| WELCOME TO TIPS & TRICKS this months trick is called CHEAPER AT THE PUMP? July 2008 Is Cheaper @ the pump really cheaper? About three months ago I purchased a big ol Chevy Caprice which I am slowly converting to look like an Impala (as money will allow). Prior to the Caprice I drove an SHO with an HO V-8 that demanded premium fuel and just any ‘ol premium gas would not do. She got cranky if I purchased premium from a ma and pa filling station. Her preference was Sunco’s 94 with an additive. That is when she ran her best. Anyway, I decided I could not afford to feed her anymore with the gas prices rising to where they were so I sold her. My high performance 3.4 V-8 which averaged 14MPG was replaced by a 4.3 V-8 which averages 17MPG. Here is the kick… The first month I drove the ‘ol Chevy car I watched my mileage like a hawk trying to determine which twists and turns I was experimenting with would give me the most economy. When I was finally done tuning, I measured my miles per gallon over the course of three tanks. I was averaging 17.2 MPG for the most part for the same or similar style commute. I was also running 93 octane fuel. One week money was tight so I dropped to a cheaper grade fuel, same filling station. I filled up with 89. The following week when I refilled and did my calculations, my mileage per gallon had dropped to 14.5 (same commute). I reloaded again with top grade fuel and my numbers went back up to 15.9. The following week I refueled again with top grade gasoline and the following week I was back up to 16.7. The following week, I was back to 17.2. That weekend I cleaned my throttle body, changed the oil and air filter kept everything else the same and my EPA went up to 19.3; same commute which was mostly city some highway. I said all that to say this, this month I do not come offering any advice or telling you what to do with you car, I am just posing a scenario and asking you a question; is it cheaper to pump cheaper gas? It might be cheaper at the pump, but is it really cheaper. Just a thought… My car says no. Your commute may differ from mine but when I factor in the way I drive and how I like my car to run, I’d rather bite the bullet at the pump and have my car respond when I mash the pedal. I rather have a pure fuel that is not bogging my intake with carbon, filing my plugs or polluting my oil. Give it some thought? Draw your own conclusion. Happy motoring; see you next month. Leon The Link |
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