So what's the deal with ethanol as an additive (not E85)? (I know I can look it up, but you guys seem to know.)
Am I right that in last year's gigantic "energy bill" that finally passed, MTBE was banned as an additive, but 10% ethanol was required for ALL gas, winter and summer, even in rural areas without air pollution problems? Was there some kind of phase-in, or was it done all at once?
MBTE was and is an environmental nightmare, and Ethanol is a good thing, actually. Eventually, we'll have to be running with up to 50% Ethanol or on Biodiesel. Probably within the next 30-40 years.
I personally don't care if it's Flubber as long as it makes my car go and gets me from A to B without making me need a second job to do so.
10% ethanol was required for ALL gas, winter and summer
Actually it is 2.78% ethanol in regular unleaded. That figure can be more or less depending on the location. Places that are selling E10 make it so others do not need any ethanol. High pollution locations will probably be getting 5-7% ethanol. Right now there is not enough to cover the 2.78% mandate. That will require about 7.5 billion gallons per year.
With current ethanol production at 4.4 billion gallons per year we cannot meet the mandate. That leaves zero ethanol for E85.
6 cents back up to $2.89 for 87. hard to tell what that means as our big annual arts festivals start this week and there will be a large influx of vehicles for the week.
So I guess the prices are reacting to pre-demand demand, right??
Fuel shot up another dime: Cheapest 87-octane: $3.11 at Meijers Next cheapest: $3.13 at Speedway and Gas City (gas only, with wash $3.08) At work: $3.23 at Shell, BP (though saw a Speedway on the way @ $3.27) E85: $2.89 :sick: :sick:
So I take it Congress mandated a specific total amount of ethanol to be added (7.5 billion gallons a year), which averages out to 2.78% at current gasoline consumption levels?
Now, it's starting to make sense (not that I agree with the mandate).
Ok so ive pretty much heard all the common sense as well as lousy gas saving tips. but this one was really interesting, and it answered pretty much all my questions.
I filled up my '85 Silverado at the local Citgo (Greenbelt area of Maryland). I put in 89 octane, $3.239 per gallon. I think 87 was $3.139 and 93 was probably $3.339.
Fuel economy seems to have improved a bit, too. On the last tank I figure I got close to 14 mpg. I dunno if that Dodge Dart air cleaner top I put on it is really helping or not, though. It does make it sound nicer when you stomp on it, though! :P
Station down the street sells all the exotic fuels to the Off road race crowd. They have 117 octane fuel for $7.89 per gallon. If you need some high powered stuff I can mail it to you.....
I'm sure you cannot... I just thought it was interesting that such a fuel was even available. I saw an ad for a dune buggy that the engine requires 111 octane. I guess the station near me is the place to get it. They had at least a dozen different fuels all with high octane numbers. 117 being the highest and most expensive. I have no idea if it has lead in it.
Yes. Chi-town, though I recently moved to the outskirts of the boonies. It's funny, this side of the road hustle & bustle; the other side of the road, farm and forest perserves.
We're from Ala originally, across the river from Columbus, GA.
The Citgo near my workplace (which used to be an Amoco) is now a Valero! Prices haven't changed, still $2.79 for 87.
Valero has existed for a couple of years on Virginia's Eastern Shore, that small peninsula along the Atlantic extending down from Maryland and Delaware.
Gagrice, I was catching up in this forum reading about 600 post or so over the last week.
Do you still have your Sprinter Motorhome? You know that a new thread has opened "Purchasing Motorhomes" in the Smart Shopper forum.
I would like to hear about what you bought and how the sales pitch went, etc, if you care to share on that thread.
To stay on topic.. I have never seen gas with an octane any higher than 93! I drive across the country at least twice a year covering at least 7 states and all I see are the three grades plus diesel.
Thanks, Mark
2010 Land Rover LR4, 2013 Honda CR-V, 2009 Bentley GTC, 1990 MB 500SL, 2001 MB S500, 2007 Lincoln TC, 1964 RR Silver Cloud III, 1995 MB E320 Cab., 2015 Prevost Liberty Coach
Yes I still have my Sprinter. I will meet you in that Forum. There are a couple stations around here that have 104 octane listed on their sign out front. That stuff the El Capitan has must be racing fuel of some sort. I think AV gas is about 104-105 octane?
Next time I stop in I will get a copy of that price sheet. It told a bit more about the fuels they sell.
Citgo will slowly disappear out of some states according to the news yesterday I heard on the radio. :surprise:
Valero, is a huge company and from the looks of it will be coming to new markets. I was in Amarillo and paid $2.92 a gallon for 86 "regular" ? SLOP at the Phillips station. In Dumas, the Valero SLOP was $2.95 and I did notice the Dumas, Walley World dropped their slop prices to $2.86. My lil' V-6 Mustang is okay on fuel economy at around 25 mpg on the HWY.
The bottom line is SLOP is still expensive here in the TX panhandle.
The Chevron I patronize is at 3.08, with the usual gradients IIRC.
Seattle area is at 3.04 vs national average of 2.95. Funny thing, 6-8 weeks ago Seattle was a good 30+ cents higher than average. Random numbers...
Prices are sure to be jacked by hurricane paranoia, and the idiotic mess in the Israel-Lebanon area could do even more damage...esp if the morons involve Syria.
We only dropped to $3 for a few days in San Diego. Now most are at $3.25 or higher. Costco is holding at $3.15 at the store near by me. No slowdown on the traffic. Went out for late breakfast and to get the truck washed. It was still crowded at 10:30 AM on our freeways. By the way we had dinner in sight of the San Diego Trolley station out our way. Of all the trolleys to come in and go out none had more than 3 or 4 people on them. What a waste of tax payers money. Last I heard over 100 million a year to keep it going.
$1.06 a liter 1 Imperial Gallon = 4.54 liters = $4.80 $CDN/imp.gal or $4.25 $U.S. 1.2 U.S. Gallon = 4.54 liters or 3.78 liters per 1 U.S gal = $4.01 CDN/U.S. gal or $3.55 $U.S. So it appears my location is on par with some U.S locations..Some parts of Canada are even higher $1.20 CDN a liter.. Hope my calculations are correct?? At present 1 CDN dollar will get me .88 U.S. cents or $1.13 CDN to buy 1 U.S dollar
Filled up last night in Leander, TX $2.71 for regular.
Gas prices will not go down. Americans will not make any attempt to reduce consumption, and gas producers know this. If everyone would reduce consumption by as little as 5%, we would see a good drop in prices.
With all the violence in the world, and US supplies dropping, this means prices will rise more, and more.
It looks like gas is following the CDN dollar. As your dollar increases to our dollar, our gas goes up. Could it be you have all the oil you can use and are our biggest oil trading partner. I understand things are booming in your oil provinces. Are the tar sands paying off? I hope so. I would rather buy from a friendly neighbor than someone that would like to see me dead.
It appears that BP is always the first to raise gas prices and by the largest amount.
It is just the opposite in CA. BP/ARCO are the lowest priced stations overall. You need to drill off your coast and bring the prices down. Quick before Fidel sucks the oil right out from under Key West.
the stations i usually fill up at are at 3.25x, and 3.19x. i filled up this morning for 3.09x x=9. maybe it is a coincidence, but a new gas station/convenience store just opened up across the street.
2024 Ford F-150 STX, 2023 Ford Explorer ST, 91 Mustang GT vert
In WV, MD, PA, OH, and IN, the prices are all higher...generally $2.99 to as much as $3.09 (for 87)! I did fill up in western Ohio along I-70 at a BP (combined with a TA Truck Stop) for $2.84 -- that was the lowest I saw in Ohio.
On the way back, while in WVA, my low fuel light came on near Charleston, so I was forced to get some gas -- $3.05 at "Go-Mart." Only put in 6+ gallons -- just enough to get me home.
....any motion to change the way crude/gas is priced? I've heard there may be a movement to take the speculators out of the picture all together and just allow the market to determine the price. Sounds good to me. It seems to me all the speculators do anyway is subject panic into the market and keep the prices falsely high. Every time there's any type of unrest anywhere in the world, speculators panic and drive prices up. They also don't seem to learn anything from thier past. They continue to inject panic into the market even when they know the particular reason they're using for the panic will have absolutely no effect on crude/gas supplies. I am all for completely removing the speculators from the picture. Maybe then gas would come back down to a somewhat reasonable price.
Slop is a word I borrowed from our good ol' pal Lemko. Tell me if 86' octane isn't slop ???? mid-grade is 88' slop, and most stations have 90' as premium ? 91' however can be found at a few stations and is premium slop in this part of the country.
So now you have it. Lemko, calls 93' slop and my cars would only dream to sip that. :surprise: Lemko, however can get 94' Ultra in Harrisburg ? I think.
Maybe the air in TX has so much natural gas that you don't need the higher octane to run good. I got the best mileage on my trip to TX on your diesel down in the Hill Country.
The Spirit station in town here has 87 unleaded at $3.36 cash $3.46 credit and diesel is $3.16 cash. Is that a TX company? They took over the Chevron that was there for years.
That was nice in TX and AZ no charge for using credit or debit cards. I think most all gas is nicked in CA for using a credit or debit card. I carry cash just in case. No way I would pay a charge for a debit on my money.
The "slop" and "ultra?" joke is getting tired, IMO.
I personally like iluvmysephia's referring to gasoline as "ghastly." It helps that he doesn't say it in every post.
Rocky lives on the High Plains, so gas doesn't need as high an octane, since the air is thinner (less dense). The gas-air mixture in the cylinders doesn't get as compressed, so there's less chance of pinging. That's why regular gas there has an octane rating of 86. On my cross-country trip last December, 85 octane was common everywhere we stopped in the high-altitude states of Nevada, Utah, and Colorado.
Gagrice, are you sure about the credit card thing? When I was in CA last December, there were no signs indicating the credit price was higher. However it was annoying when using a credit card there to have to punch in your zip code at all "pay at the pump" stations. Why?
Back here (central VA), Hess still has $2.74 for 87.
Comments
Am I right that in last year's gigantic "energy bill" that finally passed, MTBE was banned as an additive, but 10% ethanol was required for ALL gas, winter and summer, even in rural areas without air pollution problems? Was there some kind of phase-in, or was it done all at once?
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
I personally don't care if it's Flubber as long as it makes my car go and gets me from A to B without making me need a second job to do so.
Actually it is 2.78% ethanol in regular unleaded. That figure can be more or less depending on the location. Places that are selling E10 make it so others do not need any ethanol. High pollution locations will probably be getting 5-7% ethanol. Right now there is not enough to cover the 2.78% mandate. That will require about 7.5 billion gallons per year.
With current ethanol production at 4.4 billion gallons per year we cannot meet the mandate. That leaves zero ethanol for E85.
So I guess the prices are reacting to pre-demand demand, right??
Cheapest 87-octane: $3.11 at Meijers
Next cheapest: $3.13 at Speedway and Gas City (gas only, with wash $3.08)
At work: $3.23 at Shell, BP (though saw a Speedway on the way @ $3.27)
E85: $2.89
:sick: :sick:
Now, it's starting to make sense (not that I agree with the mandate).
87 - $2.979
89 - $3.079
91 - $3.149
93 - $3.179
diesel - $2.759
kcram - Pickups Host
Ok so ive pretty much heard all the common sense as well as lousy gas saving tips. but this one was really interesting, and it answered pretty much all my questions.
i like it alot! so just sharing the 'green'.
what do you guys think?
[URL=http://www.cargens.com]http://www.cargens.com[/URL]
Fuel economy seems to have improved a bit, too. On the last tank I figure I got close to 14 mpg. I dunno if that Dodge Dart air cleaner top I put on it is really helping or not, though. It does make it sound nicer when you stomp on it, though! :P
Lemko, What's the slop prices in PA ?
Rocky
Rocky
Local gas prices 2.89$
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
We're from Ala originally, across the river from Columbus, GA.
Valero has existed for a couple of years on Virginia's Eastern Shore, that small peninsula along the Atlantic extending down from Maryland and Delaware.
Do you still have your Sprinter Motorhome? You know that a new thread has opened "Purchasing Motorhomes" in the Smart Shopper forum.
I would like to hear about what you bought and how the sales pitch went, etc, if you care to share on that thread.
To stay on topic.. I have never seen gas with an octane any higher than 93! I drive across the country at least twice a year covering at least 7 states and all I see are the three grades plus diesel.
Thanks, Mark
Next time I stop in I will get a copy of that price sheet. It told a bit more about the fuels they sell.
Valero, is a huge company and from the looks of it will be coming to new markets. I was in Amarillo and paid $2.92 a gallon for 86 "regular" ? SLOP at the Phillips station. In Dumas, the Valero SLOP was $2.95 and I did notice the Dumas, Walley World dropped their slop prices to $2.86. My lil' V-6 Mustang is okay on fuel economy at around 25 mpg on the HWY.
The bottom line is SLOP is still expensive here in the TX panhandle.
Lemko, what's the slop prices up their today ?
Rocky
Sunoco prices vary between $3.03 and $3.09 in the City of Philadelphia for 87 Regular. I've seen it as high as $3.13 in the suburbs. Nuts!
Rocky
P.S. Looks like Slop is going up. They are getting us seasoned for hurricane prices. :surprise:
Seattle area is at 3.04 vs national average of 2.95. Funny thing, 6-8 weeks ago Seattle was a good 30+ cents higher than average. Random numbers...
Prices are sure to be jacked by hurricane paranoia, and the idiotic mess in the Israel-Lebanon area could do even more damage...esp if the morons involve Syria.
Rocky
Rocky
Unleaded regular $3.322
Premium $3.536
Diesel $3.201
Highest reported is $3.53 for Shell regular and $3.84 for Shell Premium
Rocky
1 Imperial Gallon = 4.54 liters = $4.80 $CDN/imp.gal or $4.25 $U.S.
1.2 U.S. Gallon = 4.54 liters or 3.78 liters per 1 U.S gal = $4.01 CDN/U.S. gal or $3.55 $U.S.
So it appears my location is on par with some U.S locations..Some parts of Canada are even higher $1.20 CDN a liter..
Hope my calculations are correct??
At present 1 CDN dollar will get me .88 U.S. cents or $1.13 CDN to buy 1 U.S dollar
Gas prices will not go down. Americans will not make
any attempt to reduce consumption, and gas producers
know this. If everyone would reduce consumption by
as little as 5%, we would see a good drop in prices.
With all the violence in the world, and US supplies
dropping, this means prices will rise more, and more.
It is just the opposite in CA. BP/ARCO are the lowest priced stations overall. You need to drill off your coast and bring the prices down. Quick before Fidel sucks the oil right out from under Key West.
Premium - anywhere from $3.43 to $3.79
i filled up this morning for 3.09x x=9.
maybe it is a coincidence, but a new gas station/convenience store just opened up across the street.
In WV, MD, PA, OH, and IN, the prices are all higher...generally $2.99 to as much as $3.09 (for 87)! I did fill up in western Ohio along I-70 at a BP (combined with a TA Truck Stop) for $2.84 -- that was the lowest I saw in Ohio.
On the way back, while in WVA, my low fuel light came on near Charleston, so I was forced to get some gas -- $3.05 at "Go-Mart." Only put in 6+ gallons -- just enough to get me home.
Rocky
87 - $2.979
89 - $3.079
91 - $3.149
93 - $3.179
diesel - $2.779
kcram - Pickups Host
Mark156
Slop is a word I borrowed from our good ol' pal Lemko. Tell me if 86' octane isn't slop ???? mid-grade is 88' slop, and most stations have 90' as premium ? 91' however can be found at a few stations and is premium slop in this part of the country.
So now you have it. Lemko, calls 93' slop and my cars would only dream to sip that. :surprise: Lemko, however can get 94' Ultra in Harrisburg ? I think.
Rocky
The Spirit station in town here has 87 unleaded at $3.36 cash $3.46 credit and diesel is $3.16 cash. Is that a TX company? They took over the Chevron that was there for years.
That was nice in TX and AZ no charge for using credit or debit cards. I think most all gas is nicked in CA for using a credit or debit card. I carry cash just in case. No way I would pay a charge for a debit on my money.
I personally like iluvmysephia's referring to gasoline as "ghastly." It helps that he doesn't say it in every post.
Rocky lives on the High Plains, so gas doesn't need as high an octane, since the air is thinner (less dense). The gas-air mixture in the cylinders doesn't get as compressed, so there's less chance of pinging. That's why regular gas there has an octane rating of 86. On my cross-country trip last December, 85 octane was common everywhere we stopped in the high-altitude states of Nevada, Utah, and Colorado.
Gagrice, are you sure about the credit card thing? When I was in CA last December, there were no signs indicating the credit price was higher. However it was annoying when using a credit card there to have to punch in your zip code at all "pay at the pump" stations. Why?
Back here (central VA), Hess still has $2.74 for 87.