Just a little trip down memory lane (on my bike, because gas is too expensive). Now, 2 1/2 years from when the thread started, how have your driving habits changed? $3.87/gal. regular (with ethanol additive - yuk!) here today.
I am used to paying higher gas prices over seas so it really hasn't bothered me too much but it is driving my darling wife crazy.
Well I drive a small V6 truck now rather than a full size truck with V8 but still dont have much choice but to drive.
Our driving habits have changed. We make fewer trips and have become more cost conscious. Although I am constantly having to remind my oldest that gas is not free. I no longer drive my POB (personally owned vehicle) to work, and now drive a GSA car. I loved the freedom driving my own afforded me, but it was costing me too much to drive each day. We also are looking at getting more fuel efficient vehicles sometime within the next year. My wife is also applying for a teaching job two miles from the house, instead of the current position she has about 18 miles away. Over the year that really adds up. Yes, the fuel cost has made us change our habits.
Found these tips in some old emails. Every little bit helps. <DIR><DIR>Check and replace your air filters. Keep your tires inflated. Car maintenance. Use cruise control. Don't drive aggressively (this includes speeding up and slowing down frequently on highways.) Drive at lower speeds to increase fuel efficiency. Don't let your car sit idle for long periods of time. Buying high octane gas is an unnecessary expense, unless your car requires it. Make sure to regularly check your oil. </DIR></DIR>Only buy or fill up your car or truck in the early morning when the ground temperature is still co ld. Remember that all service stations have their storage tanks buried below ground. The colder the ground the more dense the gasoline, when it gets warmer gasoline expands, so buying in the afternoon or in the evening....your gallon is not exactly a gallon. In the petroleum business, the specific gravity and the temperature of the gasoline, diesel and jet fuel, ethanol and other petroleum products plays an important role. A 1-degree rise in temperature is a big deal for this business. But the service stations do not have temperature compensation at the pumps. When you're filling up do not squeeze the trigger of the nozzle to a fast mode. If you look you will see that the trigger has three (3)stages: low, middle, and high. In slow mode you should be pumping on low speed, thereby minimizing the vapors that are creat ed while you are pumping. All hoses at the pump have a vapor return. If you are pumping on the fast rate, some other liquid that goes to your tank becomes vapor. Those vapors are being sucked up and back into the underground storage tank so you're getting less worth for your money. One of the most important tips is to fill up when your gas tank is HALF FULL or HALF EMPTY. The reason for this is, the more gas you have in your tank the less air occupying its empty space. Gasoline evaporates faster than you can imagine. Gasoline storage tanks have an internal floating roof. This roof serves as zero clearance between the gas and the atmosphere, so it minimizes the evaporation. Another reminder, if there is a gasoline truck pumping into the storage tanks when you stop to buy gas, DO NOT fill up--most likely the gasoline is being stirred up as the gas is being delivered, and you might pick up some of the dirt that normally settles on the bottom. WHERE TO BUY USA GAS, THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT TO KNOW. READ ON Gas rationing in the 80's worked even though we grumbled about it. It might even be good for us! The Saudis are boycotting American goods. We should return the favor. An interesting thought is to boycott their GAS. Every time you fill up the car, you can avoid putting more money into the coffers of Saudi Arabia . Just buy from gas companies that don't import their oil from the Saudis. Nothing is more frustrating than the feeling that every time I fill-up the tank, I am sending my money to people who are trying to kill me, my family, and my friends. I thought it might be interesting for you to know which oil companies are the best to buy gas from and which major companies import Middle Eastern oil. These companies import Middle Eastern oil: Shell........................... 205,742,000 barrels Chevron/Texaco......... 144,332,000 barrels Exxon/Mobil............... 130,082,000 barrels Marathon/Speedway... 117,740,000 barrels Amoco............................62,231,000 barrels Citgo gas is from South America , from a Dictator who hates Americans. If you do the math at $30/barrel, these imports amount to over $18 BILLION! (oil is now $90 - $100 a barrel Here are some large companies that do not import Middle Eastern oil: Sunoco..................0 barrels Conoco................. .0 barrels Sinclair..................0 barrels BP/Phillips.............0 barrels Hess......................0 barrels ARC0.....................0 barrels If you go to Sunoco.com <http://sunoco.com/> , you will get a list of the station locations near you. All of this information is available from the Department of Energy and each is required to state where they get their oil and how much they are importing.
When this thread began in 2005, I had just gotten my bike. Now 22,000 miles on it, and I think of all the gas I saved NOT driving my car. Yeah, there have been some sphincter-tightening events - a few "Four wheeled Fools" contesting my right to occupy the same Space/Time Continuum. But riding a bike does heiten one's sense, and make us much more observant. We develop a "Spider Sense" and expect that idiot ahead to turn in front of us. Increased mobility helps too. But I figure if the idiot hit me if I was in my Toyota, it wouldn't be too good either! If it is 'your time', it doesn't matter what you are driving/riding. On the other hand - after three years on the bike, I've replaced two front tires and three back tires! Those puppies aren't cheap.... It's worth it though, seeing the clerk's face when I buy two twenty pound bags of rice and a 24-can case of veggies - and I'm riding my bike.....
I guess I'm pretty lucky when it comes to fuel. I go to my office once a week, which is 32 miles from my driveway. My car is an old '97 lumina and I can fill that sucker full and it will last me a good 2 months. This week I filled up with $48.00 and will be interesting to see how long it lasts this time. Sometimes I do drive if I am called in via emergency call, but there are 3 of us on call around the clock and I let the other 2 who live closer take the fair share of calls.