Gas Price

[t walgamuth]

They used to use Methanol at Indianapolis in the 500. Now they use Ethanol. The Methanol cools the engine a lot so the cars could use smaller radiators and cooling passages in the blocks and head.

Briggs Cunningham built a car for LeMans using an Indy Offenhouser tuned to run on the gasoline available in France. They never could get it to run right. I believe they tried a version of the Offy in the Scarab F1 cars too with no success.

But its not too practical for a streeted car unless the ecoomics of it change drastically, like being able to make it from algae grown using cow manure or some such scheme.

Walgytom

[klv]

I look at it from the point of view that it's a small penalty to pay for the fact that Kelly and I are lucky enough to have a proper V12 Ferrari and somewhere along the line we have to pay for the chance we had to buy it 10 years ago. I only wish that the 365 wasn't so bloody slow to fill up! There must be some way of venting the tanks properly so that you don't spend 10 min on the forecourt. Not such a problem in (usually) sunny Western Australia (about $1.60/$1.70 AUS for 98 Octane fuel currently and $1 AUD about 95c USD and climbing), but when we finally get it over to the UK when we move, I won't look forward to fillups in the colder weather at the higher prices! Will take it out for a blast tomorrow, via the filling station, to celebrate our local long weekend!

[AndrewW-G]

I agree that the situation is outrageous but as long as the UK government needs to fund indiscriminate spending; the motorist is an easy source of revenue
Regards
Ian

Hi Dr. Ian,
You are being too cynical. The motoring taxes are to encourage us to use our cars in an environmentally friendly way, and as soon as industry / science comes up with a clean way to make hydrogen or electricity, the approx £50 billion motoring taxes will be abolished immediately. :wink:

Hahahaha.......can you imagine the reaction of the unlected slack jawed marxist nut if somebody did invent a practical way of doing the hydrogen thing!

one thing that can be done to reduce fuel costs for 400i owners is to convert to LPG.......the spare wheel well is perfect for the tank and its half the cost of unleaded, it was the equivilant of $10.40 a gallon this morning to fill my Ghibli!....will be doubling my shop charges for anybody who plans on or ever has voted labour!

[davidoloan]

This looks interesting - a home ethanol distiller with pump.
www.efuel100.com

[JAshburne]

Here in the states there has been a lot of congressional huffing and puffing about oil company "windfall profits" and what to do about that.

The irony of it all is that by far the largest profiteer from high gas prices is the U.S. government and the 50 individual states. Ol' Uncle Sam and its 50 henchment take something like 10% of the retail price of a gallon of gas (with no risk) while the gas companies make a profit of 5% if they're lucky.

Of course, the Euroland governments take many multiples of what the U.S. takes in gasoline taxes.

John

[t walgamuth]

I am pretty sure the gasoline and diesel taxes are a set amount per gallon not a percentage point, so as people cut back due to the price increases the revinue actually is falling.

Tom W

[Yale]

Here in the states there has been a lot of congressional huffing and puffing about oil company "windfall profits" and what to do about that.

The irony of it all is that by far the largest profiteer from high gas prices is the U.S. government and the 50 individual states. Ol' Uncle Sam and its 50 henchment take something like 10% of the retail price of a gallon of gas (with no risk) while the gas companies make a profit of 5% if they're lucky.

Of course, the Euroland governments take many multiples of what the U.S. takes in gasoline taxes.

John

Wow, an apologist for the oil companies! Let's see listening to Fox or Rush are we? What happened here - Exon made more money last year then any other company ever but it's the govenment who is taking advantage of us by taxing gasoline, less then any Europen country one might add. Furthermore a lot of those gas taxes go to payiong for the roads, how should that get paid for? Higher tolls? Higher taxes on cars? Or do you expect that roads just repave themselves? I am sure Hannity has an answer for anything. All the best, Yale

[JAshburne]

[quote="Yale
Wow, an apologist for the oil companies! Let's see listening to Fox or Rush are we? What happened here - Exon made more money last year then any other company ever but it's the govenment who is taking advantage of us by taxing gasoline, less then any Europen country one might add. Furthermore a lot of those gas taxes go to payiong for the roads, how should that get paid for? Higher tolls? Higher taxes on cars? Or do you expect that roads just repave themselves? I am sure Hannity has an answer for anything. All the best, Yale[/quote]

Whoa, Yale, back down! :D Have you seen how money it costs to drill 26,000 feet below the Gulf floor to find oil and have seen what the success rate is? I would call that a VERY capital intensive and risky business.

Meanwhile there has been a significant restriction on the ability of companies to tap into the domestic reserves within our borders, leading to the cries of "oh we must reduce our dependence on foreign oil even though we are doing everything possible to make that more difficult."

Isn't it odd to you that the same people who were saying that gas prices were too LOW two years ago (to encourage conservation and development of alternative energy sources) are now the same people who are lamenting the fact that $4 gas is crippling the little guy?

I'm not complaining about U.S. gas taxes, just pointing out that the government's take is higher than the take of the oil companies, but without all of the risk and difficulty of doing it. I like good roads and feel that gas taxes are a logical way for users to pay for them.

I just wish that more people in Congress had a clue about global macro-economics instead of a belief that they can manage the economy better than the markets. Remember the gas lines in 1973 and 1978? I do, and they were NOT caused by a "shortage" of gas.

You don't really believe that the price of oil is not a function of demand, not just from the U.S. and Europe but also China and India, economies that are growing at more than a 10% rate, do you?

10 years ago a pedestrian in Shanghai had to worry about being run over by a bicycle, today it is being run over by a gasoline powered car, likely a Mercedes.

Now don't get me started on the fiasco that is corn based ethanol in the U.S. that is courtesy of FedGovCo!

[Yale]

Hi John,

Thanks for the measured response. Love to get into it with you if we both find ourselves looking at the same gas guzzler at Greenwich. All the best, Yale

[JAshburne]

Hi John,

Thanks for the measured response. Love to get into it with you if we both find ourselves looking at the same gas guzzler at Greenwich. All the best, Yale

I'll be looking forward to it, I seem to spend an inordinate amount of time at the Concours around the cars with the worst gas mileage, namely the Ferraris!

Are you bringing your 330? I would love to see it.

John

[Yale]

My 330 talked to Art's 330 and learned how to have an easy life in the lap of a mechanics garage. When mine gets sprung maybe I'll expose it to Art's again and that will encourage his car to come out and play So no 330, maybe a 2002 Turbo if it doesn't rain.

Yale