we should've seen this since 1970. opec. they'll find new ways to trick us temporarily and string us on. i'm just so sick of the whole thing i won't be buying anything new, and every time i see them push some new vehicle-all i see is someone in an office somewhere getting a promotion on some half-baked idea because the tv commercials bring stupidity into reality. sorry for my attidude. i'm 36 yrs old but i sure see why seniors get grouchy.
we should've seen this since 1970. opec. they'll find new ways to trick us temporarily and string us on. i'm just so sick of the whole thing i won't be buying anything new, and every time i see them push some new vehicle-all i see is someone in an office somewhere getting a promotion on some half-baked idea because the tv commercials bring stupidity into reality. sorry for my attidude. i'm 36 yrs old but i sure see why seniors get grouchy.
I'm 22 and find myself thinking the same way more and more. As some one who studies energy markets and alternative energy in my spare time, I can see that we are headed to another fuel crisis. Weather its legit or not really means nothing as far as how it will affect folks like you and me. But something has to give when you see that fuel economy has remained unchanged for the last 20 years, and the cost of fuel continues to rise.
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1986 F250HD Ex cab Fresh built up 6.9L diesel Lariat AC leather seats power everything w/full cluster, sterling rear 3.08LS gears, E4OD trans, ram intake ATS 088 turbo
1986 F150 Ex cab Lariat rollercam 5.0L on LPG AOD trans 3.55 gears 390 000Ks
My 0.02, keep our common ranger, simply stretch in into a crew cab, give us alternative power options, like a 3.0 v6 on straight propane-no efi spaghetti or cat converters of any kind, just the straight engine, or our beloved lost e.v power, there's lots they can do. and give the 4x4's coilovers and cable-operated hubs lots of ground clearance and that'l make a great start. we know it'd sell good but something's preventing that truck to be made AND marketed. no offence to the sporttrac junk
As bad as this may sound, the fuel economy bill may be one reason why the lighter trucks are being phased out. Simply put, the standards would be difficult to achieve, so instead of trying to meet the new standards, ford (and others) have simply increased the size of the vehicles so that the heavier trucks are exempt from the new standards (which are based on GVWR). The ranger however, is too small and light to be expanded to a larger size, so its simply being scrapped. This is just what I am reading between the lines, so draw your own conclusions.
30 MPG is possible with something like a ranger, but it has to be powered by something other than a gasoline engine. A diesel could be the answer, but the emission standards are too strict in the USA for that to be viable, and a diesel would be doing well just to match the gasoline equivalent engine.
Propane is an excellent fuel, I burn it, and I love it. The only drawback is having to fill at the full serve pump, since no gas station will let you fill your own. Availability can also be a problem. For performance, the power can be the same, or even better than a comparable gasoline engine because of the higher octane and more complete burn. Range is usually 5-15% less than gas however. Oil stays clean too.
I happen to be an EV proponent, and an unapologetic fan of the technology. An electric Ranger would get the cost equivalent of 100 MPG or more, but the purchase price would be higher, and range more limited when you consider the lack of fast charging infrastructure. The technology is ready to play a major role, but overall its list not taken seriously by most, and the term "electric car" often comes with a stereotype of a small, useless puddle hopper with limited range and power. For some reason, hydrogen is given more credit, even though its even further away from anything practical or cost effective.
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1986 F250HD Ex cab Fresh built up 6.9L diesel Lariat AC leather seats power everything w/full cluster, sterling rear 3.08LS gears, E4OD trans, ram intake ATS 088 turbo
1986 F150 Ex cab Lariat rollercam 5.0L on LPG AOD trans 3.55 gears 390 000Ks
I think EV is our future. At least in the near term. But its not without its drawbacks. Especially with our current methods of power generation. Also the batteries themselves are not the best for the environment.
But I also am a strong believer that we need to build a society where every person does not need a car. Certainly in some cases that each family will need several cars, but urban sprawl is a big part of our problems. Many people live 50 or more miles out of the city and commute every day to work. Then they commute 10 miles to the grocery store. We need to go back to residing close to where we actually do our living.
Dascro you might bring up a good point, but there's absolutly no way in hell i'm going to sell my little acreage out in the country and buy a far overpriced townhouse because some greedy mustard in an office somewhere says i should cause they make a commission off of ripping away our freedoms. i'd rather an e.v ranger w/a solar panel and windmill to recharge it when the technologies get better and have gps gizmo track my miles and pay a road tax. btw oil topped 100Barrel today. Wheres it end?
Dascro you might bring up a good point, but there's absolutly no way in hell i'm going to sell my little acreage out in the country and buy a far overpriced townhouse because some greedy mustard in an office somewhere says i should cause they make a commission off of ripping away our freedoms. i'd rather an e.v ranger w/a solar panel and windmill to recharge it when the technologies get better and have gps gizmo track my miles and pay a road tax. btw oil topped 100Barrel today. Wheres it end?
Where does in end? I'm gonna say $300/barrel in 5 years. Production capacity will peak later this year or early next year, and when that happens the price will continue to rise at an increasing rate until shortages begin. And that ties well into the question of this thread.
While I agree that urban sprawl is a big problem, I just couldn't see myself living in a big city 5 blocks from work and never owning a car (I live on a 2 acre parcel right on the edge of a subdivision), I just want to see more of my world than that. And that also means that I enjoy the freedom of owning a vehicle. I think dascro was making a more general statement to streamline city planning more than eliminating rural or individual life.
It may sound like pipe dream but it is possible to run cars and even big trucks like the new F150 off the surface of your own house roof (it is being done). The catch is that for the investment cost of converting your home and truck, you may as well keep them for many years to come so the investment will pay off. Why is this a problem? because most people like buying new cars every couple of years, and in that context, they have to be made cheap.
You don't have to worry about highway taxes either, EVs are exempt and unless they become more popular than the V8 engine, they will never be taxed (politically incorrect).
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1986 F250HD Ex cab Fresh built up 6.9L diesel Lariat AC leather seats power everything w/full cluster, sterling rear 3.08LS gears, E4OD trans, ram intake ATS 088 turbo
1986 F150 Ex cab Lariat rollercam 5.0L on LPG AOD trans 3.55 gears 390 000Ks
I didn't mean to sound bark-ish, but i know that every time there's a change, it's almost always geared to converting to morph us inch-by-inch to living like europeans and take away the great life we once had, and i've become sensitive to it. Just think of the grief the big oil has caused us since '70. Our v-8's went downhill all those years till efi came out mid 80's and i'm still struggling w/converting my bronco to sefi mass air with the e4od. it's all based on big oil. well,here i go again
Thats exactly my point. I think that everyone should be free to live the life they choose in this country. You are allowed to choose how you live, but I think that given some more options, many of us would choose to live a different way.
My point was simply those that live 30 more miles away from work out of nessesity. I worked in northern maryland a few years ago when I was right out of college. I looked for the cheapest apartment I could find that was pretty close to work. If I could have lived acrossed the street from my workplace I would have. I figured I wouldn't have any land anyway so might as well save gas. Well I found that northern maryland part of the DC urban sprawl. The closest place I could afford was about 35 miles north in PA. Once I started the job I found that most that worked there were in the same situation. We either payed DC prices for places up to 30 miles away, or lived very far away. For all of us, saving fuel was not an option. As I've met more people in that area, thats the case with most of them.
I think we need to have options in this country. For those that want to live far in the country thats fine. But for those would who like to walk, ride a bike, or take public transportation, they rarely have those options.
Its a very sore spot for me because we are constantly being told to conserve fuel, or to lower gas prices drive less(both true). But many of us do not have a choice.
I think that the European style of living would work well here in the Northeast corridor. But it will not work in most other states. So we will need different solutions there. I agree this country is all about OUR options, but the goverment needs to learn that one size doesn't fit all. This style of living with long commutes as the norm is a relativly new thing. I think its an unsustainable thing.
I think that everyone should have the option to own and drive a vehicle every day, but I think we should have other choices too.
Dascro you hit'r right on the head: choices. A free country and the corporate's don't give us much. it's maddening they tell us we should go smaller and economical, then axe the ranger. and won't admit that an f-150 could get excellent mileage if allowed. but what choice do we have? ever see the 'smart car'? there's our choice. it won't look too smart at the walmart pkg lot when a 90 y old lady in her late husband's '61 plymouth backs into it, knocks it over and drive's off w/o a clue.
I don't mean to stray off topic, but for example, i don't need a big vehicle. but i ask for style and charm. i'm sorry but the sporttrac just doesn't cut it. i'm sure it's functional and nice to drive, but i strongly feel ford should retro a little more. ford has the very best to retro from, i understand they're careful not to water-down the classics, but don't starve us out, either. The new mustang bullseye'd- if they could only retro a truck or panel van that's functional.
Well its not that simple. The piston engine is reaching its peak I feel. If we want a traditional piston v8 in the F150 at its current size I do not think we will get much better than what we are. Maybe 25mpg, but even thats not really good.
Also, I was a HUGE fan of the ranger. It was sort of like a time capsul. it hadn't changed much in its life. But after owning them I did not feel that the loss in payload and comfort was worth the gain in fuel economy. They seem to be getting about 1-2mpg better than the fullsize with the 4.0 and 4x4. Also, at 6'2 I noticed the room inside was less than the corollo and Mazda3s of today. So I can't see much of a reason to keep it around. But I would be first in line to buy a fuel effiecent smaller truck, the ranger just wasn't it. The sporttrac solved the comfort problem, but not much else.
So the smart car is a resonable attempt. Again it is not at all suited for you, but maybe a person in a large city will find that car appealing.
As much as I'd like to take all this out on Ford, its as much to blame on the consumers as anything. Do you remember how small fuel efficient cars were selling a few years ago? They were lagging in sales when the SUVs were flying off lots. They gave us what we wanted.
My point is that I have been willing to compromise to save fuel now for years, but for a variety of factors outside my control I have not been able to. I wonder how many others are in simliar situations right now? It is going to take more than a few celebrities or politicians telling us to use less oil for things to change.
Part of me hopes that oil rises even quicker. At the price its at now it seems to be bleeding us dry. Maybe if it rose higher it would push those in power to come up with alternatives.
2. Don't mind me, i'm typing from my phone- 500 characters max. in light of pt cruisers and hh3's, if ford could retro a 50's panel, w/the focus powertrain, don't forget to give it that ridiculous front end overhang and straight-out hood/nice windshield. essentially a minivan w/a charming front end i'd accept that. make mine red w/black fenders and even white painted grille/plastic bumper. lately ford's not acknowledging ppl like me. it's a functional eco vehicle from existing ford tooling.
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