Recently I received pretty interesting facts from my aunt on how filling up vehicles can actually save on petrol cost. I think its very useful especially now the petrol is so expensive & for those Singaporean cars which are ban from filling up at Malaysia border.

1. Only buy or fill up your car or bike in the early morning when the ground temperature is still cold.

All service stations have their storage tanks buried below ground. the colder the ground, the sensor the fuel, when it gets warmer petrol expends, so buying in the afternoon or in the evening, the litre is not exactly a litre.

2. When filling up, so not squeeze the trigger of the nozzle to a fast mode

I was told that the trigger has 3 stages - Low, Middle, & High. If on Low stage (which is slow mode), the pumping speed will be slow; minimizing the vapours that are created while 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 & back into underground storage tank so you’re get less worth for your money.

3. Fill Up when your tank is half full

The more fuel in your tank, the less air occupying its empty space & slower the petrol evaporates. That’s the reason why Petroleum storage tanks have an internal floating roof. This roof serves as zero clearance between the petrol & the atmosphere, so it minimizes the evaporation.

4. If there is a fuel truck pumping into the storage tanks, stop filling up

It is a believe that petrol is being stirred up as the fuel is being delivered into the storage tanks, & one might pick up some of the dirt that normally settles on the bottom.

Basically I’m too lazy to wake up early to pump my petrol, so I do it late at night; when my kids are asleep. Don’t know whether it works anot. But I do realised everytime I have a full tank, I can travel about 50~80km & no changes on my petrol meter. Unlike the 1st time I filled up in the afternoon, I have to re-fill it less than a week.

For the 2nd tip I don’t have a chance to try it as there is always be someone there to do it in China, I don’t think we are allowed to do it ourselves.

For the 3rd tip, I think its quite worth trying, as my petrol meter run real fast especially when they passed the half indicator.

Why not give it a try, no harm trying. Let me know if it helps.