Planet Jupiter » Gas prices

Some Americans will drive trucks, no matter cost

Csavage — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 14:30:09 +0000

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

Csavage — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 18:27:05 +0000

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.

How to save gas – 5 green driving tips

Csavage — Thu, 29 May 2008 13:59:20 +0000

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.

What makes up the price of gas?

Csavage — Tue, 27 May 2008 13:42:14 +0000

John Porretto and John Wilen / Associated Press

Consider the game of chicken that plays out every day across Pennsylvania State Highway 441. In Marietta, where the road hugs the Susquehanna River, a Rutter’s Farm Store gas station stands on one side, a Sheetz gas station on the other.

Kelly Bosley, who manages Rutter’s, doesn’t even have to look across the highway to know when Sheetz changes its price for a gallon of gas. When Sheetz raises prices, her own pumps are busy. When Sheetz lowers prices, she has not a car in sight. She calls Rutter’s headquarters to report the competition’s new price and wait for instructions.

”I call a lot of times and say, ‘They went down, hurry up! Hurry up! Call me! Call me!’ Or it could be where theirs goes up, and I’ll say, ‘Take your time! You know, I like being busy.’ But I have no control over that.”

You think you feel helpless at the pump?

Bosley makes a living selling gas — and even she has little control over what it costs.

So how exactly are gas prices set? What determines the hair-pulling figure you see displayed in large electronic or plastic numbers? Why is a gallon of gas, say, $4.11 — not $4.10 or $4.12? Why is the price different across the street?

It all starts with oil.

Obama says fuel prices will change car habits

Csavage — Mon, 26 May 2008 14:48:50 +0000

CHICAGO (Reuters) – Barack Obama said on Saturday Americans would start changing the kinds of cars they drive if gasoline prices continue to climb and said he owned a hybrid vehicle, though he doesn’t drive it much.

Obama, an Illinois senator and the front-runner for his party’s presidential nomination, has made fighting climate change a key issue of his campaign, and as fuel prices soar, he has repeatedly called on car makers to increase fuel efficiency standards.

Without specifically telling Americans to stop buying gas-guzzling sport utility vehicles, the Illinois senator said higher fuel prices would lead to a shift.

“We’ve seen that this quarter. People are changing their behavior and we’ve seen a slump in the sales of SUVs and big trucks and a drastic spike in cars both medium size and small,” he told reporters on his campaign plane.

Obama put responsibility on car makers to make vehicles more fuel efficient.

“They’ve done a better job of investment than they have in the past. There’s still more work to do, and the federal government should help them do it,” he said.

Obama, who spends most of his time traveling around the country on a plane and in cars driven by his Secret Service agents, does have a car of his own that is environmentally friendly.

“These days I don’t drive much,” he said. “I bought a hybrid, but we keep it in the garage mostly.”

6 gas-saving myths

Csavage — Tue, 13 May 2008 21:43:57 +0000

With gasoline prices hitting record levels, it seems everyone has a tip on how to save fuel. Much of the advice is well-intentioned, but in the end, much of it won’t lower your gas bill.

Here’s a look at a few misconceptions:

#1. Fill your tank in the morning

You may have heard that it’s best to fill your gas tank in the early morning while the fuel is cold. The theory goes that fluids are more dense at lower temperatures, so a gallon of cold gas actually has more gas molecules than a gallon of warmer gas.

But the temperature of the gasoline as it comes out of the nozzle varies little during the course of the day, according to Consumer Reports, so there’s little, if any, benefit, to getting up early to pump gas.

#2. Change your air filter

Maintaining your car is important, but a clean air filter isn’t going to save you any gas. Modern engines have computer sensors that automatically adjust the fuel-air mixture as an increasingly clogged air filter chokes off the engine’s air supply.

While engine power will decrease slightly as the air filter becomes clogged, a lack of performance or an increase in fuel consumption will be negligible, Consumer Reports says.

#3. Use premium fuel

With prices already over $4.00 a gallon, premium gasoline is a hard sell these days. But a lot of drivers think because their owners’ manual recommends premium, they’ll get better fuel economy if they stick with it. Really, they’re paying more money for nothing.

Even cars for which premium is recommended won’t suffer with regular fuel. Modern engine technology comes to the rescue again. When sensors detect regular instead of premium fuel, the system automatically adjusts spark plug timing. The result is a slight reduction in peak horsepower – really, you’ll never notice – but no reduction in fuel economy.

#4. Pump up your tires

Proper tire inflation is important for a number of reasons. Under-inflated tires are bad for handling and can even cause a crash. Improper tire inflation also causes tires to wear out faster and to heat up more, which could trigger a dangerous high-speed blow-out.

According to on-the-road driving tests by both Consumer Reports and auto information site Edmunds.com, underinflated tires reduce fuel economy, so proper inflation is key.

But you should never over-inflate your tires. They’ll get you slightly better fuel economy because there will be less tread touching the road, reducing friction. But that means less grip for braking and turning. The added risk of a crash isn’t worth the extra mile a gallon you might gain.

#5. To A/C or not A/C

There’s no question air-conditioning makes extra work for the engine, increasing fuel use. But car air conditioners are much more efficient today than they used to be. In around-town driving, using the A/C will drop fuel economy by about a mile a gallon.

Meanwhile, driving at higher speeds with the windows down greatly increases aerodynamic drag. As speed increases, drag becomes more of an issue, making A/C use the more efficient choice at high speeds.

At most speeds and in most vehicles, A/C use drains slightly more fuel than driving with the windows down, contends David Champion, head of auto testing for Consumer Reports. “My final take on is that it’s very close,” says Phil Reed, consumer advice editor for Edmunds.com. “It’s hard to measure the difference and every vehicle is different.”

The best choice – if temperature and humidity allow – is to keep the windows rolled up and to turn the A/C compressor off. You can keep the fans running to blow in air from the outside, but your car will be as aerodynamic as possible while still letting you breathe. You will save gas, but the fuel economy improvement will be slight.

#6. Bolt-ons and pour-ins

Before you buy a device that’s supposed to make your car more fuel-efficient or pour in an allegedly gas-saving additive, ask yourself this: Don’t you think oil and car companies aren’t doing everything they can to beat their competitors?

If BP (BP) could add something to its gasoline that made cars go farther on a gallon, cars would be lining up at the company’s pumps. Sure, people would burn their fuel-saving BP gas more slowly, but then they’d drive right past rivals’ gas stations to come back to BP for more. BP stations could even charge more for their gas and still sell tons of the stuff.

So if there really was an additive that made gas burn up more slowly, it wouldn’t be sold over the Internet one bottle at a time.

Likewise, car companies are already spending big bucks to increase fuel mileage. If General Motors could make its cars go significantly farther on a gallon simply by putting a device into the fuel line, don’t think for a second it wouldn’t be doing that. GM’s car sales would go through the roof.

“There are a number of these gas-saving devices that are generally useless,” says Champion.
But drivers who try them will swear they work. In reality, it’s probably an automotive placebo effect, says Reed. Buy one of these devices or additives, and you’re like to pay extreme attention to your fuel economy and how you drive.

Of course it can’t hurt to keep a close eye on your driving habits — and what kind of car you drive. In the end, that can make the most difference in saving gas.

Check Online Gas Prices

Csavage — Tue, 13 May 2008 13:48:17 +0000

Crude oil prices keep breaking through record high prices, and it is quickly reflecting itself at the fuel pumps. About the only thing you can do is try to find the cheapest prices, but you can waste as much in gas driving around as you will by finding it, and that’s where gas pricing location sites come in handy.

Just log in and see where the best prices are, and save yourself all of that driving around. We’ve covered the United States, Canada, Australia and the United Kingdom for you, so start price hunting!

Click here for more.

Frustrated owners try to unload their guzzlers

Csavage — Wed, 07 May 2008 15:37:49 +0000

After paying $75 to fill his black Dodge Ram pickup truck for the third time in a week, Douglas Chrystall couldn’t take it anymore.

Feeling pinched at the pump, and guilty as well, Chrystall, a 39-year-old father from Wellesley, is putting ads online to sell the truck, and the family’s other gas-guzzler, a Jeep Grand Cherokee. He knows it will be tough to unload them because he is one of a growing number of consumers downsizing to smaller, more fuel-efficient cars.

Americans are turning away from the boxy, four-wheel-drive vehicles that have for years dominated the nation’s highways. Sport utility vehicles and pickup trucks – symbols of Americans’ obsession with horsepower, size, and status – are falling out of favor as consumers rich and poor encounter sticker shock at the pump, paying upward of $80 to fill gas tanks.

Gasoline Programs Could Be Next Wave of Incentives, Edmunds.com Predicts

Csavage — Fri, 02 May 2008 20:51:39 +0000

SANTA MONICA, Calif. – As gas prices rise this summer, automakers may well turn to marketing programs that include free gasoline instead of or in addition to cash rebates and low-interest financing, Edmunds.com predicts”Gas prices are having a profound effect on the psychology of car-buyers, so we expect that automaker and dealer marketing tactics may include free gasoline programs this summer,” stated Jesse Toprak, executive director of Industry Analysis for Edmunds.com. “As indicated in Edmunds’ True Market Value Predictive Alerts, transaction prices of gas-guzzling large SUVs and trucks will likely continue to fall.”

Meantime, Edmunds.com estimated Thursday that the average automotive manufacturer incentive in the U.S. was $2,449 per vehicle sold in April 2008, up $13, or 0.5 percent, from March 2008, and up $39, or 1.6 percent, from April 2007.

(Read more…)

Man arrested after trying to fill up imaginary car

Csavage — Thu, 01 May 2008 14:14:15 +0000

A man has been arrested at a Kentucky petrol station after he was reported to be trying to pump fuel into an imaginary car.

According to reports, Louisville police found Joshua L. Moore at the petrol station, where workers alleged he had been trying to pump petrol into a car that wasn’t there, in the early hours of Sunday morning.

The officers immediately noted what appeared to be a strong smell of marijuana.

After being arrested, Moore was found to have ‘two large baggies’ of marijuana on his person, as well as an impressive amount of ecstasy.

According to authorities, he also had a mobile phone and a large amount of money, which they take as evidence that he was involved in trafficking the drugs.

25-year-old Moore was charged with three counts of drug trafficking. Reports do not indicate whether his imaginary car was impounded.