Gasoline Alley

[racsan]

I took the cap off & went back to my 225/70 tires (from the 235/75’s) in attempt to get at least a couple more mpg’s better in my ranger, yesterday we filled up the escape and the 5-gallon can for mowing & the total came to $75. Ive never spent that much on fuel at one time. (besides that time 2 years ago when prices were way down & I spent $120 filling a 55 gallon drum that lasted me a year & a half). Glad I didnt get that V8 1/2 ton Id been thinking about, I may have to park the ranger as my d.d. and get the car back out to commute. Dont want to but gotta do what you gotta do when things get tight, Brens hours arent as much lately with parts shortages at her work, yet the mortgage & other bills are still as much.

 

[Curious Hound]

I paid $4.30 to fill the Fun50 yesterday. It was pretty empty. The bill came to $99.32

I'm getting ready to buy a motorcycle as my DD. Got my learner's permit, bought helmet, gloves and jacket and signed up for beginner's safety course, which will also qualify as the road test. My commute to work is all back roads and there is a lot of other local travel I do that does not involve interstate highways. 15mpg doesn't cut it for a DD any more. It costs me 2 gallons per day just to commute.

 

[pjtoledo]

$ 4.79/9 in Toledo $4.99/9 just up the road in Michigan

 

[1990RangerinSK]

$7.64 where I live. Y'all think you've got bad....

 

[scotts90ranger]

It's like $5.80 for diesel, I think I spent almost $300 last weekend going camping just in fuel and that was just in the tow rig... and that was in state fairly local! the odometer doesn't always work on the ol '97 F350 so I don't know mileage, somewhere around 9-11...

Regular at the cheap stations on my commute went up to like $5.15 this week... so at 24mpg on the '97 that makes my 60 mile commute cost like $13 a day... I could get the ol Honda XL250 going that does 60mpg but it's 6V and the lights don't work well and the drivers are DUMB AS BOARDS anymore (and I think that is giving them too much credit), I was driving along and someone was doing 40mph in a 55 zone in a land rover then just stopped without warning or signal and did a U turn behind me after I passed them... this is on a rural highway without real shoulders...

 

[Fast Eddie]

I thought a posted here the other day when it jumped 30 cents over night to $5.09 a gallon. I was out today and didn't even look. I guess partly because I don't want to know!

Ignorance is bliss...until it isn't.

 

[sgtsandman]

I took the cap off & went back to my 225/70 tires (from the 235/75’s) in attempt to get at least a couple more mpg’s better in my ranger, yesterday we filled up the escape and the 5-gallon can for mowing & the total came to $75. Ive never spent that much on fuel at one time. (besides that time 2 years ago when prices were way down & I spent $120 filling a 55 gallon drum that lasted me a year & a half). Glad I didnt get that V8 1/2 ton Id been thinking about, I may have to park the ranger as my d.d. and get the car back out to commute. Dont want to but gotta do what you gotta do when things get tight, Brens hours arent as much lately with parts shortages at her work, yet the mortgage & other bills are still as much.

A cab height cap should be mpg neutral. So, you might not see much of a difference there. The tires might make a difference though.

I’m considering pulling the recovery gear out of the 2011 to lighten the load and removing the roof racks. Those will make a definite difference. We’re ranging from $4.72 - $5 depending on the gas station and where it’s located.

 

[racsan]

I mainly wanted to make it as light as possible, plus there were some things to do (getting mulch & bagged stone) that made having no cap helpfull. Im not even carrying a spare with me right now. So far the biggest difference Ive noticed is how rough the ride is on my one back road.

 

[Fast Eddie]

The cab could make a difference. The surface area increase in the back may cause more turbulence and increase drag. It's an aerodynamic thing dealing with drag coefficients. The same is true with these wings and front air dams you see on some of these cars. Most 'good' aero packages are basically useless until you hit 80+ mph. Until then, they simply create more drag and reduce mpg but...this is a Ranger site, not skunk works. Have nice day ;0)

 

[sgtsandman]

Mythbusters did an episode on the subject at one time. (Yeah, I know not necessarily the most scientific or conclusive example.) The did testing with a cap, without a cap, and with the tailgate down.

With the cap on, there was no measurable difference to not having a cap with the tailgate up.

My guess is that what gains are had via aerodynamic efficiency are lost in the additional carried weight.

No cap with the tailgate up causes and air circulation bubble so the the air “sees” something similar to a fast back rear end on a vehicle.

Tailgate down, the air “sees” the full height of the cab and creates more drag than the other two with a marked difference in fuel usage.

Now, they did their test with a cab height fiberglass cap. Results may be different with an aluminum cap since they tend to be less aerodynamic.

The same goes with a mid height cap.

A highboy cap, I imagine there is going to be a definite fuel penalty since they sit so high compared to the cab.

The mod height caps have so many variations in design, I’m not sure how they would effect fuel usage.

For me, since the cap I have is so heavy and ungainly for one person, it’s easier to just leave it on. Plus, with the heavy springs I have, removing the cap and emptying the bed would make for a rough ride on Pennsylvania roads. They are bad enough with the weight in the truck.

 

[Roert42]

 

[racsan]

just went up to 5.09 here (87) 5.59 diesel. I just went to the next town 20 miles away & paid 4.75 to top off the hhr. (it was at 1/2 tank. Parked the truck in the empty turn-around spot away from the garage, guess its time to change my commuting vehicle.

Boy the truck sure does indeed ride rough with a empty bed, no cap & my coil axle helper springs!

 

[Bill]

The Ford products made after 2001 should be OK. I had a 1995 that had a bad fuel filler neck and when researching that I came across an article stating ethanol shortened the lifespan of the filler neck, but the rest of the fuel system should handle it. We aren't getting E15 here. It increases ground level ozone and ozone is a problem in places with hot summers. It's also unlikely to be available in other areas where hot weather contributes to ozone, like Phoenix.

I really don't think E15 is going to have an impact on gas prices. It's just another political stunt to make people feel good.

 

[racsan]

gas is currently around $5.10 here, diesel is $5.99 E85 is $4.65 I almost dont want to mow the yard, thats rougly 3 gallons right there. Closer to 5 if I dont use the allis with its 6’ deck. But the ground is finally hard enough that I dont have to settle with the lawn deere only and spend twice as long mowing. No matter what I always have to push mow some, the septic mound and the roadside ditches. Still hoping to get a 3-point finish mower for the ford tractor, then I can just straddle the ditch and mow it all level with the yard & the road. Cant do that with the tricycle front allis very well.

 

[Roert42]