Tip on saving gas money…

jdbulldog

Active member
Oct 27, 2007
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Download the free Chevron app and get $1 per gallon savings for up to $20. This credit is good for the first 3 times you use it and the credit is given right at the pump. After that it is like a lot of others where you get a 5 or 10 cent per gallon savings and earn points along the way. It is a potential $60 savings for those of you driving vehicles with large capacity fuel tanks.
 

thatsbaseball

Well-known member
May 29, 2007
16,612
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Question for mechanics: Is the gas from Chevron much different than QT's?
Great question. I've been told the "gas" is the same except for the additives but have no idea is that's correct. I've never worried about the gas itself as much as it possibly having some contamination (water etc) in it.
 
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The Fatboy

Active member
Oct 18, 2005
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Try the upside app and get cash back on gas purchases. My wife and I use it all the time and it saved me tons of money. Pair it up with your favorite credit card and you can get even more cash back. You can also use it at grocery stores and restaurants. I live in Birmingham and there is a taco bell near my house giving 22% cash back. Most restaurants are like 6% but worth it for the cash back. We mostly use it for gas.

 
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patdog

Well-known member
May 28, 2007
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I wish Ethanol was CANCELLED. Destructive to engines, costly and has not saved one 17ing blade of grass. Not surprised supporters also say cow flatulence kills polar bears.
Yet another case of the gubmint forcing something in us that will damage our engines, hurt our fuel economy, pollution (they ain’t farming that corn with solar powered tractors) & take valuable food away from the hungry . Just a lose-lose-lose-lose situation. Unless you farm corn.
 

horshack.sixpack

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Oct 30, 2012
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I wish Ethanol was CANCELLED. Destructive to engines, costly and has not saved one 17ing blade of grass. Not surprised supporters also say cow flatulence kills polar bears.
Turbos like the ethanol, from a performance perspective. Still detrimental to nearly everything else…
Yet another case of the gubmint forcing something in us that will damage our engines, hurt our fuel economy, pollution (they ain’t farming that corn with solar powered tractors) & take valuable food away from the hungry . Just a lose-lose-lose-lose situation. Unless you farm corn.
I see it like I see most legislation. The unintended consequences typically have greater impact than the actual legislation target.
 

Anon1704414204

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Jan 4, 2024
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Turbos like the ethanol, from a performance perspective. Still detrimental to nearly everything else…

I see it like I see most legislation. The unintended consequences typically have greater impact than the actual legislation target.
The Road To MorningStar's is often times paved with deception disguised as good intent.
 

Hot Rock

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Jan 2, 2010
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I use non-ethanol for lawn mower, 4 wheeler etc…. With stabil treatment over wintering. Chain saws etc… premix treated a must

Gas … I have strictly used cheapest available as no gas is better than another unless nonethanol which I don’t buy for cars. But if if it is sitting much …. Always add a good gas treatment or stabilizer. My old yard truck with 280,000 miles still going strong.

best way period is my EV… so much cheaper to operate. I am considering a solar panel system.

I have a buddy that has a junk yard and he has a Wrecked Tesla.. I want that battery to use for recharging and maybe run a guest house on solar. These used EV batteries can be used fir solar storage.
 

OG Goat Holder

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Sep 30, 2022
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Ethanol is fine if you’re driving a good bit and never allow it to sit.

I use no ethanol in my zero turn mower. And I buy the premix for my small engines. But cars? Eh it gets used before it can hurt anything.
 

Anon1704414204

Well-known member
Jan 4, 2024
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I use non-ethanol for lawn mower, 4 wheeler etc…. With stabil treatment over wintering. Chain saws etc… premix treated a must

Gas … I have strictly used cheapest available as no gas is better than another unless nonethanol which I don’t buy for cars. But if if it is sitting much …. Always add a good gas treatment or stabilizer. My old yard truck with 280,000 miles still going strong.

best way period is my EV… so much cheaper to operate. I am considering a solar panel system.

I have a buddy that has a junk yard and he has a Wrecked Tesla.. I want that battery to use for recharging and maybe run a guest house on solar. These used EV batteries can be used fir solar storage.
How / Where do you get non ethanol gas and why not use it in your car? All gas I see here in Fort Worth has ethanol I think. Not sure.
 

Dawgzilla2

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Oct 9, 2022
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Yet another case of the gubmint forcing something in us that will damage our engines, hurt our fuel economy, pollution (they ain’t farming that corn with solar powered tractors) & take valuable food away from the hungry . Just a lose-lose-lose-lose situation. Unless you farm corn.
I'm not a fan of ethanol in our gas, but how old of a car does one have to drive to worry about it hurting the engine? Modern fuel injection engines are designed to run with ethanol in the gas. Maybe if you bought your car in Europe or something it would be an issue.

I bought a couple tanks of Ethanol free fuel from QT last year, just as an experiment. It was $4.00 per gallon when regular unleaded was maybe $3.40. Saw zero difference; couldn't really tell from the two tankfuls if I got a mileage difference. Certainly wasn't worth 60 cents per gallon.

My car has 210,000 miles on it, and I only use name brand gas (with the exception of those 2 trips to QT). The additives will help keep an older engine running well.
 

patdog

Well-known member
May 28, 2007
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QT could have the same fuel supplier and nobody would really know.
They don’t. You can find out which stations have Top Tier gas at toptiergas.com. That’s what you should be using for most fill ups. Nothing wrong with using cheaper gas from time to time. But I would not make it my go to for gas.
 

patdog

Well-known member
May 28, 2007
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Another tip to save on gas. Buy in Jackson instead of Madison. About 20 cents cheaper. But after dealing with way too many problems with the pumps & one of the professionals who work the frontage roads all up & down I55 in north Jackson ask me for money at the Shell on Beasley/Adkins exit, I’ve decided it’s worth 20 cents / gallon to not deal with the trouble.
 

DesotoCountyDawg

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Nov 16, 2005
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Yet another case of the gubmint forcing something in us that will damage our engines, hurt our fuel economy, pollution (they ain’t farming that corn with solar powered tractors) & take valuable food away from the hungry . Just a lose-lose-lose-lose situation. Unless you farm corn.
The argument that farmers are burning fossil fuels to raise corn is a dumb argument. If they didn’t farm corn they would farm something else so that is meaningless.
 

DesotoCountyDawg

Well-known member
Nov 16, 2005
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Any gas labeled Top Tier is the best gas, doesn’t matter the brand of gas station. If you’re not using Top Tier gas because of availability you can buy a bottle of fuel treatment at any automotive store every 5 or 6 thousand miles and give your engine the additives it needs for longevity.
 

DesotoCountyDawg

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Nov 16, 2005
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If you’re using ethanol gas in a small engine regularly (ie a lawn mower or weedeater in summer) then it will be fine. If you’re going to park it for the winter and not use it much you can drain the gas or put an additive like Sta-bil in it that will keep the fuel from separating.

If you’re going to use non ethanol gas you’ll have to use it for the life of the engine IMO. If you use non ethanol and then switch, the ethanol gas is going to clean out all the buildup from the non gas and clog up your carburetor or other components.

We have been using ethanol gas in all our small engines on the farm for years and have zero issues other than normal maintenance.

ETA: If you have a modern car, use ethanol gas. Theyre designed to run on it. If you’ve got an older or classic car that ran on non ethanol gas for years you might want to find some non or it’s going to clean it out like I described above.
 
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Hot Rock

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Jan 2, 2010
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How / Where do you get non ethanol gas and why not use it in your car? All gas I see here in Fort Worth has ethanol I think. Not sure.
Several local places I go for no ethanol for small engine use but I get gas wherever for my truck. Usually a tank about once or twice yearly so cost is not an issue just convenience. Drive EV DAILY, still say best decision I made in an awhile on vehicles and I am 40,000 miles. Ask me again in 160,000 more miles to see if I still feel that way. Right now, I am loving the lack of maintenance or buying gasoline. Way cheaper
 
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Hot Rock

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Jan 2, 2010
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Don’t get me wrong, I still think only 1 in 3 or even 1 in 4 will love an EV OVER A GAS BURNER. You swapping old problems for new ones but both have issues.

it’s just that People are used to the problems with gas cars and know how to deal with them and freak out when an EV has an issue.
 

PBDog

Well-known member
Oct 1, 2021
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all base gas is the same formulated by state and season. the difference is the additive. you’ll find the branded gas (chev, shell, exxon, etc) will give you more miles to the dollar than QT, wal-mart, non-branded gas
 

Perd Hapley

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Sep 30, 2022
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If your car was manufactured in the past 30 years, gas is gas. Unless your owner’s manual says otherwise, you’re not going to harm your engine or your fuel system in any sort of measurable way with ethanol fuel, or “lower grade” fuel as it pertains to the rankings on those websites. Some will have better fuel economy than others. But, I’ve repeatedly found that the added fuel economy provided by non-ethanol fuel is not worth the increased price per gallon.

In modern vehicles from reliable automakers, the engine should be the last thing to ever fail under any circumstances where just basic care is being taken over the vehicle. And by “basic care”, I simply mean get your oil and filter changed at recommended intervals, tend to any overheat conditions immediately, and tend to any check engine light situations at your earliest convenience, depending on how the engine is actually running while the light is on.
 

T-TownDawgg

Well-known member
Nov 4, 2015
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If you’re using ethanol gas in a small engine regularly (ie a lawn mower or weedeater in summer) then it will be fine. If you’re going to park it for the winter and not use it much you can drain the gas or put an additive like Sta-bil in it that will keep the fuel from separating.

If you’re going to use non ethanol gas you’ll have to use it for the life of the engine IMO. If you use non ethanol and then switch, the ethanol gas is going to clean out all the buildup from the non gas and clog up your carburetor or other components.

We have been using ethanol gas in all our small engines on the farm for years and have zero issues other than normal maintenance.

ETA: If you have a modern car, use ethanol gas. Theyre designed to run on it. If you’ve got an older or classic car that ran on non ethanol gas for years you might want to find some non or it’s going to clean it out like I described above.
Wrong. Dead wrong.

Holy 17 stop with your folksy, small sample-sized agenda about this.

We've had this debate before.

Sta-bill is a fuel stabilizer that consists of primarily mineral oil to slow down fuel oxidation.

It does nothing to stop alcohol/ethanol from soaking into rubber hoses, lines, grommets, and gaskets.

I am a former Briggs/Honda/Robin/Yamaha cerified mechanic, and have worked on countless ATV's and watercraft, have seen the studies, and have collaborated with field engineers on this very subject.

The fuel lines/grommets/seals/gaskets, in anything other than passenger vehicles, are NOT engineered with ethanol compatible components. If you have been lucky, congrats.

E-10 can cause serious damage to small engines even in the short term. I can cite you examples of short-term ethanol damage that takes very little time to cause adverse effects. Fuel lines in this application tend to be small and delicate, and typically swell when exposed to ethanol. Even if the engine is swapped back to ethanol-free-fuel relatively quickly, the damage can be done in short order and will rear it's head eventually, usually when the weather cools off. The components of many small engines cannot handle so much as a week of regular e-10 fuel before it damages fuel lines or gaskets.

Just because your private, small sample size works, does not mean this is good advice for the masses.

In 1997, I was privileged to sit in on a conference with Husqvarna engineers from Sweden about this. The concensus was unanimous. Ethanol-laced fuel was becoming more prominent, and small-engine engineers saw what was coming. A tank-full of ethanol fuel used in Husqvarna equipment was clearly obvious, whether stabilizer was used, or not. Warranties were voided for "spaghetti'-like fuel lines, regardless of hours. We noted that fuel tank leaks, and negative-pressure-fuel -line collapse in Husqvarna, Stihl,, Shindawa, and other 2-cycle manufactures increased exponentially with the introduction of even a small amount of ethanol.

We went so far as conducting experiments using typical non-automotive 1/4" and 3/8" fuel line (used on larger, and even commercial lawn equipment) and documented degradation in both, with just one exposure to E-10. In simple field testing, we also found "regular" pump gas to have anywhere from 6% to 15% ethanol, depending on the station.

Some small equipment *can* handle E-10 or higher for a peiod of time, perhaps because the fuel lines are large diameter, or the ethanol content in the area is minimal; either way, it's not a good cost/benefit gamble. The vast majority of small engine, ATV's, and boat engine manufacturers tell you ethanol-free-fuel is recommended, and for good reason.

This is from someone who makes a killing on working on small engines on the side to this very day.

FFS, unless it's your passenger vehicle, use Non-ethanol. If not, I'll be glad to take your money and lecture you later.
 

Tall Dawg

Member
Apr 11, 2016
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Another tip to save on gas. Buy in Jackson instead of Madison. About 20 cents cheaper. But after dealing with way too many problems with the pumps & one of the professionals who work the frontage roads all up & down I55 in north Jackson ask me for money at the Shell on Beasley/Adkins exit, I’ve decided it’s worth 20 cents / gallon to not deal with the trouble.
Nah, buy at Costco or Sam’s for the cheapest prices.
 

Seinfeld

Well-known member
Nov 30, 2006
9,540
3,576
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Yet another gas saving tip. Stop buying a F250 crew cabs to drive yourself 6 miles to the office every day and your wife a Grand Wagoneer to drive your one kid and her pomeranian to/from soccer practice. All while moaning and groaning about the cost of interest rates and produce at the grocery store.

I'm sure no one here falls into this category, but sheez are there a bunch of these buzzing around my town
 

DesotoCountyDawg

Well-known member
Nov 16, 2005
22,109
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You lost me at “Download the free Chevron app” :)
Season 4 GIF by Rick and Morty
 

mcdawg22

Well-known member
Sep 18, 2004
10,971
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Yet another gas saving tip. Stop buying a F250 crew cabs to drive yourself 6 miles to the office every day and your wife a Grand Wagoneer to drive your one kid and her pomeranian to/from soccer practice. All while moaning and groaning about the cost of interest rates and produce at the grocery store.

I'm sure no one here falls into this category, but sheez are there a bunch of these buzzing around my town
I had a customer like that back in the 2000’s. He was an insurance agent and drove an H2. He came in bitching about gas prices in 2008. I told him I could cut his gas bill to 1/4 of what he is paying now. He asked how, I said buy a Honda Accord.
 

GloryDawg

Well-known member
Mar 3, 2005
14,473
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Two years ago, I drove from here to phoenix. Seems like I got really good gas mileage while driving through Texas. Don't know why. They also have 80 mile an hour speed limit.
 

Howiefeltersnstch

Active member
Dec 28, 2019
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Best tip is vote Republican. Fossil fuel arguments are retarded. If anyone cared instead of going after weedeaters they would stop air travel cruise ships and hauling oil 5000 miles across the ocean in a tanker ship.
 

DesotoCountyDawg

Well-known member
Nov 16, 2005
22,109
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Yep. As long as Iowa has the first primary that subsidy is not going away.
It’s never going away no matter what so there’s no need to gripe about it. Every major ag commodity producing country in the world subsidizes their farmers.

IMG_2797.png
IMG_2796.jpeg
 

Maroon Eagle

Well-known member
May 24, 2006
16,468
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Okay, gas cost $1.12 per gallon in ‘85 and that’d be worth $3.26 in 2024.


The gas I get is cheaper than $3.26 (makes sense: National average and Mississippi traditionally has the cheapest gas).

The major issue isn’t that gas prices are higher, it’s more that our buying power is less than before.
 
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