothing to be concerned about as it was only around 2 litres.

BailMeOut

to stay very aware of fuel and running costs a good tip it is always fill based on litres rather than euro. i.e. always pump say 40 litres every time. The amount you get it remains the same but you will see what you are paying going up or down or if one garage is cheaper/more expensive than other very clearly.

I have been doing this for a while now and makes it very easy to see where I am getting best value.

Jesus Shaves

Chris_Heilong wrote: »

Sorry I was only referring to this part of the OP post, meaning that the extra weight was nothing to be concerned about as it was only around 2 litres.

How do you work out that puttin in 20 litres and filling a tank is only 2 litres difference?

Voodoomelon

I brim the yoke. My only concern is filling a 12 year old steel tank with 85 litres of liquid. Hey if she bursts, she bursts.

Max Power1

Voodoomelon wrote: »

I brim the yoke. My only concern is filling a 12 year old steel tank with 85 litres of liquid. Hey if she bursts, she bursts.

In fairness, if I was getting 18.9mpg I would be brimming it also - dont want to run out

Hal1

darokane wrote: »

I want that


I'd disagree with the people saying weight doesn't make a difference
The less weight the better, I've noticed an increase in mpg by taking out the spare tyre and only filling up €20 at a time, plus the car performs much better
Even if you're only increasing your mpg by 3 or 4 it's worth it
Plus you don't have to go out of your way to make a stop at a garage
Just pull into one on your daily commute

Just found it here: http://teesbox.com/only-losers-and-terrorists-use-public-transport-funny-tshirt.html

L1011

darokane wrote: »

How do you work out that puttin in 20 litres and filling a tank is only 2 litres difference?

He drives my car clearly

(its got a 25l+5l reserve tank, but the fuel light comes on at 8l or more left)

Jesus Shaves

MYOB wrote: »

He drives my car clearly

(its got a 25l+5l reserve tank, but the fuel light comes on at 8l or more left)

:eek: