Instead of complaining about how the prices of gasoline are continuing to go up, we need to adapt to the situation and be more efficient with our fuel consumption. I would like to share with you some strategies that we started to do:
1. Keep a Fuel Mileage Log.
We now keep a log of the distance (in kms) from our house to any of the destinations we go to. Then we keep track of the car’s mileage in between fuel refills. We make sure that we go to the same gasoline station, the same gasoline pump and stick to the automatic stop. In this way, we are able to track the most efficient way to go to one place. For example, from De La Salle University in Malate to Serendra Fort Area, there are two ways to get there. One is via buendia and the other one via Villamor Gate 3. The latter route is 13.5kms versus the former route which is 9.5kms only.
2. Avoid Traffic!
To minimize fuel consumption, we need to apply constant gas pressure when driving. We have to avoid changing lanes or halting to an abrupt stop. One technique is to let the car roll to a stop just right before hitting the car in front of you. Another strategy is to wake up one hour earlier or to go home later at night to avoid traffic.
3. Use the most cost efficient fuel.
I need your help here. I wanted to know based on your experience, what is the most cost efficient fuel brand in Manila? Earl, one of OAP’s friends, asked me this question via email and I don’t know. Hopefully with the Fuel Economy Survey below, we can have an objective answer.
WHAT DO YOU THINK IS THE MOST COST EFFICIENT FUEL BRAND IN MANILA?
(Fuel Brand, Gasoline Octane Rating, Price as of July 19, Saturday)
Petron Unleaded 93 (P60.61)
Petron XCS 95 (P61.28)
Petron Blaze 96 (P62.01)
Caltex Gold with Techron 95 (P61.28
Caltex Silver with Techron 93 (P60.57)
Shell Super Unleaded 93 (P60.57)
Shell Super Premium 93 (P61.06)
Shell V-Power 95 (P62.35)
Shell Diesoline Ultra (P58.98)
Petron Diesel Max (P59.03)
Caltex Power Diesel (P59.03)
hi anton, another tip is to avoid car idling. based on my research, if you are going to be idle for more than 30 seconds (except when on the road), its better to just park and turn off your car engine.
for petron users make sure you have your sm advantage card to earn points on your gas expenses 🙂
I’m not sure if it’s the most fuel efficient, but since one of your reasons for wanting to save gas is to save money, then why not use E10? It’s cheaper than other fuels, plus it’s better for the environment. We in my family are even seriously considering shifting to LPG — super-cheap, and it burns cleaner, too. There are many other ways to cut down on fuel consumption, such as car pooling, not taking the car for short distances, and driving fuel-efficient vehicles (therefore, no SUVs). As worried as I am about the rising fuel costs, I’m hoping that the high price of gas will force people to cut down on their gas consumption, thereby benefitting our air quality and the planet.
you have to know which gas/diesel fits your car. I was adviced to use Petron diesel as this has clean smoke but i prefer Caltex as i find driving my car easier compared when i’m using Petron diesel. BTW, Im using Crosswind.
hi my wife is a fan of your blog site and we were reading this gas topic of yours. there is no real “cost efficient fuel brand” whether its gasoline or diesel. it all depends on how you drive and on what kind of car. another thing that most people dont pay attention to is the octane rating that is required by your engine which can be found in the manual. you can use all ratings (93,95,97) with your car but it will be more efficient to use the right octane bec the engine will work in its efficient range. personally I use E10 it is the cheapest kind of gas with octane rating of 93 but as it has 10% ethanol it can add a rating of 3 so in actually has a range of 93-96 octane. it burns easier and adds power efficiently bec it is more combustible. i hope this helps. but you should always keep your car well maintained, check your tires to have correct pressure and remove unnecessary things inside your car bec weight could increase consumption
@ Martin — Nice advice!
I did a personal fuel economy run on my way to subic. Basically i filled my tank at the Petron on NLEX just after balintawak and filled it up again at Petron Subic freezone. I got 21.4 kms / liter using Petron XCS and driving a 1.5 liter Vios. I kept my speed between 85 and 95kph and took advantage of downhill portions of the highway to take my foot off the pedal.
I personally use E10 by Petron. I talked to one of the executive officers of Petron and she said that it was the cheapest brand in the market and the octane rating is quite high, >95%. The octane rating of the E10 is even higher than XCS. Plus if you use your Petron-BPI card, you automatically get a 3% rebate. And every PHP500 you spend on fuel or any Petron merchandise, you get free halo halo from Chowking, and every 1k you get spareribs. Plus for every collective spend of PHP2000 you get a free car wash from Petron and every PHP4000 you get free change oil and tune up.
Every make or model I think have different fuel types to best maximizes engine performance. I’ve experienced using E10 for the past months & I’m not satisfied with it, so I decided to switch back to regular unleaded fuel. Obviously it’s quite cheap, but doing some analysis, (personal opinion only ), engine performance decreased significantly, which will cause you to push hard on your gas pedal or apply pressure on your acceleration, result – high fuel consumption. And also I’ve noticed Ethanol burns faster than ordinary fuel; I think this is because of its chemical components thus evaporates more rapidly. Choosing among Big three. I prefer using Shell products…
Some tips I’ve learned while finding ways to save gas:
1. There is no magical “gasoline” — each engine & each person’s driving habits affect how your gasoline burns. So the trick is to try each and every brand. Run your car to almost empty, fill up on one type of fuel and MEASURE. I found that XCS works best for me, but Caltex Silver works best for one of my other friends. Try, try, try… and measure. A good place to start would be your car manual (check the minimum octane rating you need)
2. Get a credit card! For two reasons: 1. 3%-5% rebate depending on brand. 2. So that you are able to track your monthly gasoline expenses more easily (of course you could list your cash expenses too)
3. Steady lang… try to keep your RPMs to a minimum.
4. Don’t use aircon WISELY — Some of us prefer to go windows down to save on gasoline. It works, if you’re stuck in traffic. But if you’re doing 80+ on the highway, the drag on the open windows will cause your engine to work HARDER. Windows up on the highways 😉
1. Use only one fuel brand.
2. Better use fuel from Petron, Shell, Caltex or Total since they have a better technology in refining their fuel products. Some people opt to buy fuel from unbranded gasoline stations because it’s cheaper, but what you don’t know is the quality of fuel you are buying from them. Poor quality of fuel leaves residues in your engine. If you noticed the commercial of Petron XCS and Caltex with Techron, they are promoting the complete combustion system (meaning – maganda yung sunog ng gasolina at nalilinis yung makina ng sasakyan)
3. If you have a credit card, better get Petron BPI, Shell Citibank or Caltex Card from HSBC. Since they offer discounts on fuel and services. For us, we opt to get Petron BPI because of the benefits that they do offer.
a. 3% rebate (no limit, unlike shell and caltex; plus you can utilize it for business if you have a fleet)
b. free chowking halo-halo for minimum of Php 500 or sweet and sour toppings with drinks/sparerib rice with drinks/ beef chaofan with drinks for a minimum of Php 1000
c. 24hr price protection – in case of price increase, you have 24hrs, from the time of increase, to bring your car to Petron stations and get your fuel at old price.
d. free towing services
e. discount on services at Petron Stations.
f. now they have a promo for accumulative spending of php 2000 – free car wash; Php 4000 – free change oil; Php 6000 – 50% disc on alignment.
4. Overall we trust Petron. Not only it’s locally refined (let’s buy Filipino) but also a chemist friend who worked for both Shell and Petron told us that Petron’s fuel products are far more superior than other brands. Ü
I have made several posts regarding gas but bottomline is fuel consumption depends on the car that one drives. It doesn’t mean that if V-power is best for my car that it would also be best for others. So, check the octane rating of your car first and go from there. I hope this helps..
http://31thirtyone.blogspot.com/2008/01/tips-on-gasoline-usage.html
http://31thirtyone.blogspot.com/2008/03/v-power.html
http://31thirtyone.blogspot.com/2008/04/oil-prices-then-and-now.html
Do you have any thoughts on the E10? When Shell initially introduced it its price is P2.00 less than the regular unleaded. However, I found that as the weeks went on a number of gas stations no longer carry it or it’s out-of-stock daw (which is suspicious). What I like about the E10 is that it can be considered to be more environmentally considerate, but of course the price is also another important factor.
By the way, I have started checking out your blog. I am friends with Michelle Morelos, Chin Cabrido, and some of the guys in your Tuguegarao-Palaui trip 🙂 I have also linked you to my blogs.
thanks for confirming my thoughts on villamor gate 3 being the longer route… i tried to take note of the distance with the meter in my car… i really had doubts that villamor was the best route coz it really seemed farther than passing by buendia or ayala… although there are minimal traffic lights passing through villamor than going in makati proper… thanks anton neighbor! 🙂 goodbye villamor!
thanks for confirming my thoughts on villamor gate 3 being the longer route… i tried to take note of the distance with the meter in my car… i really had doubts that villamor was the best route coz it really seemed farther than passing by buendia or ayala… although there are minimal traffic lights passing through villamor than going in makati proper… thanks anton neighbor! 🙂 goodbye villamor!
To Wends, I have converted my Nissan Vanette 1996 to LPG. So now, I can use both LPG and gas with just a flick of a switch. When I run out of LPG or if I need more power, I switch to gas. LPG on carburated engines have lesser power, but it’s the cheapest LPG kit. LPG kits for newer non-carburated engines are more expensive but almost have no power loss. Whenever I use gas, I always use Shell E10. But I would probably use Petron E10 soon once they sell it near us, because it has additives.