O/T Gas Prices

[Mark Lovelace]

Some guy at work recently bought one of those 420+ horse powered Dodge trucks, it’s the one you can hear idling from one block away

 

Does he have that stupid and annoying habit, which seems to be peculiar to owners of big pickups, of letting the beast sit and idle non-stop while he goes into the mini-mart, or listens to the radio in the parking lot, or is otherwise parked? I can't figure out why it's the owners of the biggest gas guzzlers that leave them idling all day.

[ScottyB]

FYI,

Leaving a diesel idle is better for the engine that a restart.

Being in WI, I wonder how the hydrogen or electric car would ever hold up in the wide varience of temps...-30F to 110F.

 

near $2.20 for reg. now.

 

This SUCKS. Come on G.W. you can lower the price AND win the election any day now.

[Dan_AKA_ROY]

Peter,

 

your making too much sense!!!

 

Don't worry, gas prices will settle back down to $1.75 like they did to $1.50 last year. Next year they'll go way up but don't worry, things will "settle down" to $2.00 a gallon.

 

and the beat will go on.

[P_Scott]

Roy,

 

quote:

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Peter,

 

your making too much sense!!!

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LOL I thought I was just sounding crazy. I mean, what would make the Big Dogs want to stop processing oil? Process something more abundant and less costly to collect. They have to drill deeper and spend more of their profits finding more sources of crude oil. Why not just use the rigs already on the ocean to collect sea water and filter it for use as an alternative fuel? Many of their refineries could be dismantled or converted into filtering plants and unsightly land oil rigs could be torn down in favor of windmills and solar panels. Hell, they might even be able to branch out into the power utilities market. I guess you're right though. These ideas make too much sense.

[MACHINEMASTERG]

gas prices here in south jersey today are

 

regular 1.96

middle one 2.05

high test 2.15

[mold100]

quote:

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gas prices here in south jersey today are

 

regular 1.96

middle one 2.05

high test 2.15

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1.91 / 2.01 / 2.11

[P_Scott]

Mark,

 

quote:

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Statistically, you are far more likely to be involved in an accident (especially single vehicle accidents like rollovers) in an SUV than in a passenger car.

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I have a midsize SUV (Chevy S-10 Blazer, 4 door). I feel a hell of a lot safer in that than in my wife's car (Plymouth Sundance Duster, 4 door). The Blazer's doors alone are at least twice as thick as hers and the Blazer has a steel frame, as opposed to my wife's uni-body construction. Now my wife's car is no slouch, it generally is more maneuverable and can take tighter turns to avoid accidents. Her car's brakes aren't anti-locking, like mine. I also wouldn't ever want to be in the backseat if an 18 wheeler should lose control behind me. What's the cost for gas? Well it's around 18-20 mpg on the highway, slightly less in the city. Not bad on average and when you consider I can also see over the tops of any cars smaller to see what's happening ahead and prepare for it, as opposed to just looking at the rear trunk lid of the car in front of me when driving her car. I must admit that I'm more comfortable, and survival confident in mine. It's also 4-wheel drive so traveling in the snow isn't as much of a problem with my car than hers, which is so lightweight and low to the ground that anyone would have trouble driving it in adverse conditions. New England has about the most adverse driving conditions as anywhere else in the USA. If ever in an accident, whether my fault or not, I'd much rather be in my car than hers, and hers isn't even as small as the Prius or that tin can Honda is selling as a hybrid. JMHO

[JAMMAN]

1.78 this afternoon in Columbus. Time to fill up the Crown Vic!

 

We have a Chevy Corsica also, it gets the same mileage as the Crown Vic.

[Phil Orenstein]

Just paid 2.33/gal premium yesterday to fill my new 2004 30MPG Corolla!!!

 

For your interest, I'll share my little knowlege of fuel cells to answer some issues that James & Peter brought up (I'm working & teaching at a college for now, that does fuel cell research and trying to milk some of that big research cash cow). Hydrogen can be generated from water (& other substances) and when converted in the cells produces only water, heat and energy as by-products. The overall environmental balance of excessive water vapor is thus maintaned. The hydrogen is stored in a metal hydride form under pressure, so a small canister of Hydrogen hydride can fill a whole room full of the gas upon release. When the pressure is released it is converted to gas as it enters the fuel cell. Becuase of the combustibility and high pressure issues, many safetly checks have to be designed into the system where the hydrogen wouldn't be released into the atmosphere upon collisions etc. (One of these safety features is not allowing our wives to drive ) Hydrogen production centers can be locallized and domesticated as can fuel cells, thus virtually taking the whole energy sector off the centralized power grid. This is a new area of research which will only gain momentum as gas prices rise and it has potential for many cottage inustries to develop in the process. For instance, we machine the fuel cells from aluminum and graphite. If big oil & big energy buck the trends then to hell with them. They will become extinct just like Barney and our favorite dinosaurs.

 

Phil

[Jack Mitchell]

I asked the guy with the truck today - how many litres does your truck hold?

His response is 150 or 200 - he couldn't recall.

 

Seems that yesterday that he tried to fill the beast and pulled off at $155.00 and it still wasn't full.

 

Regards, Jack

[Guest CNC Apps Guy 1]

$2.35/$2.45/$2.55 as of today

 

Makes me want to go postal.

[jrykrl]

Holy Sh!t Jack! $155.00

I'm not complaining any more

Jer

[Marty A]

i just paid 18.9 for regular today.

wait this is still 1968 right?

 

marty

[biss03]

quote:

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$2.35/$2.45/$2.55 as of today

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heck, i thought you cali boys would be paying closer to $3.00 since i'm paying $2.16-$2.20 for regular unleaded here in michigan!