‘This Is My Second Time Doing It:’ Woman Says Filling Your Gas Tank Slower is ‘Cheaper.’ Is It?

A woman heard that filling your gas tank up more slowly will make it cheaper. Is science behind her theory or is it merely a placebo effect?

TikTok user @hotpocketszn posted a video detailing her “gas hack” on July 24. “To whoever said pump your gas slow in order to fill your tank more,” she says to start the video. “This is my second time doing it. So I don’t know if this is a placebo or not, because it seemed to have worked the first time.”

How would this work? “Apparently, when you pump it slower, there are less air bubbles, so you actually get more gas in your tank,” she says. “The science sounds like it adds up. We’re only going to put like $20 in the tank, so we’ll see.”

Her video has 736,000 views as of this writing.

Does Filling Your Gas Tank Up Slowly Make Gas ‘Cheaper’?

The TikToker ends up putting 6.7 gallons in her tank for a grand total of $20.01. “Hopefully we’re really tricking the system,” she says.

In the caption, @hotpocketszn writes, “I want to say it works, but I also could be a victim of the placebo effect.”

This is actually the subject of intense debate. Some people believe that pumping slowly does reduce gas vapors and allow you to fill your tank up more efficiently. Another school of thought is that the difference is negligible when using modern gas pumps. 

There are other ways to maximize your efficiency at the gas pump, including filling up in the cooler morning hours, avoiding just delivered gas, refraining from topping off, and tightening your gas cap. At least one Reddit user said the slow method works. “I do indeed get more gas when I pump slow,” they said.

Last year, Christina Swartz of Northern Illinois University STEAM explained on Northern Public Radio, “Gasoline vapor is at the heart of the argument for those that feel that dispensing speed affects the volume of actual fuel that reaches your gas tank.”

“It is believed that faster pumping speeds increase vapor volume, meaning you might pay for vapor that is recovered and never reaches the tank,” she continued. “A slower dispensing rate allows more fuel to remain in liquid form, ensuring it enters your car as fuel, ultimately increasing volume.”

Viewers Debate to the Gas Hack

In the comments, viewers debated whether there is science to back up the gas hack theory and shared what they do to increase efficiency when pumping gas.

“I prefer to pump gas in the night. I notice a big difference when I don’t pump when it’s hot,” wrote one person.

“As someone who used to work at a gas station, you should pump slow and get gas at cooler temperatures like early morning or late evening,” wrote a second person. “And never get gas when you see a fuel tank at the gas station.”

However, it doesn’t appear to work for everyone. “I did it twice,” said a third person. “Same pump, same car, same amount, and no it did not work.”

Motor1 contacted @hotpocketszn via TikTok comment and direct message for comment. We’ll update this if she responds.

Source: ‘This Is My Second Time Doing It:’ Woman Says Filling Your Gas Tank Slower is ‘Cheaper.’ Is It?