661 replies to this topic

[ski3pin]

We live on the edge of a recreation area, so besides being in California our gas prices are high. When we watch the news about gas prices, the national average looks darn good to us.

We always have plans penciled in on places we'd like to visit. These current prices will definitely affect our decisions on travel.

What about you?

As an aside, we worry about Dirty Dog out on a trip now. Will he make it home?

[billharr]

I have a two trips planned. One short three days and one long up the coast to Canada and over to Glacier and back to CA. Long trip will take appx 160 gallons of gas, so I will spend $160 more for each dollar gas goes up. This will not keep me from traveling.

Not to start a new topic but the price as always is being controlled by BIG OIL. The USA is now a net exporter of gasoline for the first time in years. We still import oil but our refining is more than we are using! Forget supply and demand in the USA it is global now and the record profits of the oil companies will just get bigger.

[Alley-Kat]

Makes no difference. My V6, 4.0L, Ford Ranger gets 21 mpg with the help of my ScanGauge II.

I'm taking longer trips, with big distances at the beginning and end of the trip, and lots or smaller moves (or no moves at all) for most of the trip (I'm "lucky" and don't "get to work" much anymore, so I can afford the time away). It's the dollar cost averaging method of wandering the west (average daily costs go down). Plus once I set up a base camp, I can explore a radius of 100+ miles in all directions on my Honda Trail CT110 every day and only use a couple of gallons of gas each day.

[Barko1]

We live on the edge of a recreation area, so besides being in California our gas prices are high. When we watch the news about gas prices, the national average looks darn good to us.

We always have plans penciled in on places we'd like to visit. These current prices will definitely affect our decisions on travel.

What about you?

As an aside, we worry about Dirty Dog out on a trip now. Will he make it home?

It won't stop me but makes me think twice. We often use GasBuddy while on the road to find cheaper diesel fuel, there is a lot of variation. In Baker, CA last week one station was $.20 less than all the others so over the 2500 miles it makes some difference. I tried hard not to fuel in CA or especially in Death Valley where it was $5.

[MarkBC]

Well, I voted "Makes no difference...".

But most-accurate for me would be that gas prices do make a difference -- otherwise I'd make 3 or more trips a year to southern UT. My last-May trip to UT cost me $1000 in gas (on that trip I was paying $4/gal), and my retirement budget can't afford several trips a year like that (unless I stayed home the rest of the time, and I don't want to do that).

But a rise from $3.50/gal to $4.00/gal (so far) isn't significantly changing my frugality.

RELATED:
It's because of the cost of travel that I've long-considered moving to a town more-centrally located with respect to where I like to travel. That's why for many years I've said that I'd like to retire in Bishop (it's at the fabulous eastern Sierra, next to Nevada, and much-closer to the southern deserts). But, I guess that when I consider travel to Utah (as well as the eastern Sierra, southeast OR, central-and-eastern NV, and the southern deserts), most-centrally-located would be Tonopah, Nevada. But Tonopah only has the distinction of being centrally located....otherwise it's kind of...ummm...a pit. (Sorry Tonopah).

[Lighthawk]

I voted for closer to home trips. Why?
We both still work, and my construction company is not churning the same bucks it used to.
Our time is our most valuable resource. Longer trips, other than a week over Christmas, are challenging for us.

[busboy66]

Makes no difference. My V6, 4.0L, Ford Ranger gets 21 mpg with the help of my ScanGauge II.

Alley-Kat, does your scan gauge act as some sort of tuner, or does it modify your driving habits based on what the device is telling you?
I'm curious as I have same truck, same motor and with the camper and gear I averaged 16mpg (American gallons) on the last trip.

I voted staying closer to home, which really isn't true as I will still go to the same spots but with less side trips and hopefully more cycling.

[Alley-Kat]

When the topic of monitoring auto trans temps came awhile ago, there was a more expensive option that looked good, however, they don't make anything for the smaller trucks, like our Rangers.

So, I purchaed the Scangauge II and the BlendMount holder (mounts the ScanGauge II above the mirror) to monitor my auto trans temps via a programable "X-Gauge" feature. However, getting the ability to also see "almost instant" reads on the miles per gallon and an overall, "so far... average mpg", was a big bonus.

It altered my driving habits, when I first got the unit, I was only getting about 16 mpg, now "I'm in no hurry to get anywhere" (the key factor IMO) and the dollars saved have already paid for the ScanGauge II and the BlendMount.

The Scangauge II lets you view at one time 4 data points, so, I've got selected 1) instant mpg, 2) the avg mpg, 3) the numerical value of my water temp (instead of the needle on the dash gauge moving left or right), and 4) the auto trans temp.

I purchased the Scangauge II from Amazon, about $10 less than going direct to ScanGauge, both have free shipping.

The BlendMount I purchased directly from BlendMount and they had a $10 discount (you have to ask them about it) that helped pay all the CA sales tax (they are located in No Cal) and a little of the shipping. At first I was thinking that the BlendMount would be easy to build myself, then I saw one in person on a friend's truck and I thought it was a better quality than I could make.

I'm just a walking advertisement for things that work for me.
Everyone else's results may be different.

I'm sort doing some research, from time to time, on getting a performance chip for the Ranger to see if I can get even better gas mileage, but have not yet got the complete story.

[busboy66]

Thanks!

[highz]

Well, I voted for shorter trips, but part of that is I can't get away from work for very long right now. It does make me wonder about this autumn when I am retired and living on less income. Assuming gas prices stay high (the days of cheap oil are probably over, despite temporary price dips), it may just mean that I have longer gaps in between trips. Or, it may mean I do less touring with the truck at my destination and concentrate on hiking, fishing, biking, ski touring and loafing. Basically, I'll have to budget trip money just like everything else. It won't stop me from traveling, though.