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In response to the question about European octane ratings, IIRC in Europe they generally quote only the Research octane #, while in the States we get an average of Research and Motor octane ratings. I can remember when both MON and RON were posted, the spread is usually about 4-5 points but could be more or less. Typical government mandated dumbing down gives us just the average, for this we pay the Federal incom tax?!
It's difficult to predict future fuel prices. I'm glad I'm into 80's VW cars which get 35 +/- MPG, so not suffering much at $4/gallon gas.
If the Federal mandate for ethanol were lifted, if the EPA's "botique" gas rules were dropped as they were just after Katrina, these would actually help. Maybe the "botique" gas blends actually help air quality but I doubt they are cost-effective.
As individuals, check your tire pressure, most "non-car-people" don't keep up with that, put in what it says on the door jamb, and maybe 2-4 PSI more than that, see how this works. Don't get carried away. Tune up items. For a fuel injected car, the fuel filter is critical, I have changed fuel filters in older Japanese injected cars and picked up 1-2 MPG, the car was "running fine" but, measured the increase. Maybe higher pressure at the injector is giving better atomization of the fuel? The basics, spark plugs, I like NGK, but have fairly fresh ones. Obviously if you have a Check Engine Light set, at least find out what it's about. Probably will pay you to fix/get fixed.
But I would not be shocked at $5 gas nor a return to $3. Either scenario could happen.
Remember when real estate prices only went up, never came down? That's where oil is right now. In the immortal words of Yogi Berra, "it's tough to make predictions, especially about the future".
It's been the technology stocks, then the housing boom, now it's the oil prices. No one knows how long this bubble will last, but everybody knows it's unsustainable. There's going to be a point where won't even be able to afford a necessity, just as the case with housing. What goes up must come down.
Then oil prices will deflate, gas will come down to more sustainable levels, and money will be transferred to another location, thus creating another bubble.
People say we should boycott rising gas prices. But how can we? It's not feasible to walk 70+ miles to work, there's an evident lack of public transportation, and there's not much of a carpool lifestyle here in the U.S. Even if we do discover a new source of fuel such as hydrogen, it would take years for the cars to become even close to affordable.
The only true way to bring down gas prices more quickly is to move closer to your job. Yet another obstacle hinders this: the credit crisis. Banks are lending less, therefore making it harder to obtain a loan. And closer suburbs and inner city neighborhood home prices remain relatively lofty, so there's not much we can do, except accept the facts & just hope for the best.
I expect the price of oil to get back to 90-something a barrel. There's your relief, but it's going to come at a slow pace, as record demand has to settle into a reasonable production model.
The current harder to get oil costs about 60-70 a barrel (like offshore, with all the transport and risk involved).
However, the price per barrel has gotten complex though, so my predictions are from personal observations, just like everyone elses'.
et's say oil speculators recognize that they've driven up the price of oil too high...
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mopac1980
Will the gas prices ever go back down? I would love for the gas prices to be the way they were back in 2002, I remember the gas prices were lower in 2001-02 (except for a brief period during the 9/11 attacks) than they were in 2000.
I like this question - I've been thinking about it. Let's say oil speculators recognize that they've driven up the price of oil too high for the average US or international citizen to afford. What would happen? It's kind of like the real estate bubble right? Eventually people will stop buying gas and driving much at all except for situations where they had no choice right? Would we just see the price creep downward until it settled somewhere everyone or at least "more people" could again afford it? What economic implications would there be at this point? How will this point be recognized by the speculators anyway? I find this fascinating to think about because one would have expected this to have already happened in a free market - but obviously it didn't (gas was so affordable the past 20 years most people didn't talk about its price nor consider fuel efficiency all that important when car shopping).
Wait till we start having hurricanes. that will not make gas prices go down especialy if the storms hit the gulf coast. we think there high now, this is nothing compared to what we will see.
Us Brits see the Americans as very lucky with gas prices, in the UK diesel is around the $9.50 per gallon mark, I filled my car up last night and it cost me £65.00/$130.00!
Us Brits see the Americans as very lucky with gas prices, in the UK diesel is around the $9.50 per gallon mark, I filled my car up last night and it cost me £65.00/$130.00!
maybe your gas prices are higher then ours but i would like to know what your minamum wage for employment is? it's probably alot higher than ours. we are 7.15 an hour.
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Lol
et's say oil speculators recognize that they've driven up the price of oil too high...
hurricane season is coming
it's probably alot higher than ours. we are 7.15 an hour. 
