# There is a gas panic in San Antonio **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 31, 2017, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-is-a-gas-panic-in-san-antonio/795197 "2017-08-31T20:27:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Fotheringay-Phipps](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/d9b06d/32.png) [@Fotheringay-Phipps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fotheringay-Phipps)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2017, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-is-a-gas-panic-in-san-antonio/795197/21 "2017-09-01T14:37:39Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > Just finished filling both cars. I squeezed in every drop I could. I believe car experts recommend not doing this. Somehow it messes up the fuel or emission systems or whatever, and could cause you to get a check engine light. See e.g. [Why Can’t I Top Off My Tank? | YourMechanic Advice](https://www.yourmechanic.com/article/why-can-t-i-top-off-my-tank) ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2017, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-is-a-gas-panic-in-san-antonio/795197/22 "2017-09-01T19:45:50Z")
Heard at the office, uttered by someone who should know better: “There is not a shortage of gas, the city is just experiencing a supply problem!” … AKA, a shortage of gas. ---
**Author:** ![Fotheringay-Phipps](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/d9b06d/32.png) [@Fotheringay-Phipps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fotheringay-Phipps)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2017, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-is-a-gas-panic-in-san-antonio/795197/23 "2017-09-01T21:07:08Z")
I assume the guy was trying to distinguish between a situation where not enough gas is being produced and a situation where there’s just a difficulty transporting it to the area. Whether that’s a significant distinction would depend on the context. ---
**Author:** ![asahi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asahi/32/8693_2.png) [@asahi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asahi)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2017, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-is-a-gas-panic-in-san-antonio/795197/24 "2017-09-01T21:23:12Z")
My guesses for the price hikes: 1. Major hurricane just slammed into the nation’s energy corridor 2. It’s Labor Day weekend. 3. Another hurricane (Irma) is brewing in the Atlantic, and this one looks just as nasty as Harvey. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2017, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-is-a-gas-panic-in-san-antonio/795197/25 "2017-09-01T21:41:30Z")
> [@Fotheringay-Phipps](#): > > I assume the guy was trying to distinguish between a situation where not enough gas is being produced and a situation where there’s just a difficulty transporting it to the area. > > Whether that’s a significant distinction would depend on the context. Cause (supply problem) leading to effect (shortage). The reason for the supply problem is important, true, but that doesn’t mean there still isn’t a physical shortage of gas. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2017, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-is-a-gas-panic-in-san-antonio/795197/26 "2017-09-02T01:00:46Z")
> [@asahi](#): > > My guesses for the price hikes: > > 1. Major hurricane just slammed into the nation’s energy corridor > > 2. It’s Labor Day weekend. > > 3. Another hurricane (Irma) is brewing in the Atlantic, and this one looks just as nasty as Harvey. 1. Because they can. ---
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2017, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-is-a-gas-panic-in-san-antonio/795197/27 "2017-09-02T02:46:21Z")
Solution: You can only buy gas on odd or even days depending on your license plate number (this is apparently what they did in the energy crisis in the 1970s). ---
**Author:** ![pool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pool/32/4152_2.png) [@pool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pool)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2017, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-is-a-gas-panic-in-san-antonio/795197/28 "2017-09-02T02:59:38Z")
I’m in Georgia and the people in my town of course are already freaking out and I went to fill up tonight and the first two gas stations I went to were empty. :smack: I went to a BP station and filled up but it was over $3 a gallon because my car takes premium. ---
**Author:** ![Ruken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f475e1/32.png) [@Ruken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruken)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2017, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-is-a-gas-panic-in-san-antonio/795197/29 "2017-09-02T03:16:14Z")
They should just charge Europe-style prices. ---
**Author:** ![mack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b19c9b/32.png) [@mack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mack)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2017, 3:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-is-a-gas-panic-in-san-antonio/795197/30 "2017-09-02T03:49:33Z")
> [@PastTense](#): > > Solution: You can only buy gas on odd or even days depending on your license plate number (this is apparently what they did in the energy crisis in the 1970s). That’s what they ended up doing after Sandy in the NY/NJ area. It was pretty crazy before they started it. ---
**Author:** ![pullin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c57346/32.png) [@pullin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pullin)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2017, 10:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-is-a-gas-panic-in-san-antonio/795197/31 "2017-09-02T10:42:32Z")
West side of DFW here: I haven’t seen a station with gas in two days. All the ones on my commute yesterday evening were out. As is typical, I wasn’t even aware of the panic and was bewildered Thurs when pulling into a local QuikTrip for my normal refuel. As Og is my witness, I thought there was some sort of sale; I couldn’t fathom why so many people were lined up. I decided I’d go further outside the loop to an independent who has higher prices, rather than fight the crowd. While I was fueling there, one of my kids texted about the panic and I finally clued in. I was planning a cross-country trip this week with the RV, but decided to delay due to the supply problems. It doesn’t matter whether they’re consumer-driven or actual, I don’t want to be halfway across the US in an 8 mpg vehicle searching for gas. Mizpullin and I are sort of prepper-ish and have ~100 gallons of unleaded stored\* for reserves/emergencies, so a prolonged interruption isn’t a problem for us. But it won’t do me much good 500 miles away. \*FYI: long-term, done this for years – didn’t rush out and panic-buy it this week. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2017, 11:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-is-a-gas-panic-in-san-antonio/795197/32 "2017-09-02T11:17:44Z")
How do you store a 100 gallons and not have it go bad? I had a portable generator for a few years and keeping fresh gas drove me crazy. I had the carb foul twice and needed servicing. I had to run it for six days and refilling the tank every 5 hours got old in a hurry. My cans were empty by day 3 and I had to risk driving on bad roads to a gas station. I finally got frustrated enough to buy a whole house natural gas generator. Sold the portable. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2017, 12:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-is-a-gas-panic-in-san-antonio/795197/33 "2017-09-02T12:38:44Z")
> [@Ruken](#): > > They should just charge Europe-style prices. But nobody _has_ Euros. ---
**Author:** ![Tatterdemalion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/43a26b/32.png) [@Tatterdemalion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tatterdemalion)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2017, 12:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-is-a-gas-panic-in-san-antonio/795197/34 "2017-09-02T12:46:18Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > But nobody _has_ Euros. You see the genius of it! ---
**Author:** ![Half\_Man\_Half\_Wit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/half_man_half_wit/32/21766_2.png) [@Half\_Man\_Half\_Wit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Half_Man_Half_Wit)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2017, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-is-a-gas-panic-in-san-antonio/795197/35 "2017-09-02T13:09:42Z")
FWIW, prices here in Germany are currently hovering at ~$6/gallon, if I’ve got my units right (gallon is ~3.8l, yes?). I know it’s not directly comparable, but really, you could have it worse. ---
**Author:** ![diggerwam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/919ad9/32.png) [@diggerwam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/diggerwam)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2017, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-is-a-gas-panic-in-san-antonio/795197/36 "2017-09-02T13:44:02Z")
up 30 cents in northern illinois since the hurricane hit. ---
**Author:** ![Asuka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@Asuka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asuka)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2017, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-is-a-gas-panic-in-san-antonio/795197/37 "2017-09-02T14:02:40Z")
> [@Ponch8](#): > > How long until we start reading news articles about how people can no longer afford to fill up their tank-sized SUVs? Of course, each article will use the phrase “pain at the pump.” I remember during the couple of years of obscenely high gas prices in the mid-00’s I kept seeing commercials with the phase “High gas prices, love them, hate them?” I’m very curious what normal person would watch that commercial and love high gas prices (besides oil executives of course) ---
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2017, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-is-a-gas-panic-in-san-antonio/795197/38 "2017-09-02T14:23:04Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > How do you store a 100 gallons and not have it go bad? Sta-bil or similar products: > **[Gold Eagle](https://www.goldeagle.com/product/?fwp_brands=sta-bil)** > > Gold Eagle ---
**Author:** ![Ruken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f475e1/32.png) [@Ruken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruken)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2017, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-is-a-gas-panic-in-san-antonio/795197/39 "2017-09-02T15:25:43Z")
Huh good to know for lawn and farm equipment. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2017, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-is-a-gas-panic-in-san-antonio/795197/40 "2017-09-02T15:54:54Z")
I used sta-bil. I still had to empty my cans into my van and get fresh gas every few months. ethanol mixes are the worst. I found a station selling straight unleaded and it stored better. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-is-a-gas-panic-in-san-antonio/795197.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-is-a-gas-panic-in-san-antonio/795197.md?page=3)