I never knowingly ate tomatoes. Then someone told me that tomatoes are a
main ingredient in salsa. I love and eat salsa regularly. Even though I
didn't know it, I had been eating tomatoes the whole time!

Barry Bonds never knowingly took steroids.

Tank 127 - 8 August 2007 (Hot Gas Myth -- STILL BUSTED!!)

440.0 miles on 11.593 gallons = 37.95 mpg.

If I had stopped refueling after the second click, as I usually do, the
fuel economy would have jumped to 38.77. But for some reason this
morning the first shutoff click occurred right after the second gallon
finished it's delivery. I knew it wasn't near full so I didn't
officially count that one.

This is the fifth tank in a row that I was able to go farther than 400
miles, and eight of the last nine tanks have taken me more than 400
miles.

When I put the gas in this last tank, it was 98 degrees outside. Again,
this is a clear indication to me that those who cry about the rip off
that is "hot gas" are just blowing hot air. I do not and have not seen
any significant decrease in my fuel economy of a tank that was filled in
hot weather.

If anything, my fuel economy is worse when I fill the tank in COLD
weather, but that is easily explained by the fact that it takes the
engine longer to heat up and achieve better efficiency in the winter.

With this tank, I have almost caught up to the number of total miles
driven as last year at this time. However, the Mighty Corolla was used
for a family trip last weekend, and over 700 miles were put on the car
that wouldn't have been put on there had we chosen to drive the minivan.

I have also travelled about as far as last year at this time on fewer
tanks of gas. This really doesn't mean much, as last year I refueled
earlier for most every tank.

My fuel economy for corresponding periods is almost 1 mpg better this
year than last (0.98 mpg better), which is about a 2.8% improvement on
my fuel economy.

Hot Gas Myth - BUSTED!

On August 2, I filled up my gas tank with "10.873" gallons of regular
unleaded gasoline. It was 95 degrees outside. The heat of the day.

Recent media reports want you to believe that because of complex
physical properties inherent to gasoline, I may have actually put in
much, much less than 10.873 gallons into my gas tank. These reports say
that gasoline expands as it warms up, and your fuel economy could
suffer, AS MUCH AS 30%, if you fill up your tank with "hot gas" instead
of gasoline that's been stored at closer to room temperature.

The news said this is such an obvious problem that our friends in Hawaii
have attachments to their gas pumps to adjust for the "hot gas
phenomenon."

This is a bunch of baloney.

I travelled over 400 miles on that tank of gas that was pumped in 95
degree heat, and achieved fuel economy of 38.55 miles per gallon, which
is more than one mile per gallon better than my 2007 average, and more
than two miles per gallon better than my overall average fuel economy.

Had this "hot gas" really held less power than regular gas, if it shrank
in my gas tank, my fuel economy should have been hurt. In fact, a 30%
decrease in my fuel economy would bring it down to 27 mpg. Certainly
I'd have noticed that. Indeed, I notice as little as a 10% difference
in my fuel economy from tank to tank.

Once I had a tank of gas that served my 10% lower mileage. It was a
tank in February, in the dead cold of winter. That was likely due to
driving in the cold, and the engine had to work harder to get warmed up
and more efficient.

The facts based on the data I have kept since I purchased this Corolla
tend to indicate that summer fuel economy is a little better than winter
fuel economy.

As this tank shows, "hot gas" is really just "hot air." It does not
have an affect on fuel economy, and it is not a rip off.

Corolla - 737.5, Minivan - 0.0

Tanks 125 and 126.

August 2 and 4, 2007.

Weekend Trips to Mountain Lake and Raleigh, NC.

We decided that it would be a good idea to take the Mighty Corolla on
our weekend trip, since two of the three legs of the trip would be just
the two of us in the car.

It would be better to save some dollars on gas and grind out the final
230 miles with the three kids lined up in the back seat of the Corolla.
This turned out to be a great plan!

On Thursday, we filled up the tank at 12:30 p.m., in the heat of the
day. Aside from the ozone warning and extra greenhouse gases we
contributed to the environment by filling up during the heat of the day,
it provided a great opportunity to if there's any truth to the new "HOT
GAS PHENOMENON."

The media has recently reported that you get less gas when it's hot out,
and thus are overcharged as well as get worse fuel economy. I will
share more detailed information in future posts as I consider the facts
and data gathered in these two tanks when compared with past and future
tanks at "cooler temperatures."

Tank 125 - 419.1 miles on 10.873 gallons. 38.55 mpg.

Tank 126 - 454.9 miles on 11.540 gallons. 39.42 mpg.

What is interesting is that tank 125 came on the heels of a 39.02 mpg
effort, and typically my fuel economy drops a lot more after a tank
where I get over 39 mpg. Tank 125 offered less than a
half-mile-per-gallon difference, which is notable.

Tank 126 is even more notable because the Groovy Mrs. Was at the wheel
for much of this tank. She has a reputation for being a lead foot, so
average speeds were closer to 70 or 75 mph on the highway, rather than
the normal 54-66 I drive on my commute.

However, there were fewer stops during tank 126, which likely helped
overall mileage as there were less 0-60 opportunitied.

I am still in the middle of tank 127, but the weekend trip covered 737.5
miles. A quick estimation of gasoline expense tells me that we spent
roughly $51.99 on gas for these miles by driving the Corolla (assuming
an average fuel economy of 38.5 mpg), and would have spent about $$87.02
on gas had we driven the minivan (assuming a "fantastic" fuel economy of
23 mpg in the van, which is a logistical stretch.).

So we spent at least $35.00 less on gas this weekend by driving the
Mighty Corolla instead of the minivan.

Travel Debate - Minivan vs. Mighty Corolla

This weekend we're taking a trip to a few places, and then picking up
our three kids from Grammie's house. Grammie and Pop-Pop took the kids
earlier in the week for an extended visit, and we intend to pick them up
over the weekend.

We're undecided as to whether take the Corolla, which will get very good
mileage, or the minivan, which is lucky to pass 20 mpg. The passengers
will be just the two of us for most of the trip, and five people for the
trip home from Grammie's house- about a five-hour trip.

Last night we were leaning towards using the Corolla, but the more we
think of five hours in the littler car with three kids across the back
seat, the more we think the added space the minivan provides would be
helpful.

I will continue to assume we will take the Corolla. This will mean I
must fill the gas tank today before I get home, which will mean a
refueling after 7 days instead of the 11 that it would be had I waited
until Monday.

But filling up in the heat of the day will help me a little bit to see
if there is truly a difference in fuel economy figures when I fill up
with "hot gas" during the hot afternoon instead of refueling with
"cooler, more dense gas" in the early morning.

Historically, I don't see any particular trend in fuel economy based on
heat. If anything, my mileage is better in the summer and autumn months
anyway, which doesn't lend any credibility to those who say "hot gas"
gives you worse mileage.

Tank 125 Update

Yesterday on my way home I watched as the fuel gauge slowly drifted down past the halfway mark. As a general guide, I like to believe that it'll be a good tank with good mileage if I am able to get 250 miles as the needle passes the halfway mark.

As the gauge hit the halfway point yesterday, the mighty Corolla had gone 267 miles. This bodes well for the overall fuel economy of the tank.

Of course, there are many other factors that con potentially have a negative effect on the rest of the tank. I could sit in 80 minutes of traffic over the next two days, instead of the averages of 57 minutes for Wednesday and 69 minutes on Thursday (although I will leave at lunch time on Thursaday and ought to avoid heavier rush hour traffic).

At the current rate, I'll refuel on Monday, August 6, giving me an eleven day tank life.

Please enjoy this drawing that has no relation to this post: