$5.00 gas

[GoHuskies]

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Smart Money

Rises in the cost of oil are getting felt, $5 per gallon for premium is some parts of Cali. Here in CT my normal shell station went from 2.87 to 3.27 for regular.

40 cents might seem like just a minor joke but its only going to go higher for now as the effects of the rise in barrel prices takes it toll.

If it does go higher it is no joke, ask parents or adults if they remember when gas increased some decades back.

Not that I'm advocating ditching our cars and riding a bike, just be aware. Keeping it under control in speed and making sure your care is under solid maintence are the best ways to save gas, especially for those of you who pay the 3.45 for premium at my station!

Knowledge is power and it saves gas! Do yourself a favor and just slow it down for a week or two. If everyone slows down imagine the combined savings. Any car can save on gas driven right.




To add: Gas is going to rise still over the next few weeks, with the fears over Turkey in Iraq, unrest and protests agaisnt Chavez etc..

For those who don't get how it works, gas is determined by the effect of the price per barrel of oil. Whenever conflict or insecurity threaten nations that either produce or transit oil then the price per barrel hikes to provide investors security in case of an interuption or drop in production. They raise the price to try and make more money before a feared interuption.

Nothing might come of events in Iraq or south american but as long as there is the fear oil is going to rise. We feel the effects at the pump. The brief summary.


Peak oil is the event or time when oil production is unable to keep up with consumption and the effect is oil value vastly increases. The peak comes when production can't rise due to crisis or lack of supply and as such the global economy feels the effect.

Oil is used in plastics, power, heat, etc..not just auto fuel.

Depending of who you believe oil has already peaked or will peak anywhere between 10-40 years. Of course companies have an invested interest to keep oil at a semi peak, limiting production in order to make maximum profit. Lowing the cost of oil is bad to them, and it can destroy economy's much like when we told the Saud's to use lower prices to destroy the soviet union.

Pretty much summary is peak oil = bad. The hope is the US will lean off oil dependency before this time comes.


To combat high prices.
Biggest killers you can change:
-Rapid acceleration, braking = just keep pace with traffic as hard as it sounds, don't drive like your racing everyone around you.

-excesive idle = key down the car when at a long red.

-improper car car (tire pressure, oil levels, weight, etc.)

-keep your hopes up. Prices will hopefully drop before long.

[Asif22]

wow thats ridiculous!

[tonton]

I think he posted that for the Hybrid peeps.

[GoHuskies]

Originally Posted by tonton

I think he posted that for the Hybrid peeps.

Anyone can save gas, those with an MT have a bigger advatage as well. Lots of methods to tweak it out without driving like grandma.

Biggest killers you can change:
-Rapid acceleration, braking = just keep pace with traffic as hard as it sounds, don't drive like your racing everyone around you.

-excesive idle = key down the car when at a long red.

-improper car car (tire pressure, oil levels, weight, etc.)

[gx4th]

mmmmm $5 a gallon

[fa1]

Originally Posted by GoHuskies

Anyone can save gas, those with an MT have a bigger advatage as well. Lots of methods to tweak it out without driving like grandma.

Biggest killers you can change:
-Rapid acceleration, braking = just keep pace with traffic as hard as it sounds, don't drive like your racing everyone around you.

-excesive idle = glide in N when possible, and key down the car when at a long red.

-improper car car (tire pressure, oil levels, weight, etc.)

Wrong, neutral kills more gas then in gear. The injectors are shut off when you're decelerating while in neutral the injectors must maintain flow to keep the motor on.

[EvilSardine]

Originally Posted by GoHuskies

-excesive idle = glide in N when possible, and key down the car when at a long red.

I would say that's dangerous. Also, when you're slowing down with engine braking, don't your fuel injectors shut off? If you're "gliding" in neutral towards a red light, your engine will be using fuel. So, isn't it best to keep it in gear? :\

*fa1 beat me to it.*

[GoHuskies]

shit, I cut and pasted that, my bad. meant to delete the N part. The N use is so hybrids dont shut off in parking lot traffic.

[fa1]

Originally Posted by EvilSardine

*fa1 beat me to it.*

[samx109]

wow 5dollars.. jesus..

EDIT: NVM!!!!

[Anubis]

I know our prices are soared around here, and this is nothing compared to other parts of the County. Sadly, as you stated the prices will only get worse from here....God help us all.

[Tastycakes]

Originally Posted by fa1

Wrong, neutral kills more gas then in gear. The injectors are shut off when you're decelerating while in neutral the injectors must maintain flow to keep the motor on.

Originally Posted by Tastycakes

Ah not this retarded question again.

Yes engines do shut off fuel if you take your foot off the gas and engine brake but you slow down quicker.

If you coast in N you can back off the gas much farther away offsetting the balance.



How to put it, hmm:

Drive normally for 200 feet (use normal gas), engine brake for 200 feet (use no gas)

OR

In neutral and coast for 400 feet (use a tiny bit of gas)

Which one gets you better mileage???


Now lets break it down:

Normal crusing at about 35 MPH uses about 0.6 gallons of fuel per hour (GPH), respectively
Idling uses 0.2 GPH
Engine Braking uses 0.0 GPH

0.6 GPH @ 35 MPH means you use 0.0171 gallons per mile, then divide by 26 (to get 200 feet) you get 0.00657 gallons used
Then engine braking for the next 200 feet costs you 0 gas.

Now the coasting, 0.2 GPH, 0.0057 gallons per mile, divide by 13 (400 feet) you get 0.00438 gallons used.

So what it comes down to, once gain these are just rough calculations:

Driving + Engine braking for 400 feet = 0.00657 gallons
If you Coased in neutral for 400 feet = 0.00438 gallons


I know i didn't factor in time cause i'm too lazy but figure it'll take about the same amount of time to do both then you can also add in if you, say started coasting at 600 feet you save even more fuel. I also didn't add in that you cant engine brake to 0 MPH. You would have to hit the clutch say 10 MPH to keep the engine from stalling using even more fuel.

God i hate you guys, making me have to think and sh1t lol.

And always the best fuel saving way is coasting in N w/ the engine off

Originally Posted by Tastycakes

I'll use my highly elite graph that shows the difference between coating in N and using fuel shutoff.



<--------------------------------500 feet------------------------------->

Engine Braking
<---Driving Normal Using Normal Gas--><---Engine Braking Using No Gas--->

Coasting in N
<-----------------Coasting in Gear Using Very Little Gas------------------>

Just because it shuts off fuel doesn't mean its saves you more gas. Just look at this, perfect example. The guy coasting in N can take his foot off the gas a lot earlier than the guy engine braking. If you engine brake and use fuel shutoff you slow down faster so you have to do it later but no one ever thinks of how much fuel you were using before.

Neutral or in gear, which one use more gas?

Jesus Chris.

Dont forget if your going 40 MPH say, and your in your last gear (5th or 6th) like you should be if your going for MPG you can only engine brake until about 25ish MPH. Then what? Keep downshifting? lol

[Chase]

umm I don't know about you suckers but I get My gas at Maverick!!

[Tastycakes]

Yea how many years old is that pic? lol God i wish there was an E85 station closer to me than 15 miles away. Pointless to convert until gas hits $4 a gallon for me. E85 is $2.60 a gallon by me. :/

[fa1]

Interesting findings. But it seems that savings only occur in neutral after several hundred feet. I still think more tests need to be conducted. But meanwhile I'll keep it in gear for safety reasons.

Man this is like some mythbusters stuff lol!

[Tastycakes]

See you have to use both in diff situations. Sorry for the thread take over.

Like if your in traffic there is no way in hell you can coast in neutral, so engine braking works 10x better here. Now if there is no/little traffic and you can properly judge your stops, coasting in N w/ or w/o the engine on is better.

[GoHuskies]

Originally Posted by Tastycakes

See you have to use both in diff situations. Sorry for the thread take over.

Like if your in traffic there is no way in hell you can coast in neutral, so engine braking works 10x better here. Now if there is no/little traffic and you can properly judge your stops, coasting in N w/ or w/o the engine on is better.

I coast in N 3 times a week. Just leaving he garage after class its to cold and soon for auto shutoff. So I just go N, key down, and coast donw behind the slow line of cars leaving the garage. Still have power steering which is enough to make the turns.

Now of course a truck could magically appear rushing at me. In that case I'd die. But I'd rather save then gas then spend 5 minutes inching down a few levels with the engine running.

[NitrousG35]

It is exactly for this reason that I bought my Si. I wanted something that would give decent performance while giving good fuel economy. I was going to get a G37 but could not justify the great gas consumption that it gets.

[07mugencivic]

im walking to work if it over 5.00 a gallon

[NitrousG35]

Originally Posted by 07mugencivic

im walking to work if it over 5.00 a gallon

Wish I could. My job is 8 miles away. Pretty long walk, especially in the winter here in Minnesota.