i suppose introductions are in order ...

[unleash]

Tamlin,

I watched a docu the other day about bio-fuel, they actually made a suburb drive on oil from seed(sunflower)...the engine they built to do that, sounded the same(as that is one of the reasons to drive BIG cars) and it used less liters per kilometer(or ltrs per mile, or gallons per mile, its al the same)

But it was pretty neat, at the end they used the cars engine to make its own fuel so that it could drive as long as there was a field of sunflowers nearby

I laughed my pants of during that docu, as they actually out raced an "normal" suburb

I also read somewhere(in a book, yeah they still exist) that some researchers in Norway(I believe) found a way to quickly process trees into oil. This process would close the circle of the oil (oil > consumption > CO2 > trees/ plants > oil) and would therefore solve the fuell problem..

About the climate change........you know that it was warmer down here in the medieval times, right? It was about 8 degrees warmer global than it is now....

[supertackyman]

the best solution to the fuel crisis can be found at the ends of our legs.
feet can do more than push the 3 pedals.
god forbid that america starts walking for those short trips. actually may loose some weight.
some people spend more time circleing the parking lot looking for the closest space than if they would just park on the outskirts and walk.

[MoodsR4Cattle]

Originally Posted by synthetic

if we see $10 a gallon... US drivers may opt for those little "Le Car's" like Europeans too

I used to own a Renault Le Car! I think it was a 1986 model? Was the worst car ever built ... Ok, maybe second to the Yugo.

I always thought that Miller Light commercial was pretty funny ... I honestly didn't think this male dominated forum would be offended .....

With the gas prices going through the roof ... I'm surprised that we aren't seeing a huge increase of motorcycle commercials - now that I think about it ... I don't recall the last time I did see a motorcycle commercial.

[synthetic]

Originally Posted by supertackyman

the best solution to the fuel crisis can be found at the ends of our legs.
feet can do more than push the 3 pedals.
god forbid that america starts walking for those short trips. actually may loose some weight.
some people spend more time circleing the parking lot looking for the closest space than if they would just park on the outskirts and walk.

ok... let me toss that one back at ya... you say you drive Surban to feel safe on roads? I drive to feel safe. I have to cross a not so good area of town to get to my place of work currently. I considered getting a bike but really... early morning is only time I would really safe biking through that area. I know a lot of other people that feel same way. Many people drive to feel safe. Especially females and rightfully so with some of the crimes we hear about in and around our town.

Also, many drive to avoid bad or iffy weather conditions whether too wet... too cold... or too hot. Getting from point A to point B is one thing... but getting to point B and finding yourself dripping of sweat or drenched in rain or freezing in your work dress attire leaves much to be desired

getting society to take a step back in how they perceive transportation is probably like getting a 2 year old to eat peas once they discover candy is much better lol

[unleash]

true, but than why not take the bus? And put half of the money being spend on fuel into securing the bus? I think that those busses will be way safer than you car, after that amount of money has been spend on it!

[Tamlin]

Originally Posted by unleash

true, but than why not take the bus? And put half of the money being spend on fuel into securing the bus? I think that those busses will be way safer than you car, after that amount of money has been spend on it!

Well, that's the problem - where I live, anyway. The government are keen to price people out of using their own vehicles, but they won't invest in public transport. I'd be only too happy to catch a bus all the way to work if they were frequent and on time but they're not. As it is, I have to make do with a park & ride service, driving part of the way there then taking the bus into town.

[supertackyman]

as long as i can contunue to afford gas i will be driving the suburban. I wouldnt mind another car as well or a cycle. but the extra insurance and registration and smog fees will cost more than just gassing up the beast (at least for now)

and i agree synthetic, sometimes one lives where cars provide saafety or comfort from weather etc. as far as im concerned, everyone should drive as much as they need to. even I play the hypocrite, I drive the suburbeast to the convenience store thats like a block away!

I refer everyone to one of my gallery posts:
gasoholic - BioRUST.com :: User Gallery

[synthetic]

Originally Posted by unleash

true, but than why not take the bus? And put half of the money being spend on fuel into securing the bus? I think that those busses will be way safer than you car, after that amount of money has been spend on it!

well... if you happen to live in a city with adequate bus service... yes the bus is a good idea. safer than a car? nope... car will take me right to my door within 10 feet... bus will require walking a least a block and then adapting to a bus schedule can be another issue.

I live in a more rural area. If I lived in a major city like New York, Chicago etc. I would most definitely make use of public transportation more. In New York, traffic is horrible and owning and "keeping" and auto is more costly... I probably wouldn't even own a vehicle at all... in that instance... the cost and hassle of owning a car might out weigh the feeling of safety I think. But... having said that... if I made enough money and lived comfortably... would still prefer to own a car than rely on public trans for the convenience of traveling on my time and safety aspect.

I guess really it all depends on how much money we have, how convenient something is, and how safe we feel that really decides what is best for each person... hard to say just one thing for everyone because not everyone has same conditions.

[synthetic]

Originally Posted by supertackyman

I refer everyone to one of my gallery posts:
gasoholic - BioRUST.com :: User Gallery

yep... that's us

[turvas]

Originally Posted by supertackyman

probably has the same origins as why we (americans) call soccer, soccer even though the players wear shoes.

for that matter, why do drag racers wear gender appropriate clothes?

and when was the last time you could go the dealership and but a stock car like in nascar?
probably sometime around the same time that big cars went away in the us in the 1970's

as long as there are still suburbans left on the road, im much more comfortable driving something equal in size as opposed to something that would get crushed.
whenever im in a little car and a big pickup or suv is nearby, i worry that, in case of accident, I could end up loosing very badly.
weight and momentum go a long way towards surviving.
i would rather be in the bigger of the two.

That's the spirit! I'm the king of the road! Make way or be made!

[supertackyman]

Yep! nothing intimidates like 3 tons of detroit steel.
(except maybe a tank.)
to those cars that are made of recycled beer cans: you can get crushed like yoour ancestors.

[turvas]

I still support bikes, though. You can't crush something you can't catch up with.

[MoodsR4Cattle]

Let's not pick on the beer can car assembly line cars! We may be tiny, and you SUV behemoths can't see us, but we're quicker and can zip around you! It's because of the SUV Grand Poobahs that we have to hone our insane ninja defensive driving skills!
SUV = Stupid Useless Vehicles

[supertackyman]

mebbbe stupid and useless (funny, really)
but, young grasshopper, your insane ninja skills are no match for the shock and awe effect of twin airhorns.
(please no mention of the shock and awe effect of fillups, been there, felt that)
i'm all for being able to zip around, (its fun and efficient) but, please remember that to an suv owner nothing is scarier than a little car that zips in and slows down. where small cars can stop on a dime, big cars must plan things like stops out a bit more.

and turvas: mad props to bike riders in todays traffic, they got guts and skills. but I swear to all dietys: quit splitting between me and the guy next to me at a stoplight!
aside from soothing your hyperactive personality, is it that important to be in the front and keep going? I've heard the argument that "if i stay still in traffic, my bike will overheat because its aircooled." air cooled or not, if your bike overheats while at a 3 minute stoplight, its a piece of sh*t! and youre still stopped, by the way, wehter between me and someone else at the light or behind the car you were behid before you shoulda stopped.

[unleash]

euhm...bikes CAN NOT OVERHEAT! sorry just had to say that The only thing that could overheat are the breaks...but than you have to cycle at around 60m/h and I don't think any living person can do such a thing.

About the small cars, I live in the netherlands! everything here is small compared with an SUV...but I don't believe that the SUV will win in all cases if it comes to close combat! We have reall Dutch steel, German scientists, and French testing grounds! So back of, or d** like the rest of yet to be recycled metal