So what comes out of a barrel of oil?

[Flybye]

http://www.energy.ca.gov/gasoline/images/in_barrel_of_oil.gif

Not to mention the machines that need fuel to feed the animals grown for food. Or the machines that need fuel for cropping. Or the fuel needed by that Mack truck to get the food to our supermarkets...

And what products are made out of what is not refined into fuel?

Ammonia
Antiseptics
Aspirin
Baby Strollers
Balloons
Basketballs
Brassieres
Bubble Gum
Cameras
Candles
Car Bodies
CD Players
Clothing
Combs
Compact Discs
Cosmetics
Crayons
Dentures
Deodorant
Diapers
DVDs
DVD Players
Eyeglasses
Fertilizers
Floor Wax
Footballs
Garbage Bags
Glue
Golf Balls
Heart Valves
House Paint
Ink
Life Jackets
Loudspeakers
Medical Equipment & Medicines
Motor Oil
Movie Film
Panty Hose
Parachutes
Perfumes
Photographs
Purses
Roller Blades
Roofing
Soap
Shampoo
Shoes
Sneakers
Still Gas
Sunglasses
Tape
Telephones
Tires
Toothpaste
Toys
Umbrellas
Vitamin Capsules
Volleyballs
Waxes
Sources: API & Independent

and probably more stuff that I can't find...
Big list, eh? A lot of people don't realize exactly what comes out of a barrel of oil. Took me a few hours to put this list together, and here it is.

Anyone fully understand me now why I get so mad people just rolling around in big gas guzzling SUVs for nothing? Do you REALLY need that 10mpg H2? Do you REALLY need that monster pickup truck with those 24" truck tires that a REAL truck could be using to bring groceries to the supermarket with? Do you REALLY need that dually pickup truck sucking up diesel that could have been used by that 18 wheeler to bring medical supplies to your local hospital?

[WackyComputer]

Yeah I know what you mean. And do people really NEED drive around in race cars that can go 160MPH?
I'm very happy with myself that I fly a magic carpet to work, 0GPM baby!

[Flybye]

No, but compare the number of times I do 160mph (I tend not to look at the speedo when I do that ;) ) to the number of times blonds in H2s go to the mall. AND I will waste less gas doing a few 160mph runs within a few minutes as opposed to someone lugging around all day in their 6000lb death weapon.

Besides, this is Amerika. Most people are afraid to hit 90mph LOL.
And the REAL car guys, like me, leave the 180mph+ sports cars in the garage and drive a far more reliable and economical car during the week. :)

Watch out for moths ;)

[Nettik]

It is SUVs in general. Anybody constantly driving those around are the worst. I know it is in the Bible somewhere too, that is a sin.

:Nettik

[WackyComputer]

I don't recall anything about SUVs, but there is a little something in there about judging others.

How can we say that anyone who drives an SUV or H2 is the worst or is wasting oil? Why is a Mother driving her SUV 10 miles to soccer practice or the mall worst than someone driving a sedan 100 miles to their work place? Or someone delivering newspapers, towing their camper, fixing copiers, taking their dog to the vet, going to Church, going for a ride, living their life?

When there are so many variables how can 15MPG be so much worst than 30MPG?

I don't have a magic carpet, no one does.

-------------

Through the Ages we have progressed. There was the Stone age the Modern Stone age the Bronze age the Iron age and I believe that the age we are in now will be know as the Petroleum age. We have always progressed through the Ages and I don't think that will stop.

Oh, the things to come!:)

[Flybye]

We drink from the same cup, and that same cup will never be filled again.
Some people are drinking too much.

Drink some more just because you had a sudden urge to get greedy, and that leaves me with less. Go ahead. Be greedy. Drink it all why not. Then the both of us will be left with nothing.

Nice job! We got non left! Woohoo!!
Now we're sitting in a pool of pee you just delivered from drinking all that water :mad:

[unacceptable_risk]

Pretty funny that a 1.3L Sportscar can do 160Mph whilst using less fuel than a Canyonero taking off from the lights. All the while with better brakes, handling and integrated safety.

Whats wrong with delivering papers from a Winnabego? Why not drive a school bus for the roomy interior? Bugger it, whats wrong with a an M1A2, they get great gas milage for a twin turbine engined tank, and really carve up traffic with depleted uranium shells..

The point is you buy a tank to go to war, not work. A bus to move lots of ppl to the same place, and a Winny to retire in and travel around with your home.. People buy sportscars to enjoy the performance, and then we have the SUV... Do people drive them because they need the load carrying capacity? or the towing grunt? or off road capabilities? Anyone who does, has my full support.

Over here SUV's sell predominantly with Highly efficient Turbo Diesel engines, so owners can enjoy the best of both worlds.

The list of petroleum byproducts is truly staggering, we could not have PC's like this without oil.

[Nettik]

Given that the milage the SUV gets under ideal condition, a 15 mpg average, maybe an 8-10 mpg actual. Then, it would seem odd that a huge amount of commuters in the L.A. area would be driving SUVs, considering it is $3.40 here. It would almost seem that they would take advantage of the carpool lane, if they possibly had more than one person in the car. I just consider that pointless and wrong.

How many people do you see using it as a Sports Utility Vehicle?

:Nettik

[Synthohol]

...I just consider that pointless and wrong.
:Nettik
so are high school bikini car washes (well at my age anyway)

[unacceptable_risk]

Roflmao. I will never be too old to appreciate bikini washes. Sadly we recently ran out of water, so its illegal to wash the car :(

[Flybye]

LOL I have a funny story about high school bikini car washes.
When the FD was just a few yrs old and was my daily driver, I was with my gf rolling back home after picking her up. We decided to fuel up and there was a high school car wash right in front of us. I figured why not. As I drove up everyone was pointing and going Ohhh...Ahhhh. They had maybe 3-4 cars there and about 10-15 people there. When I drove the FD in, almost everyone flocked over to wash the FD :D. Maybe 1 or 2 guys (was a mixture of mostly girls and a few guys. No it wasn't an all guy bikini thing LOL) had to stay behind finishing up the other cars. It was a great feeling. :D We could hear everyone as they washed the FD. "What type of car is that?" "Wow that car is beautiful" "It must go really fast" and so fourth. :)

I don't think I've ever gotten the same reaction driving an SUV ;)

+1 Sports Cars :D

[Player0]

I have to totally agree with Wacky on this one. The MPG your car gets is absolutely irrelevant to how much 'oil' you are individually sipping. That totally depends on how much gas per timeframe you use total. Someone who drives a hummer back and forth in downtown NYC uses less gas annually than some guy in a Prius commuiting from San Jose to San Fransisco every day.

But that is irrelevant too compared to how much gas a taxi uses, or a mail truck. And that pales to how much gas an 18 wheeler uses every month, year, decade.

And then you can take that one step further and realize that as a whole, the USA uses a lot more oil than most other countries on this planet.

So to me, the fact that some lady is buying a Canyenero or some dude is buying a Viper is totally irrelevant. In fact, my next car is likely to be an SUV. Not because they are stylish or I want to go off-roading. But because I have a family, and in a car fight I insist on 'winning'. I do not want to be creamated by every other idiot in an SUV or (even worse) ginormous pickup trucks.

So yeah, safety is a real valid reason for getting an SUV, and they're the station wagons on the future. If you can't beat them, join them I guess.

On the plus side, who CARES if we run out of oil? Bush and Cheney do. I don't. I can't WAIT until gas is at $10 a gallon and we actually start using safer, cleaner, alternative fuels, and people start using a lot less gas. I myself will probably be able to work from home more often. Highways will be less deadly as less people rush to work. The economy may not even slump as we create research jobs and help manufacturer this new clean source of energy for the rest of the world.

Change is good.

[Flybye]

Uh oh...
Do NOT get me started as to why SUVs are unsafe!!

Guess what. I have a 3yr old. And his chances of surviving with ME behind the wheel are greater than the average person behind the wheel of an SUV. I didn't get him a $400 Recaro Baby seat for nothing. It's because I know the advantages of certain things, and an SUV is not something to have as an advantage.

SUV = Compensation for lack of driving skill for people who think it feels "safe" IMHO. Then people like yourself are forced to buy an SUV to protect yourself from the "others."

Did I ever mention I did a 5 page report on this for school? LOL

Statistically speaking, on a per car basis, Germany has a MUCH smaller amount of accidents than the US. Why? Do research on what is required to get your driver's license over there. I've been to Germany and I know familes from Germany. People there are just "car smart." Why is this country not car smart?

[Player0]

I'll agree with all that but none of it changes reality. SUVs, Minivans, and Pickup trucks are all over the roads with horrible impatient drivers.

What SHOULD be and what ARE are very different things.

[sadako1]

Take it easy there fellas, this is one of the only nice friendly forums I ever visited so lets not spoil it.

I understand that it's an emotive topic. Here in the UK the SUV is on the rise. I see no reason why the house-wife should have her X5 to drive her little cherubs to school and back when a more efficient, easier to drive Golf (or Rabbit to you Americans... that made me laugh so hard when I found that out!) does the same job more efficiently while taking up less road space AND is easier to drive/park etc. I drive a little VW and hget around 30 to the gallon. If I'm honest i could cut down the amount I use it by cycling to work or something, but in my defense, I do walk whenever possible, which in this town is quite often. It make no sense to me to go for a bigger, thristier option, especially at £1 per LITRE!

On th other hand I don't have a family so I can't see it from another angle. At the end of the day people have been told that we need to be more efficient with our petrolium products (recycle your plastics people!) becasue they're running out... FAST! That research P0 mentioned just isn't going to happen properly while the US (and others) administration is making money personally from oil. Why sink cash into finding other sources or energy when we can keep going on what we have now, screw the future! Hell, they think the world's going to end before that happens anyway!

What's more important to me is the atmospheric pollution we get from car exhaust fumes. The more built up and area, the more cars, the more fumes, the more asthma, low level ozone, CO2, carbon monoxide and carcinogenic compounds there are for us and our loved ones to breathe. You can taste the difference in the air when you leave a city to go somewhere a little quieter. In some cities like Amsterdam it's easier to cycle places than it is to drive, so that's what people do. Sure, it helps that there's no hills, but it shows that sopme places are more environmentally conscious than others.

About time I got that bike and started cycling!

Peace, y'all ;)

[Player0]

Hee, I could be wrong but I dont think anyone was getting heated on this thread? Am I wrong? :D

Another thing to consider are old vehicles. A new SUV probably gets better gas mileage than any of my old crappy cars get.

Nothings going to change until an oil crisis DOES hit. Even then, SUVs will still be around, they will simply be using alternative fuels. I guess this topic is really about oil consumption, and not auto safety. Actually, im not sure what its about anymore!

Im willing to pay the extra gas moneys for a bigger car for the safety benefits. Thats all I know. Ive seen what happens when a big 4WD drives over a sedan :P

[Synthohol]

Hee, I could be wrong but I dont think anyone was getting heated on this thread? Am I wrong? :D well not heated but we are coming close to the fence.
its actually a good thing, if you cant be totally passionate about something and stand behind your views you may as well be a goldfish with a 3 second memory.
BTW my expidition does get 19-23MPG avg. so not all SUVs fall under this scrutiny

[unacceptable_risk]

Well now your just going to think I'm argumentative.... but I busted that 3 second Goldfish myth big time.. My better 1/2 and I have some trained goldfish. The ones in our pond know all about food. If we tap the water with our fingertips in a certin way they come out from all their hiding places to get the food they know is coming.

The ones I had in a tank indoors would wait for me to walk past then virtually throw themselves at the glass and carry on to get my attention. And they never forgot where the crack in the lid I dropped the food through was.

But anyway thats a side issue lol, I love seeing a bunch of intelligent people discussing things like this. I for one respect others choices, and I don't expect anyone to go sell theyre Canyonero on the basis of my opinion. But if even one person decides to buy an AWD wagon over a land barge after reading something like this then its been well worth the discussion.

I am a motorsport nut... I like to burn fuel, I just want different things from my fuel burning experiance :D like 0-60Mph in sub 4 seconds, big flames belching from the exhaust as I back it into a mountain road hairpin etc. Even a 4cyl can be thirsty if you want it to lol. Each to their own eh.

Hey player0 Large vehicles and 4x4's come up shockingly in safety tests... The feeling of safety in a larger vehicle is misleading. On paper they are less safe than a modern sedan. I guess F series v's new mini would not be pretty tho lol.

[Flybye]

Well, besides all the physics involved, I'll give you the best reason why I consider SUVs to be unsafe. Since there is nothing like seeing the truth for yourself.

My friend had a Porsche 944. Basically the same car Wes has but the non-turbo version. He was travelling about 45-50 down a road when a full size Mitsubishi Montero decides to run the stop sign. He hits the Montero right on the front axle. And then what? He completly flipped the SUV up and over on it's side. There was a little girl in the SUV that had to be air lifted to the hospital. Mind you, I've seen other pictures of cars flipping SUVs over as well.

Ok, so what if the little girl was wearing her seatbelt? Remember one thing, seatbelts are designed to hold you down during horizontal movement. They were NEVER designed to hold you down during vertical movement.....

So what is so safe about a vehicle with a higher center of gravity and with the possibility of a car flipping you over? I really have no clue, but the rest of amerika seems to think they are perfectly safe. :rolleyes:

Did I ever mention the time I hit a patch of ice in the middle of the hwy when I lived in Jerzey? I was driving the RX-7, hit the ice, lost control, and started skidding all the way into the center grass area of I-78. Eventually I came to a stop. What would have happened if I would have been in an SUV? I may not even be here right now.

[unacceptable_risk]

Hahaha if you had been in an SUV the firestone tire on the front right would have blown out and you'd be a statistic.:P

But no need to take our word for it... There are several books about the percieved safety of SUV's as opposed to the actual safety.. like
High and Mighty http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1586481231/carlytheautow-20/102-2905042-3645752
And theres another worth looking for called Unsafe at any speed.

And if you like figures, these guys slam cars into walls for a living. http://www.howsafeisyourcar.com.au/

SUV's in Aus have actually improved over the last few years, I guess manufactures got sick of the bagging they would get every year when wheels magazine released its safety results. I don't think I mentioned this yet, but SUV's are banned from driving near schools over here, cause prozac fueled mums in armoured prams kept running kiddies down with them.