Drivers putting less gas in tank, then running out

[UpInArms]

Source: Associated Press

Brent Saba had just dropped a church group off at Philadelphia International Airport on Sunday morning and was heading north on Interstate 95 when it happened: His 15-passenger van ran out of gas.

Saba, a 24-year-old church pastor, made it to the shoulder just past the Ben Franklin Bridge and waited more than 30 minutes for someone to stop and lend him a cell phone. Then he waited a while longer for AAA to arrive with fuel.

With gas prices hovering at $4 a gallon, motorists like Saba are putting less fuel in their tanks — then coming up empty on the highway.

<snip>

"Some of them are embarrassed. ... They say, 'I was trying to make it till Friday,' and they couldn't do it," said Siley, who has assisted numerous out-of-gas motorists.

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080601/ap_on_bi_ge/gas_prices_stranded_motorists

[liberal N proud]

1. There is a secret to putting less gas in the tank

Put the gas in when the gage goes below 1/2. You can still budget the amount you put in but you are not working off the bottom of the tank and sucking all the sediment in your tank into your injectors.

[muriel_volestrangler]

2. But then, you're driving around with a heavier vehicle

and thus using more gas.

[truthisfreedom]

4. 1 gal=6 lbs, half of a 20 gallon tank is 60 lbs=one 7 or 8-year-old child.

With a 2300 to 3500 lb car, we're talking about a percentage of at most, 2.6%. I don't think it's going to make a difference.

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

27. That's why I make the kids run behind the car.

[Robb]

30. Finally a voice of reason!

:rofl:

[BrklynLib at work]

32. ROTFLMAO!!! There should be more of that!!!

[mbperrin]

37. No, no, no! It's dangerous to keep looking back in the mirror

to watch them! Keep your eyes front, man! Make the kids run in front of the car! Safety first!

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

46. Good point.

Maybe if I take them to McDonald's all the time they can get big enough to draft behind.

David

[Tesha]

41. That's just silly. You should make them *PUSH*! (NT)

[damntexdem]

48. That does some good but not enough --

make them actually push!

;-)

[xioaping]

50. Forget running behind car. Have them push

At least up hill. Down hill they can jump up on the back bumper and ride.

[xioaping]

51. 2 gallons lasts me two weeks

But I usually fill up when it is at half tank to be safe. My 50 cc scooter I think gets 100 mph. Anyhow, I don't spend much on gasoline.

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

62. have everyone put their arms out the window, that reduces the weight inside vehicle

and they can also flap their arms to save on gas.

[liberal N proud]

5. Gas mileage is better with a full tank than nearly empty

Evaporation eats up fuel when the tank is near empty.

Negligible but lost fuel just the same.

[muriel_volestrangler]

19. Only if you keep opening the filler cap, though

It's a reason for not filling up too often; but if you always run it down close to empty, and then fill it full, it'll be a long time before the evaporated fuel can escape, while the average weight of fuel you carry around won't be too much.

[OhioChick]

6. One does NOT want to replace fuel injectors...

$$$$.

[depakid]

45. That's what fuel filters are for...

[wvbygod]

24. Not quite

fuel level has nothing to do with sediment getting picked up. The inlet is always on the bottom
of the tank regardless of fuel level and the filtering system will take care of the sediment
anyway.

What happens when a tank is not full is that the empty space if filled with air and the moisture
in the air winds up as water in the bottom of the tank since it is heaver than the fuel. That is
why one should keep their tank full in the Winter or add alcohol to help the water mix with the gasoline.

[damntexdem]

47. Yeah, I've come close.

It's not about the weight. I put in maybe 3 gallons at a nearby station, intending to go to one latet where I can fill up with a discount. But I sometimes cut it close.

[carrowsboy]

61. Amen!

I've been doing this for a few weeks now! Now it only costs me $25 to fill my Matrix. Otherwise it is $50 to fill the entire 12 gallon tank.

[elfin]

3. Conserving here - used to run out for errands 2/3 times per week

Now plan ahead to keep it consolidated to one time per week and anticipate going out fewer times in the future.

Hard habit to break, but necessary.

[SpiralHawk]

7. I have seen many OOG (out of gas) folks in the last few months...

...and it has been 20 years or more since I have noticed that sort of thing...

Thanks a pantload to the republicon so-called 'conservatives' with their disasterous policies and their freaking fat-catt oil cronies.

[truthisfreedom]

31. Hey, new way to meet girls! Hi, honey, need some gas? I have some in the trunk!

Ka-blooey!

[Elaborate Liberal]

39. I have a pickup and it happened to me

Luckily someone helped me.

[raystorm7]

8. There are simple common sense solutions to conserving gas, unless...

If you're doing nothing but working a job to pay for gas, then you've got some serious problems there.

[RC]

9. Just fill the dam thing up

It costs less to put 15 gallons in once than to make two trips to put in 7.5 gallons twice. Plan ahead a bit. Plan your trips better. You'll save more money than driving around on fumes. And it is safer than running out of gas on the free way.

There are the same type of faulty thinking that people use when they turn up the thermostat to 85° when they come home to a cold house thinking the house will warm up faster. Ahhh, no it won't.

[BrklynLib at work]

33. My philosphy as well. fill it all the way up once, and then put in your few bucks worth when it

gets to 3/4 or 1/2! At least that way you will not be stuck with an empty tank in an emergency

[mikelgb]

34. when you are at the end of the month with the gas going up at a steady rate...

sometimes it is easier said than done... especially for those who live from paycheck to paycheck

[Matteon]

10. My thinking

I'm thinking that many of these stranded OOG motorists did not put less gas in their car due to some sort of strategic thinking or an irrational attempt to adjust to gas prices. I think the average person understands that the amount of gas you use is determined by the amount of driving you do.

It is my belief that many of these people were trying to make it until their next payday and didn't quite make it. It was not a choice to simply put less gas in their tank and chance it, but rather, they put in as much gas as they had money for, and simply lacked the funds to buy enough gas to make it as long as they hoped to. For any people in such a situation, my heart goes out to you.

[raystorm7]

12. What you said is becoming more and more true everyday gas goes up. Only gonna get worse =/

[defendandprotect]

21. Anyone thinking of trading in for more mpg?

[Skink]

11. If you buy gas one gallon at a time it is easy to see how fast it is going up

[EmeraldCityGrl]

13. Then your car gets impounded, that's a couple hundred $$$, people

who can least afford it get screwed the most.

[KillCapitalism]

43. Yes, and law enforcement has been taking advantage of people.

Around here you have 3 hours, yes only 3 hours to move your vehicle off the roadway or they tow and impound it.

[Kali]

14. I drive a 15 passenger van - well over $100 to fill now

or at least I did till it died last week. I guess the bright side is that it won't take long at those prices to save up enough to fix it.:cry:

[northernlights]

15. if you think gas is high...

just wait until you see next winter's heating oil. A local grass roots dem organization pre-buys their fuel oil. Last year they locked in at $2.39/gal while the rest of us started the winter at 3.30 and ended at $4.00.

They just sent out this year's pre-buy offer. $4.59/gal.

I was bracing myself for $5/gal next year. Looks like we'll be starting the winter closer to $6. I'm done. It puts me at heat or eat.

[UpInArms]

25. we converted to a wood pellet stove 2 years ago - from a diesel fuel

heater - it's already paid for itself and is saving us money

welcome to DU, northernlights

[high density]

16. How much is your time worth?

I see people waiting in line to save $.02 on a gallon of gas. This guy wasted probably at least an hour of his life because he didn't want to buy gas that he was eventually going to use anyway.

[TommyO]

29. Each penny costs me $0.13 on an average fill up

If that's the difference between a busy station and one with an available pump, I'll take the available pump. However when the price difference is almost twenty cents between Pennsylvania and NJ, I'll cross the border anytime.

[Elaborate Liberal]

40. Absolutily right!

Dont spend 10.00 to save .50 cents...Time is Money

[Bravo Zulu]

17. Fuel pumps are in the tank

and are lubricated by the gas, if you run out of gas the pump will be uncovered and be exposed, eventually you will need a new fuel pump!

[defendandprotect]

18. I actually ran out of gas about three weeks ago --- lucky only 1/2 block from gas station ---

The guy was nice and gave me a gallon in can -- and then I didn't go back and get gas from him!!!

He asked me what my gas guage said, and I told him . .. "FULL" . . .

What happened was a while back an idiot in Boston overfilled my tank and did something to my
gas guage, so when it gets to 1/2 full, it starts to go up again !!!

But -- additionally, what I was doing was planning to stop at a Citgo on the way home where the
gas is cheaper. It's hard to drive into the place when I'm "going" ... and easier when I'm returning home -- had no idea I was that low ---

and returned the container to the guy --- and drove off on my way to my Citgo station!!!

Not very nice, of me --- but this guy wanted like 20 cents a gallon more than Citgo!!

[defendandprotect]

20. Am noticing, however, ExxonMobil stations seem very non-busy . . .

[lewtang]

22. You couldn't put in 3 or 4 gallons??

The guy was nice enough to help you out and you couldn't fork over an extra 60-80 cents more just to give the guy a little bit of business? Makes me wonder why even bother helping some people....

[defendandprotect]

23. Yeah . . . I agree it's bad ---

but I thought he would have expected me to fill the tank ---

When I finally got to Citgo it was $45.00 ---

I did give him a tip for the gallon of gas, tho . . . $5.00 for whatever the gallon was . ..
any better?

[damntexdem]

49. At least you went to CITGO. All is forgiven!

[Quantess]

58. A great opportunity to use a little white lie and conjure sympathy, too...

"Oh, I only have $3.78 in my wallet. Just enough to get me home!"

;)

[high density]

38. Sadly, people like this are why I don't stop and help people

And we know there are lots of people like this poster out there. There's no sense for me (or anybody else) to waste time helping them if they're not going to appreciate it. I have very cheap family members that would act the same way, so I'm used to this mentality.

[defendandprotect]

54. Hey look . . . this is not an unusual thing for a gas station . . . it happens frequently --

it happened that I didn't want to buy the gasoline from the station nearby ---

So you're saying that if you were a gas station attendant, you wouldn't give someone a gallon of
gasoline unless they promised to fill their tank up with you --- ????

Whoa . .

[high density]

60. If you're lucky I might lend you an empty gas can

And you could fill it up with gas on your own dime. The "Whoa" is you shopping around for gas after the guy helped you out, and then rewarding his kindness with a ~$1.00 tip. It really should not have mattered if you "wanted to buy" gas there or not. The Citgo station down the street might be filled by the same trucks that fill the Exxon Mobil station anyway.

[defendandprotect]

63. First, I don't think that would be good business overall ---

Second, I don't think they would want me pumping gasoline into a can ---

Third, I had $5 with me --- that was it ---
If I had had more money with me I would have given him a $3 tip --
but I still didn't want to buy gas from that station --

Fourth -- I think you're presuming that the guys working there OWN the station . . . ?

[Betty]

26. I have also noticed that in my Boston area neighborhood...

I wonder if that email that's going around has any effect. I never buy gas there because it's more expensive, but the Mobil station near my house usually is very busy and the last few weeks, much less so.

[BrklynLib at work]

35. Several gas stations near me have closed recently.

The owners told me that only those that are owned by that big gasoline companies are going to survie. The locally owned ones are all going under. He also said that it was the big companies that forced him to raise his prices as often as he did.

[defendandprotect]

57. I've heard that exact story over a number of years now . . .

the oil companies squeese us and the owners of the stations ---

[ruby slippers]

28. you could have at least bought him a cup of coffee.....a gallon is like, what, 4 bucks?

[defendandprotect]

55. I gave the guy who got me the gallon, $5 for the gas which was then about $3.65 ---

[ruby slippers]

64. mea culpa, then. That was a nice return on his investment. Good for you...

[xioaping]

52. Correct your behavior. Not only will that guy not help you but

he will think twice about helping anyone else. That is really bad Karma. You need to correct your behavior, especially the way you post it like you did something cute. I don't mean to be harsh - ok, well maybe I do - but that was really bad.

[defendandprotect]

56. No -- I didn't think I had done something "cute" . . . I was kinda saying . . .

I wish I could have bought gas from him ---
I don't like that station and I don't like their prices ---
I do like the Citgo --

Again -- this is common practice at a gas station ---
now, maybe it happens rarely, but it does happen and they are expected
to accommodate someone who runs out of gas.

[xioaping]

66. They are not required to help you...and...

If it was me and I saw you out of gas, I stand there holding a gas can, taunting you with it and laughing. You would not get a drop of gas out of the pump. I'd tell you to take a hike on down the road where gas is less. Either that or I would charge you rental on the gas can or a charge for the service to get gas from the pump to your car.

[LeftHander]

36. Saw a couple push car across four lane...

In traffic and they missed the Gas station driveway and the car went rear wheels up in a deep, steep ditch lined with big jagged rocks to prevent erosion.

The woman saw where the car was headed and jumped to try and steer but could not and she rolled out of the car as it dropped into the ditch. Their day went form bad to worse real fast.

[oneinok]

42. People are walking again

I am seeing more and more people walking home from the food market carrying their food home.

[Electric Flag]

59. And that's good, isn't it?

Friendlier for the environment and better for your health. Just one of the many advantages of a high price of gas. Americans much more than others have been prone to taking their cars wherever they've wanted to go, no matter how short a distance. It's good we're becoming a bit more Europeanized.

And speaking of Europe, they pay twice what we do for fuel, and I haven't seen any stories about them being stranded on the highway just because they didn't want to fill their tanks up. This is just silly, and whining over the low prices we pay compared to the rest of the industrialized world just makes us look bad - and even more selfish and arrogant than how we are already perceived.

[CRF450]

44. Whats the point in putting less in the tank?

Your still gonna pay the same amount over time, so just fill it up!

[guitar man]

53. 15 passengers?

hell, I'd make them all chip in for gas :P

[ohio2007]

65. China,Venezuela, Spain, India, Vietnam, Malaysia and Canada, now Brazil will be drilling for oil

around the coast of Cuba. Odd that the only country that can't drill in the Gulf of Mexico is the one which borders it on three sides ?

http://www.caribbeannetnews.com/news-8252--5-5--.html

What? bad for tourism?
Loss of $7 hr seasonal jobs a bad trade off for $35 hr roughnecking jobs?
Guess they are worried big oil will probably hire the Malaysians to work the rigs.