Eagle was thirsty. All the time. I've been getting 9mpg since the winter gas change over, so Eagle's been seeing me after class for a while so we could work on bringing this average up.
After changing my motor oil, being vigilant about checking air pressure of my tires, cleaning spark plugs, checking timing, voodoo, hoodoo, begging, adjusting my carb mixture, giving up, and so on, I had one of those "should've been one of the first things to change" revelations: maybe I should quit using Safeway gas.
I didn't use their gas with the expectation of it being high quality. It was on my shop route and easier to get to than other places. Laziness and the illusion of saving money. I decided to fill up with Shell over a week ago, then decided to fill up last night when I was on the way to the house but not wanting to get back to the house yet. In other words, I filled up 3 days later than usual because I felt like it, not because I needed to.
The result? I'm now getting 12.43mpg city, as opposed to the slightly under 9mpg I got from the last Safeway tank. Keep in mind that this is with slightly saggy tires, a dirty air filter, winter gas, and a few hundred pounds of weight (probably about 600lbs, including the dead weight behind the wheel). I've got to admit, I didn't expect that dramatic a change for an extra .20/gal.
I also didn't expect to find I was paying so much more for shitty fuel. For $4 more per tank, I get 70 more miles of travel. That's a ludicrous difference!
Shell: $64/20gal tank (248.6mi)
Safeway: $82.86/27.62gal (amount needed to travel equal distance at a mileage rate of 9mpg)
So I've been paying about $20 every time I try to save $4. Anyone need a financial advisor?
No comments:
Post a Comment