Driving home last night from dinner, Nighean Dhonn mentioned in passing that she had finally broken down and stopped to get fuel for her car.
Her car - An early 2000's Ford that has rather amazing fuel economy and was the car I brought back in October - is not overly used by her: between school and work and possibly the trips she takes, she may be at a tank of gas every 2-3 weeks. Still, usage is usage.
We have very different views of "when is the right time to fill up" in my household. My version - derived from TB The Elder after multiple incidents of me acting like the teen-age idiot I was and getting the tank down to "E" because I did not want to spend money and having to make a call to my father to come rescue me one too many times - is to err so far on the side of caution as to be ridiculous to most. My family gently chides me for the fact that on road trips, I begin to get uncomfortable at a half tank and downright panicky at a quarter tank. I currently fill my car up weekly, which is about a quarter tank of usage, both to have a full tank and to (at this moment) save money - more on that below.
My family, in contrast, has varying views of when is the right time, running perhaps from a half tank to what I feel like is "coasting on fumes". They know their cars better than I though, and to date we have not had a "I ran out of fuel" call from any of Na Clann - and as long as we do not, it remains their business.
Nighean Dhonn confessed that she had broken down and fueled up because she was holding out that prices were going to drop - but they did not. In New Home, our fuel prices has undergone a steady increase in pricing over the last two months - no big leaps, but in dribs and drabs. Interestingly, The Ravishing Mrs. TB reminded me that we are still below the price of fuel when we arrived here in 2009 - but we are getting darn close to that number, something that has not happened in all the years we have lived here.
Gas prices in an urban area are odd, as you might imagine. The place she usually stops runs about 10 cents more a gallon that the fuel station I fuel at (same parent organization). The stations are equidistant from our house but in different cities. And that is the cheapest price of gas of course - the differential becomes more between a "named" station and where I fuel up. 10 to 20 cents is not necessarily a lot of money, but it end up being half a gallon or more over a fill. And that does not ever cover the differences with geographies in a city (Key point: Never need to buy fuel in the center of a city).
I always value these small interactions, not just for the fact that there is awareness that something needs to be done (e.g., fuel for the car is needed) but the awareness that things are getting more expensive. Questions beget more questions, and more questions beget begin to reveal how the world actually works instead of how we are told the world works. And often speaks with a voice that is difficult to ignore.
Like you, allowing my gas tank to get below half tank is rarely done. My GMC pick-up is a 26 gallon tank, so right now, $40 will be about that amount.
ReplyDeleteIn the past, I have been told allowing your tank to get very low like that can cause your fuel filter to clog up faster, via sloshing gas scrubbing the inside of the tank. Too, the fuel pump inside the tank is not submerged and can overheat on long trips, shortening its life. Maybe old wive's tales, but they do make some sense.
Anonymous, the part about the fuel filter and the impact on the carburetor was what I was told as well, and I do think my father had more than one rebuilt thanks to my foolishness. And looking at Jess' comment below, it appears the issue with the fuel pump may not be an myth after all.
DeleteBut even with all of that, on a fundamental level - at least for me - why put off what can be so easily resolved by just filling the tank?
In the old days, running out of gas was an inconvenience. Today, running out of gas might mean the fuel pump gets hot, it burns up, the relay goes out, and the cost to replace all is much more than inconvenient.
ReplyDeleteJess, I had no idea - but then again, my understanding of modern automobiles is slight. Which makes it even more critical, let alone for the risk of being somewhere, stuck.
DeleteI'm glad I'm not the only one who gets panicky when the tank gets below a 1/4 full! I guess I had one too many incidents of walking and trying to bum a gallon of gas off someone to get to the next gas station. I find though that I am more comfortable with my newer vehicles that have a "miles to empty" countdown on the dash so I can gauge that with mileage signs to know that I will make it to point B before I run out.
ReplyDeleteI honestly couldn't tell you the price per gallon of gas or how much money it costs for me to fill my tank. I just tap my phone on the pump and proceed without even checking at the start or end of the process. I guess because I know that even if it gets to say $10/gallon, I will still buy it. Fortunately, we both only fill up once every 3 or 4 weeks during this time of year. In the summer when we make regular trips down to the farm and garden, it is considerably more frequent.
Ed, two of the cars in the household have that. I find that it does not give me a sense of comfort based on the fact I have no idea how carefully calibrated those units are.
DeleteFair to say I would still buy it as well. I think if I ran it "to empty", I would almost be one fill up a month. It is odd how now, with the last two years, anything beyond a 12 mile drive or so seems "long".
At least on our vehicles, they aren't calibrated well at all but both are in our favor, i.e. I can run it down to zero miles left, fill the tank completely up and still be as much as 2 to 4 gallons below the capacity of the tank depending on the season. In winter, whatever algorithm they use reduces the miles available per tank by as much as 100 miles!
DeleteWell, if there is a side to not be calibrated well on, that is the way to go. That said, this underlies my whole issue with electronics. Still an analog guy where possible.
DeleteI have to second the comments above about running out of fuel being much more than inconvenient. Our modern, computer controlled, fuel injected engines can suffer very, very expensive failures, from fuel pumps to injectors. Many newer fuel pumps are in the top of the gas tank; a major operation to even get at them. I don't even know where "E" really is on my gauges, and I've no desire to find out.
ReplyDeleteOf course, I also have a pilots perspective. The three most useless things in aviation: runway behind you, airspace above you, and fuel left at the airport. The most unforgivable sin as a pilot is running out of fuel; consequently, we never trust a gauge, always verifying visually what is in the tank, and filling even and especially when not needed. We calculate fuel usage as gallons per hour of run time, not distance as in a car. As one instructor once put it, even if you manage a successful off-airport landing for whatever reason, you no longer own the plane. You can negotiate with the insurance company for "first right of salvage", but it's their plane at that point.
Greg - From a pilot's point of view, I can see where all of these things would be highly valuable. Were I to be a pilot, I would probably be even more concerned than I am now in general.
DeleteGood point about modern engines - great performance, but at what cost?
Living in Louisiana, one of the first things you do with talk of severe weather is fill the tank. Now that we can no longer have a spare tank with a 30 gallon reserve, keeping it topped off is something I prefer.
ReplyDeleteThe gas truck does not get as good mileage as our old diesel truck did. Doesn't have the power, either. Doubt we could pull down a mostly dead pecan tree with it.
Hubby has appointments 4 days a week. Sometimes two a day. Right now two of those are an hour and a half from home.
Once a month three hours from home.
And once a month, a flea market trip to visit with friends, weather permitting is a three and a half hour trip.
These are all one way trips. I am painfully aware the cost of gas now days.
And of a worthless government that does nothing because they ha e gotten rich "working for we the people".
You all be safe and God bless, TB and friends.
Linda, I have taken to recommending the family top off at the least sign of a weather event, just in case. We can always use the gas later.
DeleteThat sounds like a terribly great amount of driving. My in-laws live much closer to a VA hospital and even then they are there 2-4 times a week. Sadly for all of us, the rising cost of gas is of little concern to Our Political And Social Betters.