Mid Grade gas makes noticeable difference on my Ranger

[DILLARD000]

"Damn This Traffic Jam" Taylor

 

[Eddo Rogue]

I'll never forget the time I pedaled my 24" cruiser bmx to pick up the F150 from a dealer repair. it was late afternoon. took me 20 mins pedaling down streets to get there, 40 mins stop and go on the freeway to get home.

 

[fastpakr]

I'll never forget the time I pedaled my 24" cruiser bmx to pick up the F150 from a dealer repair. it was late afternoon. took me 20 mins pedaling down streets to get there, 40 mins stop and go on the freeway to get home.

It's amazing how close the time can be between riding and driving on some commutes. My last job was about 5.5 miles. 15-20 minutes in a car, about 25 biking. The bigger hassle was just packing a change of clothes and dealing with weather.

 

[superj]

what kind of bmx? @Eddo Rogue

i have a late 90s/early 2k 20" gt that i use for the skateboard park sometimes but i always think a 24" or 26" would be better

 

[Eddo Rogue]

what kind of bmx? @Eddo Rogue

i have a late 90s/early 2k 20" gt that i use for the skateboard park sometimes but i always think a 24" or 26" would be better

Oh man dont get me started. I was heavy into BMX during the late 90's early Y2K's

The BMX in question is a very sexy Redline Proline 24" cruiser. I would post a pic but she is hanging from the rafters in cobwebs. Maybe I'll shine her up for one.

I also have a GT Bump, and a few We The People custom builds. Bunch of spare parts from the 1-1/8 head tube and small bottom bracket era....right before the sprockets started getting tiny. Oh yea, I got little 16" Eastern Digger that is fun to squirrel around on.

My first real BMX bike (not a huffy) was a Dyno Nitro. I loved that bike. It got stolen, of course.

When had a couple of guys rocking 24" and keeping up just fine on the park/street/trails. 26" might be a little big, although I think thats what they run on those hybrid bmx downhill things the red bull guys are jumping nowadays.

I am actually planning on selling off most of it. will probably keep the Redline, and maybe the Bump. The we the peoples gotta go

 

[superj]

back in 96, i bought a beautiful 24" redline from the shop off base at fort benning. when i got out of hte army, i had to sell it because i couldn't fit it on top of my karmann ghia and inside was stuffed full. i always regret selling it because it was so nice to ride.

i have another bike that i bought my youngest son when he was 12ish that is one of those new style small gear but the chain and gears on the wrong side of the frame. it rides very nice though with those super wide and soft tires.


my original gt, from the early 90s was, of course, stolen as soon as we moved here to corpus christi.

i might go test ride one of each size to see how they feel. my friend owns a bike shop down town and she sells those se bikes. that brand is super popular with the street guys around here

 

[Lefty]

They say the average American spends 4 months of his life waiting for lights to change.

 

[Roert42]

Seems low. I feel like those flat landers out in the great plains are dragging the averages down.


When I use to drive around NJ/NY for work I feel like I spent four months a day waiting at stop lights.

 

[JoshT]

It's amazing how close the time can be between riding and driving on some commutes.

Yeah, unless I suddenly become superman that ain't happening. (But then I wouldn't need the bicycle would I?) If the choice is between riding the bike to work and keeping my job, or calling in sick and losing the job due to a broke vehicle, I'm losing the job or phoning a friend and being late. Ain;t no way I'm keeping up a sustained 55-65 miles on bike for my ~30 mile commute. Most days in my car, including time spent at traffic lights, it takes me between 35-45 minutes from my door to the gate at the base, then about another 10 minutes to get to the desk.

I wouldn't make that ride if it were flat level ground with a tail wind both ways and safe riding area. It ain't flat and level. It's more likely to be thunderstorms or 110 degress with 80% humidity and no air movement, than have a tail wind in either direction. It certainly ain't safe riding area. The route I normally take to work almost has me getting run over when doing 65 in the car, on a bicycle I'd be white lines on the asphalt. If I took a route with slower traffic (and possibly a couple less miles) it would put me going through a section of town where I might still end up as white lines on the asphalt for a different reason.

I have thought about getting my motorcycle back running or a smaller moped type thing for situation where I might need to drop something off at the shop. Smaller moped type thing I could probably throw in the back of the truck myself. My motorcycle, a 2003 Honda Shadow Sabre, is a little on the large side to do that, but everything I own has a reciever hitch, the Forte included, so I could get one of those front wheel tow contraptions. Also considered fixing up the Shadow, selling it, and maybe investing in one of those Zero EV motorcycles. The problem with the shadow at the end is that I didn;t ride it often enough to keep the gas good and carbs clear. That wouldn't be an issue with the Zero, but it's limited to around a 120-160 mile range, so I'd have to charge after nearly every ride if going to work. Had to fill up the tank on the bike almost every other ride so that's not much different, but I could fill it anywhere unlike charging the Zero.

Seems low. I feel like those flat landers out in the great plains are dragging the averages down.


When I use to drive around NJ/NY for work I feel like I spent four months a day waiting at stop lights.

I would going to say that somethng like that. Maybe not a months, but some lights feel like they take hours by themselves.

Not in NY/NJ, were you waiting that long for lights to change, or just for traffic to move through the lights? I know here getting on the base, the lights change with good regularity, but there is so much traffic in line to get on it can take several cycles to even get to the traffic light, much less through the intersection.

 

[Eddo Rogue]

Ive tried to explain until blue in the face. But I'm starting to think its just my bad luck with traffic. When I ride with my buddy he seems to part the traffic seas liek moses.
I'll give a quick anecdote of my short drive to meet an old group of friends for a reunion gathering at a nearby restaurant tonight.

Looked it up. 10 miles away, 21 min trip. I took me more than 1 hr.

First boning. I try to stop at the atm for some cash just in case. Of course when I am in a hurry there are is a line around the corner, and its not moving. More cars pulling in, line growing...I abort.

Hit another atm for the sake of convenience despite a fee. It is a drive up with 2 atms in line. The guy in front of me was there awhile. I pull up, get my cash and wait behind a few mins....He aint moving...I steer around and the take side alley lane...wondering wtf could possibly take someone so long to do at a drive up atm!? I glanced over and his head was in the clouds. I dont think he realized he was still at the drive up atm.

Carry on down city streets to hit the freeway....now I am stopped so far back I cant even see the light to tell if red or green. Time passes and as I can see the horizon, the right lane is a giant hammered box truck struggling to move, left lane is a beat up stakebed pulling a trailer overloaded with junk.

I manage to get around that and on to the freeway entrance ramp. Finally get to apply some throttle instead of just on and off brakes...It is empty after rush hour. Yet I soon find myself stuck well below the speed limit and un able to change lanes without drastic evasive actions. 6 lanes wide of slow perfectly parallel. Why do they do that? I cheated in to the carpool lane a sec to get around that clusterf!ck. I think the guy finally got over to let traffic pass after 4 more drivers followed me around him.

Reached my destination of 10 miles 1 hour later, hard on gas brakes and signals the whole way.

Coming home was later, and even less traffic. Yet reaching the on ramp was again a challenge. No giant slow beaters this time, just no clue whatsoever.
Light turns green. Nobody goes. Cars start honking. Nobody goes. Finally one car starts moving and clearing a lane. I steer around the zombie in front of me and squeeze into the one moving lane, get honked and road raged at. This is just to get across an intersection. and they are every 1/16mile.

Technically if you time it just wrong, it could take you hours to get past a few miles of city street lights. Sometimes the lights multi point intersections just skip a side and it gets all backed up. I've learned to spot and dodge those.

99% of vehicles in Los Angeles los angeles dont get much past idle. I really feel sorry for the Ferraris and Lambos I see struggling along in traffic, or in a beautiful stretch of canyon road blocked by a prius going half the speed limit. They wont merge or yield either. Everyone here is oblivious, inconsiderate, opr just thinks they own the road, or there is nobody else on it idk. They also seem to have to no problem pacing along next to the rear tire of a big rig, perfectly in its blind spot.

Nobody will ever let anybody pass out here, they would rather block you and piss you off, even if it means driving slower and wasting their own time and more unsafe.

Folks out here are not friendly, and even worse if it they notice its bothering you. Especially behind the wheel.

I feel bad for the rig drivers out here. dont know how they do it.

Everyone talks about when the zombie apocalypse happens. Well folks, its already well underway here. Most of em behind the wheel instead of gimp walking.

 

[JoshT]

Everyone talks about when the zombie apocalypse happens. Well folks, its already well underway...

 

[sgtsandman]

Ok, update on the fuel/mpg thing. After refueling with 89 four times, the power and response is slightly better than 87 but not as good as 91 (no surprise there). Fuel mileage is the same as running 87 octane (18.3). So, little benefit out of paying an extra $0.40 per gallon.

So, at least the the 4.0 SOHC, if you are going to run a higher octane for better performance, forget the 89 and go right to 91 or 93. Last I checked, 93 is $0.05 per gallon more than 91. The big ding to the wallet has already happened. A tank of 93 is only going to be about $0.98 more. One might as well go big or go home at that point.

So, unless I plan to do any extensive hauling or towing, I’m back to 87. For what I do, running a mid grade or premium fuel just isn’t worth it.

 

[Lefty]

Ok, update on the fuel/mpg thing. After refueling with 89 four times, the power and response is slightly better than 87 but not as good as 91 (no surprise there). Fuel mileage is the same as running 87 octane (18.3). So, little benefit out of paying an extra $0.40 per gallon.

So, at least the the 4.0 SOHC, if you are going to run a higher octane for better performance, forget the 89 and go right to 91 or 93. Last I checked, 93 is $0.05 per gallon more than 91. The big ding to the wallet has already happened. A tank of 93 is only going to be about $0.98 more. One might as well go big or go home at that point.

So, unless I plan to do any extensive hauling or towing, I’m back to 87. For what I do, running a mid grade or premium fuel just isn’t worth it.

Thanks for the update. i don't really care about the money. I'm on my third tank now, but i've noticed that my driving habits have returned to normal. The initial "thrill" of higher performance and faster acceleration (though noticeable at first) is gone. I might try one of the higher octanes anyway just to see if the thrill returns.

I drive the Vulcan 3.0. I've never really minded it's plain Jane performance. Someday when it gets old, I might replace it with something bigger faster better.

 

[sgtsandman]

Thanks for the update. i don't really care about the money. I'm on my third tank now, but i've noticed that my driving habits have returned to normal. The initial "thrill" of higher performance and faster acceleration (though noticeable at first) is gone. I might try one of the higher octanes anyway just to see if the thrill returns.

I drive the Vulcan 3.0. I've never really minded it's plain Jane performance. Someday when it gets old, I might replace it with something bigger faster better.

I figure it this way. Me doing the testing gives a little more information for myself and the next guy to decide what they want to do.

Short of posting charts, dyno information, and the like, I think this is good as it’s going to get. One can easily get into the minutia and the weeds with this but how much of a difference is it going to make for the average person doing that?

At least now, they have a bit of information on what fuel does what and if it is worth it to them to step up to a higher octane.

 

[Lefty]

I figure it this way. Me doing the testing gives a little more information for myself and the next guy to decide what they want to do.

Short of posting charts, dyno information, and the like, I think this is good as it’s going to get. One can easily get into the minutia and the weeds with this but how much of a difference is it going to make for the average person doing that?

At least now, they have a bit of information on what fuel does what and if it is worth it to them to step up to a higher octane.

There are also plenty of motors which do not respond to upgrades. Thanks for noticing.