Cost of driving

[Danglerb]

Poor MPG is factor in making the purchase of a 928 possible, so I don't hate it, its rent, cost of doing business. If the 928 got 27 MPG I might not have been able to afford to buy any of mine.

[JK McDonald]

All we can really do is keep our 928’s tuned to a fine purrrr… since there is not much we can do about the price of gasoline. What’s such a mystery is where is the logic and who is in control of the cost per gallon dartboard. Just this week we returned from a trip to Colorado where the price of gas ranged from $2.99 - $3.19 a gallon up around the Winter Park ski resort. Now that we’re back home in Texas the price is $3.50 - $3.75 and this is where the stuff is being refined.

If you have happened to follow any of the petroleum magazines that represent field development, inventory, processing and delivery, there has long been no secrete that the cost/gallon at the pump is highly manipulated. The unexplainable (or at least difficult to justify) part is that these publications openly discuss the billions of gallons of our U.S. refined gasoline that's being exported to Europe, Indonesia and China for trillions in additional profits over servicing the U.S. market. This evidently not only generates a shortage in our own gasoline supply but is the excuse used for the cost per gallon at our home pumps. Some have wondered if the price of gasoline will be the hammer and the V8 engine the anvil that will be used to force everyone into a 4 cylinder Honda ….

A while back during a petroleum conference in Houston an unintended open mike comment made by an EXXON executive is still true today. “The big dog gets the bone and the little dog gets his ass chewed”.

Michael

[924CarreraGTP]

A couple of years ago they were talking about shutting down one of the big refineries but for no other reason than to "stimulate demand". What does that mean to us little people? It means the prices will go up. Supply and demand is such an interesting thing to think about. For instance, why did Detroit build so many huge gas guzzling cars during the "fuel shortage" in the 70's? It was marketing and the big three are butt buddies with the fuel industry. This is why the electric car is kept off the market and the hybrids are not only ineffecient, but they are ugly to keep them from having high resale value. Also the hybrids still make you have to buy that precious desert crude. Even the electric cars are void of available technology that could make a two phase self charging system work on perpetual motion.

[DannyBNH]

It's only going to get worse..I read somewhere that gas was 20 cents a gallon for 50 years.


This picture says it all.

[rjm65]

Maybe they are doing to us what they've done to the cigarette smokers.........

Originally Posted by DannyBNH

It's only going to get worse..I read somewhere that gas was 20 cents a gallon for 50 years.


This picture says it all.

[harborman]

Ya, when I had a job in high school at the Standard Station, gas was $0.25 and you got your windows cleaned, oil checked. I was making a whole $1.00/hr back then. People paid cash for gas (no credit cards existed). I rode my bike to work. I ran the whole station, just me and "Duke" the German Shepard watch dog. I could not afford a car then, now I have 3!!!!!!

[Danglerb]

Oil companies were making a NICE profit at 17 cents a gallon too.

[924CarreraGTP]

Originally Posted by 924CarreraGTP

A couple of years ago they were talking about shutting down one of the big refineries but for no other reason than to "stimulate demand". What does that mean to us little people? It means the prices will go up. Supply and demand is such an interesting thing to think about. For instance, why did Detroit build so many huge gas guzzling cars during the "fuel shortage" in the 70's? It was marketing and the big three are butt buddies with the fuel industry. This is why the electric car is kept off the market and the hybrids are not only ineffecient, but they are ugly to keep them from having high resale value. Also the hybrids still make you have to buy that precious desert crude. Even the electric cars are void of available technology that could make a two phase self charging system work on perpetual motion.

I must remind someone that I have a patent pending on one type of charging system. Just in case my idea is stolen from Pelican.

[harborman]

Originally Posted by 924CarreraGTP

I must remind someone that I have a patent pending on one type of charging system. Just in case my idea is stolen from Pelican.

You mean you don't have a patent on using algae to make gas?? Why this is the future according to our Leader here. The answer is in water, you get two hydrogen's and one oxygen all in one! So you get the fuel and oxygen to burn it in one little package! Now just to separate them!

[hitman3]

stop crying 9.78usd a gallon in israel keep smiling

[riber.bentsen]

Gas price shoots up $0.10 during a two minute news-section, just as two Corvettes roll up to the pumps - coincidence?

[rjm65]

I'm amazed that the spread between regular unleaded and unleaded premium always remains at a pretty consistent .20 cents, regardless if gas is $1.50 or $5.00 per gallon.

[924CarreraGTP]

Originally Posted by Pete R

Gas prices are irrelevant to 928's. They are old "emotionally" driven automobiles. They aren't the family car that's needed anymore. So sell em and buy a Prius if it bothers you all that much.

Gas prices are not irrelevant to me because classic cars are all I can afford. I can't afford a new Boxster Spyder (sadly) and I want one.

[JK McDonald]

Hey Hitman3, I’m sure everyone feels that $9 - $10 for a gallon of gasoline is getting pretty ridiculous. In theory, the price of a product in the free market is supposed to be set by the actual supply availability and demand. The problem with the oil chess game is that too few people are controlling too many of the pieces on the board.

According to the Oil and Gas Journal the nation of Israel is one of the many countries around the world that receives shipments of our U.S. refined gasoline. Because the international petroleum products and services market operates in a Bend-All-The-Rules environment, our unregulated oil companies are permitted to make galactic overseas and often untaxed profits unchallenged. It was Rex Tillerson (known as the Biggest Dog in the Neighborhood) who basically let it be known as he took over the CEO war chest of Exxon “why should we sell gasoline (to our home town gasoline stations ?) for a couple of dollars/gallon when we can double or even triple our profits overseas ($9 - $10/gal ?).

Michael

[mikeesik]

[QUOTE=harborman;6557790] I don't understand why the big auto makers keep making Mustangs and Cameros with 500 and 600 Hp motors. I see VW has a car getting 50 mpg, a drive range of 550 miles!

I hear you!

[924CarreraGTP]

[QUOTE=mikeesik;6603722]

Originally Posted by harborman

I don't understand why the big auto makers keep making Mustangs and Cameros with 500 and 600 Hp motors. I see VW has a car getting 50 mpg, a drive range of 550 miles!

I hear you!

Exactly... When they stimulate the demand, they sell more of the high dollar supply. Why do you think we aren't all driving electric cars? We have the technology. It's been here since Nikola Tesla. The fuel companies keep us in gas burners at all cost be it that hybrid b. s. or hydrogen nonsense. I'm about to make up a batch of some biodiesel soon. Then I'm gonna say screw the oil companies. My Porsches will become pieces of art, and my two Mercedes Diesels are going to stay mobile. I have a 300TD and a 300CD.

[JK McDonald]

Hey 924CarreraGTP, A few years ago a friend bought one of those kits to convert his 5 cylinder diesel Mercedes to run on discarded restaurant cooking grease (oil). He actually started the engine on regular diesel from the original tank and then manually switch over once the engine was hot. A second tank was mounted in the trunk to hold the cooking grease. This tank had several loops of 5/8’s steel hot water line running through it and then a special hot water sleeved fuel line was used to keep the alternative fuel thin enough to get through an injector. Some of the later kits added in a super duty 12 volt heater element to the grease tank which helps to speed up the diesel to grease switch over point.

After a few months of retrieving the cooking grease, externally heating it over a propane burner to a consistency that allows you to filter out the chunks of contaminants and then quickly pouring it into the second fuel tank before it turns to silly putty - he sold the whole set up with the Mercedes. I think when he switched over too early on his way to work one morning helped prompt his purchase of a little Saturn that consistently got 40 MPG.

Like Mikeesik mentioned, The new computer controlled injection gives the VW diesels outstanding performance and fantastic MPG BUT with the dealer premium tacked on to the sale price and with diesel fuel typically selling for .60 cents (or more) per gallon over regular gas - I'm not sure you will actually save much money driving a diesel vehicle unless you still own it at 300K miles.

Just My opinion, Michael

[anakilat]

Last year when OPEC was chided about not pumping more oil to lower prices they replied that there was nowhere to store it. Last week I read that several refineries in the US are being shut down because there is no demand.
The market is being manipulated by traders plain and simple. There is plenty of supply (ask OPEC), demand has decreased 15% in the US since 2008 and China's demand has only increased by 3%, and still gas prices rise.
I'm looking at a water injector for my old 928. It's supposed to get more low end power and better mileage. We'll see - if it doesn't rot out the heads or cylinders.

[924CarreraGTP]

Originally Posted by JK McDonald

Hey 924CarreraGTP, A few years ago a friend bought one of those kits to convert his 5 cylinder diesel Mercedes to run on discarded restaurant cooking grease (oil). He actually started the engine on regular diesel from the original tank and then manually switch over once the engine was hot. A second tank was mounted in the trunk to hold the cooking grease. This tank had several loops of 5/8’s steel hot water line running through it and then a special hot water sleeved fuel line was used to keep the alternative fuel thin enough to get through an injector. Some of the later kits added in a super duty 12 volt heater element to the grease tank which helps to speed up the diesel to grease switch over point.

After a few months of retrieving the cooking grease, externally heating it over a propane burner to a consistency that allows you to filter out the chunks of contaminants and then quickly pouring it into the second fuel tank before it turns to silly putty - he sold the whole set up with the Mercedes. I think when he switched over too early on his way to work one morning helped prompt his purchase of a little Saturn that consistently got 40 MPG.

Like Mikeesik mentioned, The new computer controlled injection gives the VW diesels outstanding performance and fantastic MPG BUT with the dealer premium tacked on to the sale price and with diesel fuel typically selling for .60 cents (or more) per gallon over regular gas - I'm not sure you will actually save much money driving a diesel vehicle unless you still own it at 300K miles.

Just My opinion, Michael

Yes, there are several companies like GreaseCar that sell the whole kit. However, it is so simple to make biodiesel that it can be done in a bucket. Plus, it doesn't have to be heated to flow through the lines. The ingredients are lye, Methanol (like the product HEET), and any kind of vegetable oil. Diesels actually run better on biodiesel.
While we are on the subject. Henry Ford designed the model T to run on alcohol. Any idea why soon after that we had a little thing called prohibition?

[JK McDonald]

Hey Anakilat, I haven’t seen an advertisement for water injection for quite a while but I’m sure the installation kits are still out there. The addition of water injection was initially tested on WWII turbo charged piston aircraft to try and control the combustion temps generated under extreme bursts of acceleration and heavy engine loads at high altitudes. A mist of water sprayed into the intake was triggered by a combination of throttle position and various temp sensors mounted in the exhaust manifolds. Any potential performance improvement was plagued by lots of other issues and at best was pretty hit and miss. Water injection was also extensively tried in the 60’s in some drag strip applications to control unwanted pre-combustion under catastrophic acceleration. All of these tests were made well prior to the on-board computers of today that can evaluate and control a hundred engine parameters in microseconds. ........ I think you should really be cautious in installing something that has probably already been thoroughly wrung out in some pretty high dollar automotive laboratories.

Hey 924CarreraGTP, Man your Bio-Diesel formula sounds great. The simplest solution is always the best. I drove an old Audi turbo diesel into the ground way back in the 80’s. Tires, oil and inspection stickers topped my list of expenses back then.

Good Luck, Michael