I have heard something similar
 

I have heard an unconfirmed rumor that the only difference is that off brand gas is closer to its expiry date. I'm not sure how true that is.

One can hope, anyway. It would only benefit me, since I buy Costco brand and who knows where they get their supply. :) No, seriously, who does know? ;)

Whoa, gas expires? That's a new one to me. My parents have a can of gas in their basement that is probably at least 2 years old... used for lawn mowing, which doesn't require that much gas. The mower doesn't seem to complain, but then, its engine isn't exactly built to drive Porches. :)

Yes gas does expire
 

As gasoline ages, some of its components evaporate i.e.stablizers and some components oxidize, leaving behind a thickened material like a lacquer or varnish. That's why they say "gummed up". This thickened gas may be difficult for an engine to combust.

You're right, most mowers are likely designed to drink the old stuff.
-jc

Thanks to all for the good tips.

I economize on gas by using both the Citi Platinum Select and Chase Rewards for the 5% discount on gas ($300 savings on each card). I am on my third hybrid vehicle, so even with 50mpg +, every little bit helps :cool: . I run the AC all the time however, since it does not run off the engine in my car. Checking gas prices on line (my local site is http://www.raleighgasprices.com/ and gasing up at Costco helps, when I'm in the Durham area. Changing driving patterns and methods also helps. I'm trying to pretend there is an egg under my accelerator and drive accordingly and it does bump up the mpg by a few. I have always combined errands...I hate to make a trip for one reason, but I am particularly conscious of this when I take the 4Runner. I ride my motorcycle when I don't have to carry a load. Since I am really "outoftown" a lot, most of my miles are on rental cars, so someone else is usually footing my gas bill. Out of habit, I still fill up at the cheapest station which I try to note when I leave the airport, so I can catch it on the way back. It irks me that people think the Texaco on Century near LAX is convenient for gasing up, even tho it's the highest price station in the continental US.

Outoftown, ORD on Monday, MCO Tuesday, Chattanooga today

From what I've heard, if you must either use AC or roll down windows, rolling down windows is more efficient below about 40 mph, and A/C is more efficient over 40 mph. All to do with drag and aerodynamics and I'm sure on every car, the optimal point is slightly different.

Time to dust off those 27" (two) wheels.

Er... it has to run off SOME engine, so it's probably using the electric motor. But then it's using battery power and the gas engine helps recharge the battery. Unless you do ALL your driving downhill (pretty difficult to accomplish, given that you have to go back up eventually), the gas engine has to contribute sometimes. If you're using extra battery power through the AC, the gas engine will have to work somewhat harder or somewhat more often. Definitely not as bad as in an all-gas car, but it will still affect your mileage somewhat.

In fact, Toyota's own Prius FAQ states (under question #6):
So turn off that A/C when it's temperate out! ;)

Why do you think they can charge such high prices? Because they are convenient and people think they're convenient, and are willing to pay for it. It's silly, sure, but as long as people are willing to pay the premium, Texaco will continue to charge it.

Hmm, is there an echo in here? ;) :D

High Performance Engines using "Regular Gas"
 

Comments from Tom & Ray on Cartalk on using lower octane gas in high performance cars:

"Dear Tom and Ray:

We purchased a '97 Nissan Maxima automatic in January and love it! The owner's manual recommends "unleaded premium gasoline with an octane rating of at least 91." It also says, "If unleaded premium is unavailable, unleaded regular gasoline with an octane rating of at least 87 can be used." Whenever I fill up the car (which is most of the time), I follow the manual's recommendation and use premium gas. But when my husband fills her up, he uses regular gasoline even when premium is available. So my question is, am I spending money needlessly on premium gasoline? And why would Nissan recommend premium gasoline if regular is OK to use? -- JoAnn

Tom: You're doing exactly the right thing, JoAnn.

Ray: This car has a high-compression engine that's designed to run on premium gas. But since there are places where premium gas is not available, and because premium gasolines can vary in octane, most manufacturers, including Nissan, use a "knock sensor" to protect the engine.

Tom: The knock sensor detects -- that's right -- "knocking" (also known as "pre-ignition" or "pinging")! Knocking is bad for the engine, and it often results from using lower-than-recommended-octane fuel. So when your cheapskate husband puts regular unleaded in the Maxima, the knock sensor kicks into action and retards the ignition timing to protect the engine.

Ray: Retarding the timing prevents the knocking, but it also reduces the engine's power, decreases fuel economy, probably increases the emissions, and may lead to a buildup of residue on the valves. So it's not an ideal situation. It won't hurt the engine if you use regular gas occasionally, but it prevents the engine from performing at the specifications at which it was designed to perform.

Tom: So I'd either take away your husband's keys, or increase his allowance by a few bucks a month so he can afford to buy premium. And if he's unhappy about having to spend the extra money, remind him that a car's fuel requirement (which can add many hundreds of dollars to the cost of owning a car over the years) is one of the things you should find out about before you put down your deposit."

Disconnect day time running lights - 1.5% savings on small car, 0.5% on truck.

I think I'd rather have the safety of having the lights on.

Oh, and on my car at least, the windshield defrost setting uses the A/C even when you don't have the A/C on. So, unless you need it, don't leave your air flow selector on defrost. (The A/C is used to remove moisture and humidity from the air)

P.S. Anyone know how you activate a Moble/Exxon Speedpass?

Personally, I don't find daytime running lights to enhance safety at all in most situations, except herein the Bay Area when it can be uber-bright and sunny in one place, and completely fogged over about 2 minutes away. THEN running lights help, in the fog. :) That being said, my car has running lights and I wouldn't turn them off, either, given that I don't feel like trying to futz with the circuitry of the car.

As for the windshield defrost, yes, it uses the A/C in almost all cars. I also highly recommend NOT leaving it on defrost unless you need it. Also, regularly cleaning the inside of your windshield (with glass cleaner) will reduce the amount and frequency of fogging.

DISCOVER CARD UPDATE:

OK, apparently Discover *has* changed the terms of the Get More promotion. :rolleyes: I tried to register both of my specialty cards (Restaurant and Home Improvement) for this month's promo (Restaurants & Theatres), and the website blatantly told me I was not eligible. It's also written in the fine print on the info page for the promo. This was definitely NOT the case a couple of months ago, so they obviously wised up and changed the terms. :td:

*sniff* Goodbye, extra bonus bucks! :(

Now I'm considering getting a regular Discover card to add to the arsenal... so that I can use the promos. This month, no need - I already have a Restaurant card. I guess we'll see what next month brings.

Of course, it's really silly for Discover to make specialty cards not eligible, since it encourages spending if we can use it! This way we'll just get another card, and the people obsessive enough (or financially savvy enough :D) to do this just for the extra 5% are also probably the same people who pay off their cards in full all the time... (I know I am!) So Discover will just LOSE money on us this way, while we're pissed at Discover. Oh well.

They don't have "normal" (miserable) summers in SFO. ;)

Subsidy for public transportation
 

Check with company employee benefit/rideshare coordinator for info. Lots companies/agencies will reimburse portion of your travel expenses, if you use train/bus/carpool/vanpool. Rideshare is saving $$$$ and clean air. Even without subsidy, still saving some $$ for gas/parking, relaxing, making up sleep, reading and ................

Whaa?
 

Excuse me? Is this the FLYER talk board for S.P.A.M.?
Moderator - move this lame thread someplace else.

I was watching some TV program the other day that stated that analyses have shown that gas stations tend to have higher prices on weekends and prior to holiday weekends. So buy weekdays!