[Arminius]

Post of the Day!

Originally Posted by awillard69

If you are worried about economy and hedging the price of gas, figure out how many gallons you need for a reasonable period, say 5 or 8 gallons for a weeks driving. Then, when you get below 1/4 or when your "Hey stupid, you need gas!" light comes on, put in those gallons you really need.

If you put in 20+ gallons and gas weighs about 6.5 pounds per gallon, you are totting around an extra 120+ pounds. Somewhere there's a calculation about how much dead weight costs you in economy, something like 1-2% MPG for each 100 pounds you eliminate.

So, not filling up will save you weight and therefore extend your distance between stops at the gas station. You will still dollar cost average expenditures. And you could fudge it a bit more or less when the gas price slightly dips or spikes.