October 18, 2004
Eye opener
This was an eye opener this morning:
Especially since the Honda is in the shop at the moment, so I'm driving the 6-cylinder gas guzzling Dakota, which I should have sold months ago.
This can't be good for the president. I've never seen gas prices this high. The highest I saw last year was $2.19. I thought the plan was to drop gas prices right before the election. That's only two weeks away. Certainly our memories can't be that short, can they?
Another thing, what's with the $0.10 differences between regular and plus, and plus and supreme? Shouldn't the differences be a percentage? Is the value of the additives really $0.10? If it's extra refining, should it be a percentage of the oil price? I've always been curious about the $0.10 increments. It's just marketing from what I can see.
Posted by jherr at October 18, 2004 07:29 AMThe Straight Dope answers your question regarding the effects and proper use of octane... http://www.straightdope.com/columns/041008.html "...a higher octane rating means the fuel is less likely to cause your engine to knock or ping. Knock, also known as detonation, occurs when part of the fuel-air mixture in one or more of your car's cylinders ignites spontaneously due to compression, independent of the combustion initiated by the spark plug... The majority of cars are designed to run on regular gas, and that's what the manuals tell the owners to use. Higher-performance cars often require midgrade or premium gas because their engines are designed for higher compression (higher compression = more power), and regular gas may cause knock. If your car needs high-octane gas, the manual will say so."
Posted by: deeje cooley at October 18, 2004 12:27 PMThanks. Turns out I got the exact same answer at lunch today from an auto buff. Thanks for setting the record straight.
Damn, we were hoping you'd be above $3 by now. I guess the oil cartels are not doing their jobs (tongue planted firmly in cheek). Seriously, we're rapidly approaching $2 here, so I thought you'd be a lot closer to $3 for regular.
Why should anyone drop gas prices? If we are willing to pay for the convenience, why should the oil cartels charge the appropriate amount to pad their own pockets? I hate paying it too, but I'm too dependent on my car to not pay it. And until enough people are put out enough by it, there will be no REAL research for alternative fuels--and certainly no mass marketability for it.
Posted by: eigga49 at October 19, 2004 01:03 PMSo where is the level point, $4 a gallon.
Word on the street is that the prices are being held artificially LOW by the oil companies to try and keep GW in the White House.
Posted by: jherr at October 19, 2004 01:23 PMThanks for signing in, . Now you can comment. (sign out)
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