Canadian vs American GAS -- Price and Milage?

[bdoyledimou]

I drive a big old Montana SV6. Last weekend i filled it up and it cost me $104. My trip computer noted that the tank would take me 656 kms to empty the tank, and when i reached my next fill up, I had indeed traveled about 620 kms.

I filled up at a gas station in Michigan. It cost me $60 to fill up, and the Trip computer calculated 999 kms. This has born out in that after driving 460 kms, (home from Michigan) the computer still shows me as having 560 kms, and rather than using half a tank of fuel for the trip, it was more like 35% of the tank.


Whats the deal?! Is the Canadian gas that full of additives that it isn't as "powerful" as American gas? (I get the price difference being mostly taxes).

It seems for half the price, i can go almost twice as far on US gas.. am i just confuzzled or have others seen this as well?

 

[damo]

Doesn't the computer estimate on your driving habits? So if you had been driving mainly highway, it would be different than if you were driving mainly in town - stop and go? Your highway mpg is dramatically different than your in-town mpg.

 

[GrtWtNorth]

Whats the deal?! Is the Canadian gas that full of additives that it isn't as "powerful" as American gas? (I get the price difference being mostly taxes). It seems for half the price, i can go almost twice as far on US gas.. am i just confuzzled or have others seen this as well?

Gasoline components in Canada and the US are virtually identical and would not have an impact on fuel economy.

As the previous poster mentioned, your vehicle will run much more efficiently on highway versus city driving conditions. (My fuel economy increases nearly 50%, from ~12 litres per 100 km in the city to ~8 litres per 100 km on the highway.)

 

[bdoyledimou]

I have driven long distances, on the hiway before... never ever saw a 999 across the board on the fuel consumption calculator... will pay more attention the next couple of weeks..

 

[squirrel]

I believe temperature also makes a difference. Our gas stations are calibrated at 15 degrees C. If you fill up and the temperature is a lot warmer than the 15, it seems like you don't get as much in your tank. I know in the winter I seem to be able to drive more on the tank of gas.

 

[GrtWtNorth]

I believe temperature also makes a difference. Our gas stations are calibrated at 15 degrees C. If you fill up and the temperature is a lot warmer than the 15, it seems like you don't get as much in your tank. I know in the winter I seem to be able to drive more on the tank of gas.

Does temperature make a difference in performance? Yes and no.

Standard volumes / energy content for petroleum products are 15 C / 60 F. The pumps are calibrated to this standard volume and will dispense the correct 'standard' volume despite fluctuations (within -50 to +50 C range) in the temperature of the air and gasoline.

However, our vehicles operate less efficiently at higher temperatures. Why?

• warm air is less dense than cold air (less oxygen for combustion, plus less air entering each engine cylinder to be compressed and ignited)
• in warm temperatures, high humidity (water vapour) in the air further reduces oxygen levels. Also, this humidity affects how air expands in your engine cylinders after it is ignited by your spark plugs. Normal air is 78-80% nitrogen and 20-21% oxygen. On a hot, humid day, there will be a lot more water vapour, displacing some of the nitrogen and oxygen. (Please don't ask me to dig out my HVAC water vapour charts. I might sprain my brain reviewing my old mechanical engineering undergrad notes.)
• engine cooling systems are less efficient because the temperature difference between the radiator fluid and the environment is less (most cars have electric radiator fans, and these operate only as required -- they run a lot in hot weather, and often not at all in cold weather)
• auxiliary systems like air conditioning require additional power (unlike in winter, when using your heater actually improves efficiency by making use of waste heat from the engine -- only extra energy cost is the minute amount of energy used by the heater fan)

 

[dancin Disney style]

Got gas yesterday for $2.45 per gallon in Virginia. I filled up for half of what I paid at home a few days ago.

 

[bdoyledimou]

i am hoping the cost of fuel keeps going down in the US will make the 2100km drive a lot more bearable

And thanks for the info.. but it still doesn't explain why i got a total of 1159 kms on one tank of Michigan gas vs 800 kms of highway driving on Canadian gas. (measured with the trip computer)

 

[NancyK]

i am hoping the cost of fuel keeps going down in the US will make the 2100km drive a lot more bearable

And thanks for the info.. but it still doesn't explain why i got a total of 1159 kms on one tank of Michigan gas vs 800 kms of highway driving on Canadian gas. (measured with the trip computer)

I remember years ago my FIL telling us that he went further on a tank of American gas (city driving). At the time, I thought he was making it up, but in recent years, we have noticed the exact same thing with our vehicles. We definitely go further with American gas. There is no logical explanation for it, but I'm glad to know that I'm not the only one who believes this.

 

[suzannecstarr]

I won't pretend to know anything about gasoline or chemical composition and breakdown. I am however full of anecdotal knowledge about all manner of things. I live in NY but about a half mile from ON. We spend lots of time in Ontario, especially Toronto and the Bruce Peninsula. The rule has always been fill up before you go. I have bought gas in Canada several times (as apparently I don't follow the rules) and it does not last as long. For whatever reason, although it may be the exact same thing, my car gets fewer mpg on Canadian gas.

I guess you have health care, we have gas. You guys can't win em' all.

 

[EastYorkDisneyFan]

It could also have to do with the differences in speed limits on road ways and highways in Canada. If you convert the Canadian speed limits which are in metric to imperial you will see there is a big difference in them for example according to this site http://www.metric-conversions.org/length/kilometers-to-miles.htm 100 KM converts to 62.1371 Miles. The speed limits on most US highways is usually 55 I think.

 

[NancyK]

You would get better gas mileage driving 55 mph but the speed limit in the States ranges from 55 to 70mph depending on the state (it's usually 55 in urban areas). My highway speed is very similar regardless of which country I'm driving in. It doesn't make any sense, but my vehicle prefers U.S. gasoline.

 

[seashoreCM]

unitedstatesofAmerican gas nowadays is likely to have 10% alcohol in it. This is described on a label on the gas pump. This is supposed to result in a little less gas mileage compared with the same kind of gas without the alcohol.

Even if you stop pumping gas when the nozzle clicks off for the first time, the degree of fullness of the tank can still vary from one fillup to the next.

Gas mileage measurements by the ordinary consumer require several consecutive tankfuls to achieve any degree of accuracy and still you only get an average of city and highway driving. There are gas flow meters that race car drivers use and that you can get if you really want mile by mile figures.

 

[Tiny Kay]

I live in Canada and I have been traveling in the US for the last two weeks. I drive a 2010 Ford Taurus when I fill up in Canada my system tells me I can drive 560 kms to empty, this is if I have been driving in town or on the highway.
Now I filled up just after entering the US and my system said I could drive 790 kms to empty, then the further I went and filled up more, my kms went to 860 kms to empty. I am putting the same amount of gas in the tank, my system does take into account what conditions I drive in, it just account for the amount of gas in the tank, am I getting more gas when I fill up in the US.

LOYALLY I SERVED​

IF YOU CAN'T STAND BEHIND YOUR TROOPS, PLEASE FEEL FREE TO STAND IN FRONT.​

 

[tgropp]

Got gas yesterday for $2.45 per gallon in Virginia. I filled up for half of what I paid at home a few days ago.

OMG !!!

That works out to $3.04 a Cdn gallon

Here we are paying $6.50 per Cdn gallon. I did not think that there was that much of a gap. Remember, they are getting the oil from Canada also.

 

[damo]

OMG !!!

That works out to $3.04 a Cdn gallon

Here we are paying $6.50 per Cdn gallon. I did not think that there was that much of a gap. Remember, they are getting the oil from Canada also.

That post was from 2010.

 

[tgropp]

That post was from 2010.

OOPS! I just looked at the last post. I thought that the price of gas was a little low. Thanks for pointing that out.

 

[jopay]

yeah, everything in the US is cheaper.