| While gas prices are up again, there is no
need to panic. Last year we all experienced the same trend
during summer months. Luckily for our Hot Rods, Race Cars and
Muscle Cars, the amount of miles driven per year is
insignificant when compared to our daily drivers. There are
reasons to be positive about the future:
- Technology has improved significantly to increase engine
efficiency. The typical daily driver vehicles boast mpg
ratings between 25 to 40 on the highway. This was unheard of
not too long ago. Even modern day performance vehicles can
get almost 30 mpg. (25
mpg for the New Mustang GT V8 and
26 mpg for the New Chevrolet 505 HP
LS7)
- The new and increasing popularity of E85 Fuel (website).
E85 is a mixture of 85% Alcohol and 15% Gasoline. Many of
the new vehicles are already capable for running E85 (check
yours here - you may be surprised!). E85 is
available in every state (map).
E85 has superior performance characteristics over gasoline,
renewable, burns cleaner and is produced domestically! Our
Hot Rods could be converted to run E85 without a extreme
amount of difficulty - plus who would complain about
increased performance?
- The price gap between race fuel has not increased near
the rate of standard gasoline. Race fuel is one of the best
deals going when historically compared against 87 octane.
- Muscle Cars and Automotive Performance Interests are at
the highest ever. Currently the Aftermarket Performance
Industry is at 34 Billion dollars and Growing by almost 10%
per year. That is equal to the amount of money our country
spends in the Pet Industry and greater than the amount of
Global Spending on Athletic Foot Ware (source:
www.Sema.org - membership
required)
We have programmed a very simple Fuel Savings Calculator.
If you would like a free copy, send me a quick email to
Techhelp@virtualengine2000.com
Some of the comparisons you can do are shown below the
screenshot.
-
Automates the
Calculations for Fuel Economy MPG, $ of Fuel Used per Year -
Month - Week - Day, Gallons of Fuel Used per Year, Fuel Cost
Difference Between Vehicles and If it is worth purchasing a
more efficient vehicle or improving fuel economy of your
existing car or truck!
-
Determine how
much you really spend on fuel per year
-
How much does
it cost (fuel) to go out for lunch daily
-
How much could
be saved by combining trips (grocery, hardware,
entertainment)
-
Is it worth
driving to a further away gas station to save on price per
gallon
-
If your vehicle
requires higher octane fuel, how much does that cost per
year?
-
Cost of moving
further away - or taking a job further away
-
Cost of fuel
price fluctuations
-
Cost or Savings
when purchasing a new vehicle
-
Compare
different vehicles with different mpg ratings
-
Is it worth
spending extra $ on a hybrid or flex fuel vehicle? How long
before payoff?
-
Is a partial
fill up worth waiting for a price drop?
-
Is it worth
purchasing a more fuel efficient vehicle? How long before
break even?
Again - this is a
completely free program. Send us email if you would like a
copy.
Finally, here are
some additional websites for further reading...
http://www.gasbuddy.com/
http://www.freegashelp.com/
http://www.sema.org
http://www.e85fuel.com
If you have any
questions, suggestions or would like to send a comment, please
let me know.
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