Gas is almost below $1...
- Thread starter toadermcgee
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Big Papa said:Filled up today for $46. $2.00 for 93 octane here in Dallas.
It is still about 2.60-2.80 here.......
asmith996 said:
I usually drive until the light is on, then fill the tank. In a month's time I'm using the same amount of gas. Either I fill the tank once or I fill the tank twice. If I'm using the same amount of gas in a month, I don't think it's going to make that much of a difference in the supply chain. It's cutting back on miles that will make inventories rise.
asmith996 said:
Usually around here the prices are rising, so I've paid less for my tank of fuel that what is currently being charged. But it equals out either way. I buy half a tank at $2.00/gal. Next time I buy half a tank at $2.20/gal. Next half tank is at $2.25, and the last half tank is at $2.30. It averages $2.18/gal for two full tanks. OR I buy a full tank at $2.00, then buy a full tank at $2.30. Those two tanks cost me an average of $2.15/gal. I believe the math will work the same way while prices are dropping. Around here they shoot up a whole lot faster than they drop.
Yes it sucks to see the gas $.05 cheaper the next day, but it evens itself out. And it really pissed me off when I filled up at $2.75, drove 58mi across town and found the gas for $2.53 in Apache Junction. :banghead:
chris snell said:
.11 cents a gallon.
They actually shut the place down, it was in the paper, it turns out they willingly did that, and saved credit card numbers and charged everyone back. Advertised price was $0.11. My bank actually went after them, apparently it's illegal to store credit card numbers, so it serves them right. They actually tried to pull the same scam with .10 cents and it got them caught. The teller was standing outside the entire time watching everyone laughing.
There's been 4-5 owners of this station in the last 5-6 years.
It's a Marathon station at the corner of 64+47.
Premium just dropped to $2.96 for 90 octane. You know your paying a lot for fuel when California is cheaper!
When in doubt refer to golf for life's lessons...
The bottom half of the tank vs. the top half of the tank is the same logic as saying "if you play off the blue tees you will shoot a higher score" when in fact it does not change your score it only changes the club that you use to make your shot. Sorry if you are not a golfer but some will know what I mean.
I would suggest that the extra weight of hauling a half a tank of gas around has about as much impact as that big ass tool box that you won't take out of the back of your rover.
As for the slosh and evap, the rover fuel system is a closed one and the vapors from the fuel tank are fed directly into the plenum and burned so it is a moot point. As for slosh, with a high center of gravity vehicle, the gas actually lowers the center of gravity and the slosh would have minimal effect on the stability of the vehicle.
The bottom half of the tank vs. the top half of the tank is the same logic as saying "if you play off the blue tees you will shoot a higher score" when in fact it does not change your score it only changes the club that you use to make your shot. Sorry if you are not a golfer but some will know what I mean.
I would suggest that the extra weight of hauling a half a tank of gas around has about as much impact as that big ass tool box that you won't take out of the back of your rover.
As for the slosh and evap, the rover fuel system is a closed one and the vapors from the fuel tank are fed directly into the plenum and burned so it is a moot point. As for slosh, with a high center of gravity vehicle, the gas actually lowers the center of gravity and the slosh would have minimal effect on the stability of the vehicle.
the reason filling halfway will not work is the same reason the mass emails about "dont buy gas on xx/xx/08" never works: there is enough in the system that one day is barely a splash in the bucket. You would have to be able to go several weeks (2 to 3) before it would make the reserves build up to a point of being a buyers market. For everyday you dont buy fuel, there are tens of thousands of tractor/trailors, farm tractors, delivery trucks, ect. that have to buy fuel everyday. Trust me: they buy more fuel in a day then us only buying half a tank a week.
further more, i have to fill up once a week when i am working. I dont see how me filling halfway up tuesday night then again friday night is any different from me filling all the way up friday night.
the only way to drive reserves up and therefore drive prices down in with decreased usage: drive less, car pool, public transportation. Out here in the sticks we dont have a reliable form of public transportation so i have to stick with driving less and car pooling whenever i can.
further more, i have to fill up once a week when i am working. I dont see how me filling halfway up tuesday night then again friday night is any different from me filling all the way up friday night.
the only way to drive reserves up and therefore drive prices down in with decreased usage: drive less, car pool, public transportation. Out here in the sticks we dont have a reliable form of public transportation so i have to stick with driving less and car pooling whenever i can.
I totally disagree with the....using more fuel if you fill it all the way up theory!!!
I get it, we use that theory in boats very often Thats with 200-1000 gallon tanks!
In 4 years, I have never noticed a difference in MPG on a half tank or a full tank.
I get it, we use that theory in boats very often Thats with 200-1000 gallon tanks!
In 4 years, I have never noticed a difference in MPG on a half tank or a full tank.
fosterchild420 said:
I'm guessing this was at least partly in response to my comment earlier. If so, I guess I was not clear. I am not saying that buying less is any sort of long term solution, I was saying that when prices are on a downward trend, the pump price lags behind the futures price in the speed it falls. In a stable market it is pointless to do the half-fill because the overall price you pay will be the same.
What I was saying is essentially use your gas as a sort of reserve to avoid paying the higher than normal profit margins during the decline. If you fill up 2x a week it's pointless, I agree. However if you go 1-2 weeks between fill ups, AND enough people were to fill this way, it would have the effect of hastening the point of price at the pump matching the wholesale price.
In a stable market say the gas stations make 5 cents per gallon.
Now the price rockets up in the futures market by twenty cents per gallon, the gas station immediatly raise their prices by that twenty cents using the logic that their next tank will cost twenty cents per gallon more. While true, it still means they are making 25 cents per gallon on the gas in the tank, then back to 5 cents per gallon once the new more expensive gas arrives.
Not much you can do about that situation except bend over and take it OR reduce your demand in the long term (ie drive less)
Now on the other side, when prices start to decline the gas stations have gas in their tanks that cost more than the the futures price, but now they hold the line on price using the logic that the gas they are selling was purchased at a higher price and they have to sell that first. So, rather than take into account the extra profit that was made in the initial jump in prices to bring the price down in lock step with the futures market, which would involve a loss on they gas they are selling but would really just even out to the same 5 cent overall profit, they lower it more slowly even as the tanks are replenished with less expensive fuel. The only reason the prices come down at all in this situation are competition from other stations, but no station owner in their right mind would lower more than a few cents less than their neighbor so prices come down much more slowly than they rise.
Profits are higher for a short time when prices are rising and higher for a much longer time when prices are falling.
All I am saying is if enough people use their existing gas as a cushion when prices are falling it will make the price at the pump fall at closer to the same rate as the futures market is falling. This is only applicable when prices are falling, in a stable market or when prices are rising it would have no effect, this whole discussion is really just an expansion of why drillbit was correct is this post.
11-20-2008 04:27 PM Drillbit
dont fill up your cars
buy half tanks till oil levels off
it's headed toward 1.25 at the pump
Diesel went from 2.68 yesterday to 2.55 today. I was so right. I am a genius due the fact I understand basic math concepts.
Drillbit said:
So if you bought half a tank yesterday at $2.68, used it, and had to buy half a tank today at $2.55, you paid $2.61/gal for a full tank of gas. When prices are dropping, It does save you a few dollars per tank, but you have to spend that extra time at the gas station.
Next thing we know, the oil companies will be asking for a US government bailout.
"look at profits, we're losing billions per day, we request 50 trillion dollars to increase production and to get back in the black."
That's me talking out of my azz, but I'm willing to bet all my used Disco I parts it will happen.
Bailouts are big business.
"look at profits, we're losing billions per day, we request 50 trillion dollars to increase production and to get back in the black."
That's me talking out of my azz, but I'm willing to bet all my used Disco I parts it will happen.
Bailouts are big business.
haveyour401k said:
Oil companies are traditionally very self reliant. During the late 90's they didn't ask for a bail out. They just waited for the dot com bust and for the world ran out of easy to get oil. Now they are the bad guy for producing what everyone needs. However I think they are use to carrying that burden, thankfully.
Enjoy while it lasts.
It Won't
Production will be slowed down in the middle east. Which will cause inventories to lower which will increase the cost at the pump. Eventually crude will rise to $100 a barrel and level off. Since we are in a historic economic crisis all comodity prices are dropping. We will enjoy lower fuel prices until we get back on solid ground then we'll be back to $4.00 a gallon fuel.
It Won't
Production will be slowed down in the middle east. Which will cause inventories to lower which will increase the cost at the pump. Eventually crude will rise to $100 a barrel and level off. Since we are in a historic economic crisis all comodity prices are dropping. We will enjoy lower fuel prices until we get back on solid ground then we'll be back to $4.00 a gallon fuel.