Gas pricing is not set by the Fed Gvt. Corn pricing is also not set by the Gvt. Want someone to blame for corn and other grain pricing climbing, look at the commodities traders. They see corn and other grain as fuel now and it is tied to the price of oil. As oil prices rise so do grain prices in equal measure. We haven't built any new refineries in the US in decades. Our crude production from existing sources is dropping and we continue to increase the amount we import. There is no quick fix on the horizon, alternative fuels are a great idea but the infrastructure to support any such change is a long way off. Short term, they need to poke new holes and build newer/better refining capacity. The "Not in my back yard" folks are as much to blame as anyhting in this area. They don't like gas prices but won't allow drilling off their coast. Won't allow a refinery in their area and don't want nuclear waste driven over their highways. Until we all go to horses again, we need to quit importing our fuel and produce it here, in our back yard. While we do, we can wean ourselves off the stuff and science and technology on the alternatives can catch up. Complaining about oil company profits or the current cost of fuel is not a solution. Producing more in the most efficient and timely way possible is. I'll take the nuclear plant and the refinery in my back yard if it means less dependence on the Saudis and other for my fuel and lower cost.

Cheers, Neil

Not so fast on that horse theory!! As you may or may not know the Dairies are having a big problem with Cw manure... I can just see the problem increasing if we had more horses on the road.

In our local area PG&E is trying to put up some major towers over a 100 mile area. The power is needed. Well you know the story...not in my back yard. The same with new damns...
Some are even wanting to remove some damns and return the area to a "natural state".
I better stop now.

BTW $3.80 for the Cheap stuff here.

quote:

Originally posted by gdjoslin:
Not so fast on that horse theory!! As you may or may not know the Dairies are having a big problem with Cow manure... I can just see the problem increasing if we had more horses on the road.

In our local area PG&E is trying to put up some major towers over a 100 mile area. The power is needed. Well you know the story...not in my back yard. The same with new damns...
Some are even wanting to remove some damns and return the area to a "natural state".
I better stop now.

BTW $3.80 for the Cheap stuff here.

Maybe methane from the back of the dairy barns?

Cheers, Neil

quote:

Gas pricing is not set by the Fed Gvt

Right, and when you consider the fuel taxes, the taxes paid by the oil companies (that 41% I mentioned for Exxon), and other tariffs, the government is probably making more than the oil companies are on each gallon of fuel sold. Nice racket - the government get lots of money and none of the blame!

The ethanol sham is compounding the effect. Meanwhile, a huge oil field in northern Alaska can't be touched, and reports of a large find in the north-central U.S. won't mean anything if the wacko's have anything to say about it (and they will).

Meanwhile Mexico and China drill in the Gulf Of Mexico and recently found more oil deposits. Brazil found a huge field the other day. And we Americans sit here being held hostage by our own regulations and doomsayers.

Maybe thisis the answer!! I can see the Cruise ships running on salt water now. That should do away with the fuel surcharges

His discovery, interesting as it is, can't possibly extract hydrogen from water that easily. There have been many articles written on the subject and anyway you don't think the cruise lines would ever give back the fuel surcharge.

I love to read Dave's posts when the topic hits his hot buttons. Don't hold back Dave, tell us how you really feel. FYI, I'm with you all the way.
Cheers, Neil

This just brings flashbacks to the oil crisis in the 70s. Ships sitting off the coast waiting to off-load but the storage units were all full. And, don't forget our tax dollars go to owners of capped wells in the US, to not pump. But alas, I digress, still hanging around $3.78/gal. for the good stuff at Wal-Mart. Sure wish we could do the hydrogen from the water, that would be awesome.

I just paid $3.48 at Wally mart today here in SW Florida. Although I listen to people on the news crying all the time I really don't see anyone cutting back all that much. We still have our share of big SUV's with mom shopping for food & people racing down the road (even though they can see the red light a 1/4 mile ahead.) Makes me wonder.

Well, since oil closed at over $1.17 a barrel, you can expect a little more pain at the pump. (thank you whoever targeted the Japanese tanker and more thanks to the ever-helpful Nigerians who destroyed two major pipelines. )

I traded in our GMC Envoy today and bought a new Honda Accord - going from 18 mpg average to around 25. Neat V-6 that will shut down up to three cylinders while cruising - except this is a Honda and the technology will work reliably, unlike the infamous Cadillac V8-6-4.

I thought someone said you were running on a few less cylinders .
$3.90 here on the cheap stuff

I'm amazed at how little add'l mileage we're getting with all the new technology and even hybrids. Back in 1982 I bought a new Dodge Colt, a tiny little hatchback that was all I could afford at the time. It's tiny engine and manual tranny were made by Mitsubishi and I was getting 45+ miles per gallon regularly on the highway and not a lot less in the city. Since that time I've heard of hybrids approaching 50 miles per gallon announced with great fanfare as some great breakthrough. My little Colt was around $5k new with AC and a radio, and not much else. In todays dollors it would be higher but nowhere near the $25k+ for a Prius or equivilent. Maybe they just need to build some little underpowered hatchbacks again for commuting.

Cheers, Neil

From what I've read, at least some of the decline in gas mileage has to do with added vehicle weight for safety systems mandated by the government, as well as voluntary vehicle strengthening by the builders (safety sells). This year, the "official" mileage calculations were also changed to be "more realistic".

But I remember quite well my 1966 VW Beetle got around 40 mpg, although it was a death trap.

Dave, I think you're right about the weight. I was in better shape back then and my co-worker and I once had a contest to see who could lift the back of the Colt higher off the ground. I got the little tires about 2 feet off the ground with a dead lift. Wouldn't have wanted to have an accident in that little cracker box.

Cheers, Neil

My little 1992 Nissan NX has 170,000 miles on it and still gets 43mpg. It gets about 38 in the city. However, driving around here, I don't feel very safe in it. So I have an '07 Versa for commuting to/from work. It only gets 30mpg. with a 6 spd. manual. If they would have changed the gear ratio a little, I bet they could have done better for the highway mpg on the Versa. But y'all are right, the Versa weighs a lot more than the NX. I thought about learning how to ride a motorcycle, but with the drivers on the roads today, NO WAY. The Smart car doesn't get much better mileage than the Versa, so I think I'll stick to that for now.

quote:

From what I've read, at least some of the decline in gas mileage has to do with added vehicle weight for safety systems mandated by the government, as well as voluntary vehicle strengthening by the builders (safety sells). This year, the "official" mileage calculations were also changed to be "more realistic".

But I remember quite well my 1966 VW Beetle got around 40 mpg, although it was a death trap.

Weight is not the only factor. My nephew just restored a 64 bug. He only gets about 20 mpg. The weight has to be close to the old weight, the engine is rebuilt. So I say it has to be the new gas. Does burning twice as much fuel really save the planet?
Just filled my 4 banger, a Toyota Tacoma Pickup. $49.08... that is crazy.

quote:

I thought about learning how to ride a motorcycle, but with the drivers on the roads today, NO WAY.

I rode motorcycles for almost 30 years. It was my only vehicle for several years and I rode on the expressways in and around Norfolk and Virginia Beach with no major worries. Then I moved to Alabama. I kept a bike up until 3 years ago and finally had enough with the drivers around here. People always say the worst drivers are in New Jersey, or in Miami, or wherever. Well, I've driven all over the country and I've never seen worse drivers than we have around here.

As for the gasoline prices - as others said, despite the prices nobody seems to be using less and driving habits aren't changing. Supply and demand.

quote:

Originally posted by Dave Beers:

quote:

I thought about learning how to ride a motorcycle, but with the drivers on the roads today, NO WAY.

I rode motorcycles for almost 30 years. It was my only vehicle for several years and I rode on the expressways in and around Norfolk and Virginia Beach with no major worries. Then I moved to Alabama. I kept a bike up until 3 years ago and finally had enough with the drivers around here. People always say the worst drivers are in New Jersey, or in Miami, or wherever. Well, I've driven all over the country and I've never seen worse drivers than we have around here.

As for the gasoline prices - as others said, despite the prices nobody seems to be using less and driving habits aren't changing. Supply and demand.

Dave/Penny-
Here's our local transportation. Of course it's not for everyone. In SW Florida we get a lot of part timers (snowbirds) in our winter season which crowd the roads somewhat + the local people here are very indecisive when it comes to a stop sign. They'll look at you & not move even if they have the right of way. Strange. Anyway it gets me 63 mpg even with my wife aboard.



Now if I can only figure out how to get them to let me bring it on-board the ship.