If gas mileage were to improve 2-fold overnight, gas prices would double to compensate.

The key is to use less personally & hope the other suckers use more to compensate the profits you are denying to the pezzonovante.

Ditto for home heating. Pray your neighbors are inefficient as hell.

Of course, this is regardless of the actual price of oil dictated by the Black Gold Cartels.

/approves

Water AND soap!! of course!

In other news, if you lose weight you will get better gas mileage. Fatass.

I kill 2 birds with one stone and just ride my bike everywhere.

/Holier than thou, etc

Also suggest excercise


"Excercise"?

That might exczacercbatce the problem.

rocinante721: Of course, this is regardless of the actual price of oil dictated by the Black Gold Cartels.

We're being gouged! (new window)

688 bucks. Delivered.

Link (new window)

rocinante721 2008-05-03 02:45:43 PM If gas mileage were to improve 2-fold overnight, gas prices would double to compensate.
===================

Technically yes, but it'd be impossible for that to happen.

If demand were to slowly subsidize, the cost would slowly subside.

Roman Fyseek: We're being gouged! (new window)

Price is all relative. It doesn't matter what we pay vs. what they pay. If their gas prices tripled in 5 years, they would have a fit too.

I just love how every year CNN does these articles basically saying we are ok and are not getting raped on gas prices.

Last year they talked about the high price of gas and said it was ok, and everyone's profit margins were slim. This year they talk about the high prices and how margins are thinner... in the same breath they say last year the refiners were making $38 a barrel in profit, and this year only $7.

I just think it is funny they are so retarded that they think we all live in a bubble and dont remember what they said last year. Their memory hole is not doubleplus good.

That "turn off the engine on downgrades" thing works great for cars whose brakes and/or steering wheel don't work when the car is turned off.

(We used to have a somewhat racist name for that behavior, which I won't repeat.)

Fight high gas prices by converting your diesel to run on SVO or or gas car to run electric. Once the house sells I plan on getting a 1985 Mercedes Benz 300CD Turbo Diesel Coupe and running veg. Should cost me about 10K including converstion. Then I'll drive for free. No car payment, no fuel cost.

That leaves plenty of money to fix up and drive my 68 Cougar.

Or, you know, drive less.

45 mpg diesel VW running 100% biodiesel FTW.

/take that King Abdullah

rocinante721: If gas mileage were to improve 2-fold overnight, gas prices would double to compensate.

The key is to use less personally & hope the other suckers use more to compensate the profits you are denying to the pezzonovante.

Ditto for home heating. Pray your neighbors are inefficient as hell.

Of course, this is regardless of the actual price of oil dictated by the Black Gold Cartels.

If gas mileage doubled overnight, gas prices would be lower as demand is down. It's not a vast conspiracy. Demand is peaking all over the world as the two largest nations are using more oil now.

Subby, I get the headline, but if Americans didn't need to be told it would be obvious. However, as long as you see some dumbass driving an SUV in a city or even the suburbs and as long as people live an hour commute from work, they'll need to be reminded over and over.

not in "the lou"
/can't do it
//don't work
/// they drive like nuts here
/// better than ATL though
//// slashies
// get off my lawn!

I've been reading articles for some time about the slow-driving movement. Airlines are flying their planes slower. Shippers having a hard time finding ships but many are sending the slow ship. Companies with big fleets of delivery vehicles encouraging slower delivery (if such is possible). Private car owners are driving slower to reduce fuel consumption. Time=money; Speed=fuel. It's not rocket science. (Each of the above factoids is a separate article.)

damn lazy fat dirty hippies in their escalades.

Hee, hee, hee.

Try our green pizza bicycle delivery: If your pizza arrives in less than an hour, it's free! Meat, anchovies or cheese, $1.00 extra per item.

mistervague:
(We used to have a somewhat racist name for that behavior, which I won't repeat.)

Well I can imagine what the first word was... what was the rest?

mistervague: That "turn off the engine on downgrades" thing works great for cars whose brakes and/or steering wheel don't work when the car is turned off.


It's also pointless if you're using engine braking on virtually any car with electronic fuel injection. The ECU will sense the high vacuum/low load condition and stop fuel delivery to the engine. You'll save fuel and you won't run the risk of accidentally turning the key too far and engaging the steering wheel lock.

I figure because I don't own a car and haven't for about 10 years all you drivers out there should give a little something to me since I'm keeping prices down or at least people like myself collectively speaking. Except not getting laid as much as I would otherwise, I've never regretted not having a car and sometimes it's downright helpful when coming up with excuses about not having to do something I don't want to do.

This is great since I know that extremely fat redneck Americans would never want to be caught dead in a Prius or Camry Hybrid. Now they not only pay for their fat laziness with their health, they also have to pay for it at the gas pumps.

In terms of those huge contractor types, we all know they pass on the price of gas onto their customers.

Better gas mileage = less revenue from fuel tax = new and novel forms of state/federal taxation to keep the revenues up.

Even though this concept is a coupla years old, you think this isn't waiting in the wings to go live?

In order to lower prices, we must INCREASE OUR SUPPLY.

C'mon people. Conservation is all fine and dandy, but it will do nothing to lower the cost of living or feed the poor.

All this ethanol garbage is causing the poor to go hungry, and it's not solving our own (selfish and self-imposed) energy problem. If we want to solve our energy issues, we'll have to start getting our own damn oil. (Of which we have plenty in AL and off the coast of FL.)

Oh--and your "hybrid" cars use a massive amount of energy to produce. A hummer does better in terms of actual energy cost-per mile for the first 100k or so. And how the hell are you going to "recycle" all your toxic batteries?

Liberalism. I just don't get it.

Function > Form.

Thats the fundamental thing that soccer moms, Honda-pimpers and inner city Nigerians need to realize. If you don't need an Escalade, buy a Civic.

pvd021: This is great since I know that extremely fat redneck Americans would never want to be caught dead in a Prius or Camry Hybrid. Now they not only pay for their fat laziness with their health, they also have to pay for it at the gas pumps.

In terms of those huge contractor types, we all know they pass on the price of gas onto their customers.

Nobody wants to drive an ugly car. If they made electrics better looking more people would drive them. There is a guy in Cali that converts gas cars to electirc. He did a conversion on a 67 Camaro that still spun wheels. I'd drive that in a heartbeat. A Prius? No Farking Way!

gjs_cds: Liberalism. I just don't get it.

That's because you have a functional brain.

Lupin_IV: gjs_cds: Liberalism. I just don't get it.

That's because you have a functional brain.

Yeah--you sure got me... with all your convincing common sense and rhetoric.

No Such Agency: mistervague:
(We used to have a somewhat racist name for that behavior, which I won't repeat.)

Well I can imagine what the first word was... what was the rest?

Two word phrase. Second word: "overdrive."
Not quite racist; more country-of-origin.

(One in which I have spent a considerable amount of quite enjoyable time for both study and pleasure and whose people I have always found to be warm, welcoming, and humorous, and a large number of whom are close personal friends and colleagues of exceptional talent and generosity. Anyway...)

Seigneur: There is a guy in Cali that converts gas cars to electirc. He did a conversion on a 67 Camaro that still spun wheels.

What was the range? Recharge time?

If he did one...why aren't you personally throwing money at him to do another?

Yes, elec cars can be downright fast. Until you need to 'gas up'. Then it's "I'll see you tomorrow when its done".

/I can convert gas cars into insanely faster gas cars.
//doesn't make em cheap or practical

gjs_cds: Lupin_IV: gjs_cds: Liberalism. I just don't get it.

That's because you have a functional brain.

Yeah--you sure got me... with all your convincing common sense and rhetoric.

Haha, you farking retard. He was complimenting you but your knee jerk reaction is to act like a prick.

I love it.

YouPeopleAreCrazy: Seigneur: There is a guy in Cali that converts gas cars to electric. He did a conversion on a 67 Camaro that still spun wheels.

What was the range? Recharge time?

If he did one...why aren't you personally throwing money at him to do another?

Yes, elec cars can be downright fast. Until you need to 'gas up'. Then it's "I'll see you tomorrow when its done".

/I can convert gas cars into insanely faster gas cars.
//doesn't make em cheap or practical

Range between 100 and 200 miles based on which eclectic motor you use and weight of said car. I personally commute 140 miles a day so electrics are quite there for me which is why I'll go SVO.

STRENGTHEN THE DOLLAR!

/nothing else will be nearly as effective in controlling prices.

In other words, to get better gas mileage, drive like an old fart.

Getting an average of thirty miles to the gallon here. Thirteen year old car that gets regular oil changes and timely work when something goes wrong. Has sat in traffic for hours in 100+ degree weather without even hitting halfway up the temp gauge (let alone overheating), has driven through four inches of slush on the highway to get me to work.

Needless to say, I laugh at SUVs. I laugh harder when they're off the road in the winter, and I'm not.

Oh, and I only drive somewhere if necessary. I'm not big on arbitrary driving. I say we start trading people's escalades for priuses, maybe we'll see some difference then.

/I love my little piddly-shiat Mercury Tracer
//I call it my zombie car
///it baffles my mechanic on a regular basis

mistervague
That "turn off the engine on downgrades" thing works great for cars whose brakes and/or steering wheel don't work when the car is turned off.

(We used to have a somewhat racist name for that behavior, which I won't repeat.)

Oh for pete's sake, it's Mexican overdrive. This is Fark - you don't have to be sensitive or considerate. Or are you just living up to your handle?

Seigneur: I personally commute 140 miles a day so electrics are quite there for me which is why I'll go SVO.

Even if your commute was 1/2 that...70 miles RT...100 mile range is still a PITA.

To maintain a reasonable reserve... you'd have to manage your cars fuel every day. Granted, it's not a big deal...plug it in until tomorrow. But much more than fill up twice a month.

YouPeopleAreCrazy: Seigneur: I personally commute 140 miles a day so electrics are quite there for me which is why I'll go SVO.

Even if your commute was 1/2 that...70 miles RT...100 mile range is still a PITA.

To maintain a reasonable reserve... you'd have to manage your cars fuel every day. Granted, it's not a big deal...plug it in until tomorrow. But much more than fill up twice a month.

Not if you also install a windmill to cut your energy costs by 75%.

The Tesla Roadster has a top speed of 125 MPH, does 0 to 60 in less then 4 seconds, has a range of 220 miles and recharges in 3.5 hours. With the moble charging unit you could take it across the country but it would take just a bit longer.

i hate jimmy page: gjs_cds: Lupin_IV: gjs_cds: Liberalism. I just don't get it.

That's because you have a functional brain.

Yeah--you sure got me... with all your convincing common sense and rhetoric.

Haha, you farking retard. He was complimenting you but your knee jerk reaction is to act like a prick.

I love it.

Ha. Yeah. You're right.

I guess that does make me the non-owner of a functional brain. At least I own up to when I'm an idiot...

i hate jimmy page:

Did you get your name from MSI?

Even if all the cars in the world run one gallon for 200 miles they would still charge us $40 a gallon.

gjs_cds: i hate jimmy page: gjs_cds: Lupin_IV: gjs_cds: Liberalism. I just don't get it.

That's because you have a functional brain.

Yeah--you sure got me... with all your convincing common sense and rhetoric.

Haha, you farking retard. He was complimenting you but your knee jerk reaction is to act like a prick.

I love it.

Ha. Yeah. You're right.

I guess that does make me the non-owner of a functional brain. At least I own up to when I'm an idiot...

It just means that your brain wanted to correct the statement to an assumed response.

americans are stupid. stuff doesnt cost more, your dollar is just worth less and less. wake up and smell the coffee. if you can still afford it. suckers.

gjs_cds: At least I own up to when I'm an idiot...

*bows*

Yes, indeed, good form.

leave it to fark to find such enlightening articles!

Can someone explain why cars don't get as good gas mileage as they used to? I'm not talking fleet standards, or averaging in SUVs or anything . . . 25+ mpg is a selling point now, I heard a commercial yesterday on the radio for models that get "over 30 mpg", and yet, my econobox 98 Sentra gets 36 to the gallon at 137k miles, down from damn near 40. And it's not exactly the benchmark for either efficiency or performance.

I've test driven the newer cars, and it isn't because they're using heavier, more durable materials . . . quite the opposite. New cars (econoboxes, so it's apples to apples) feel like they should ship inside a Happy Meal box, even compared to my Sentra. Could it be additional safety features weighing them down? I wouldn't think so, since mine has airbags and ABS, and not much else is mandatory. More powerful engines? Hm, perhaps, although the cars I test drove were WAY underpowered, stick and automatic alike. They have substantially more HP on paper, but they also weigh more, I guess, since they were sluggish as hell when I drove em.

I guess a better question would be, why haven't newer cars improved on (or at least upheld) both the fuel economy and performance standards of the 90s, while maintaining that balance?

/I'd buy a Loremo when it comes out, 17 second 0-60 time be damned.

Seigneur: The Tesla Roadster has a top speed of 125 MPH, does 0 to 60 in less then 4 seconds, has a range of 220 miles and recharges in 3.5 hours.

And costs $100 large.

/call me when I can buy one.

CTaylor80: Can someone explain why cars don't get as good gas mileage as they used to?

Air bags, crumple zones, emissions, bumpers, etc, etc.

See my earlier weight comparison.

YouPeopleAreCrazy:Air bags, crumple zones, emissions, bumpers, etc, etc.

Well . . . I guess I'd have to look into it more, but it doesn't seem as if today's cars have substantially higher safety requirements over cars made in the 90s. Over cars made in the 70s, sure, but over the last ten or fifteen years, I haven't noticed much in the way of required equipment added that would be likely to weigh down a cheap car. Emissions might be a different story, but if emissions standards have gone up so far, why isn't my car undriveable? It all just doesn't add up, and that's usually a good reason to ask why :-)

SonOfSpam: mistervague
That "turn off the engine on downgrades" thing works great for cars whose brakes and/or steering wheel don't work when the car is turned off.

(We used to have a somewhat racist name for that behavior, which I won't repeat.)

Oh for pete's sake, it's Mexican overdrive. This is Fark - you don't have to be sensitive or considerate. Or are you just living up to your handle?

A little both.
//what?