Thread: Gas $9 a gallon

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Just to keep you guys in touch with reality, we are paying $9 a gallon (US gallon) over here in UK

Rick b -

Thanks for the heads up, now I am really depressed. A few years back we were paying less than $2 and you were paying about $5. Now we are at $4 and you are at $9. Based on that info, when we hit $9 you will be at $20.

When it gets to be $9 here, my sedan will be stripped of it's wheels, and powertrain and converted into a driving simulator for neighborhood kids who otherwise will never see or own a hot rod. Might as well get some use out of it; won't be able to afford to drive it.

I feel for you folks, that's just down right CRAZY
In the St Louis, Mo area it's right around $3.87-$4.09 so I feel lucky comparing it to your prices....joe

Yep, we Americans have enjoyed cheap gas for much longer than lots of places.

I watched a very disturbing show on the History Channel yesterday about oil. It said since the 1800's when we started to use oil we have consumed something like 100 trillion barrels of it, and the experts feel there are only about 100 trillion left in the ground throughout the world. The problem is, we are consuming fuel at a much higher rate than we did for the first 100 years or so, meaning at some point it will run dry.

We humans have become totally dependent on gas and oil for everything from heating out homes to running our cars. Even farmers rely on fuel to plant and harvest the food we eat, and then to transport it to our tables. As the cost goes up and the availability runs low, the quality of life we live is bound to change. The one bright side is that these higher fuel costs will force us to start conserving and spur the development of alternative energy sources.

I really wonder what discussions all of us will be having 10 years from now relative to our love of the automobile? I bet they are very different from the ones we are having today.

Don

You got that right don! I have already been thinking of other ways to build a hot rod. Pretty soon just the small trips to daytona are gonna be too pricey for most too make.

John, I've seen some posts where attendance at some shows is already dropping. I bet there are a lot fewer vendors at Daytona next November, and maybe less cars too.

Don

The major difference between the UK and US fuel prices are taxes, they've always been higher than we are. Something to think about; Europeans as a whole have paid higher fuel prices than we have for decades, they were at, say $4.50, long before we were, and it didn't ruin their economy. Ours has done better because the extra dollars we had available were put to good use in the private sector rather than underutilized by government bureaucracies.

Another lesson is that higher fuel prices won't lead to drastic changes in energy sourceing, until they get REALLY high, probably something like $15-20 dollars in todays value. Doubt that? Look at the situation where the prices have been higher. They still use essentially the same fuel mix we do. Sure, in Europe they have small vehicle size, and higher average fleet fuel economy, and employ more diesels, but not significantly different that us. The diesel picture will change now that government mandating (there it is again) of lower sulphur levels has accelerated the cost of diesel beyond that of gasoline.

The basic problem today is too many people believe there is some miracle behind a curtain somewhere that will magically pop out and end the era of petroleum. There are lots of theories about what it will be; solar, biofuels, wind, whatever. But the root problem is they all cost WAAAAYYYYY more in energy unit cost..........petroleum is mega cheap by comparison. And misinformation, or should I say incomplete information abounds. We've already seen that our government mandates on biofuels have impacted food pricing.................making significant amounts of motor fuel out of food should have been seen as a foolish idea just on it's face. Both wind and solar people make claims that they are now much more price competitive...........what they fail to mention is that in order to get to that closer position they are calculating in federal subsidies they get. Neat deal for the consumer, you get to pay out of two pockets instead of one, and since the subsidy comes from tax payments it's not linked in your mind to the unit cost of fuel/energy. Ignorance is bliss I guess.

The term for "running out of oil" is "peak oil". The theory being that we've hit the peak on available supply and we're on the down hill slope on available reserves. BTW, someone, somewhere has been predicting peak oil each year for the past 100 years, often with very authoritative looking/sounding analysis. Somehow though, with improve geological search techniques, improved drilling and pumping techniques, and higher capital investments (what the oil guys do with thoses so called "windfall profits") more previously undiscovered/unaccessible sources of crude keep turning up. Then there's the whole tar sands, shale, coal liquification thing that could contribute several TRILLION more gallons potentially. And all that produces a product that we can distribute through existing infrastructure (try and do that with hydrogen and you'll see why that's a major pipe dream).


Either petroleum needs to get SO expensive that it catches up with the alternatives (something you won't like very much once you realize the true cost), or we get serious about producing more oil, which our current congress, and if polling is correct the next one only moreso, won't do. That's a really good plan............let the rest of the world enjoy comparatively cheap energy while we hamstring ourselves and reduce our economy to match the third world.............that's one way to level the playing field.

Originally Posted by mopar34

Rick b -

Thanks for the heads up, now I am really depressed. A few years back we were paying less than $2 and you were paying about $5. Now we are at $4 and you are at $9. Based on that info, when we hit $9 you will be at $20.

When it gets to be $9 here, my sedan will be stripped of it's wheels, and powertrain and converted into a driving simulator for neighborhood kids who otherwise will never see or own a hot rod. Might as well get some use out of it; won't be able to afford to drive it.

I'm with you on that one, like when cigarettes hit 50 cents I said I was going to quit but for real when they hit $1.00 I said it again. Then my back, Dr. opened me up and said I had black spots on my lung that was enough. If gas goes that high here the mice can have plenty of homes I will quit driving.

If anyone one watched nightline last night they would have seen Oil City, Pa. that's where it all started. Almost 150 years ago they said oil was $20 a barrel that would be the equivalent too $600 today. The bottom fell out and went too 10cents a barrel they stopped drilling. I believe this Country still has plenty of oil.

Richard

Originally Posted by ford2custom

I believe this Country still has plenty of oil.

Richard

North Dakota: The new Saudi Arabia?

Heck, as per Joe's link and the local news last night, the oil wells in NW South Dakota will pump oil at record levels this year, and the permit applications for new wells is way up also.... The county where the new refinery is scheduled to be built approved the site and the permit to build by a whooping 80% in favor.....

The world isn't going to stop turning just cuz of high prices on oil.... Life style adjustments will have to be made, for sure...

Just for a bit, lets look at some POSITIVE things that rising fuel prices will bring about.....

Maybe people will actually plan and combine....or maybe eliminate all the bs trips...Maybe give a neighbor a ride to the mall so you can have a bit of help with the fuel cost??? Statistics show that kids are overweight and lazy (got 2 of them statistics living here), maybe they'll have to walk or ride a bicycle and actually get out of the house and get some exercise!!!!

We run the race cars on E-90---not to save the world or stop the US dependancy on foreign oil, but just because it's here, it has 108 octane, and for some unknown (to me) reason it yields more consistent passes at the digs.....

Maybe people will actually have to THINK and resolve some issues on their own instead of waiting for the flippin' gov'munt to fix everything!!!!!

The history of Hot Rodders and Hot Rodding is that we, as a group and/or as individuals have learned to take what is available and modify it so it works for our situation.... Guess I don't see where this ALLEGED fuel shortage is going to be any different....

Maybe our government is totally out of touch and ineffective, but I'll be danged if I'm going to sit around and feel sorry for myself just cuz gas costs a few bucks more per gallon!!!! As with anything that is expensive, I'll just learn to use it a bit more wisely then I have..... Buck up, Hot Rodders, this ain't nothing but another obstacle and somehow we'll get around it, go over it, duck under it, or just flat kick it the hell out of the way!!!!!!

I really wonder what discussions all of us will be having 10 years from now relative to our love of the automobile? I bet they are very different from the ones we are having today.



Don, you asked what we may be talking about in the next ten years. I will go out on a limb and say rickshaws. It could be Club Hot Rod Rickshaws Brent could add one more R. If by then we could all move to Florida. Nice weather we could race year around.

Richard

Originally Posted by ford2custom

I really wonder what discussions all of us will be having 10 years from now relative to our love of the automobile? I bet they are very different from the ones we are having today.



Don, you asked what we may be talking about in the next ten years. I will go out on a limb and say rickshaws. It could be Club Hot Rod Rickshaws Brent could add one more R. If by then we could all move to Florida. Nice weather we could race year around.

Richard

Well, not me!!!! If I'm even alive then, I'll still be out in the shop building a go fast machine or two!!!! Might be powered by something other then one of my trusty Big Blocks, but it'll still be low, kewl, shiny, and fast....

Improvise, adapt, overcome.

When Henry Ford built his first car, it would run on anything flammable. Cuba has been running cars for years without parts and making there own. I wonder if they make their own fuel too.

I wonder how much fuel we export and what they charge foreign customers. I know that government entities pay a much lower rate. During the first fuel shortage, which was artificial, and gas went to .65 a gal, the local PD was paying .18 a gal.

We're just a touch over $4. USD for 87 octane here in Kingman, Arizona.

If I remember the figures from tonights newscast correctly, taxes on one gallon of gasoline are just under a dollar.

Fwiw - my little brother used to work in the oil industry and about 15 years ago they were saying within the industry that at the present rate of use, the US had a 2000 year supply of natural gas.
Plus, it runs cleaner and creates less smog.

Have to talk to one of those multi-million dollar pay oil co. CEOs to find out why we're not running natural gas in our cars.

And, there are some scientists who think that the earth has more oil than is said.
It tends to replenish itself albeit slowly, but there are some oil fields that were considered dry or economically unviable that are pumping oil once again.

The Abotic Oil theory if I remember correcty.