Are You Getting Ripped Off by 'Hot Gas'?

Okay, I'm confused.

Wouldn't gas be hotter in your gas tank where it is really exposed to the heat more than it is in those underground storage tanks?

If so, why isn't it expanding and overflowing from your gas tank on really hot days?

How does it become "less" gas in a car?

If hot gas takes up more room aren't you really buying less gas, so wouldn't you be paying less?

I don't get it.

Sincerely,

The science dolt.

Which means you should only fill up your tank in the cold days of winter

Yes elisabeth there is a santa claus and liquid expands in heat and contracts in the cold.

Don't any of these people pay ANY attention to their gas gauges?

Or live someplace cold?

Or maybe even BOTH?

When I started driving I'd panic when, on cold days, my gas gauge would read way lower than I remembered it being when I'd driven it last. Then I'd drive around for a while, things would warm up, and the gauge would go up.

I'd suspect the underground storage tanks are nowhere near as effected, as are the above ground ones, at one point all new tanks installed were supposed to be above ground...and the old underground ones were to be removed....but those laws have been revised several times, and I don't know what the restrictions are now...but in my part of the world, most are above ground.

Gas can and does overflow on really hot days, it's just unusual for most people to have a truly full tank, once they have driven some distance away from the station and parked the car. Have you ever noticed a gas smell as you walked thru one of those giant parking lots in the height of summer....Six Flags, a zoo, a mall...usually when someone comments on the smell, it's automatic for everyone to look around for an older car, and place the blame there.

Gas is measured by the actual volume that goes thru the pump, if it has expanded in the holding tank...say 5%, you are losing that 5% in volume but still paying for it.

I'm sure they could simply add a program to the pumps {the newer ones anyway} that can automatically compensate for the mass vs temp of the fuel.

ok, Dr. Chai can take this one...

Yes your gas does expand in your gas tank. However, you are driving around and it is getting used up before pressure builds up.

Your gas cap keeps the gas inside, so it won't overflow. Haven't you ever noticed on a hot day, when you unscrew your gas cap, you can hear a hissssss.....? Same principle as opening a carbonated soda.

No, you would not be paying less, because even though the gas has expanded, it is not going to put out more energy.

It's like whipped butter, you only think it's less calories because it's been whipped up with air or water, you're paying for butter you're not getting.

In the summer, I do actually try to gas up early in the day, or, if I'm going to gas at the end of the day, I'll do it before driving home, so I've used up 10 miles of gas, and my tank isn't quite full.

One thing I do, because I read it somewhere, is this...When I finish pumping, I'll turn the nozzle 180 degrees, to get any gas that was in the nozzle or upper part of the hose. I read that's about half a cup of gas.

Does anyone know if that's true?

I haven't removed a gas cap on a car for probably.... ohhhh... 15 years. We don't do that pump your own stuff here.

Plus, I probably haven't been to a gas station more than 10 times in the past year -- and that's probably pretty average for me considering my driving habits.

I've learned something new today. I don't know if I'll ever use it, but I've learned something new.