Is there that much difference in fuel?

[icanfixall]

my 5 cents on this

I have noticed that the "sooner" I fill up my truck from when they last filled the station's tanks the worse my trucks performs.

My thoughts are that the act of filling the underground tanks disturb sediment that will be sucked into your fuel system

Thus, the more time the station's tanks have to settle the greater your performance?

This seems not possible because the station pumps are required to have filters and.. We have a nice fuel filter on our engines. I too do not like fueling up when I see a tanker adding any fuels to underground tanks. I'm not comfortable around a tanker when its refilling underground tanks. No telling what drunken fool may crash or walk up smoking to talk trucker with the drivers.

 

[Clb]

Or somebody's pumps aren't calibrated properly.

Yep
Have seem near 6 gallons go into a jerry can before!
Ever get shorted on change at the till?!
Dunno what one would cut #2 with to stretch it out but I would not be surprized at all if the station buys cheap process or diluted product?!

 

[madpogue]

A half-gallon of fuel spilled on the ground isn't going to account for a 15 vs. 11 MPG difference. As said, more tankfuls will really tell the difference, but if it's consistently THAT much higher at one station than the other, than either that previous station either gets some VERY bad fuel, or their meters are WAY off.

Def. worth filling a jerry can or three at each station, and comparing how much each measures. If the one station is really that far off, showing, say, 6-7 gallons going into a five-gallon jerry can, that's just plain fraud. Every state has a Department of Weights and Measures; many states delegate the actual inspections to local municipalities. Look for the W&M certification on the pumps; they should have contact info for the appropriate W&M authority. They'd very likely jump at the chance to bust a crooked seller. How you might get compensated for all these months, years, whatever is another question.

 

[chris142]

Ca is very strict with weights and measures along with providing good fuel.i cant imagine a pump being off because they check them monthly.

I also cant explain why i get better mpg down the street.hot diesel maybe?

 

[Number21]

You sure the one with the lower MPG doesn't have some percentage of biodiesel mixed in? It has less BTU per gallon. Here in Oregon 5% mix is mandatory, but it's not uncommon to find stations selling 20-30% bio mixes.

If somehow the fuel being dispensed from one station is a higher temperature than the other station, then you will get more fuel at the cold station even if both pumps are calibrated exactly the same. Does one have an in ground tank and the other an above ground tank?

 

[chris142]

Both underground tanks.i cant remember ever seeing an above ground tank. No mention of bio on the pump

 

[chris142]

Filled up a 5gallon can this morning. Pump seems to be accurate

 

[icanfixall]

I worked 5 years in a chemical refinery. We made some harsh **** too. We used oleum in one reaction. Google it and be happy you never worked with it. All of the product we sold was by the pound. That way you purchased the same amount no matter what the temp was. Sure glad we did not have to do all the math figuring out the temps and specific gravity when we filled rail cars or street tankers. Our station fuel pumps do not calculate temps. They just measure the gallons going thru the pumps.