Some of you may have seen this message as part of a longer email. I’m re-posting few of the important points on this bulletin that I agree and find to be helpful. Don’t forget to read my other post on using 87 octane gasoline...

I don’t know what you guys are paying for gasoline.... but here in California  we are also paying higher, up to $3.60 per gallon (87 octane). But 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. In slow mode you should be pumping on low speed, 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 other 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.  Hope this will help you get the most value for your money.

So how many others are habitual survey takers?

I'm not sure which one I started with, but I belong to about 6 survey panels for the past several years. Here's the list: Harris Poll (www.harrisspollonline.com), MySurvey (www.mysurvey.com), SurveySpot (www.surveyspot.com), Greenfield Online (www.greenfieldonline.com), MyPoints (www.mypoints.com), and e-Rewards (www.e-rewards.com).

Most of these survey sites work on point system that you can redeem for cash or giftcards, and some will offer outright cash awards and occassional sample product to use. All of the above sites are legitimate marketing research companies and not internet scam types.

If you have significant spare time and enjoy taking surveys, sign up at any of the above sites. e-Rewards is the lest favorite of mine as their rewards are typically discount cards (for example: $50 off at eBags for $200 purchase) and not cash or giftcard rewards.

I worked in the petroleum industry from 1993 to 2000 in various refining and marketing capacity including a 2 year stint at a major refinery in Southern California as a crude oil planner/buyer. This job also entailed setting the gasoline blending formula from time to time.

I know many of you are Rover enthusiasts and auto enthusiasts. My first advice is stop filling your vehicles with "Premium Only" gasoline as "required by the manufacturer". Your vehicle's fuel management system working in conjunction w/ the oxygen sensor will adapt to the octane level of the gasoline you use. You might notice a very slight loss of power at the very limits of your engine if you were redlining with each shift, or if your vehicle is heavily laden and you are climbing a mountain. For 95% of normal day to day driving conditions, 87 octane gasoline will do just fine. If you happen to live in a high altitude area and lower octane gasoline is available, feel free to go even lower.

My last 3 vehicles (00 Disco Series II, 93 BMW 740i (e32) & Volvo 850 Turbo Wagon - all were required "Premium Gasoline Only" ) were on strict diet of 87 octane gasoline for combined 200,000+ miles. If I knew I were heading on a road trip w/ full load, I would use 89 octane to handle occassional hill climbing/passing situation.

And about the mid grade/89 octane gasoline - this is simply 50/50 blend of 87 octane and 91 octane gasoline. Refineries do not blend 89 octane - only 87 octane and 91 octane gasoline. When you pump 89 octane gasoline at your local station, it is being mixed at the pump at 1 to 1 ratio. That's why the price difference between the 3 grades are almost always consistent (typically 10 cents per gallon between grades).

If you were a penny pinching driver (hey, I resemble that remark) and notice that 87 octane is priced much lower than 91 and 89 octane, you can blend your own mix at the pump by buying half tank of 87 octane and half tank of 91 octane for a discounted 89 octane tank.

On another note, there is very little difference between different brands of gasoline. All refineries and storage tank farms use common gasoline pipeline to transport the fuel. Many times, a batch of fuel (in Southern California, minimum 5,000 barrels or 210,000 gallons) may get traded from one company to another depending on their supply situation. Every gallon of gasoline is virtually the same stuff. The only difference between a Shell gasoline and ARCO gasoline is the fuel additive added at the distribution terminal as the trucks are loaded with fuel. There is very little difference among the additives. If you want to feel more sure, use fuel system cleaners once a year - this is typically done at major service intervals by the dealer/repair shop. Don't buy the marketing hype of various petroleum companies. In fact, Costco gasoline in Southern California is supplied by Shell refinery without Shell's own fuel additive.

Happy motoring!