Has the cost of fuel affected your driving and mod intentions?

[2dogs]

I'll tell you - when I put in $90 to fill up my tank - $2.85/gallon in Camas, Washington yesterday - that really made me start to drive for fuel mileage. Now some have enough $$$ that this isn't an issue - and if it got to $5 or more /gallon there would be no concern - but not for me! I'm tired of spending that much and for the most part will now drive for mileage whenever I can. In my case that means trying to keep the EGT no more than 600 and less than 10lbs of boost. That will equal out to about 60 mph - with no hills or wind. Now I know this is a hastle - but I don't want to give those SOB's at Big Oil ONE MORE RED CENT than I have to! So pretty much no more twin black strips for me.......well - usually that is.

[BigO]

We are not that expensive in Phoenix yet. 2.25 here. The wife and I were thinking about coming up to Washington, ST for vacation this year. Pulling a fifth wheel sucks up the fuel. We may stay away from you all up there if fuel is that expensive.

Currently the truck is driven 30 days then parked for thirty days. With Gas being less expensive, we are trying to rotate more sice fuel is up.

[Jim Cobler]

The cost of fuel has definitely affected my driving habits. I looked at our normal travel and found that most short trips would have very little effect in terms of time to just slow down.

I reduced my speed from about 75 mph to 60 mph and immediately noticed I could drive at least 60 more miles between fill ups.

In our area, that is like getting a $6.00 reduction in our fill up cost and like I said it makes very little difference in normal travel times. Try it because you will like it.

Jim

[Jimamatic]

I've gone even farther than just slowing down. My duramax is for the most part sitting in the garage while I use my little Nissan pickup as my driver. It breaks my heart to see such a nice truck sitting there doing nothing, But it flat out pi##es me off to give one cent more to big oil than I have to. The only time I'll use my dmax is for towing on trips. In a different post, it was talked about that one of the reasons for the increase in diesel prices is due to a new pricing model. This model says that since diesel gives you 20% more energy per gal than gasaline it should should cost 20% more to buy than gas. What kind of bu@# sh@# is that? This equates to to a much bigger profit per gal of diesel than for gas, which in my book equates to price gouging. So somebody tell me again why I paid $4000.0 more for a diesel than a big block gasser. No matter how you slice the pie it still spells greed. I'm going to do some research on bio diesel. I would be willing to pay nearly as much for bio just to deny big oil their precious profits. End of rant for now.....

[bobo]

I have been told that diesel fuel in the United States is from the United States. It doesn't come from other countries like most gas does. Is this true? If so, I'll pay whatever the price becomes to have fuel from this county instead of supporting the Middle East by buying gas!!

[MIKE MOG]

I KNOW JUST WHAT YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT, MY TRUCK IS ALSO SITTING IN THE GARAGE AND WE USE IT JUST FOR TOWING. FUEL IS JUST TO MUCH MONEY. I BOUGHT A DIESEL IN JULY OF 04 AND IT SEEMS THATS WHEN THE COST WENT UP. WERE PLANNING A TRIP TO HILTON HEAD IN THE SUMMER AND HAVE TO GO THROUGH THE MOUNTIANS. I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT THIS TRUCK IS GOING TO DO ON MILAGE. I HOPE GOOD, THE LAST TRUCK I HAD WAS A 2000 CHEVY 1500 WITH A 5.3 AND GOT 10 MILE TO THE GALLON,PULLING. WE PAY ABOUT 2.25 PER GAL IN CLEVELAND OHIO. I THINK THE ONLY THING US OIL BURNER DRIVERS HAVE IS THAT MAYBE THE TRUCKERS WILL START COMPLAINING ABOUT THE COST TO THE GREAT PEOPLE THAT RUN THIS COUNTRY INSTED OF PASSING THE INCREASE ON THE US. IM GOING TO TRY TO WRITE THE CONGRESSMAN AND JUST COMPLAINT TO HIM.

[LanduytG]

OUr fuel is $2.07 and I have not slowed down on driving. Price of fuel is not worth getting all upset. I would be willing to bet that fuel will be this price from here on out so I would say just get use to it. The problem we have is we have been use to cheap energy for decades. Europeans have been paying double or more for years. I am not saying I like high fuel prices and I don't have anymore money than anyone else, but I will have to live with it so no need to loose sleep over it. Could be driving a 8.1L and getting 10mpg empty.

Greg

[SLT556]

Jimamatic,
There is no new pricing model that says any such thing. It's a combination of more expensive crude, less available low sulfur crude, retail price gouging..and the big one...home heating oil season.

BigO,
We do not buy refined products from the middle east. Occasionaly, they come into the Gulf Coast ports when our oil commodities traders see a good deal. About 98% of gasoline and distillate is domestically produced, and regionally distributed.

[SLT556]

Originally posted by MIKE MOG:
I THINK THE ONLY THING US OIL BURNER DRIVERS HAVE IS THAT MAYBE THE TRUCKERS WILL START COMPLAINING ABOUT THE COST TO THE GREAT PEOPLE THAT RUN THIS COUNTRY INSTED OF PASSING THE INCREASE ON THE US. IM GOING TO TRY TO WRITE THE CONGRESSMAN AND JUST COMPLAINT TO HIM. [/QB]Truckers are already complaining. They have been charging fuel surgarges on their freight rates now for over a year. You know where it really hurts? Railroads. Railroad freight rates have more than doubled in the past year, and they too charge a fuel surcharge now...in upwards of 10% of the freight rate. Even oil companies are complaining about it. I schedule mostly butane tank cars into and out of four refineries for gasoline blending, and I've seen the bulk freight rates go from $.07/gallon last year, to $.145 this year for the same route. This does not help our motor fuel prices at all...and no, the refineries cannot simply market less expensive fuels. This all starts and stops with the people that have exploration rights: Exxon, Chevron, Shell, BP...

[2dogs]

Jimamatic,
There is no new pricing model that says any such thing. It's a combination of more expensive crude, less available low sulfur crude, retail price gouging..and the big one...home heating oil season.

The home heating thing is simply pure and simple BS for us here in the Pacific Northwest! We have had the mildest winter on record - and our Diesel has went through the freaking roof! I'm not one for conspiracies BUT it appears to me that the 3 Blue States on the West Coast are being used as 1. A Test Case for Big $$$ AND 2 (conspiracy part) revenge for being a Blue State!

[Nix]

Jimamatic, check out this site: http://journeytoforever.org/biodiesel_aleksnew.html. I know I have ranted endlessly about biodiesel in the topic you started about fuel prices, but I know I'm not the only one that can see a solution to our collective problems. I am firmly convinced locally produced and distributed biofuels could put a serious bug up the collective keester of the oil companies and the congressional sock puppets that they control.

I just can't sit here and believe that Americans are just going to shut up and take it. I am young, but I seem to remember being told how the family farm(NOT the federally controlled er I mean subsidized kind)used to be the backbone of America. Wouldn't it be nice to create jobs,strengthen local economies,and simultaneously clean the environment instead of continuing to support the Mal-Martization of America?

I don't wonder why cancer rates are so high when the use of petroleum and all of its carcinogenic by-products (be it combustion or vinyl, VOCs are BAD for living things, unless you are a colony of anaerobic bacteria) is so widespread. Rudolf Diesel saw the folly of the petroleum industry in 1912. It is nearly 100 years later. What is wrong with this picture?

All whining aside, I still want my truck to move as quickly as those sweeeeeet Kennedy Diesel trucks in the videos on BMDmax's site :eek:

[ 03-14-2005, 02:16 AM: Message edited by: Nix ]

[SLT556]

Originally posted by 2dogs:
Jimamatic,


The home heating thing is simply pure and simple BS for us here in the Pacific Northwest! We have had the mildest winter on record - and our Diesel has went through the freaking roof! I'm not one for conspiracies BUT it appears to me that the 3 Blue States on the West Coast are being used as 1. A Test Case for Big $$$ AND 2 (conspiracy part) revenge for being a Blue State! Commodities economics are BS, but the revenge conspiracy holds water.... :rolleyes:

Refinery crack spreads and wholesale fuel prices are public knowledge. Feel free to research it.

[tanker]

I agree with most of the above posts. Driving at 60-65mph is a great fuel savings over the 70-75mph. I'm seeing better than 1 mpg by slowing down to 65mph and almost 2 mpg at 60mph. I think we are into the $2.00+ per gallon from here on out. Buying a gas engine truck will still cost more in fuel. I'm getting about 17+mpg city, and 20+mpg highway. My son has a 2500HD w/6.0 gas and he is below 10mpg city, and not sure about highway mpg. Yes I paid more for the D-Max/Allison, but for mpg, and towing, it can't be beat. Diesel here in SE Pa.is $2.31+, and Saturday in New Jersey it was $2.11. I just paid $1.94 for home heating oil last week. No tax on heating oil! :eek: You do the math! :rolleyes:

[Jimamatic]

Sorry for the big rant session in my last post there guys but I'm just frustrated and needed to vent. I know we have had it pretty good in the good old USA with fuel prices, but what gets me is the speed and magnitude of the change in price. On top of that, I'm facing a pay cut at work. Somewhere between 10-20%, along with cuts in medical and retirement benefits. So I feel I'm being hit with a double stinger. Thanks for the info on bio diesel. I'm starting some research on locations in my area. With all this going on coupled with having to leave my truck in the garage, it's making me cranky. But I'm not budging if I can help it. Average price is still about 2.69 per gal.