I don't know what you guys are paying for gasoline.... My line of work is in petroleum for about 31 years now, so here are some tricks to get more of your money's worth for every gallon:
Here at the Kinder Morgan Pipeline where I work in San Jose , CA we deliver about 4 million gallons in a 24-hour period thru the pipeline.. One day is diesel the next day is jet fuel, and gasoline, regular and premium grades. We have 34-storage tanks here with a total capacity of 16,800,000 gallons.
✅ Only buy or fill up your car or truck 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 more dense the gasoline, when it gets warmer gasoline expands, so buying in the afternoon or in the evening....your gallon is not exactly a gallon. In the petroleum business, the specific gravity and the temperature of the gasoline, diesel and jet fuel, ethanol and other petroleum products plays an important role.
A 1-degree 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. You should be pumping on low mode, thereby minimizing the vapors that are created while you are pumping. All hoses at the pump have a vapor return. If you are pumping on the fast rate, some of the liquid that goes to your tank becomes vapor. Those vapors 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 gas tank is HALF FULL. The reason for this is the more gas you have in your tank the less air occupying its empty space. Gasoline evaporates faster than you can imagine. Gasoline storage tanks have an internal floating roof. This roof serves as zero clearance between the gas 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 gallon is actually the exact amount.
✅ Another reminder, if there is a gasoline truck pumping into the storage tanks when you stop to buy gas, DO NOT fill up; most likely the gasoline is being stirred up as the gas is being delivered, and you might pick up some of the dirt that normally settles on the bottom.
Most of these are just factoids that in reality, if you made sure every condition was met each time you filled up, would maybe save you a couple nickels per fill up - if that. We are talking about $5/gal gas and tiny tiny fractions of a gallon difference between pumping fast or slow, or 4am vs 1pm. That tank in the ground isn't warming up significantly - that's why they use those thermal ground units and why caves remain cool all year round.
The biggest thing you can do to actually help your car is not run your tank close to empty as the gas in your tank helps to cool your fuel pump and this will also help to avoid picking up the crap down in your tank.
If you are the type of person who jumps on the internet to argue about how this activity or that activity isn't worth your time and money, well, here's another one to add to your list.
"the gas in your tank helps to cool your fuel pump"
Assuming the pump is mounted in the tank...
True, although since most cars have it in their tank, it's a pretty safe assumption unless you know for a fact yours doesn't.
The bigger point is all these internet memes on gas are kind of lame. Just fill up when you want and is most convenient for you. :)
I found the tip on filling up when the tank is only half empty pretty useful... I've often wondered why gas runs out quicker when it's closer to empty and this makes some sense of that.
gas tanks are not square.. nor cylindrical... therefore gauges move faster at some points along the way down. gas tanks are shaped such that they make the most of the available space within the confines of the car. now, if you have a fuel cell in the trunk for racing fuel or whatever... those tend to be symmetrical and the gauges should follow along nicely.