Crude Oil... now isn't this getting just a little crazy?

[gb387]

Here is the latest crude oil prices.

[rusty bumper]

It doesn't look good.

I hope we come up with an energy plan soon.

[g15389]

Found the data for this on automotiveaddicts.com. I just put it into a graph that shows the average MPG for different auto makers (assumes average between high and low epa estimates and then averages across the fleet per the website). I am sure that gas prices are starting to hit at least a few makers (Excluding the exotics )

G-

[gb387]

g15389... that is an interesting chart. thanks for posting it.

[showtime]

This is why I'm buying a 4 banger soon.......

[Totoland Mach]

Those are excellent graphs! I've been doing a little experiment for the past 5 months: On highway driving, I reduced my speed by 10 mph...and averaged a 12% - 18% fuel savings over the course of the travel. In-town driving would be tough to compute, so I left that alone.

I wrote to some "elected" officials with my fuel savings figures as an encouragement for voluntary savings...not a single response! Their current solution: extend daylight savings time to save 100/k barrels of oil (maybe).

If people would adopt this practice on a voluntary basis (please, no gov't regulation...I lived thru the dreaded 55mph and it wasn't fun), we'd save a heckuva lot more than 100/k barrels a day.

The trick is to take the weekly savings and put it in a savings place (piggy bank, beer can, etc). It quickly adds up (great method for getting a few extra Meg's products too LOL)

I get some pretty nasty stares from folks sometimes by going 60 instead of 70 (and I'm certainly not a left lane bandit). They seem to be the first ones that b*&^h about $3.00 gal fuel and don't want to alter their driving style to offset that cost a little.

Ok...back to the fun Meg's topics!

Totoland Mach

[rusty bumper]

We drove to Memphis along I-40 one time (600 mile trip), and I noticed that my gas mileage fell off if I drove above 70 mph.

[JeffM]

I rented a Caddy, whats the name of the big one they make?, anyways, it averaged 20 mpg in town, and 30 on the h.w. @ 65 mph.

Next day it was hot, so i had on the AC, in town was 17 and h.w. was 26 @ 65 mph.

That was pretty good for a large vehicle. I dont know what kind of motor those caddy's have in em', but it takes off like nothing i have driven in a long time.

BTW, my f-150 with the same size motor get about 14 around town and maybe 20-ish on the h.w.

Cryin shame.

We are getting almost the same mpg we did 20 years ago, but the vehicles cost 25k more.

Where is the technology?

Airbags and 100k mile tune ups?

Please....let me tune my car up myself at 40k, but give me the 40 mpg we should be getting by now for a large V-8.

Its easy to see how the oil companies are making decisions in the white house, making/allowing vehicle manufacturers producing gas guzzlers.

Then there is my own theroy.

Here it is.

For hydrogen fuel to become mainstream, it is going to go through a very expensive growing pain to get it to the gas pump, to make it, to re-engeneer vehicles for it-whatever, it will cost big bucks.

So, the morons in the white shirts get together, and most likely have targeted a number that gas needs to get to so the change over will be making enough profits so no one looses any money.

So, when it costs 75 bucks to fill up a Saturn, the new fuel source(hydrogen) will be in a position for "US" to finance it.

While we are talking gas, i need to also vent about Self Serve pumps.

Remember back when they were introduced, it was so consumers could save a nickle or dime per gallon, to pump it themselves.

Well, what happened to that?

I dont think anything is NOT planned. This is a caculated and controlled gas price increase, so somehting else can come in behind it, slip in, make people think it is the savior of high gas prices, but all along it was just the shafting of all citizens of the free world, even California too i suppose.

[Blr123]

Originally posted by showtime
This is why I'm buying a 4 banger soon.......

Hello,

The question is WHY............I hope it's not the price of petrol (gas).........here in the UK we pay over $8/gallon.............see how good you have it eh

Bryan

[showtime]

The government is 100% to blame.....not for the price of gas, but for the fuel economy. They have all these emissions regulations but do nothing for fuel economy. What you wind up with are trucks/suvs that get 15mpg but are clean. Car companies can't afford to do R&D on fuel economy when they're forced to spend money elsewhere. I think there is some type of fuel economy standard but it's no where near high enough to be a factor.

[jfelbab]

Hopping on soapbox...

The US produces 2% of the world's oil and consumes 25%. We love our fast cars and big SUV's and are delighted to have more horsepower. (I know I do.) Good mileage is not as important as 0-60 times for most Americans. The high fuel prices are not just hurting you and me but think about the impact on truckers and airlines. Think about the heating costs this winter. Think about the costs our children will face.

I believe it's time we learn how to tap some of the oil in our own country without harming the environment; time for us to use our innovation to come up with alternatives to fossil fuel; time for us to lose some of our love for performance and large vehicles; time for us all to learn conservation.

Even if we do all that, fuel prices will still reach higher year after year. We are facing more market competition for oil in the future. We need to think about the future now, IMO.

...climbing off of soapbox.

[gb387]

Originally posted by jfelbab
Hopping on soapbox...

The US produces 2% of the world's oil and consumes 25%. We love our fast cars and big SUV's and are delighted to have more horsepower. (I know I do.) Good mileage is not as important as 0-60 times for most Americans. The high fuel prices are not just hurting you and me but think about the impact on truckers and airlines. Think about the heating costs this winter. Think about the costs our children will face.

I believe it's time we learn how to tap some of the oil in our own country without harming the environment; time for us to use our innovation to come up with alternatives to fossil fuel; time for us to lose some of our love for performance and large vehicles; time for us all to learn conservation.

Even if we do all that, fuel prices will still reach higher year after year. We are facing more market competition for oil in the future. We need to think about the future now, IMO.

...climbing off of soapbox.

The middle part of this is right on point, but I am not going to give up my Lightning yet!

[SpoiledMan]

Take a look at that chart and then check my signature. Enough said??

[rusty bumper]

Originally posted by jfelbab
The US produces 2% of the world's oil and consumes 25%.

I agree that we need to to a better job in conservation, but it does take a lot of energy to run the largest economy in the world.

[lmnvnm]

I live 60 miles southeast of Oklahoma City, and oil companies are investing in drilling new oil and gas wells in OK, AR, TX, LA and KS. It takes a lot of time and, and money to explore and produce oil and gas. While these prices are high, it does give the companies that have not been able to explore and produce extra capital to do just that. Since there was a bust in the 1980's there is not enough oil rigs and equipment to keep up with the demand. And the higher prices have caused a sharp price increase in service companies that work in the oilfield. The problem is we could not afford to explore and produce when the oil was $8 and 12/ barrel
and gasoline was $1.25.

I have been told by a few iolmen that the prices need to come down to keep the government from regulating although the US does not control the price of oil.

We have a towing business and tow for the oil service companies. They are working 24/7 to get the work done.

lmnvnm