Petrol Saving Tips at the Pump

Ouch...Petrol prices are hurting everyone (except for the oil companies). Here in Malaysia, we were enjoying subsidised petrol for a while. Of course, when the government decided to raise petrol prices by 41%, ouch..ouch... we could all see our money going down the pumps (pun intended). Anyway, since every little bit helps, here are some tips which have been circulating on the e-mail.

1) Pump petrol 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.
2)When you're filling up, squeeze the trigger of the nozzle to a slow 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.
3)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.
4)If there is a fuel truck pumping into the storage tanks, 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.

Of course, you could save even more petrol by switching from your car to your bicycle, public transportation or rely on your own 2 feet. But somehow, I don't think we're willing to give up our cars yet...