Nov 12, 2007 11:30 pm US/Eastern
How To Beat The High Cost Of Gasoline
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Gas prices were setting record highs.
CBS
It's hard to imagine gas prices going up another 50 cents. During the month of November last year, we were paying $2.30 for a gallon in South Florida, roughly a dollar less.
Jorge Pinon was president of Amoco Latin America who is now spilling the beans on how you can beat the oil industry and save some green.
Losing our minds at the pump it's becoming an everyday occurrence, but Pinon said there are 4 simple tips that could cure you.
The first one-all gas is the same.
"The chemical composition of all gasoline - leaded or unleaded is the same," said Pinon. "When a tanker leaves a refinery in Houston to Port Everglades, or when a tanker leaves Venezuela for Port Everglades the chemical composition of that gasoline is the same."
Additives are added just before the gas is brought via tanker to gas stations. You're not paying more for the gas, just the additives that each brand claims to clean your engine better than a competitor.
Pinon said that unless your automobile manufacturer recommends it, you should only use 87 octane regular unleaded gasoline's and there is no need to premium grade gasoline.
Second, topping off-something most of us are guilty of is actually an oil industry money maker ranking of thousands of dollars everyday.
""Really what you're doing is activating the vapor recovery system and you're really not getting as much volume as you would if you are letting it run," Pinon told CBS4's David Sutta.
Number 3- don't run on empty because gas evaporates.
""The more space, the more air in your gas tank the more evaporation there is," explained Pinon. "Don't let my gas tank go lower than half."
Number 4- the later it gets in the day, the less bang you'll get for a buck.
"You get more volume of gasoline at a lower temperature," said Pinon. "The higher the temperature the less volume. It is very important to purchase your gasoline, particularly in the hot summer months, purchase gasoline early in the morning when the temperature of gasoline is at it's coolest."
Pinon said that convenience is also very important since the average fill up is between 8 to 10 gallons: therefore driving around for 5 cents per gallon saving represents a 50 cents saving for the fill up.
Pinon said he shops by site and not necessarily by brand or price.
"A clean, well kept, well attended site tells me how the equipment is maintained and therefore the quality of the product."
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