Jul

Some Americans will drive trucks, no matter cost

Posted by Csavage Published in Gas prices

By Andrea Hopkins

LAWRENCEBURG, Indiana (Reuters) - Seven women pile out of a massive white Chevrolet Suburban and unload the vacuums, mops and buckets of their trade. Gasoline may cost $4 a gallon, but the Chevy’s driver and business owner Leesa Baldwin has no intention of downsizing to a smaller vehicle.

“I love my Suburban. I don’t like paying for the gas, but it simplifies my life,” said Baldwin, who bought the used 7,000-pound SUV two years ago for her cleaning business and hasn’t looked back.

As many Americans abandon SUVs and light trucks for more fuel-efficient vehicles, analysts and automakers alike are scrambling to gauge how low ownership will go — and just who will remain die-hard drivers of SUVs, pickups and minivans.

Thieves Drilling for Gas in Your Driveway? Drill & Drain Vandals

Posted by Csavage Published in Gas prices, The Unusual

Auto repair shops are reporting a spike in gas tank replacements due to punctured or drilled tanks. In the old days all you needed to discourage a thief from stealing your gas was a locking gas cap. Metal gas tanks can be drilled, but newer cars and trucks that have plastic or composite fuel tanks are an easier mark. SUV’s and pick up trucks are high enough off the pavement for any low life to crawl under with a cordless drill and a gas can. There has recently been a spike in fuel tank replacements at auto repair shops across the nation for this very reason. Sam at a local Tampa car dealership stated “Thieves are trading in their siphoning hoses for cordless drills”. After talking to one unlucky 2002 Chevy Avalanche owner that had their gas tank drilled and gas stolen, I learned that there is a national back-order on the plastic fuel tank that fits their truck. The same part number fits many other GM trucks and SUV’s as well. Insurance companies could be feeling the crunch for these repairs, but if the deductible is around $500 it may not be worth making a claim. You may be asking ”how to prevent fuel tanks from being drilled and gas stolen”.

There are several common sense things anyone can do to reduce the chance of having their fuel tank drilled and their liquid gold pirated. Park in well lit areas, clean out the garage and park inside when possible, park near store entrances where more people are present. And finally buy a bumper sticker that says ”Gas Tank Near Empty” and hope that any would be gas thieves in your vicinity can read. Kidding aside, if you have had your gas stolen by a drill and drain vandal or can offer preventive measures we would love to hear your comments.

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29

May

How to save gas - 5 green driving tips

Posted by Csavage Published in Gas prices

There are plenty of things you can do to save gas while driving. Check your tire pressure. Remove antennae balls. Drive slower. But, in the real world, we’ve all got limited attention spans. Changing habits is hard work, and few people are prepared to make drastic changes to every stage of their drive.

So, what really matters? Is it more important to use cruise control or take the flag down from the gun rack? Luckily, Consumer Reports has tackled the issue. Their real-world study has some hard numbers and surrprising conclusions.

After reading the list, I realized that no one had prioritized our options. So, here are the 5 biggest changes you can make to save gas, with estimates of fuel saving potential:

1. Get your lead foot off the gas pedal (save 5-10 MPG)

If you’re going over 55 miles per hour, slowing down increases fuel efficiency. On their test car (a Toyota Camry) Consumer Reports found that slowing down from 75 MPH to 65 MPH resulted in a 5 mile per gallon performance increase. Slowing down from 75 MPH to 55 MPH saved 10 miles per gallon!

2. Eliminate drag (save 6 MPG)

Engineers hate drag. Every piece of a car that sticks out (from the rear view mirrors to the radio antennae) reduces fuel efficiency and acceleration. The one thing engineers hate worse than drag is customers who modify the cars that they worked so hard on by . That’s what happens whenever we attach a car-top carrier, clip a bike onto the spare wheel, or even tie a ribbon onto the antennae. All of these attachments hurt fuel efficiency more than most people realize. So now’s a good time to streamline your car - those truck balls aren’t fooling anybody, anyway.

3. Combine errands and keep your engine warm (save 4 MPG)

Combining errands saves gas in two ways - not only does it prevent driving over the same route again and again, but combining errands keeps your engine from cooling down. A warm engine is at the right temperature for optimally burning fuel. Parking in the sunlight can help to a limited extent, especially if “cold” is your hometown’s default temperature.

4. Maintain a steady pace (save 2-3 MPG)

Accelerating and decelerating constantly can take a real toll on your gas mileage. Going a steady pace makes inertia work in your favor, boosting gas mileage and also preventing unnecessary wear and tear. One of the easiest ways to set your pace is to use the cruise control. Also, try to accelerate gradually up to speed when entering the highway, and coast down to speed when using an exit.

5. Keep tires properly inflated (save 1.3 MPG)

When tire pressure gets low, the tire starts to sag like a limp balloon. This means that more of the tire comes in contact with the road, which, in turn, increases friction. Tires that are underinflated by 10 PSI rob cars of about 1.3 miles per gallon. If you’re not sure what pressure is the right pressure, check the floor well inside of the drivers door. On most cars, the ideal pressure is printed either there, or in the owner’s manual.

If you tally up the gas savings from all these steps, they total 24 miles per gallon. That can be a bit misleading though - each of the fuel saving calculations was done in isolation. Following all of the advice probably wont take your car’s gas mileage from 20 to 44 miles per gallon, but there aren’t many cars that can get 20 miles per gallon while making glaring mistakes.

The scary truth is that gas prices are rising, and there’s not much we can do to affect the price at the gas station. Don’t worry though - our European neighbors are happy to tell us that fuel prices in America are still relatively cheap. The only realistic way that we can cut down on gas related costs is to change our driving habits and use less fuel. Remember when gas only cost less than $3 a gallon? You can get there again, even if the pump is charging $4. Boosting fuel efficiency from 20 mpg to 30 mpg can cut your fuel bill by a third! Start with the easy, effective steps and incorporate these 5 tips into your daily commute.