Bigbruin.com
Home :: Reviews & Articles ::
Forum :: Info :: :: Facebook :: Youtube :: RSS Feed
Search  :: Register :: Log in
$4.00 Gas
Go To Page Previous  1, 2, 3, 4, 5  Next
Post new topic   Reply to topic    Bigbruin.com Forum Index -> The Den
View previous topic :: View next topic  
Author Message
FOX
I <3 Quail


Joined: 15 Nov 2004
Posts: 2074
Location: Saint Cloud, MN

PostPosted: Sun, 25 May 2008 10:52:01    Post Subject: Reply with quote View Single Post

i think the US is going to see a lot of smart cars soon (within the coming years) there are already some on the roads that ive seen and saw a truck full of them on the hwy the other day... im not really ready for them haha, granted my car is about as small as they come around here
_________________

http://www.facebook.com/DjFOXDnB
My site where I have my latest mixes! www.DjSourceInfo.com
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website
Little Bruin
Boo Boo

Joined: 07 Apr 2003
Posts: 667
Location: Pic-A-Nic Basket
T-shirt
Rated XXX


Joined: 22 Aug 2003
Posts: 795
Location: Snohomish, WA USA

PostPosted: Sun, 25 May 2008 12:00:57    Post Subject: Reply with quote View Single Post

In the long run something like those mini cars will probably be sold in the US (slightly bigger/less efficient, due to all the safety and emission equipment required here)
But right now, you can make a difference, with your own car(s)
a}tune it up, add the maximum recommend air to the tires,
b}plan your trips carefully to avoid extra trips/extra miles, use the most efficient vehicle you can if you have several
c} THIS IS the BIGGIE.......drive like gas cost $4-5/gal. accelerate Slowly (reasonably slowly..don't block traffic) keep your speeds at below the limit, look ahead to avoid hard braking/reaccelerating , etc.


While this guy is extreme, the idea is correct and the method works
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20706595/

You don't have to double your mileage to make a difference, even with high world demand, if we cut gas useage by 10%, the oil markets would drop dramatically.
We may never see $2-3 gas again, but we might avoid $5+ gas for a long time.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Blue|Fusion
Rated XXX


Joined: 30 May 2005
Posts: 441
Location: Cleveland, OH

PostPosted: Sun, 25 May 2008 16:48:24    Post Subject: Reply with quote View Single Post

I looked into what that guy does to increase mileage. In cases of regular non-hybrid cars, any money you save in gas you just throw away into engine damage. Turning off the engine only to pop the clutch and start it again repeatedly? Oil, coolant and other fluids/accessories stop flowing/working. Horrible idea.

But I've got another 2 to 3 MPG out of my car by running Auto-RX through the engine oil and transmission. Had the oil change and tranny flushed Friday, and see these improvements greatly. And the tranny flush gave me some torque back Smile.

And my favorite ideas for more fuel efficiency is either the 6-stroke engine, or the compressed air car. Can't run out of air. Can't charge $4.00/cubic foot. And one of the guys that made his own fleet of light-wight compressed air vehicles made the compressor to run off of it's own compressed air, gaining energy from friction heat, which means little to no electrical or other external power is used. Kind of win-win, no?

_________________
5 home-built PCs, ASUS A6Jc Laptop, and a PowerEdge 2650 - all running Gentoo. Now if only I can get a car and plane to run it. Take a look at my Gallery!
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
edvallie
Put Beer Here


Joined: 07 Aug 2005
Posts: 1255
Location: Computer

PostPosted: Mon, 26 May 2008 12:15:00    Post Subject: Reply with quote View Single Post

$4.19 a gallon here over the weekend, hopefully it drops back down at least a little bit. I have enough problems paying rent to have to worry about filling up my 15MPG car to get to work/classes.

I want 89cents a gallon back. Sad

_________________
ABAP? What did you call me?
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
=CDU=Above
Rated XXX


Joined: 20 Apr 2005
Posts: 217

PostPosted: Mon, 26 May 2008 14:03:54    Post Subject: Reply with quote View Single Post

Take the info for what it's worth but here the Wiki on the 2007 prices from around the world.
_________________


www.cduclan.com
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Blue|Fusion
Rated XXX


Joined: 30 May 2005
Posts: 441
Location: Cleveland, OH

PostPosted: Mon, 26 May 2008 16:14:02    Post Subject: Reply with quote View Single Post

I don't know how national the Giant Eagle super market is, but around here, we get money off of each gallon of gas for buying stuff there. The best thing I've found to do is buy the gift cards for restaurants at like $50 value and get $0.02 cents off for each $1. That's $1.00 off each gallon of gas for each card. Since my tank is 17 gallons, I have 3 plastic 5-gallon tanks. There's a 30 gallon limit on the price break, so I take advantage of it. I get to go longer between paying for gas since I have around 15 gallons, or almost a whole tank's-worth of gas sitting in the garage. And no money is lost in that either since the gift-cards I just use when I take my family or girlfriend out for dinner.

Oh, and my car automatically calculates the average fuel mileage so I know pretty much on the fly what techniques do and do not offer good MPG gains.

So far I increased mileage by approx. 2MPG by running that Auto-RX fluid through the engine oil and automatic transmission fluid. Cleans out everything and allows it to lubricate easier.

I noticed an average difference of 1-2MPG between low tire pressure (27-35psi respectively) versus the max tire pressure (35-44psi respectively).

A huge huge factor when doing highway driving mileage is wind. I never really though much about it except when flying, but it does make a huge difference on the ground, too. On a 120 mile trip between school and home, a 10MPH tailwind, doing 70MPH, gets me about 30-32MPG. A 10MPH headwind at the same speed, gets me only about 25-26MPG. With a difference of over 5MPG, I try my best to plan highway trips such as between school and home to correspond to weather now. If there's a low pressure system around our area, I'll go on the day the cold front moves in when driving home which gives me a good tailwind. Best I ever had was 20MPH winds and got 37MPG. The fuel gauge was still pegged on full when I get home. Smile

Another big one is the myth about the A/C versus windows opened thing. While A/C uses up quite a bit of mechanical or electrical power, the drag increases substantially when at high speeds (above 40-50MPH). Using the A/C while on the highway will yield better gas mileage than open windows.

For what it's worth, hope someone can save a few dollars on gas.

_________________
5 home-built PCs, ASUS A6Jc Laptop, and a PowerEdge 2650 - all running Gentoo. Now if only I can get a car and plane to run it. Take a look at my Gallery!
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
T-shirt
Rated XXX


Joined: 22 Aug 2003
Posts: 795
Location: Snohomish, WA USA

PostPosted: Mon, 26 May 2008 18:00:44    Post Subject: Reply with quote View Single Post

Blue|Fusion wrote:
I looked into what that guy does to increase mileage. In cases of regular non-hybrid cars, any money you save in gas you just throw away into engine damage. Turning off the engine only to pop the clutch and start it again repeatedly? Oil, coolant and other fluids/accessories stop flowing/working. Horrible idea.

I have to agree, that is the worst advise I saw from that group.
since many cars need the engine running for the power streering and brakes, seems like a safety hazard too.

Blue|Fusion wrote:

And my favorite ideas for more fuel efficiency is either the 6-stroke engine, or the compressed air car. Can't run out of air. Can't charge $4.00/cubic foot. And one of the guys that made his own fleet of light-wight compressed air vehicles made the compressor to run off of it's own compressed air, gaining energy from friction heat, which means little to no electrical or other external power is used. Kind of win-win, no?

perpetual motion? I don't think so.... but running a compressor at home and using the "waste heat" to heat your home/pool/hot water/etc. seems like a good idea, plus the stationary power plant is many times more efficient than even the best car, even with the trasmission loss( electrical) to get the power to your house and the losses in the compreesion process (plus it can run "off peak", making for a more balanced system)
I'm very interest in the AIR car Idea, for around town/commuter use
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Little Bruin
Boo Boo

Joined: 07 Apr 2003
Posts: 667
Location: Pic-A-Nic Basket
T-shirt
Rated XXX


Joined: 22 Aug 2003
Posts: 795
Location: Snohomish, WA USA

PostPosted: Mon, 26 May 2008 18:05:47    Post Subject: Reply with quote View Single Post

Spire wrote:
$4.89 for Diesel...

Card stopped at $100.00, truck was only 3/4 full. Thank god I ride my ATV to work and its only 1/2 a mile.

Diesel was 40 cents cheaper than gas a year ago when I bought my truck. Now its 40 cents more.

Regular is $4.49.

Crude closed over $133.00 a barrel thursday.

Diesel is about to get A LOT more expensive.
Due to the earthquake in China, many dams/hydropower plants are offline, and China is buying an extra 10% + of diesel on the world spot market to run the old diesel generators. Expect another $1 a gal by mid summer.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Blue|Fusion
Rated XXX


Joined: 30 May 2005
Posts: 441
Location: Cleveland, OH

PostPosted: Mon, 26 May 2008 19:50:26    Post Subject: Reply with quote View Single Post

T-shirt wrote:
Blue|Fusion wrote:
I looked into what that guy does to increase mileage. In cases of regular non-hybrid cars, any money you save in gas you just throw away into engine damage. Turning off the engine only to pop the clutch and start it again repeatedly? Oil, coolant and other fluids/accessories stop flowing/working. Horrible idea.

I have to agree, that is the worst advise I saw from that group.
since many cars need the engine running for the power streering and brakes, seems like a safety hazard too.

Blue|Fusion wrote:

And my favorite ideas for more fuel efficiency is either the 6-stroke engine, or the compressed air car. Can't run out of air. Can't charge $4.00/cubic foot. And one of the guys that made his own fleet of light-wight compressed air vehicles made the compressor to run off of it's own compressed air, gaining energy from friction heat, which means little to no electrical or other external power is used. Kind of win-win, no?

perpetual motion? I don't think so.... but running a compressor at home and using the "waste heat" to heat your home/pool/hot water/etc. seems like a good idea, plus the stationary power plant is many times more efficient than even the best car, even with the trasmission loss( electrical) to get the power to your house and the losses in the compreesion process (plus it can run "off peak", making for a more balanced system)
I'm very interest in the AIR car Idea, for around town/commuter use

What was described by the creator of the cars and compressors, it did sound like he somehow beat the system for perpetual motion. I don't believe it completely, but I do think it could be a very efficient system. How he described it, the heat from the compressed air was taken out by a heat exchanger, leaving room-temperature or lower compressed air in the tank and using the heat to somehow add power to the compressor motor, resulting in very little total energy loss. It was on the Discovery channel a few months ago and that's the one that really caught my attention.

I also like your idea with the at home power plant. I think it should be mandatory for every new home being built to be complete with solar panels at the least. There's also a system to cool homes by using underground temperatures. Pretty much an A/C unit without a compressor and the heat-exchanger outside and instead long pipes dug into the ground to exchange heat of the house into the ground which sustains about 50F degrees year-round.

Oh, and someone mentioned something about nuclear power plants. Last semester in my Geography class, a guest speaker from the USGS mentioned that in the next decade many new nuclear power plants are going to be built and put into use around the U.S.

_________________
5 home-built PCs, ASUS A6Jc Laptop, and a PowerEdge 2650 - all running Gentoo. Now if only I can get a car and plane to run it. Take a look at my Gallery!
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
T-shirt
Rated XXX


Joined: 22 Aug 2003
Posts: 795
Location: Snohomish, WA USA

PostPosted: Tue, 27 May 2008 09:21:39    Post Subject: Reply with quote View Single Post

here's the clip
http://zeropollutionmotors.us/?p=16
for which Discovery channel/future cars got blasted. It is not possible to run a compressor on air to compress air to run the compressor, without other energy input.
However the cars basic concept of using precompressed air, heated by a small burner to fully expand the air will work and should be available in the US in 2010 (so they say, company has been ABOUT to start production "next year" since 1996 Rolling Eyes )
I have greater faith now that TaTa motors is building a version for India (smart people at Tata, they don't lose money on anything)
So you'll have the energy cost of compressing the air, plus the burner fuel (they claim 100MPG for that, somewhere around 60-70MPG total) still far above the 20MPG average for US passenger vehicles
Remember these will be very low power (75HP, Prius is 110 total) and very basic (foam core with 2 layers of hard plastic, very little padding and few extras), to get that kind of mileage but fine for a short drive to work/school/ or down to the qwicky-mart.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Display posts from previous:   
Post new topic   Reply to topic    Bigbruin.com Forum Index -> The Den All times are GMT - 4 Hours
Go To Page Previous  1, 2, 3, 4, 5  Next
Page 3 of 5

 
Jump to:  
You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum
You cannot attach files in this forum
You can download files in this forum
Contact Us :: On Facebook :: On Youtube :: Newsletter :: RSS Feed :: FAQ :: Links :: Sponsors :: Privacy Policy
Copyright © 2000 - 2023 Bigbruin.com - All rights reserved