Gas Prices

[iCARRY 0]

It's really nice to see the price of gas below the $3 mark. A lot of stations are now charging the same for cash and credit again.

 

What the hell is the deal with diesel? It's cheaper and easier to make than gasoline, but it costs more.

[AdamM 42]

It's really nice to see the price of gas below the $3 mark. A lot of stations are now charging the same for cash and credit again.

 

What the hell is the deal with diesel? It's cheaper and easier to make than gasoline, but it costs more.

As usual, you can thank our politicians. Now we have "clean diesel" (15 or less parts per million of sulfur) to out match the Europeans. This made it 100x more expensive to refine and distribute than if they would have chosen 30 ppm. There is actually more sulfur in gasoline at this point.

[Howard 538]

How do you figure it should be cheaper? It contains more BTUs than gasoline so they price it based on energy content. I forget the exact numbers but I think per gallon it's something like 140,000 versus 110,000 for gasoline

[AdamM 42]

Diesel *used* to be the least refined fuel. The bottom of the barrel, literally and figuratively. It used to be much cheaper than regular gasoline. When the change occurred back around 2007, they not only had to refine it to lower sulfur, they had to rebuild all the distribution centers too. We push fuel thru pipelines in the US and after they send a load of gasoline thru the pipes, the batch of diesel will actually pick up sulfur from the gas, so they have to refine it to something like 7-8 ppm. This is very expensive and billions had to go into updating all the delivery systems. Originally diesel was something like 2000 ppm to give you an idea of how little it used to be refined.

[iCARRY 0]

I am very aware of "clean diesel", but it's been more expensive before the 15 ppm.

 

I drive a diesel everyday. I get anywhere from 41-48 mpg out of my car. Doing way better then any hybrid out there and I don't have to replace $3000 batteries. All I need is oil changes every 10k and fuel filter every 20k. Plus my diesel car is greener than that hybrid.

[M1152 713]

Maybe they politicians realize diesel vehicle last longer and don’t need as much service attention lessening the amount of taxes they could suck out of diesel users so they keep the fuel cost jacked. I’m still trying to figure out why my Harley registration cost more than my car registration…anyway I fueled the car up last week at $3.01 so I was glad to see it was going in the the right direction

[iCARRY 0]

Diesel has a higher use tax then gasoline.

 

[Heavyopp 167]

The big question is -- why is home heating oil so much more expensive than diesel?  

 

If it's the same stuff except for the red die wouldn't it be cheaper to fill cans at the station and dump them into your fuel tank at home --

[iCARRY 0]

How do you figure it should be cheaper? It contains more BTUs than gasoline so they price it based on energy content. I forget the exact numbers but I think per gallon it's something like 140,000 versus 110,000 for gasoline

Diesel gas about 14% more energy then gasoline.

[EWC88 24]

I am loving the lower price of gas, although I bought my truck when has prices were at there all time high couple years ago I knew what to aspect but the price drop is helping alot!

[1LtCAP 4,264]

German engineer Rudolph Diesel patented the diesel engine in 1892. He first considered powdered coal as a possible fuel, but it proved difficult to inject into the cylinder and caused an explosion that destroyed the prototype engine.  He later experimented with vegetable oils and successfully used peanut oil. Ultimately, Diesel settled on a stable byproduct of the petroleum refinement process that would come to be known as "diesel fuel."

[Howard 538]

That is interesting about the price of diesel versus heating oil as years ago it was the exact opposite. People with diesel cars would often install a tank and buy heating oil and use it "illegally" to fuel their cars.

[iCARRY 0]

That is interesting about the price of diesel versus heating oil as years ago it was the exact opposite. People with diesel cars would often install a tank and buy heating oil and use it "illegally" to fuel their cars.

Major fine, I think $10k

[Howard 538]

Yea, but it didn't stop people from doing it.  Also know a guy with a farm that buys diesel that is not taxed as road fuel and also fills his cars with it.  Sort of the same as not paying use tax on the stuff you buy out of state - not legal but most people do it.

[Heavyopp 167]

I've never heard of a diesel car being checked for red fuel --  Now I've seen them check garbage trucks...

 

Highland park -- in the parking lot of Johnsons park off river road --  Diesel inspections a few times a year  -- usually springtime

[Pythagoras 2]

I can give you a gallon of gasoline for a dime.....

 

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=jaeRZ4S2Orw

[raz-0 1,259]

I am very aware of "clean diesel", but it's been more expensive before the 15 ppm.

 

I drive a diesel everyday. I get anywhere from 41-48 mpg out of my car. Doing way better then any hybrid out there and I don't have to replace $3000 batteries. All I need is oil changes every 10k and fuel filter every 20k. Plus my diesel car is greener than that hybrid.

 

You have a recession, and people buy less and they drive less. With high gas prices, they have been buying more fuel efficient gasoline vehicles. Diesel hasn't been seeing as large a shift in fuel efficiency in terms of what has been sold vehicle wise. The clean diesel requirements probably cut down on the numebr of gallons of diesel per drum of aoil as well. Then you have the fact that heating oil for heat is probably less elastic than miles driven.  Add in that diesel probably drives a lot of the tar sands excavation and such that has been coming on line as well as the increased drilling and pumping of domestic oil (compared to gasoline anyway). The net result is the gasoline demand curve has shifted a lot, the diesel demand curve not so much. 

[Howard 538]

I am very aware of "clean diesel", but it's been more expensive before the 15 ppm.

 

I drive a diesel everyday. I get anywhere from 41-48 mpg out of my car. Doing way better then any hybrid out there and I don't have to replace $3000 batteries. All I need is oil changes every 10k and fuel filter every 20k. Plus my diesel car is greener than that hybrid.

I have nothing against diesel, but your characteristic of hybrids is way off.  First I get 45 to 50 mpg with regular unleaded.  I also don't have to replace $3,000 batteries, but if I ever needed one I could buy a rebuilt pack for about $1,000.  I don't have a transmission to go bad either - that cost you what for a new one, $4,000?  I also almost never use brakes as the electric motor in reverse does almost all the breaking.  I also don't have a starter motor to go bad, as the car starts on electricity and does not introduce gasoline or a spark until the RPMs are over several hundred.  That saves on much wear, as starting a car causes lots of wear when you go from zero RPM with the combustion process.  Just saying.....

[iCARRY 0]

Howard, are you getting that mileage on the highway or city driving?

 

When I went to Toyota and priced the batteries out, service manager told me $3000, said they last about 120k-200k miles. I drive a lot. About 40k miles a year. Was really concerned about replacing them. Did some reading on the net and got scared.

[Howard 538]

I get that mileage on a combined basis.  It is fairly constant, but actually is best on long highway trips.  We took one of the Pri's to Niagara Falls a year ago and round trip we got 49.x miles per gallon.  One of them has 90K and the other 135K and we really have never had to do anything to them.  I bought them both when they were three years old.  One had 35,000 miles and the other 7,200 miles on it.  Check out rebuilt battery units on eBay, you can get them for around $1,000.  I don't know of anyone that has ever needed to replace a battery, and I think they are covered by warranty for either 100k or 150k miles.  We really have had almost no maintenance on them. 

[iCARRY 0]

That's some good mileage.

[1LtCAP 4,264]

not to knock anyone for their choices.....but if i have to drive a little car that looks like a goofy toy in order to get great gas mileage....then i'm not gonna drive a car that gets great gas mileage.

 

 that said, the last time i took my gt to toms river, i averaged about 50mph, and got 34mpg. on the highway at 80mph she gets 28. i'm perfectly happy with those numbers, since they go along with 412hp of tire burning, corner straightening, eyeball smashing fun.

[67gtonut 847]

LOL...... I agree

 

Thank you to all of you who drive those silly hybrids....   My GTO loves the fuel you are saving for me....

[iCARRY 0]

If I wasn't driving 130 miles round trip 5-6 days a week I would be driving something a whole lot more fun.

[Howard 538]

I too used to tool around in my 7-series BMW getting 14 mpg in town, but I got over that too.  I enjoy the Pri, and waving at gas pumps as I pass them

[ECsandstar 28]

fugg all that nonsense.

[iCARRY 0]

Sometimes I have to wave at gas stations cause they don't sell diesel. That's probably the one thing that aggravates me the most. But more and more stations are getting it. Also I like filling my own tank. Don't have to wait for someone to do it for me.

[Shawnmoore81 623]

Last I saw was $2.98

[1LtCAP 4,264]

If I wasn't driving 130 miles round trip 5-6 days a week I would be driving something a whole lot more fun.

even then, to me it still wouldn't be worth it. i can't possibly imagine looking out in the driveway, and thinking "crap....i gotta drive this ugly ass thing aGAIN?" just to save a couple bucks.

[Howard 538]

Oh mine is not the currently ugly ass version, I have the original ones that have a trunk not the hatch back - they look like a normal car.