Oil and gas prices on the rise....

[takza]

http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/2 ... again.html


It’s beginning to feel a little like 2008.

That was the year that oil prices started rapidly rising in January, pulling gasoline prices up as well. By spring, the average gasoline price was over $3.50 a gallon. By July, it had eclipsed $4 as a barrel of oil hit $147.

...

Now that the economy appears to have righted itself amid optimism that things are beginning to turn around. There’s even renewed talk of robust growth in China, India, Brazil and other developing economies.
Approaching $100 a barrel

And right on cue, oil and gasoline prices are back up again. Crude prices are approaching $100 a barrel and the average U.S. gasoline price was over $3 a gallon on Christmas Day.

Fatih Birol, chief economist for the International Energy Agency, told the Financial Times this week that rapidly rising energy prices are a threat to the economic recovery.

...

The current copy of Consumer Reports list the real world avg fuel economy of new mid to large SUVs at around 19 mpg to 15 mpg on avg. My current real world mpg avg is 32.5 mpg (last 2 tanks are around 31 mpg)....with of course not quite the same amenities of the SUVs....but I have 4WD.

...

[deejay1272]

Do you run a Weber carb or OE carb to achieve these mpgs?

[ARCHINSTL]

Neither - he is using a turbo-encabulator, stock but with three spurving bearings instead of two.
Tom M.

[dlb]

Neither - he is using a turbo-encabulator, stock but with three spurving bearings instead of two.
Tom M.

HA!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rLDgQg6bq7o

[deejay1272]

I understand that turbo encabulators may also be used in tandem with reciprocation dingle arms. This may help me reduce problems that I'm having with sonusoidal repleneration.

[ohcanada_00]

sorry i wasnt paying attention, I just drank some blinker fluid and was out like a light

[Petros]

The current copy of Consumer Reports list the real world avg fuel economy of new mid to large SUVs at around 19 mpg to 15 mpg on avg. ..

Even the so-called "cross-over" suvs only get a real 16- 21 and the "small" ones get 21-24 mpg. They have gotten too big and too heavy. I am hoping to get as much as 38 mpg with my 4age swap.

[takza]

Do you run a Weber carb or OE carb to achieve these mpgs?

Still running the same OEM carb for the last 70K miles....advanced ignt and no vac advance. If you have a good running OEM carb...I'd say stick with it.

Running full synth with Tufoil additives in engine/drivetrain...not too sure it's doing much better mpg wise though. Car does run a lot freer...but then I tend to drive it a little harder when it does....too easy to just wind it up.

Have about 5K miles on the mobil 1 0W30 oil...only 7K more to go.....using a PL30001 mustang filter. Oil usage was up during summer (3.5K / qt vs 5K / qt)...but seems to have slowed greatly in colder weather.

Don't use none of them there damned turbo-rolater things....the Chinese won't allow them here in Tibet.

[splatterdog]

I know we're talking about an old Toyota here, but a 12k oil change? Sounds extreme, unless you are using $10+ per quart oil. Still wouldn't work for me as I do lots of short trips. I run "American" synthetic and still change before 3k. Many store bought synthetics barely qualify as a synthetic and wouldn't pass for many Euro cars.

Also, an old and comparitively innefficient engine like ours will likely "wear out" the oil before it's time. I wouldn't dare run that interval on any car without lab tests saying it's OK.

You may want to get a UOA before you experience any side fumbling!

[deejay1272]

Have about 5K miles on the mobil 1 0W30 oil...only 7K more to go.....

Yep - this sounds crazy to me too!

[Petros]

he is adding a quart or two before the change, so he is replenishing the additives along the way. Still might be corrosives building up in the sump. I use the cheapest oil I can find (stuff on-sale usually), and put some oil additives to reinforce it, and change about 5-6k interval. Seems to work for me. There is a cost trade-off here, do not know where the break even point is, but it seems using costly oil and than changing it every 3k is pretty wasteful.

[hberdan]

I've never acheived anything near 32 mpg in any of my Tercel wagons, but in the summers I sometimes acheive close to 30. Too much mountain driving and spending time in lower gears, I guess. In the winter, with long warm ups, snow tires and ski rack, mileage drops 20%.
Maybe if I used one of those discombubulator detachaments with a zing flinger like you boys are talking about, the mileage would be better, I will have to try one.

In the meantime I change my oil at 3000 mile intervals. A small price to pay

[emmahumpfritter]

I was JUST logging in to post a raving "I love my tercels" post, but figured here's as good a place as any to preach to the already converted

My "beater" winter tercel (240K, stock carb, SR5, moderately rusty) is such a champ! Over the holidays I drove to Maryland, then to Maine, then back to Mn. to then drive over to Michigan to see friends, to the cities twice, and St. Cloud to see my lil' boy, I've been pulling 30-35MPG to whole adventure! I haven't been "metro'ing" it either, we're talking 60-70MPH freeway stuff. She burns a little oil, I've cycled through about a gallon over the above distances (5K or so?) Splatter can probably chime in on why she's burning oil (valve seals?) none the less, I'm so happy...I've really found the perfect car. I use to think it was the festiva, but now they've fallen to 2nd place IMHO. After returning from back East (toll road hell, I'm done, never again will I venture East of the Mississippi) my driveway had a foot of snow right up to my garage. I took a nice run at it in 4wd, blasted right over the plow pile and ended up comfortably at my doorstep. A festy wouldn't have done that....I love these cars.

Gas prices: Yes, we spoiled Americans are now in direct competition with China, India and well...the rest of the world. We my-as-well get use to it. This summer will see $4 bucks, and that's only the beginning. in 08 I was selling metros like hotcakes at a fireman's charity event, I wish I had a back yard full of them again. Thankfully I have three rust free XFi's and enough extra engines/parts to never worry about buying a car again. Between tercels and metros (and a Tacoma for hauling, and a small cc dual-sport for 80MPG fun) what's to worry about? It's an energy depleted planet, the wise will be just fine.

Listen to me...all optimistic and shit! Too many beers tonight

Peace ya'll,
Brenton

[takza]

I know we're talking about an old Toyota here, but a 12k oil change? Sounds extreme, unless you are using $10+ per quart oil. Still wouldn't work for me as I do lots of short trips. I run "American" synthetic and still change before 3k. Many store bought synthetics barely qualify as a synthetic and wouldn't pass for many Euro cars.

Also, an old and comparitively innefficient engine like ours will likely "wear out" the oil before it's time. I wouldn't dare run that interval on any car without lab tests saying it's OK.

You may want to get a UOA before you experience any side fumbling!

Yes...I will be adding around 4 quarts over that time...and I use the Mustang PL3001 Pure One filter...plus the Tufoil. I might change the filter about 1/2 way. Using Mobil 1 0W30 synth oil....still looks clean. Engines that are really hard on oil are the newer ones that run at higher temps like some of the Hondas and SAABs...have seen the oil pickup screens from SAABs where they were covered in coked oil flakes...not just sludge(converter under the oil pan/turbo). The Tercel engine runs dirtier...but not hot? I've put 70K on this engine and it still does 5K per qt with dino 10W30...a good many kerosene , water flushes, oil additives later...usually changed at 7K miles....usually drive maybe at least 30 miles per run though.

Was thinking of buying around a'99 SAAB 9-3...but with it using $20 PS fluid and expensive and unreliable parts...I know I'd eventually have a mechanic's breakdown and go hide in the corner somewhere.

[hberdan]

Speaking of Saabs and oil sludge! I just had my 9-3 engine (200 hp 2.0L 4 cyl turbo) desludged. Oil pickup and the screen were nasty, so I was told, I did not do this myself but had it done by my Saab guy. He says those turbo engines really get hammered, and that Saab (and others like VW) encourages this by having unrealistic oil change intervals, given the propensity of the engines to sludge--even with the required full synthetic oil.
I got lucky and didn't burn up the engine, but others are not so blessed. A group of VW owners filed a class action lawsuit against VW for the same problems, wrecked engines caused by sludge build up.
http://www.topclassactions.com/lawsuit- ... ettlement-
Also lucky for me, the reliable old 3AC is still going strong, at nearly 327K miles.