O K so I'll ask the learned brethren here at ATS a question that's been bothering me for a while.Why does it take me the same amount of time to pump $10.00 worth of gas as it did 20 years ago and yet I'm getting 1/4 of the gas?Think about it, when gas was $4 a gallon it took the same amount of time as it does at $2.5 and why in the world does it go so slow for the last $.50 its is infuriating!Is it to try to get us to use the credit cards?It sucks and I'm sick of it!.................any thoughts?

I've learned a few things from lurking on ATS the past couple years....

One.. Follow the money

Two.. Everything is about profit.

I would guess that the pumps they used 20 years ago were much weaker and slower than the modern day fuel pump? Who knows... anyone here work in a station?

At first I had no idea what you were talking about but now I know what you mean. Over here in the UK it costs about a pound a litre of deisel/petrol petrol (gas) being slightly cheaper, off the top of my head there is about 2.2 litres to the gallon so think yourselves lucky! we get well and truly ripped off to fill our tanks over here! But back on topic pumps work over here pump at the same rate though u can control it somewhat with the trigger, I defintley noticed at peak oil prices spending less time putting my usual £10 worth of fuel than before peak oil prices, also we have a counter which tells u how much fuel is being pumped for your cash. So no conspiracy there, however what is blatently obvious is that even when crude oil prices dropped dramatically at the start of the recession it took far to long for the services stations (even now) to cut there price respectively!

Also, the unleaded nozzles are smaller than the old leaded fuel nozzles.

Most tanks now have smaller filler tubes and route sometimes almost 90 degrees before entering the tank with maybe other turns.

Todays also work in a closed pressurized system, notice the relese of pressure when tapping your filler cap?

If the fuel flowed faster, it would auto-kill the pump from backpressure.

That's what I think.

as far as pumps, I notice when someone is filling from other side, and same grade, the flow slows dramatically.

I would assume the pump is shared and the valve is opened and closed from the electronic switch when choosing grade, or when lifting nozzle/

[edit on 13-7-2009 by imd12c4funn]

One of the reasons gas pumps are slower is that pump flow has been slowed down for untrained consumers.

The thinking is the general public can't handle the high flow rate pumps like experienced gas station personnel did.

A safety thing . . . in their eyes.

With all the gas station fires we have nowadays, it's obvious we need professionals back at the helm of the pumps.


Want to see a pump that really gets with the program?

Light aircraft refueling pumps really crank the fuel out.
Bigger lines, more pressure.

Makes sense when you realize some of the smaller planes hold as much as thirty gallons and light twins can hold in excess of 100 gallons.

Most likely, the pump is set to pump a specified price per second. So, when you pump $10 at $1.00 per gallon, it will take the same amount of time as pumping $10 at $2.50 a gallon.

One of the reasons for this is to give the customer a chance to view the advertising around the pumps. Around here, it's mostly tobacco products that are advertised at the pump, but when it gets hot, you will have ads for sodas and other drinks as well. The time it takes to pump the gas is a marketing tool.