Posted on 08/07/2005 5:10:04 PM PDT by traumer
Drivers Tired of Paying More for Premium Gasoline Switch to Regular
For some people, it's hitting the big five-oh that really hurts -- that is, dropping $50 on a tank of gas. For others, it's just that relentless upward creep in prices that gets their attention.
Whatever the trigger, drivers pulling up to the pump in vehicles that ostensibly require high-grade gas are wondering if they really need the more expensive fuel or whether it's okay just to fill it up with regular. As gas prices soar, car owners increasingly are going for the cheaper stuff -- no matter how fancy their wheels. And station owners and oil companies are seeing the impact: Sales of premium and mid-grade gasoline are tumbling.
It's an age-old response, industry experts say, for drivers to switch from pricey, higher-octane formulations of gas to cheaper alternatives whenever gasoline prices rise substantially. Now, with prices stuck stubbornly high, oil experts wonder whether high-grade gas will go the way of the Studebaker.
"I foresee no serious decline in prices anytime soon, so the question is, will consumers' buying habits change permanently if the higher prices stay as they are," said Daniel F. Gilligan, president of the Petroleum Marketers Association, which represents independent filling stations. "Will it be more difficult to attract consumers back to the higher-octane fuels? I don't know."
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
it is cheaper to add the stuff to your own tank. They are trying to charge you 5 bucks for a buck of product
This is odd behavior. You only need the octane that the manufacturer recommends for the vehicle. Buying a higher grade will not help performance, but buying a lower one than recommended will. Price should have nothing to do with the buyer's decision.
Just got back from the gas station -- noticed that diesel fuel was at 3.09 a gallon. Now, I haven't seen that before.
The media is pulling out all the stops to get people in a frenzy over gas prices. They love a crisis (Jimmy Carter must have been a dream). When gas went over $1 in 1977, the equivalent in today's dollars is $3.81/gallon. Not that I don't care about gas prices, but I don't see it as anything to scream about, either. The price of the car itself, the insurance, and maintenance cost a whole lot more.
Yeah but if you don't bump the Octane the repair costs will put a real hurting on you.
TT
If the oil companies continue to show sky rocketing profits, I think they will be investigated by Congress.
don't worry, the oil companies will solve this problem - they will raise the price of regular, claiming "too many people have switched to buy regular, we are running low".
Why is Diesel so high? It used to be 1/2 the price of Gasoline? Does anybody know?
Huh? (I was tempted to say "central planning perhaps" but I know that's not what you're implying... *\;-)
But price would follow perceived value, whether true or not.
Even at $10 a gallon, still beats walking!
My supercharger requires that I burn 93 octane. I'd ruin the engine otherwise.
its the financial houses that need to be investigated for hedge fund and arbitrage activity in the futures market - that $10+ in the price of every bbl now. oil is the new "tech stock" for them.
Price is irrelevant to making the decision of which grade you need for your vehicle. It is what it is.
Has anyone noticed the cost of shipping on goods from appliances to grocerys have gone up noticably as well? We are paying far more out of pocket to fill up our gas tanks that just the cost of driving.
And why has diesel fuel suddenly become more expensive than gasoline? The cost of refining diesel is much less and can be derived from lower grades of oil more economically than gasoline.
And a failed corn crop in the midwest because of drought will not help the ethanol industry.
We are one refinery disaster away from $5.00 gasoline.
Got it.
I figured you probably didn't finish the sentence, and meant "hurt the engine," not "help performance." I had to do a double-take, though.
You're absolutely right. I was buying the higher grade of gas, thinking I was doing my engine a favor. Since switching to the recommended grade, I've noticed my truck runs better.
The cheapest grade of fuel works just as well as the spendy stuff. There are only a few auto's out there that require higher grades, and to all of the people that own them it isn't that big of a deal to pay a little more. A drop in the bucket.
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