I haven't blogged in a while, so I figured I'd take this chance to update people on what's going on in my life, and make a few suggestions regarding ever-increasing gas prices.
I'm now an official Graduate Assistant, which means I'm getting paid to go to school and work on interesting projects with ISEAGE. My time is flexible, my projects are interesting, and my work environment includes, literally, 200+ computers available for use when they're not being used for other things.
Continuing, my thoughts on fuel economy/bicycling/etc.
Gas prices are going up. This is the nature of gas prices, it seems. They may very well hit $4/gal this summer.
Car fuel economy, especially in short, around-town trips, sort of sucks. 15-20mpg is normal for knocking around Ames. This means you're paying $0.20/mile in gas, more or less. Take a 5 mile trip, it's $1. That adds up quickly, especially if you're taking a lot of short trips (even worse fuel economy).
However, there's a great solution. Two wheeled vehicles.
Bicycles are wonderful in Ames. Take it from someone who bikes around a lot, and has lived in several different cities: Ames is bikeable. There are wide sidewalks/bike paths, there are bike paths creating wonderful shortcuts, and you can get anywhere you want in Ames, safely, on a bicycle. Plus, the exercise is good - and it beats doing cardio in a gym, staring at a TV. The wind, the scenery, etc.
A cheap-but-serviceable bicycle can be had for $50. A good commuter bike can be had, new, for $400.
Figure out how much you pay in gas/oil/tires/etc for your car. If you drive a newer vehicle, the government figures fair reimbursement is almost $0.50/mile. Older vehicles are lower, but it's still a good bit per mile. A bicycle pays for itsself FAST.
Another option for getting around town is a motorcycle or scooter. An older motorcycle (late 70s to mid 80s) with a 500cc-750cc motor can easily get 40mpg in-town, and most can do better. Or, a scooter can do 70+mpg. Either one will, again, pay for itsself quickly.
Beyond changing vehicles, there are other things you can do to help with fuel economy/cost:
1. Keep your tires inflated. If you don't know how to check them, learn. If you haven't checked them, check them. Underinflated tires wear out quickly, and take significantly more gas to move around. If you don't believe me on this, ride a bicycle with properly inflated tires. Then remove half the air from them and ride again. The difference will be immediately obvious.
2. Do a tuneup. Just because your car runs doesn't mean it's running well. When was the last time the spark plugs were changed? How about the oxygen sensor? If it has more than 60k miles on it, it's probably not performing terribly well. The car runs fine, but fuel economy suffers.
3. Combine trips. A warm car gets better mileage than a cold one. Make loops with your trips to avoid doubling back.
Anyway, hopefully this helps some. The best option, IMO, is a bicycle. No fuel costs, insanely low maintenance costs (even being maintained at a shop, $20/mo is reasonable to budget for bike maintenance), and exercise.
... and, my bicycle isn't lonely when parked outside Stonebrook.
-=Russ=-
Posted by rgraves at May 13, 2007 11:45 PMI'm driving to my internship in Tucson, right, and I paid $3.70/gal for gas outside of Albuquerque today. (Most of the way has been about $3.20/gal.)
It's good that I just replaced the spark plugs/filters/etc (a little early, but my mileage always jumps for the first 25k-ish of new plugs - even when they're the kind that can last 50-100k, after 25, the mileage drops... so I tend to replace early n often, and since the 'plugs are all of ~$30 to replace, it doesn't bother me to do it annually rather than when I'm "supposed" to - the added mileage is worth it)
One thing that I *have* noticed over the years is that my car gets different mileage based on what octane gets thrown in it. I'll get 28-30 mpg on the basic, but if I put in the premium, it jumps up to 40-42. Considering that's more than 33% higher, and the price differential is usually 20c and with gas prices at $3, that's about 7% more -- it's *well* worth the additional cost. (Of course, if I'm mostly doing city driving, there's not enough a difference to make it worthwhile, in Iowa, to switch from mid-grade...)
Posted by: Kate at May 14, 2007 04:00 AMThis had been a very informational and thorough blog on fuel economy:) FYI for anyone who may be in need or want of a bike... Amy Schade and I had fun grabbing abandoned bikes from campus that the university put signs up for because they were just going to get rid of them. I have at least one bike, maybe 2 (men's and women's bikes) that someone can have. They seem to be in decent shape, but may need a new chain (which is inexpensive). Email me if you're interested:)
Posted by: Jamie at May 14, 2007 07:15 PM