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Gas Prices Soar 51 Cents in Just Two Months
CNS News ^ | February 18, 2013 | Julia Seymour

Posted on 02/18/2013 10:03:56 AM PST by george76

Per gallon cost has risen every business day for a month.

Consumers are taking another huge hit in 2013. First, the two percent Social Security tax hike began the year. Now, gas prices are soaring ever closer to $4 a gallon and have jumped 51 cents a gallon since Dec. 20.

According to the Oil Price Information Service, the national average for a gallon of unleaded was $3.21.9 on Dec. 20, 2012. Today, that price is $3.73.0. While there has been a steady increase, prices shot almost 9 cents just over the weekend.

...

It took the media some time to catch on to rising gas prices, as "Good Morning America's" Josh Elliot said two weeks after the climb began that "we have just learned that gas prices have skyrocketed."

Those higher pump prices hurt consumers, who were already paying more for gas than in decades. The Energy Information Administration (EIA) reported recently that the average household spent more on gas last year, as a percentage of income, than it had in 30 years.

(Excerpt) Read more at cnsnews.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Extended News; Front Page News; News/Current Events; US: California; US: District of Columbia; US: Illinois; US: New York
KEYWORDS: democrats; energy; gas; gasprices; obama; oil
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To: American Constitutionalist
One thing that some people can do is reduce the weight of the engine by trying to see if their engine can be retro fitted with aluminium cylinder heads. That there alone can reduce at least 50 to 75 pounds of weight.

How expensive would gas have to get for this to pay off?

Let's say your car currently gets 18 mpg, and that it would cost $1000 (on the low side) for the head replacement, and removing 50-75 pounds of weight would improve gas mileage by 3 percent (I think that's generous).

With gas at $8.00 a gallon, you would have to drive 80,000 miles to get your thousand bucks back. And you wouldn't want to swap out heads until your existing engine was out of warranty, right? So better be prepared to put 120,000 plus on her.

How expensive would gas have to be to make this deal pay off in a more reasonable 50,000 miles. Between $13 and $14 a gallon. And at that point we'll all be driving Fiat 500s anyway.

I love to run the numbers for people.......

41 posted on 02/22/2013 5:51:02 PM PST by Notary Sojac (Ut veniant omnes)
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To: Notary Sojac

You’re using basic math and logic.
Is that still allowed on FR?


42 posted on 02/22/2013 6:00:07 PM PST by nascarnation (Baraq's economic policy: trickle up poverty)
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To: nascarnation
I hear so many dummies dropping $40,000 on a hybrid so they can save 15 miles a gallon over the conventional version of the same car which costs $28,000. Not realizing that with gas at double what it is now, they'll still have to drive 100,000 miles to break even.

Which is why so many of the so-called high MPG cars today don't make sense. My daily driver is is a 2005 Nissan Altima. It's all paid for, has a V6 with plenty of scat, gets 23-24 mpg, and holds four with luggage easily. Why the heck would I spend $20,000 on a less powerful, less comfortable 35mpg car in order to save $900 a year on gas?

Now if that $20,000 car got 90 mpg, or I was a sales rep who had to buy my own gas for 60,000 miles a year....maybe. But for the normal commuter, forget it.

43 posted on 02/22/2013 6:22:07 PM PST by Notary Sojac (Ut veniant omnes)
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To: Notary Sojac

In commercial trucking, which I was involved with for 25 years, the concept of “life cycle cost” is paramount.

I remember my buddy back in 73 (the first OPEC embargo) sold a beautiful Buick 225 for peanuts and bought a Vega. Took him about 2 weeks to figure out that was a dumb move.


44 posted on 02/22/2013 6:35:17 PM PST by nascarnation (Baraq's economic policy: trickle up poverty)
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To: nascarnation
I remember my buddy back in 73 (the first OPEC embargo) sold a beautiful Buick 225 for peanuts and bought a Vega. Took him about 2 weeks to figure out that was a dumb move.

Had it totally rusted through in two weeks?

45 posted on 02/22/2013 6:39:29 PM PST by Alaska Wolf (I)
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To: Alaska Wolf

In Cleveland, it took about 18 months for the front fenders to perforate. The GT model was fun to drive though, they had a great suspension and handled as good as anything on the road back then.


46 posted on 02/22/2013 6:45:46 PM PST by nascarnation (Baraq's economic policy: trickle up poverty)
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To: nascarnation

You are right about Vegas. Great design, abysmal execution. I was driving a 67 Dodge Charger (Petty blue with a 383, sweetest car evah) during the oil embargo and thankfully was never tempted to sell it.


47 posted on 02/22/2013 6:52:55 PM PST by Notary Sojac (Ut veniant omnes)
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To: Notary Sojac

I got trapped visiting Michigan on a Sunday in Jan 74.
No gas stations open anywhere. Of course my 69 Z28 sucked gas like a race car.


48 posted on 02/22/2013 6:58:38 PM PST by nascarnation (Baraq's economic policy: trickle up poverty)
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To: LostInBayport

yup, utter hypocrisy, but since the msm votes about 95% democrat, why would they run hatchet pieces on their guy?!


49 posted on 02/22/2013 7:43:03 PM PST by Secret Agent Man (I can neither confirm or deny that; even if I could, I couldn't - it's classified.)
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To: American Constitutionalist

you can overinflate by about 30-35% and you should see an improvement in mpg. wouldn’t recommend doing it in the winter, though.


50 posted on 02/22/2013 7:46:31 PM PST by Secret Agent Man (I can neither confirm or deny that; even if I could, I couldn't - it's classified.)
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To: Terry Mross

if they have to admit they were wrong, they’d have to admit they are not any smarter than the conservatives they think are so stupid and just believe whatever they’re told by their leaders.


51 posted on 02/22/2013 7:48:32 PM PST by Secret Agent Man (I can neither confirm or deny that; even if I could, I couldn't - it's classified.)
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To: nascarnation

the difference todayis you can get a decent sall car with great mileage, the vega was one of the worst cars ever made.


52 posted on 02/22/2013 7:50:47 PM PST by Secret Agent Man (I can neither confirm or deny that; even if I could, I couldn't - it's classified.)
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To: george76

.
.
.

Cost per year to finance the Obama’s Va-Cas, Par-Tays, and Goofing: :

Over a billion dollars: :

$1,000,000,000

We could hire the entire Brit Royal Family for only $258,000,000 a year!

258 million bucks

- and hire an honest manager

.
.
.


53 posted on 02/22/2013 9:32:55 PM PST by devolve ( -------- -- --It is not where Obama was born that is the problem - it is where he*s living now--)
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To: george76

.
.
.

Cost per year to finance the Obama’s Va-Cas, Par-Tays, and Goofing: :

Over a billion dollars: :

$1,000,000,000

We could hire the entire Brit Royal Family for only $258,000,000 a year!

258 million bucks

- and hire an honest manager

.
.
.


54 posted on 02/22/2013 9:34:48 PM PST by devolve ( -------- -- --It is not where Obama was born that is the problem - it is where he*s living now--)
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To: Notary Sojac
If someone were to be mechanical inclined that has aluminium heads laying around then yes, that would pay off.
I read somewhere that for every 100 pounds of reduction of weight from a car you can get 2 to 3 % boost in the MPG.
Wonder if they can make plastic casings for AC compressors, alternators, that can withstand the heat and just as strong as metal casings ?
How about the weight of a full tank of gas compared to 1/2 a tank of gas ? 1/4 tank of gas ?
What would the numbers be then ?
I know 1 square foot of water weighs about 64 pounds so ? what would 1 square foot of gas or the volume of a full tank of gas weigh ?

55 posted on 02/22/2013 11:09:07 PM PST by American Constitutionalist
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To: Secret Agent Man

The problem with over inflating your tires on your car is that it will cause premature wear on the tires and front end parts and could be dangerous.


56 posted on 02/22/2013 11:10:42 PM PST by American Constitutionalist
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To: American Constitutionalist

Gas ~6.7 lbs/gal
Water ~7.2 lbs/gal


57 posted on 02/22/2013 11:17:08 PM PST by DaveArk
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To: American Constitutionalist

it can, but it can be minimized depending on how you drive and what kinds of roads you drive on.


58 posted on 02/22/2013 11:20:29 PM PST by Secret Agent Man (I can neither confirm or deny that; even if I could, I couldn't - it's classified.)
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To: DaveArk

Water ~8.2 lbs

Typo :(


59 posted on 02/22/2013 11:22:30 PM PST by DaveArk
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To: American Constitutionalist
Well of course if you can save weight effectively for free that pays off. Someone who has to investigate to see if lighter heads are available, as you stated in the earlier post, would probably not be able to do it for free though.

I used to be a pretty fair shade tree mechanic back in the '70s and '80s, but I would not trust myself to do a major teardown and rebuild on one of today's cars.

And BTW I like lightweight cars. Have driven Alfa Spiders, tweaked Karmann Ghias, and my current fun car is a little rocket ship called a Honda S2000.

But you won't find too much love for lighter cars here on FR. "I like me a big heavy armor-sided monster cuz it's like, safer if you get t-boned by a Peterbilt, herp derp....."

60 posted on 02/23/2013 5:17:10 AM PST by Notary Sojac (Ut veniant omnes)
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