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The Annoyed Man wrote:

lunchbox wrote:im here to tell you that the MPG these cars get is pathetic
i know that they can do better but they have bought by the oil companies

? ? ?

Sorry, I'm not making the connection.

like the smart car that was being talked about with 30 mpg
there are 4 door kias that get way better than that MPG is only as good as uncle sam says it has to be 4 bucks a gallon wouldnt be so bad if we got 100 miles per gallon

Fortunately my lifestyle changed a few years ago...

This gets me to work and the local beer store:



Haven't dieseled up my F350 since 5/15 and she still has 1/4 of a tank.

It sounds like a great time to buy a truck! I currently drive a compact car but I'm becoming convinced something like an F-150 is better suited to local conditions. The suspension should better tolerate the poor condition of Houston-area roads (often exacerbated by perpetual construction) even without 4WD. Further, considering the typical Houston driver's skill level (or lack thereof) and the aggressive driving I see during rush hour, I suspect it can only help to put more metal between me and those moving road hazards and driving a larger vehicle may even deter some road bullies.

apostate wrote:It sounds like a great time to buy a truck! I currently drive a compact car but I'm becoming convinced something like an F-150 is better suited to local conditions. The suspension should better tolerate the poor condition of Houston-area roads (often exacerbated by perpetual construction) even without 4WD. Further, considering the typical Houston driver's skill level (or lack thereof) and the aggressive driving I see during rush hour, I suspect it can only help to put more metal between me and those moving road hazards and driving a larger vehicle may even deter some road bullies.

Just know that resale values on the truck are pretty poor right now and I don't suspect they will recover. There is now a permanent shift to smaller, more fuel efficient vehicles. If you have any desire to sell it know that the market is shrinking every day.

I remember when gas skyrocketed to $1 a gallon in the late 1970s. People were giving away big sedans and buying Volkswagens and Hondas. You know what happened 20 years later. Eventually people will get used to $4 a gallon gas, and those who actually need a larger vehicle will bite the bullet and drive them.

- Jim

seamusTX wrote:I remember when gas skyrocketed to $1 a gallon in the late 1970s. People were giving away big sedans and buying Volkswagens and Hondas. You know what happened 20 years later. Eventually people will get used to $4 a gallon gas, and those who actually need a larger vehicle will bite the bullet and drive them.

- Jim

But my SUV gets better than any car I ever drove before the gas Crunch of the 70s... 20 mpg used to be fantastic milage and a 6 cylinder was thought as an underpowered gas miser.

still are in my book
they need to get rid of this Ultra Low Sulfur junk and more auto makers need to make diesel cars and light trucks

Liberty wrote:But my SUV gets better than any car I ever drove before the gas Crunch of the 70s...

Very true. They routinely got 10 MPG.

In the most recent big-vehicle trend, the engines got bigger and bigger. People who never pulled a trailer or hauled a load of gravel were driving V-8s.

If the manufacturers go back to 4- and 6-cylinder engines and some more advanced technology like hybrids and turbochargers, they can probably get more reasonable mileage from larger vehicles. A pickup truck does not have to accelerate like a Corvette.

- Jim

seamusTX wrote:

Liberty wrote:But my SUV gets better than any car I ever drove before the gas Crunch of the 70s...

Very true. They routinely got 10 MPG.

In the most recent big-vehicle trend, the engines got bigger and bigger. People who never pulled a trailer or hauled a load of gravel were driving V-8s.

If the manufacturers go back to 4- and 6-cylinder engines and some more advanced technology like hybrids and turbochargers, they can probably get more reasonable mileage from larger vehicles. A pickup truck does not have to accelerate like a Corvette.

- Jim

the same thing that makes that corvette accelerate fast is what allows you to haul around a trailer or load or gravel

they call it torque its a beautiful thing and with diesel you get tons of it plus mileage so tell me why we dont have diesel in everything

I'm just going to say the words final drive ratio and shift points. They make a lot of difference to fuel economy and performance. You can have one or the other.

- Jim

why do you think transmissions these days have 4-5 sometimes 6 gears and thats the automatics
back in the day of the power glide 2 was all it took

Multi-gear transmissions are one of the reasons that fairly heavy modern cars get upwards of 30 MPG.

Aren't the one with 6 gears in the high-performance category, with high ratios in the lower gears? They don't let me drive that kind of car.

- Jim

seamusTX wrote:Multi-gear transmissions are one of the reasons that fairly heavy modern cars get upwards of 30 MPG.

Aren't the one with 6 gears in the high-performance category, with high ratios in the lower gears? They don't let me drive that kind of car.

- Jim

not really the case
any planetary gear set is capable of 7 gear ratios mind you 2 of those are reverse and most cars use 2 planetary gear sets anyway its just a matter of how many they utilize

plus theres always 2 speed final drives class 8 truck have had those for some time

get this a fully loaded 18 wheeler gets 4-6 miles per gallon pulling 80k Lbs it would seem to me these 4k Lb cars should get better than 30-35 MPG

lunchbox wrote:still are in my book
they need to get rid of this Ultra Low Sulfur junk and more auto makers need to make diesel cars and light trucks

ULS junk is right. The cetane rating and lubricity of ULS is way off of the pre-ULS days. My 7.3L Super Duty hates it. I have to use an aftermarket booster with every fill-up or else it knocks and rattles like crazy. As is normal with government regs and environmental garbage, the ULSD results in lower mileage and ultimately higher carbon emissions. Perfect example of law of unintended consequences.

Anygunanywhere

I am actually thinking about trading my V-6 mustang for an V-8 version. Mainly because the Ford dealer by my house has an 07 Shelby that i could probably talk them out of. I have not changed my driving habits at all.