Gas prices effect on the import/240sx scene?

[Quail]

Hey guys. Just wondering how the ever rising gas prices effect you and your hobbie (ie our cars).

I've had to change my driving style quite considerably to able to afford to run my car (I used to drive faster more often, but now I save the car for special occasions).

I know petrol prices have pushed a lot of people run more practical/economical, daily drivers (including me).

A lot of people here are selling up for more economical cars, but I love my car too much to do that. So how is it effecting you?

[stiizy]

i stopped driving and now take the bus to work 25$ to commute 5 day work week....115 $driving (gas,tolls) per week..

Saving 90 a week aint nothing wrong with that!!!

[EroGori]

Considering we are all no strangers to spending large sums of money for aftermarket parts and old car maintenance I imagine most guys like myself are just sucking it up and paying at the pump. I've cut out eating out instead of cutting out working on my car. If gas hits 10 bucks i'll probably cut the cable.

[nevaland9]

I definitely cruise a lot more, when I see a nice corner I usually can't resist but other than that it's 2k shifts and 1/4 throttle all day. What always bothers me is the people who book from the lights, tailgating me and flying past me only to stop at the speed limit while I cruise past them at 10-15 over a 1/4 mile down the road, I never understood that shit.

[DALAZ_68]

im just gonna buy an eco friendly car...40MPG>18MPG :bigok:

[shade]

I don't drive my RX7 that's for sure! I only drive the 240 now even though I'm still working on it, 3k and nothing more. I coast down hills and stuff just so my car would just roll around to keep speed and not have to push the gas. Gas prices suck ass.

[VROOOM]

i kinda messed up and bought a car that needs premium gas right when gas started to soar. i just try and make a game out of saving gas. try not to get into boost and just accelerate slowly. its boring but works.

[stiizy]

im just gonna buy an eco friendly car...40MPG>18MPG :bigok:

Buying a fit next weekend....:2f2f:

good mpg, looks good, cheap ass monthly,

It's just slow :-/ :-/ :-/

[Dutchmalmiss]

I actually learned how to pull off 27-29mpg on my daily driven SR S13. Now I just carpool in my friend's camry hybrid which can get the same with waaaay less effort haha. But my secrets were to keep the car empty and coast more than throttle.

[LibertySyclone]

I bought taller gears for the LS14 (q45) and LS motors are known for good gas mileage. (gears still need installing)

I also recieved my 07 Honda Shadow last Sunday, I have been getting 60+mpg so far and the motor still isnt broke in. $12 to fill up every 1.5 weeks isnt to bad, sure beats the $50 for the 240


Oddly enough you can accelerate downhill and coast up hill to improve mileage as well, if you have a hilly drive.

[Dutchmalmiss]

Buying a fit next weekend....:2f2f:

good mpg, looks good, cheap ass monthly,

It's just slow :-/ :-/ :-/

Wait for the '09s to come out! Same mpg, more power! :bigok:
http://z.about.com/d/cars/1/0/G/H/1/09_fit_frtleft.jpg

[S13SilviaGirl]

honestly, I stay home more, do more work around the house, play with the dogs, the kids, and wash Kevins car (better gas mileage ya know ;) ). I think it is funny 240 owners say they drive their car less, as my dad drives his 240 more now than ever. The 240 IS his economy vehicle....

[stiizy]

im just gonna buy an eco friendly car...40MPG>18MPG :bigok:

Wait for the '09s to come out! Same mpg, more power! :bigok:
http://z.about.com/d/cars/1/0/G/H/1/09_fit_frtleft.jpg

yea think i will wait it has like 120hp instead of the 109 it has now right??

[iwishiwas-all*]

honestly, I stay home more, do more work around the house, play with the dogs, the kids, and wash Kevins car (better gas mileage ya know ;) ). I think it is funny 240 owners say they drive their car less, as my dad drives his 240 more now than ever. The 240 IS his economy vehicle....

ditto... i havnt driven back up to west palm in months.... if i go i take the tri rail

[Jordn]

I get a company car and gas card so I'm not fussed. Thankfully the company haven't upped our contribution yet despite higher fuel prices.

The Silvia tank usually gets me to and from events so I go through one maybe two tanks full per month? The car is a luxury not a necessity so its not really a worry.

If I was commuting in it then it'd be a different story.

[BustedS13]

two notes
1. nobody cruises the strip here anymore. it used to be you'd go up to Lindbergh on a friday or saturday and it would be so congested with rice that you couldn't get anywhere. now, everybody shows up and parks in lots along lindbergh instead of driving.
2. i'm buying a motorcycle to save on gas.

[drift freaq]

I drive a hell of a lot less. I also try to combine trips. I.E. if I need to go to a certain area, I wait till I need to go for multiple things, so I do not have to make a return trip.
I also picked up a gas sipper and let the 240 sit. Since I am about to embark on the majority of the current project, i.e. paint before engine install, my 240 will not be up and running for at least a month anyways. Once it is it will have a V6 that can pull 32 mpg in our cars :D

[muddafakka]

My S13 is my daily driver and economy car. No way around it until I get another DD that possibly gets better mileage. A bike would be nice but I need to learn how to ride first. Hopefully I'll get to learn when summer school is over.

When I'm out, I get multiple things done (gas, groceries, etc.) so I don't have to make unnecessary trips. I've been doing that way before the prices went up. I try to get my shit done early in the morning or in the evening because around noon it's hot as fuck and everybody's out on the road and that can get very aggravating. I haven't gone out just for fun in a while though. I don't do a lot of speeding nowadays...not as often as before anyways.

[Yuri]

I've been daily driving a 4.0 L V8 instead of a 5.2.
I'd be driving my AE86, but it's got rodknock and the Jag has ice cold A/C.

And someone siphoned the gas tank dry on my Duster this week, so I'm going to have to buy a locking gas cap, body armor, and bunch of guns, and rig the car to blow if tampered with.
Because Mad Max is just around the corner.

I have noticed how nice and free flowing traffic is lately.

[ILoveMyRHS13]

I drive my car according to my mood... Sometimes I feel like driving fast or I'm rushing, other than that I take it easy. I'll also skip out on going some places unless friends drive, hahaha.

[BustedS13]

i actually find myself driving more, because my friends are broke pieces of shit.

[koroshiya87]

buy a honda save gas, i shift at like 2k so that i dont waste gas

[ZX88]

i take the bus 200 a month.

[kyoru]

I drive easier on my car now, and pretty much stay home most of the time so the gas savings is awesome.

[exitspeed]

Gas prices effect on the import/240sx scene?

I sure hope so. Get these damn kids to stop buying 240's and fuckin them up.

[DUFFM4N]

my commute isnt really bad to begin with (14miles round trip), so im not noticing TOO much of a difference...

[norbac]

well, ghostriding is old, the new thing is hypermilling, haha, watch out for people shutting off their engines and coasting

[VROOOM]

my commute isnt really bad to begin with (14miles round trip), so im not noticing TOO much of a difference...

sounds like my drive. i bought my car on 5/9 and as of 7/3 i only have 1085 miles on the car.

[mRclARK1]

i kinda messed up and bought a car that needs premium gas right when gas started to soar. i just try and make a game out of saving gas. try not to get into boost and just accelerate slowly. its boring but works.

Same with me. I rarely hit boost, and speed up pretty slow and steady onto the freeway. Funny thing is, a few years ago, people would have been honking and passing with how long I take to get up to speed (unless I'm merging into heavy traffic, then I give it some speed quicker), but now a lot of people are keeping pace with me, or going even slower. haha

[vr4gasmtt]

Don't trade in for a mpg car, just change your driving style.

I sold my GSX got a 08 Civic Sedan, gets about 30mpg city, but gets shittier gas mileage than my GSX does when I drive the shit out of it.

[Rob's S14]

I haven't really changed my driving style but then again I drive slow anyways. I get about 28-30 mpg so I can't get much better unless I get another car. I try to not make too many short trips though and stay out of the drive through.

[PhAtXSuMo]

in a months worth...

since my KA blew i saved up 700 dollars

if my car was running i would only have 200 in a month

i dont really eat that much do to money(glad to work at a food join huh TOGOS FTW)

[HyperTek]

FC turbo here... with a factory rated 16mpg city... pfffffppp.. yeah =(

[wangan_cruiser]

FC turbo here... with a factory rated 16mpg city... pfffffppp.. yeah =(



ouch.



i drive to work around 10-13 miles. thinking buying a honda ruckus

[iPurple_Misfit!]

i actually find myself driving more, because my friends are broke pieces of shit.

same here.they dont come out the house unless its down the street so we have to drive to them!!!

[GSXRJJordan]

It truly hasn't effected me at all. I drive my car when the weather's nice and/or I want to have some fun, and I drive my truck ('07 Tacoma 4cyl 5spd - about 25mpg) the rest of the time - lately I've been takin the truck to work because it's got some awesome A/C and I wear a suit to work.

It's awesome to get to work and step out of a flat black, slammed drift car in a $1k cashmere pinstripe suit though. People break their necks trying to piece that story together.

[status:one]

B/c of gas prices it finally made me get my car tuned properly. No more running rich with these prices.

[drftrps13]

because of gas prices my 240 havent been filled up by my broke ass... that needle will never hit the ceiling for a while

[svensko]

Get 24 MPG mixed driving like I did when gas was $2.20 for premium. I can afford it and it hasn't had a huge impact on me. It has made me take up new hobbies though, I'm learning computer programming in my free time now instead of looking at turbo kits. :hsdance:

[axiomatik]

Drive a little slower on the highway. That's about it. Prices really haven't bothered me. I make enough money and get good enough mileage to not really care.

[twistedsymphony]

I had a toyoa tacoma for a DD but got rid of it (nothing to do with gass, just frame rot)

so my S14 is my DD now until I find another one... I'm actually looking at SUVs so I have something I can take off-road... I don't do enough driving to worry about gas prices, even if they double.

my S14 regularly gets 26MPG as it is and I'm swaping to an LS1 (which believe it or not gets BETTER mileage than the KA or SR)

but yeah the SUV market looks great right now.. lots of cheap ones up for sale :D


my real worry is in home heating costs... I live up north and heating my home can use a LOT of oil (and home heating oil is at diesel fuel prices)... there's no "Honda fit" for home heat unfortunately :( (as it is I keep my home at 60*F and wear a sweater in the winter)

[DALAZ_68]

:bigok: Wait for the '09s to come out! Same mpg, more power! :bigok:
http://z.about.com/d/cars/1/0/G/H/1/09_fit_frtleft.jpg
thats actually what im doing

[mrmephistopheles]

And someone siphoned the gas tank dry on my Duster this week, so I'm going to have to buy a locking gas cap, body armor, and bunch of guns, and rig the car to blow if tampered with.
Because Mad Max is just around the corner.

I have noticed how nice and free flowing traffic is lately.

I went ahead and put a locking gas cap on my pickup.

I have noticed that traffic has been lighter lately. Maybe carpooling will be popular again.



my real worry is in home heating costs... I live up north and heating my home can use a LOT of oil (and home heating oil is at diesel fuel prices)... there's no "Honda fit" for home heat unfortunately :( (as it is I keep my home at 60*F and wear a sweater in the winter)

That's going to really suck for people in cold places. Is solar heating/electricity a viable option?


Also, my 240 will be my gas saver. I'm putting a 3.69 ring & pinion in and I'll be doing other stuff to make it suck less (gas). As it was with the 4.08, I could get up to 31mpg doing a steady highway cruise.

[ayuaddict]

im looking to purchase another car with better gas milage.

i figure the cost of insuring another car will be offset by not dailying the S13 in a couple months or so. haha.

[kcndizzle]

I traded my s14 yesterday for an r6, other than that though I've been primarily following everyone elses formula; slower acceleration and a whole lot less spirited driving with my 13.

[Matej]

My car never runs so gas prices don't affect me.

But with no interior, no a/c, and conservative driving, I've gotten 30mpg, and that's with running super rich.
I'm expecting the mileage to improve once I switch to a lightweight flywheel, pulleys, and an aluminum driveshaft.

[turbobrick]

My 240 gets 30mpg, which is better than all my other cars. So if anything, I drive my 240 even more now.

[SlideWell]

so far, more carpooling and better planning of my trips/errands.

[WILDACEX187]

my s13 has been down for a while. my g20 gets about 25-27 mpg with alot of stop and go (nyc). just bought a 98 cbr 600 f3 to get 45 mpg :bow:

[k0uki]

car is parked in the garage, and im just riding my bike

[thejapino]

I've been riding my bike for my 2.1 mile commute to work. Bike as in bicycle!

BTW have you guys noticed how cheap used SUV's are going for right now. People trying so hard to get into more gas efficient vehicles that they're practically giving away their Tahoe's and Explorer's.

We are living in the time of "THE DEATH OF SUV's"

[ROUGE180]

I love my car way too much to sell it. I want to get it tuned so it's running more efficiently. It's running ritch like a biotch. I am consdering purchasing something ole school that I can DD which gets better mpg. That or I'm going to move closer to my job. I drive about 84 miles round trip. I'm on a first name basis with the gas station attendant.

[jdmdrft]

we won't have to worry much longer.
dont know if you guys know about it or not.

anyone like $50 a barrel?
thats like 1.50 a gallon.

http://watthead.blogspot.com/2008/06/bug-juice-oil-20.html

[atutt]

I have no choice but to drive my car to work. There are no buses that are on route. I would have to take 3 buses. Which would take about 2 hours with transfers. Only problem is working at 7am and buses start running at 6am. All the other workers come in from out of town and I'm the ONLY one who lives in town...

I've been forced to take a job in town that pays about $10hr less because gas is to fucking high to commute.... fuck

[flip3d]

Ever since I moved to como, I havent used my car. Everything is so close. Also, the roads suck ass here so I dont really want to drive anywhere.


My 240s been at half a tank for a couple weeks.

[beeracing s14]

i courted a gasoline station owner and now i get free gas.

[Gnnr]

Its motivated me to either rebuild my engine so it can run properly or get another one thats in better condition.


I have a question For you people that track often: Do you track your cars less because of the fuel prices?

[HIM]

I love OILLL

I redline from stop sign to stop sign. Gotta save a few seconds
yadadamean?


I skateboard if its local. Might explain why I have a horrible farmers tan

[GSXRJJordan]

I have a question For you people that track often: Do you track your cars less because of the fuel prices?

Nope, they don't. Gas is the cheapest thing you need @ the track... even race gas doesn't really matter, 'cause a whole weekend of racing can be had on a single tank. Tires/entry fees/trailer there and back/etc all cost more than the gas.

[AlligatorBling]

gas prices are effecting EVERYTHING... Drinks from vending machines cost mroe due to the cost of gas for the guys to drive there and stock them.... There are some schools around where im at that are considering going to a 4 day week due to the fact that it takes a lot to transport the kids to and from each day via a bus...

[ms!3]

I just put up with it. Nothing you can do really. $20 bucks or so extra when filling up compared to a couple of years ago.

We really need to drill or start looking at the alternatives. I was watching the discovery channel. Theres a car out there that runs off compressed air. It only goes like 60 mph but wtf cares? That would be awesome. Car constantly refuels with air on its own using a generator.

[ROUGE180]

I just put up with it. Nothing you can do really. $20 bucks or so extra when filling up compared to a couple of years ago.

We really need to drill or start looking at the alternatives. I was watching the discovery channel. Theres a car out there that runs off compressed air. It only goes like 60 mph but wtf cares? That would be awesome. Car constantly refuels with air on its own using a generator.

I saw that same show. It was pretty cool. Car looked like crap but considering air is free I think I could let that slide lol. Also that car in Japan that runs on water looks very promising. We have oil right here in America. We have oil under Alaska. Coal can be converted but at the risk of the environment. I really hope that we can figure something out. If they can figure out how to get my SR to run on water I'm all over it.

[0100]

What always bothers me is the people who book from the lights, tailgating me and flying past me only to stop at the speed limit while I cruise past them at 10-15 over a 1/4 mile down the road, I never understood that shit.

+ a million! I can't fucking stand that. I bet I drive just like you.

The 240 IS his economy vehicle....

+1 on that, my sr 240 IS my daily driver econobox. Start complaining when you have to buy diesel for a 1 ton truck pulling a 24' enclosed trailer. The import scene is mostly 4 bangers, how much more econo can you get with 4 wheels and not be gay.

[SimpleS14]

I seized any plans to turbo charge the KA and I don't plan to go to any auto-x events since all the tracks are FAR.

My commute is horrid (~60 miles daily) and I have no alternatives since most people that carpool go to D.C. and bus routes would take ~2-3 hrs, yet I have to be at work by 8pm and drive to other offices at times.

I'm being frugal with my spending now, and just saving up and planning to move out to a place closer to my job. I can't get another car due to space constraints and another expense on my books (i.e. insurance, taxes).

[Flipzide]

I pretty much still drive the same, but I stopped driving to places as much as I used to. Now I try carpool when I go to places. I pretty much stopped driving my 240sx as a daily. Although I at least take it out for a drive once a week. I borrow my parent's previa or z3 when I want to go somewhere. The gas mileage on those things are good and when combined with 70-65mph cruising, i could get good mileage out of those.

[origin_s135]

gas prices don't effect me lastweek i drove to richmond, antioch, pittsburg, hayward, and back to oakland in the ML55 AMG[all in one day]. if i remembered correctly full tank was like around 80 bucks. 3 days ago my brother just bought a CL600! i was like wtf he came all the way from sacramento because my sister was having a kid, but he told us that he has a switch where it can go into v6 mode. still, it's a freakin v12!

[deadpirate]

i drive a 1998 dodge dakota, i get like 10-12 mpg or something retarded...shit sucks. im selling the truck on saturday but im not gunna get anywhere near the price i wanted for it. shit sucks. i should have sold that truck years ago

[DohcKA]

i hear gas prices are suppose to go back down to $2 when we have a new president in office... i guess we'll have to wait and see

[ms!3]

lmao that post was so fucking out there.

[Kwonza Says]

I definitely cruise a lot more, when I see a nice corner I usually can't resist but other than that it's 2k shifts and 1/4 throttle all day. What always bothers me is the people who book from the lights, tailgating me and flying past me only to stop at the speed limit while I cruise past them at 10-15 over a 1/4 mile down the road, I never understood that shit.

hahah yeah i feel ya on that one people speeding to the next light to get there faster when i drive slower and meet them up at the light makes them look like it was all for nothing haha

[WILDACEX187]

i hear gas prices are suppose to go back down to $2 when we have a new president in office... i guess we'll have to wait and see

nope. they're making too much money. it is wat it is.