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Iowafun
Join Date: Jul 2004
Posts: 955 Central Iowa
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2005-09-01          115776


Ok, I'm 30 miles east of Des Moines, Iowa. Fuel has hit $2.99 a gallon there. Wednesday morning I was still able to fule up in Newton for $2.59 a gallon. Not sure what it's at now.

CNN is reporting they can't give the national survey results because prices are going up too quickly. Some stations in Atlanta are at $4.99 / gal and one at $5.99/gal.

I've held off mowing my lawn. I think this weekend may be the last mow job for the year. I'd better consider what I can cut back on mowing for next year to save fuel.

anyone else?




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kwschumm
Join Date: Feb 2003
Posts: 5764 NW Oregon
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2005-09-01          115777


Regular unleaded was $2.61 here in Banks, Oregon yesterday and is up to $2.67 today. I should feel lucky. The gougers should be stripped of their business licenses. ....


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ncrunch32
Join Date: Dec 2003
Posts: 762 Kingston, NY
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2005-09-01          115781


$3.00 up to $3.50 a gallon for regular gas here 80 miles north of New York City. People who bought hybrid cars are probably smiling. We bought our winter fuel oil in advance for the season at $2.10 a gallon. ....


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oneace
Join Date: Mar 2004
Posts: 1490 south central pa
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2005-09-01          115783


South central PA $3.19 to $3.69. ....


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funchy
Join Date: May 2004
Posts: 128 north eastern corner of Maryland
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2005-09-01          115784


Today at 6pm I paid $2.99/gallon (Regular 87 octane). On my way back from dinner the same gas station is $3.34, just 2 hours later!

If this keeps up, going to trade in my gas guzzlers for horses and travel amish style. ....


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DennisCTB
Join Date: Nov 1998
Posts: 2707 NorthWest NJ
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2005-09-01          115789


2.99 to 3.29 Western NJ ....


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kskwash
Join Date: Jun 2004
Posts: 58 Texas
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2005-09-02          115812


$2.79 to $3.51 in Houston TX ....


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jarndt
Join Date: Dec 2003
Posts: 351 Northern Virginia
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2005-09-02          115813


$2.45 to $3.29 over 48 hours in Northern VA, 60 miles West of D.C. Well over $3.50 closer to D.C. ....


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glocknut30
Join Date: Jan 2005
Posts: 18 Raleigh, NC
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2005-09-02          115814


I paid $3.39 for REGULAR at a WalMart yesterday (9/1) in Raleigh, NC.

It went up 30 cents from 7:00 am to 11:00 at the same pumps. Outages and shortages are all over the news causing panic and everybody is filling up tanks, buckets and whatever they can find. This is the problem - not a shortage, IMHO.

I'm so happy I just bought a brand new SuperDuty last month that gets 11 MPG!!!!! The wife bought a new miniSUV two weeks ago that only uses premium due to a supercharger. Are we lucky or what?????
....


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Murf
Join Date: Dec 1999
Posts: 7249 Toronto Area, Ontario, Canada
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2005-09-02          115818


Here's a good one, everybody sitting down?

Regular unleaded is at US$5.893/US gallon here now.

Diesel is at US$4.35/US gallon still, but will go up shortly they say.

In some areas gas has already hit US$5.90/US gallon.

Predictions are that it will likely hit US$7.00/US gallon before things turn around.

Clean your windshield and your bank account mister?

BTW, I too drive a Super Duty Ford, but mine has the PSD and a tall rear end gearing, I can squeeze 18+ mpg out of it around town, and 22+ mpg on the highway if I keep my right foot under control. ....


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ScooterMagee
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 201 Nebraska
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2005-09-02          115819


I bought gas and diesel yesterday in Omaha, NE. The 3 grades of gas were $2.99 - $3.09 - $3.19, and diesel was only $2.65 ....


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DRankin
Join Date: Jan 2000
Posts: 5116 Northern Nevada
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2005-09-02          115821


$2.75, $2.95 and $3.15 here. Diesel is $3.19 or more.

I got 40 gallons of off road diesel Wednesday for $105 bucks. By the time I filled up the Tundra at the same stop I was into the $175 range.

Now would be a good time to get rid of those mud-lug tires on your truck and find some smooth running highway radials.

I took the 5w-40 synthetics out of both cars and went back to 5w-30. I am getting peppier performance and small gains in fuel mileage. ....


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Peters
Join Date: Feb 2002
Posts: 3034 Northern AL
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2005-09-02          115822


As some of you may have noticed I was in Mexico for the last year. At the border they closely matched the San Diego area on gas, the highest in the country. But I burn diesel therefore it 4.9 pesos/litre or less than $1.60. I have no idea why.

Murf Diesel in Vancouver was $98/litre in January. Has it gone up that much? You can see how well free trade works for Canadians. ....


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Murf
Join Date: Dec 1999
Posts: 7249 Toronto Area, Ontario, Canada
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2005-09-02          115827


Peters, gas was in the $095 -$0.99 Can. / litre range until Katrina hit.

For those interested in the conversion, a Cannuck buck is about US$0.83 presently and there is 3.78 litres to a US gallon.

Accordingly, $1.00 Can./litre equates to US$3.15/US gallon.

Free trade has little to do with world market prices. Our high prices are due to two things, high taxes and high crude oil prices.

There has been a really big uproar here the last few days, Canada is a net exporter of crude oil, same as Mexico is, and we COULD have similar low prices here too, presently the cost to produce and refine a barrel of crude is about US$14.00, or $16.85 Canadian.

This represents the cost of the oil alone, but even with the marketing, refining and retail profit added in the true cost to produce a unit (gas or diesel, litre or gallon) of fuel is about half of what the pump price is, the rest is taxes and hidden profits.

Anyone who thinks oil profits are government regulated probably also don't believe politicians are crooked, or DON'T own oil stocks either. For every law, regulation, or examining body there are a dozen loop-holes.

The fact remains however, since it is an open market-driven economy, if Canada didn't buy and sell oil at world prices at our hubs and terminals, the US would buy everything we had and we would be a bicycle republic like China.

Best of luck. ....


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AV8R
Join Date: Oct 2003
Posts: 882 North Central Wisconsin
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2005-09-02          115828


Hate to brag, but the $500 VW gets 47 mpg on diesel which just broke $3 today, here. Gas is $3.29, 3.24, 3.19 as of this morning.

Wisconsin has a minimum mark up law which state that the stations MUST mark up 9.13% from the distributor's price. This depression era legislation should be #1 on the chopping block, but, we have a taxocrat Governor now, so he never gets rid of useless legislation, just adds more. ....


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Peters
Join Date: Feb 2002
Posts: 3034 Northern AL
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2005-09-02          115830


Murf;

Before the free trade accord Canada pumped only what was required for the country. Oil was sold to the upper mid west and imported at world price. Now it is the largest exporter to the US and pumps more than 2 times what it requires.

As the oil reserves in Canada has been expanded to include the oil sands this is OK. But the other trade items like softwood lumber have been a sticking point. You would hope the president would see the light now we have to rebuild the south. ....


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Murf
Join Date: Dec 1999
Posts: 7249 Toronto Area, Ontario, Canada
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2005-09-02          115832


Legislation is only as good or effective as the lawyer writing or challenging it.

In this case the oil companies were regulated and monitored, so the reaction was to split up the business. One company owns the land, another does the exploration, another does the production and ships it to the refinery, often in yet another companies pipeline, then it gets to another companies refinery where it gets sold to a wholesaler, still them mind you, then re-sold to the retailer, along the way another company trucks it around. Then, and only then it gets pumped in our wagon, but guess what, yet another comapny owns the gas station.

The bottom lines is that each company is allowed to claw back it's 'costs' and then add a reasonable profit, multiple steps and profits and costs means that by the time you squeeze the handle, the 'costs' have been multiplied numerous times, each time it forms part of the overall profits of the oil company.

Best of luck. ....


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Murf
Join Date: Dec 1999
Posts: 7249 Toronto Area, Ontario, Canada
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2005-09-02          115833


Peters, you are of course right, and you bring up a very good point also.

Maybe George Dubya and his friends would change their minds about beef and softwood lumber if Canada decided to re-think the oil exports heading south of the border.

He's already said "no" to Canadian aid to help with Katrina, maybe he doesn't need the oil either....... ....


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Iowafun
Join Date: Jul 2004
Posts: 955 Central Iowa
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2005-09-02          115840


Canada or US, it's just plain ugly out there for anyone with the passion to covert petroleum into noise via internal combustion engines. I'm letting my lawn go further between cuttings. Haven't bothered to fire up an ATV recently.

I think more of my yard may end up the natural prairie look for next year. You know, I can claim to be a conservationist by restoring natural prairie when I'm just too cheap to buy the fuel for the tractor. ....


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ScooterMagee
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 201 Nebraska
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2005-09-02          115841


Just got back from lunch, and the prices jumped 20-cents overnight. Yesterday I topped it off at $2.99/gal (and glad I did), today the same station is at $3.19. ....


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denwood
Join Date: Jul 2004
Posts: 542 Quarryville PA
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2005-09-02          115849


A taste of Europe here at home. I filled up everything offroad at 2.15 gallon a couple weeks ago. My house can go 3 years on its tank if I keep the fire going like I have been for the past years. My toy tank should last at least a year. I even filled (2) 55 gallon drums. I didn't even know Katrina was on its way. I was thinking about starting a post about diesels in general. Is there anyone who knows without any speculation the workings of an injection pump. Is the throttle position the meter for the amount of fuel being injected per injection reguardless of RPM. While in Lithuania for 7 weeks during the winter of 02/03, I noticed all the diesel drivers poping it into neutral and coasting as far as possible, then putting it back in gear. If with throttle in idle position, the minimum fuel is injected at idle of 800 RPM, it would be considerable less than throttle in idle position but engine turning 2000 rpm since injections frequency is regulated by rpm. Instantanious fuel milage would more than double if this is true. It could make a small difference in milage. Any thoughts? I played around with it and there are places where the slippery VW can coast 1-1.5 miles and not drop below the speed limit. ....


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hardwood
Join Date: Dec 2002
Posts: 3583 iowa
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2005-09-02          115850


Denwood; Throttle position tells the governor located in the injection pump the RPM you want the engine to run. The governor then regulates the amount of fuel injected to maintain that speed under changing load conditions. the higher the load to keep your desired RPM the more fuel it injects. If throttle position alone regulated the speed of the engine the RPM's would be nearly impossible to keep at a desired level. Watch the acellerator pedal in your car when you have the speed control in use, you'll notice it changing positions as more or less fuel is needed to maintain the speed you have it set for, so kinda the same principle. Far as coasting down hills, I doubt you would save enough fuel to offset the dangers that coasting can present. Frank. ....


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dieselpusher
Join Date: Jun 2005
Posts: 31 Arizona Pinal Mountains
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2005-09-02          115859


3.10 for diesel in Arizona 09/02/05 09/01/05 it was 2.93 ....


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dieselpusher
Join Date: Jun 2005
Posts: 31 Arizona Pinal Mountains
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2005-09-02          115860


We truck drivers call neutral "Geogria Overdrive" If you get caught, you will pay enough in fines you could have bought a 100 gals. of diesel. ....


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denwood
Join Date: Jul 2004
Posts: 542 Quarryville PA
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2005-09-02          115870


I really wasn't thinking of any vehicle where coasting could present a danger, like a large truck, and also not on a hill where speed would just keep increasing. I was just trying to figure out why so many drivers in LT were doing it. I never really thought about it until our fuel started costing what theirs does. When I said diesel drivers, I should clarify, anything bigger than a compact car was a diesel there. No real matter what meters the fuel just that can the governer give less fuel than an idle or is that a minimum. If so than an engine being forced to turn 2000 rpms going down a hill with no throttle is still getting twice the fuel per a given time frame as an engine turning 1000 rpm with no throttle. Same fuel per injection, just twice as many injections. ....


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Iowafun
Join Date: Jul 2004
Posts: 955 Central Iowa
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2005-09-04          115915


I've adjusted my driving habits on my diesel F-250 but not to the extreme of putting it in neutral. I've seen significant improvement in mileage. I went from about 16.5 mpg to 17.8 and higher.

It's simple. I stopped driving 65-70 mph on the backroads to work. Speed limit is 55 so I do between 55 & 60. I don't accelerate hard either. I preplan my intown routes in my head before starting to make the most efficient route for stops, etc. I also get completely out of the throttle on downhill slopes. The truck drops only 1 or 2 MPH if any. On uphill slopes, I allow the truck to drop a few MPH like from 60 mph to 55-57 mph. Uses less fuel that way and I have gravity on my side on the downhill.

It's just too bloody expensive to have bad habits anymore. ....


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Chief
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 4297 Southwest MiddleTennessee
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2005-09-04          115922


Actually most recent design diesels are computer controlled and coasting in neutral gear has little if any effect as most diesels have a series of sensors designed into the fuel system that sense operating conditions and the computer combines these inputs to schedule fuel. By virtue of removing your foot from the accelerator pedal, fuel is cut to only that required to idle the engine. Older design engines such as the Detroit 53,71,92, and 128 series diesels used a mechanical type fuel injection system. There are still some first generation Cummins and similar design diesels that use the Bosch P7100 and similar design injection pumps as well.

I posted some information in another post about the use of off road red dye diesel. You may want to inquire in your particular area as to whether the Governor of your state has authorized the use of off road red dye diesel for use on public roads as the Governor of TN has. ....


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