How YOU can help the oil crisis

[LA_MERC_T4rg3T]

Inflating your tires will save the same amount of oil that is possible to get from drilling in all of the US.


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[LA_MERC_th33_r00k]

Canadian but gives some numbers:
http://www.betiresmart.ca/inflation/benefits.asp?loc1=inflation&loc2=benefits
Nice video:
http://www.uniroyal.com/promo/danger/video.html
See #4:
http://finance.yahoo.com/family-home/article/105077/6-Gas-Saving-Myths
Another article:
http://www.4wheelparts.com/off-road/gas-savings-tips.aspx

I may not believe all that Barack believes in, but there is one thing I do believe in......we are in an over inflated oil rich economy due to the oil companies not the environmentalists. Why do you think the Crack dealer will give some out for free? He knows if ya get hooked you will steal from your own family to get more crack. Oil companies have set us up for where we are at today 30 yrs ago. The real and only TRUE way of curbing the high cost of fuels is to STOP USING them, or use less of them. If demand drops so will the price. That price will continue to drop until we start using their "products" again. Only 3% of the worlds ouil actually goes to gasoline. Most goes to Plastic productions. My recommendation would be to start recycling all of your plastics, buy metal H2O bottles for longevity, consciously buy less "Plastic" packaging when you can. THere are other numerous ways to save money, you just have to start turning a little more green.

I guess my next question for our Petroleum guys in here: What does the "Big Oil" machine offer for advice on conserving fuels and saving at the pump?

[LA_MERC_T4rg3T]

r00k, what point are you trying to make? Are you saying that all Americans need to do is make sure their tires are properly inflated? Are all Americans that freaking stupid to run on flat tires?

[LA_MERC_th33_r00k]

The stupid part I could see...errr. have seen. I have friends that own tire stores and my best friend has worked in the industry for over 12 yrs. Yes Americans can be that Sto0Pid. Properly inflating your tires is one baby step in the right direction. My point is that we need to stop looking for the magic pill that we can take to save us. We have to start having some sort of Self-Responsibility in the fact that our consumer driven lifestyle will not in anyway shape or form help our stance. Someone please reiterate thwe definition for insanity.....Please.

[LA_MERC_DocSparky]

If you go back to the original post, the statement that Obama makes is absurd. Sure it saves gas, but it is mathematically off by an order of magnitude. I don't think that anyone (ok, maybe a few people) here would say that we should consider our lifestyle and try to conserve energy (i.e. money), but that doesn't change his wildly incorrect statement. He needs to stick to the teleprompter.

[LA_MERC_T4rg3T]

But when someone tells me to make sure my tires are properly inflated and that savings will equal the amount of oil that we can get from drilling is basically like slapping me in the face and taking a crap on my front lawn.

I AM NOT ONE OF THOSE AMERICANS WHO REFER TO AS "sto0Pid".

Those people who you are referring to probably don't even know how to check the air pressure in their tires. They rely on your friends who own tire stores to check and maintain their tire pressure when they bring their vehicles in to get serviced. How many people do you know who change their oil themselves? A handful? Most bring their cars to service stations to get their vehicle serviced so maybe it's those idiotic mechanics who don't know how to check air pressure or mabye there are just not that many cars on the road today who are running on flat tires.

The article you posted said that properly inflated tires could save up to 2 weeks of gas a year. UP TO but probably not 2 weeks.

[LA_MERC_Nutria]

I find something there more amusing.. he said regular tune-ups. Cars nowadays do not need tune-ups. It just goes to show you how much he really knows.

[LA_MERC_th33_r00k]

I find something there more amusing.. he said regular tune-ups. Cars nowadays do not need tune-ups. It just goes to show you how much he really knows.

I would say that 60% of the vehicles driven in Helena are 10 yrs old or older. Do they still need tune-ups?

[LA_MERC_Captain_Obvious]

we are in an over inflated oil rich economy due to the oil companies not the environmentalists.

If we truely are in an oil rich economy, obama's energy plan of inflating everyone's tires and giving them tune-ups will not change how much oil is availible. It will not decrease the cost of oil per barrel. It will not decrease the price of gas at the pump. All it will do is give the small percentage of americans with under inflated tires a bump of 1-3 mpg.


The article you posted said that properly inflated tires could save up to 2 weeks of gas a year. UP TO but probably not 2 weeks.

there is no way to acurately speculate the #'s on what the total savings would be in terms of gas. it would depend on:
-the type of vehicle
-the milage the vehicle gets already (honda civic with severly low tire pressure would have bigger gains in milage after inflating them than a full size SUV)
-type of tire (now that more and more tires are being made with "stiff" sidewalls, low pressure does not effect milage like it used to)
-how many tires on the vehicle are low in pressure
-how low the pressure is to start with


So somehow obama feels he can make an acurate judgement on how much gas would be saved if everyone had proper tire inflation and feels it's the same, if not more than, as if prices or oil/gas were lowered by domestic drilling. he's an F'ing bafoon.

[LA_MERC_Nutria]

I would say no.... most cars and trucks built after 95 got away from the old cap and rotor and went to a coil on plug design which eliminated plug wires. Even if you do have one with a cap, rotor and wires they usually have platinum spark plugs which do not need changing until 100,000 miles.

[LA_MERC_T4rg3T]

Helena is setting the curve

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Passenger_vehicles_in_the_United_States#Age_of_veh icles_in_operation



In the year 2001, the National Automobile Dealers Association conducted a study revealing the average age of vehicles in operation in the US. The study found that of vehicles in operation in the US, 38.3% were older than ten years, 22.3% were between seven and ten years old, 25.8% were between three and six years old and 13.5% were less than two years old. According to this study the majority of vehicles, 60.6%, of vehicles were older than seven years in 2001.[5] This relatively high age of automobiles in the US might be explained through increased quality and life expectancy of vehicles and a corresponding gradual decline in sales figures since 1998.[6]

[LA_MERC_th33_r00k]

So somehow obama feels he can make an acurate judgement on how much gas would be saved if everyone had proper tire inflation and feels it's the same, if not more than, as if prices or oil/gas were lowered by domestic drilling. he's an F'ing bafoon.

Lets look at this.

Will having your tires at the proper inflation save/conserve gas? Yes
If cars operated at their best potential internally, would that save/conserve gas? Yes
Will using less gas help bring down the cost of Gasoline? Yes
Will drilling more oil in the Outer Cont. Shelf lower prices? If speculators want it to Yes. If you look at production increase meeting demands: No.

I would put more money on the First 2 before wagering on the last. Whenis the last time everyone here checked your tire inflation? Had your fluids changed? Flushed your radiator? Serviced your AC? Replaced belts? Greased all of your "moving" parts? Replaced filters with higher flow air filters? All of which will keep your vehicle operating at ideal settings resulting in the need for less energy to move that car.

[LA_MERC_T4rg3T]

I would put more money on the First 2 before wagering on the last. Whenis the last time everyone here checked your tire inflation? Had your fluids changed? Flushed your radiator? Serviced your AC? Replaced belts? Greased all of your "moving" parts? Replaced filters with higher flow air filters? All of which will keep your vehicle operating at ideal settings resulting in the need for less energy to move that car.

My last oil change for everything but tires. I checked my tires a little over a week ago.

Servicing my AC, changing my belts and flushing my radiator will help me get better MPG? Really?

Btw, not all vehicles now-a-days come with grease fittings. Also, I replace my air filter with the manufacture recommended air filter. Since they did all those hours of testing different oils, filters, and engine specs, I'll just stick to what they recommend.

[LA_MERC_Nutria]

When is the last time everyone here checked your tire inflation? Had your fluids changed? Flushed your radiator? Serviced your AC? Replaced belts? Greased all of your "moving" parts? Replaced filters with higher flow air filters? All of which will keep your vehicle operating at ideal settings resulting in the need for less energy to move that car.

that is not considered 'tune-up'.... that is called regular maintenance and also does not need to be done as often on newer cars.
Oil changes do not need to be done as often as you think. Radiator coolant now lasts up to 5 years... servicing your AC will NOT get you better gas mileage, turning off will.. at lower speeds... belts are made to last for 5 or more years now.... greasing your 'moving parts' can not really be done anymore, everything is sealed... high flow air filters can cause complications for newer vehicles.

[LA_MERC_Captain_Obvious]

Will having your tires at the proper inflation save/conserve gas? Yes
If cars operated at their best potential internally, would that save/conserve gas? Yes
Will using less gas help bring down the cost of Gasoline? Yes
Will drilling more oil in the Outer Cont. Shelf lower prices? If speculators want it to Yes. If you look at production increase meeting demands: No.



HAHA way to speculate and make assumptions.

real world:

Will having your tires at the proper inflation save/conserve gas? No - my tires are already properly inflated
If cars operated at their best potential internally, would that save/conserve gas? No - the parts that would effect gas consumption are all working perfect already
Will using less gas help bring down the cost of Gasoline? I'm not using less gas because of questions 1 & 2 - so cost of gas stays the same
Will drilling more oil in the Outer Cont. Shelf lower prices? Yes - It is already a proven fact that just he announcement from the President that we would drill lowered the price of oil by a decent margin.

Instead of making assumptions about the condition and age of everyone's car, I'll stick to what I know if a fact:
-I can controll both of my vehicles, and both of them are in good shape gas milage wise. I will see no additional benefit by following obama's advise. everyone else's vehicle is out of my control and I have no knowledge of the condition other people maintain their vehicles.
-The price of oil has been reduced greater than 15% after the anouncement from our President that we would drill. by actually drilling the price will come down even more.

[LA_MERC_th33_r00k]

servicing your AC will NOT get you better gas mileage, turning off will

The Ac is run off a pump, right? The same pump that is actuated when you run your defrost, right? The ac system needs lubricant via compressed cans to maintain optimal conditions. Any "drag" on any system in your car will bring down its mpg. It requires more energy to move it from here to there. All systems create wear. Wear = friction. Friction = drag. Drag = less fuel economy. As any upgrades can and will cause some issues if they are not done properly. To say not use high air flow filters due to problems with new cars is like saying never put a super charger on a car. If you do upgrades to vehicles, you must do it all.
I may be wrong here since I do not do this as much as I used to:
The problem caused by a lot of high flow filters is sensor issues right Nutria?
If you upgrade to the higher flows then you usually have to upgrade sensors and possibly "reprogram" your car's computer, right?

I guess the point is that maintaining you vehicle at optimal conditions will give your more power, less noise, and better fuel economy. I would love to see the studies done saying that a non-maintained car gets relatively the same fuel economy as a properly maintained one over the course of 10 yrs.

[LA_MERC_Nutria]

AC is a sealed system and does not need any servicing. The only time you have 'drag' is when you turn on the AC system, other than that is just a free spinning pulley. If your AC is cooling then it does not need servicing, kinda like the old saying if it aint broke don't fix it. You are right about the sensors though, but as soon as you start doing things like that to your car you void the warranty. So.. now where is the cost effectiveness there?

[LA_MERC_T4rg3T]

High flow air filter = sensors not reading accurately = the computer in your car not adjusting fuel/air mixture properly = you getting poor fuel economy

[LA_MERC_Captain_Obvious]

I guess the point is that maintaining you vehicle at optimal conditions will give your more power, less noise, and better fuel economy.

Thanks Rook, I didn't realize you were an Automotive Engineer.

p.s.

I think you just debunked everyone in this thread that kept saying we should not maintain our cars...... oh wait, no one here is saying that you shouldn't maintain your vehicle. The actual topic is that Obama thinks there is such a widespread issue of vehicles in disrepair that if magical fairies aved their firery socket wrench wands to inflates everyone's tires that it would save the country as much as if we took the oil out of the ground and used it.

[LA_MERC_th33_r00k]

Saving the country as much $$$ was never the inference. He made the inference that it (properly inflated tires and vehicle maintenance) would CONSERVE as much gasoline, as we would get out of drilling the OCS. In total volume not $$$. I still think this is not a "far-fetched" notion.

I for one am not the super car maintenance guy. I have a house to remodel, yard work needing done, 2 jobs, kids to play with, a wife to spend time with, friends to see. Birthday parties, barbecues to attend, baseball games to go to, kids sports to watch, etc....I just do not have time to check my vehicles over every 2-3 days to maintain perfect operating specs like everyone else does. I must have to restructure my time a little better. My tires are all prolly at different inflation settings, my oil is months and miles overdue, my coolant hasn't been flushed in awhile, I haul useless kid sh1t around in the back which increases my weight of the vehicle, I to walk when I can, and I guess I am wasting fuel. I am one of those sto0piD people who just do not think of my vehicle as a leech, but tonight when I go home, I will check my fluids, air up my tires, wash my vehicle (7% fuel savings on the highway), and smoke my cigar while enjoying a drink among friends while barbecuing in my back yard. If I forget, my suburban will be there tomorrow.

[LA_MERC_T4rg3T]

Saving the country as much $$$ was never the inference. He made the inference that it (properly inflated tires and vehicle maintenance) would CONSERVE as much gasoline, as we would get out of drilling the OCS. In total volume not $$$. I still think this is not a "far-fetched" notion.

I for one am not the super car maintenance guy. I have a house to remodel, yard work needing done, 2 jobs, kids to play with, a wife to spend time with, friends to see. Birthday parties, barbecues to attend, baseball games to go to, kids sports to watch, etc....I just do not have time to check my vehicles over every 2-3 days to maintain perfect operating specs like everyone else does. I must have to restructure my time a little better. My tires are all prolly at different inflation settings, my oil is months and miles overdue, my coolant hasn't been flushed in awhile, I haul useless kid sh1t around in the back which increases my weight of the vehicle, I to walk when I can, and I guess I am wasting fuel. I am one of those sto0piD people who just do not think of my vehicle as a leech, but tonight when I go home, I will check my fluids, air up my tires, wash my vehicle (7% fuel savings on the highway), and smoke my cigar while enjoying a drink among friends while barbecuing in my back yard. If I forget, my suburban will be there tomorrow.


So basically, the rest of us who do maintain our vehicles have to suffer with high gas prices because people like yourself are not getting optimal fuel efficiency?

Do you see where this is headed.

Meanwhile, the government can allow drilling to help those of us who are taking all the necessary precautions to save fuel so we can see some type of reward at the pump. Meanwhile, you will still be paying more for gas because of inefficency.

That is unless you would rather the government step in and mandate regular vehicle maintenance and start some type of "Air Pressure" police to check our tires at certain check points along roads. Wait, wouldn't that require more government jobs and spending so that means they would have to raise taxes... hmmm

[LA_MERC_LaTech]

Off topic: Interesting article on the area of Alaska in question: http://www.dakotavoice.com/2008/07/anwr-picture-is-worth-thousand-words.html

Back on topic:

Will having your tires at the proper inflation save/conserve gas? Yes Yes...I agree. From Goodyear: http://www.goodyear.com/media/pr/pr_2004/22872ti.html - Which states that, yes, you will save between 3 and 7% of your annual fuel costs by having properly maintained tire pressure.


If cars operated at their best potential internally, would that save/conserve gas? Yes
I agree, however, how many cars that are on the road actually operate at the optimum state? Few, I would say.


Will using less gas help bring down the cost of Gasoline? Yes
Simple economics of supply and demand. As demand for an item decreases, the price will drop. This assumes, however, that the present level of production remains the same. As we are seeing presently, the supply of oil/gasoline is on the decline (whether this is actual or speculated can be debated, of course). In THAT scenario, the price will remain the same, or will continue to grow (if demand = supply, the price should remain unchanged, but if supply < demand, the price will increase).


Will drilling more oil in the Outer Cont. Shelf lower prices? If speculators want it to Yes. If you look at production increase meeting demands: No.
Ok...so you want to flood the market with a commodity that, in it's natural form, is worthless as "gasoline". It needs to be refined, which takes a refinery to do this. You also have to get the oil TO the refinery (I'm aware of the Trans-Alaskan Pipeline). But wait...you only have a certain number of refineries operating at capacity...so the increased amount of gas that can be produced is close to nil (or close enough, anyway). This is AT CURRENT GAS PRODUCTION LEVELS!

So...how do you produce more gas? You build more refineries. The problem with building refineries is, they are REALLY expensive, but the oil companies know they can pass on the expenses to you, the consumer, through increased gas prices...wait a second, this isn't working out the way we want to anymore. We need a new solution! Lets subsidize the oil companies with tax dollars!...do you see the futility?

[LA_MERC_th33_r00k]

Think outside the box. If the air pressure doesn't apply, find something that does. Change it and conserve in your specific to your needs scenario. If you buy full latex sex toys, buy ones made from partially recycled materials. The point is our mindset has to change as Americans to get out from under foreign oil. I know some here are perfect and do no wrong, but 60% of Americans prolly are not as perfect as y'all, and need to "inflate their tires" in one way or another.
No you do not have to suffer. Change the way you commute. Change the path you drive. Buy a better efficient car. You do not need to suffer, unless you want to and then complain about it. Its like eating out and b1tching that it cost to much. Then do not do it. No matter the time era. No matter the economy. No matter what your opinion is. The oil companies ALWAYS make record profit. So if you want to suffer so be it. Just do not complain that you are an innocent bystander of the American economy.

[LA_MERC_Captain_Obvious]

It's all a lot of hot air if you ask me. (weeee I made a pun!)

couldn't help but noticing a new add put up today asking if hussein is the "the one"

http://abcnews.go.com/video/playerIndex?id=5498450

[LA_MERC_Captain_Obvious]

I know some here are perfect and do no wrong, but 60% of Americans prolly are not as perfect as y'all, and need to "inflate their tires" in one way or another.
.

60%? ?? ? really? do you have a source for that, other than a blog by someone who learned how to post on the internet? maybe the IIHS, DOT, etc.? I would guess the # would be closer to 15-20%, but that's just using an educated guess and no real statistical data to form off of.

[LA_MERC_th33_r00k]

So you really think 85% of Americans have perfect tire inflation specs, or their vehicle gets serviced exactly how it calls for. Gawd Damm you believe in your fellow driving citizens.

Nooch how do you stay in business when everyone drives cars that are maintained perfectly and you only have to do so every 100,000 miles. Of course, the 15% I belong to keep you busy I am sure.

C.O. show me the proof where if we dip a bit in the OCS, we will make "X" in savings, pump "X" in oil everyday, it will last for "X" years, and "X" in alternative fuels we will discover in the next 30 yrs. It sounds to me like this drilling the OCS is just as political as it is nonsense. The people that want to drill are the "speculators" in the scenario. Let them prove the worth of drilling outside of "It just has to help." One thing that has been proven repeatedly in our nations past. Oil will always be a "crisis" unless we change the way we function. You can take pot shots at all the arguments you want. The fact is drilling has never been able to curb the oil machine and will never curb it. It is a moot point.

If you are ass deep in alligators the first priority is to drain the pond, not add more water to dilute them out. This discussion is pointless.

[LA_MERC_T4rg3T]

FACT: Buying Saudi oil weaks the US dollar
FACT: Relying on oil from overseas weaks US Security
FACT: Supply and Demand. Increase supply will reduce demand. Please remember that gas is not the only thing made from oil. Look around your room and a vast majority of those products are made with oil products/by products. The shoes on your feet are a good example. Increase supply reduces cost of oil. Reduce the cost of oil will reduce the cost of gas. Hopefully you watch the stock market. When the price per barrel of oil goes up, gas at the pump goes up that same day. It has nothing to do with how much gas the refineries are pumping out.

Yes, correct tire inflation can help save gas. So can driving under 60 mph. So can reducing stop and go traffic, so can keeping your gas tank half full to reduce the weight in your vehicle, so can car pooling, so can keeping new tires on your car (made from oil), so can keeping your car under 2000 rpm's when accelerating, so can taking the public bus transportation system... .should I go on?

[LA_MERC_Nutria]

I sell more than just minor parts. Just because you maintain your vehicle that does not mean it will get poor gas mileage. Bad brakes do not cause bad gas mileage but they do wear down. Alternators and starters fail, they do not cause bad gas mileage. Shock, struts, ball joints, timing belts... you name it we sell it... and yes I do notice that we do not sell many spark plugs or other 'tune-up' parts as we used to. Basically our biggest seller is brakes.. hey everyone needs to stop right?

[LA_MERC_th33_r00k]

Yes keep going.

[LA_MERC_Sabre]

lol, you guys are cracking me up!

The reason for drilling for this new oil and the reason to find alternative energy sources is a national security concern. They are using the high gas prices as a 'selling point'. just look at the statistics....3% of crude oil goes to gasoline. The problem is that we are way too dependent on countries that hate us....eventually we will get screwed because of this. Don't let media and politicians fool you...it is a national security concern and it is real.

Will having a finely tuned car help (including tire pressure)? of course it would, but there are very few peeps in the US that can afford to keep their cars finely tuned...I for one, settle for 'does it start in the morning' and can I get to work?