patrick.net

Mother Muckraker says

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/10/25/health/main2125017.shtml
If Americans lost weight, they would collectively save a lot of gas. Lose weight. Its good for the environment.

How much gas is alot? The CBS story says:

"The lost mileage is pretty small for any single driver. Jacobson said the typical driver — someone who records less than 12,000 miles annually — would use roughly 18 fewer gallons of gas over the course of a year by losing 100 pounds. At $2.20 per gallon, that would be a savings of almost $40."

So if we were ALL 100 lbs overweight, we are each using an extra 18gal/yr. Or maybe there's always four of us in the car at only 25 lbs over weight. each. Of there's always a couple of people combined at 50 lbs overweight combined with 50 lbs of crap in the trunk.

Or maybe the 100 lbs overweight guess is just as bogus as their gas mileage speculation.

Want to save 100 lbs -- for real? Make cars lighter. The last of the Geo Metros weighed about 1800 lbs. It's replacement, the thoroughly mediocre Chevy Aveo weighs about 2400 lbs.

APOCALYPSEFUCK says

I loved my Subaru GL wagon with the 1.8L and four wheel drive. Go all week on a cup of gas and it has some pep. Had great crush proof ratings - which I learned about first hand when a big sedan plowed into the back end and schrunched the whole car by three inches. Can’t imagine why any manufacturer can’t pull together something like it, it was such a simple jalopy. Box with four doors and lotsa flat glass.

a box with 2 doors and a hatchback would be more useful. That and no gas wasting 4 wheel drive.

omgbacon says

We do manufacture cars in California.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NUMMI

New United Motor Manufacturing, Inc. (NUMMI) was an automobile manufacturing plant in Fremont, California, opened in 1984 and closed in 2010. On October 27, 2010 it reopened as a 100% Tesla Motors-owned production facility, known as the Tesla Factory.[1] The plant is located in the East Industrial area of Fremont between Interstates 880 and 680.

On May 20, 2010, Tesla Motors and Toyota announced a partnership to work on electric vehicle development, which included Tesla's partial purchase of the former NUMMI site, mainly consisting of the factory building.[7][9] Tesla CEO Elon Musk said the Tesla S sedan will be built at the plant.[26]

Doesn't sound like they are making any cars there at the moment, and if they are the numbers are tiny.

An old friend of mine (RIP) was about 300 pounds and loved his Geo Metro too. That and the Honda CRX seem nifty little cars, if I ever find an example in good condition for the right price I'm buying it. Too many of them I find were abused by owners and now ragged out.

Cook County resident says

Are we really to big to drive small? I’m not.

Tenouncetrout says

No we just don’t like being told what do, by Smug smart Asses in California...See that’s just Liberal elite chastising the Fat Asses for not buying Eggs on wheels. No my wife makes the bed Homograph...What are you Mad too, because I wont drive a nerd Car?Waaaaa Waaaa Waaaa
That’s the sound of California, crying my aching ass because we wont Play pretend with them.

Waaaaa Waaaa The Earth is going to burn up unless you buy a 45,000 dollar peice of Shit, that wont do dick all to alter that course, if it is indeed the truth. But Still Waaaaa Fucking Waaaaa!

state says

did you even read the article? its not about not liking being told what to do, its about being too fat to fit into them

No, he didn't read the article. He obviously decided that no matter what the article says, it's about the liberals in California attempting to remove his (Florida) rights. It's also an opportunity to rant about something but a) I couldn't tell what, and b) I realized that I didn't give a shit.

To reply to the original thread, I have a friend in the 300# range; he can't fit in my car. In fact, he can't fit into many cars. I see patients every day who are 275# or greater, and it's heart breaking to see their bodies break down faster than people who weigh substantially less. I didn't check the research, but I don't doubt that knee replacements, hip replacements, incidences of cardiac & breathing problems, etc are much greater than with lighter patients. Obesity is so common that when we call for a critical transport, the first question is the patient's weight.

Yes, we're growing bigger than our cars. It's a huge problem.

APOCALYPSEFUCK says

Everyone should be encouraged to shriek FAT FUCK! and point at any one with more than a pinched inch in extra blubber.
It could save millions of lives

Until some fat guy beats the shit out of you. ;)

Tenouncetrout says

That’s the sound of California, crying my aching ass because we wont Play pretend with them

We really don't care what you drive, because we don't have to pay for the petrol for it.
You do.

I'm a 5'10" burly bear. I drive a sporty Honda Civic HX. I growl at the stupid Bay Aryans that constantly endanger my life with their bad driving. People who drive Priuses are the worst. People who drive Minis are second worst.

Ellie, some of us big guys are built extra stocky to carry the weight. In that case I don't think my health is any worse than the skinny anorexic twigs of San Francisco and Marin County.

simchaland says

Ellie, some of us big guys are built extra stocky to carry the weight. In that case I don’t think my health is any worse than the skinny anorexic twigs of San Francisco and Marin County.

I didn't say that it was a problem that people are bigger than the cars - the problem is that the cars are smaller than the people. We, as a race, are growing larger from generation to generation. There are some people who are morbidly obese (such as my friend) and can't fit inside the cockpit.

Not everyone is skinny & teeny - it's crazy that we worship the anorexic twigs and attempt to mirror them, only to fail miserably.

We need to build cars to fit real people's needs, not expect people to fit the cars. Just like clothing.

APOCALYPSEFUCK says

Good point. You need to be driving by an obesity victim to deliver the public awareness message. Check.

If you antagonize Tor Johnson III, do it while armed. Or be ready to run like hell.

elliemae says

We need to build cars to fit real people’s needs, not expect people to fit the cars. Just like clothing.

Alot of cars are ergonomically unsuited for larger people but suitable small cars are available for all but the extreme 0.1% or whatever.

The truth is that small cars appeal to frugal buyers and such buyers are certain to be in the least profitable market segment. Ego and fear are the real marketing moneymakers.

I can't prove it, but I've long felt that the automaker's marketing firms have something to do with these BS auto stories.

"Tiny cars are for runts!"

"I'll get squashed like a grape unless I'm in a seven foot tall steel cocoon!!"

However, if the automakers have a campaign going to keep small and simple cars unfashionable, they've been keeping the price down and doing me a favor.

Vicente says

Too many of them I find were abused by owners and now ragged out.

Around here, nearly all of them have been swiss-cheesed by road salt. It's remarkable that so many survived the $1 - 2/gal gas era when they were selling so cheap. Nobody spends much money keeping cheap cars on the road.

Metros have a few oddball maintenance issues, such as frequently clogged EGR passages, but these cars are as easy to service as anything made in the last 30 years.

It doesn't have enough power to handle hilly areas comfortably and, while it should do 80 mph, it's not a good choice if you want to do 80 on a regular basis.

I just noticed the size of someones car was never an issue, until Schwarzenegger won governorship. Then it was let's demonize Hummers, then any large pick up Truck, because the ass holes that voted the Arnold, drive them, then it was Big cars.

Liberals are tempermental lot, that take their tantrums to infringe on everyone around them. Keep it up, the only Voting base you're creating, is over educated shitheads that reckon them selves Liberal Elite.

College completion is on the decline, even though enrollments have been up. The Liberal Base is shrinking. You guys are guaranteeing Sarah Pain will be president in 2012.

At least 90% of America depend on their car what ever size it is. And the American car owner is attatched to his car, regardless what anyone else thinks of it. You see a banged up rust bucket, with bald tires, and in need of a tune up. The owner sees the Auto equivalent of Old Yeller.

Tenouncetrout says

I just noticed the size of someones car was never an issue, until Schwarzenegger won governorship. Then it was let’s demonize Hummers, then any large pick up Truck, because the ass holes that voted the Arnold, drive them, then it was Big cars. Liberals are tempermental lot, that take their tantrums to infringe on everyone around them.

Really? Was Schwartzenegger the Gov in 1973? That's when congress set fuel standards. You're so pissed off by those people that you consider to be responsible for your misery, you're like a broken record. Blah blah blah liberals, blah blah California, blah blah (t-oz takes a hit), blah blah blah liberal elites responsible for floridian's miserable lives, blah blah blah.

It's getting old. What happened to the guy that made sense sometimes, and had more to contribute than nonsensical political diatribes?

Pay attention Ellie, you are one of the Smart ones aren't you?

I said the Liberals started attacking the Car driver, not taking intelligent actions that these new Democrat shit birds allowed to unravel, that was a uniform fuel consumption legislation across the board.
The Liberals in the 80's were Mensas compared to this lot and how dare YOU put these assholes in the same league.
They had fuel standards getting progressively higher, but the Class of Clinton was such a bunch of greedy Pissweasles, they let the whole thing go to pot, or we would have 80mpg from a Hummer H3 by now. Then you Libs would look pretty petty picking on people because of the shape of car they drove.

sigh but I digress...

Chill out, Bubba.

We all use the roads in the more efficient vehicles and we depend on the subsidy folks like you provide with those per-gallon gasoline taxes. Keep drivin' bubba!

sybrib says

Chill out, Bubba.

We all use the roads in the more efficient vehicles and we depend on the subsidy folks like you provide with those per-gallon gasoline taxes. Keep drivin’ bubba!

You wanna play pretend too?

Tenouncetrout says

Pay attention Ellie, you are one of the Smart ones aren’t you? I said the Liberals started attacking the Car driver, not taking intelligent actions that these new Democrat shit birds allowed to unravel, that was a uniform fuel consumption legislation across the board.

First, let me thank you for being one of my biggest fans and recognizing that my intellect is superior to yours. I don't know if that's true, but I do know that my ability to communicate is far superior to yours. In fact, my dog's ability to communicate is far superior to yours.

I read your posts, and you said nothing of the sort. I even tried Google Translate, but there's no "Stoned language" to English translator tool.

You're a programmer, why don't you write one? Then perhaps we might be able to understand you. When I (and others) say that you make no sense, we're not trying to fuck with you. You truly make no sense with your angry rants.

I would answer your post, but I don't know what you said.

Ellie if common sense was hard currency, I could buy and sell you four times over, and still have change left over, to get Monica Lowinski's dress out of the Dry cleaners.

Tenouncetrout says

Ellie if common sense was hard currency, I could buy and sell you four times over, and still have change left over, to get Monica Lowinski’s dress out of the Dry cleaners.

Your honor, I rest my case.

Tenouncetrout says

I just noticed the size of someones car was never an issue, until Schwarzenegger won governorship

Scwarzenegger took over in late 2003 when gas prices were reaching peak levels never seen before.

Economizing is a great way to reduce the cost of gas for everyone, since the US consumes 25% of the world's oil.

Cutting our wastage by just 10% -- raising the fleet average from 15MPG to 17.5MPG -- would be the equivalent of finding EIGHT ANWRs to drill (10% x 25% ~ 8 x 0.3%).

Tenouncetrout says

pretend

Which part is pretending?

The part about the fuel efficient cars using the same road as the in-efficient ones?

Or the part about, the more you spend on gasoline, the more gasoline taxes you pay?

Thanks for the subsidies!

Keep drivin' !

Just buy a newerish hyundai (2000~07).. their cheaper than dirt and are far better made and get better MPG than any nineties or eighties rustbucket. I had what was considered a nicer 1991 CRX, it was a great car for the time, (and I sold it for $5k!) but a total piece of shit next to the korean car I replaced it with for the same price.

I've have friends with Geo metros and, well those things are so terrible that people get off on the horror, don't waste your money on old old cars.

OK this is the musical part of the show...
Just wrote this diddy for you guys.

Playing pretend with California,
That our cars will do us in.

Acting out Califantasies with our west coast friends.
Who better to tell us how to live,
that someone living on a fault line.
But if you wanna be a trend setter,
then you gonna need to tow that line.
I don't lie, I don't lie(Pyrotechnics)

(Tot doing a bodacious guitar lead solo, making a killer Guitar face)

Well you can Rob and Steal
But don't eat Happy Meals
Because we'll have to pick up your doctor Bill

Playing pretend with California,
Pretending if we could pay more for nothing then it will be alright.
Playing pretend with California
That the ice caps will melt if I use Incandescent light.

Well you can Harpoon whales
Club Baby seals
But don't use that plastic shopping bag,
Because... because... beca... "Hey how come we can't use those free plastic shopping bags no more?"
(Because they were free)
"Oh yeah"

You can rob the Bank
Build your new Gen tank
But you better not talk bad about Barney Frank

I'm sure that the music in your head helps this make sense, but to the rest of us it really doesn't.

I feel compelled to ask why you are so obsessed with California. It's not healthy.

Hey Bubba,

I'm tellin you what kind of car to drive: one that uses a lot of gasoline, so you can keep subsidizing those of us who don't buy as much gasoline.

Thanks for the subsidy!

elliemae says

why you are so obsessed with California.

Some people define themselves by whom they hate.

Like Al-Queda does.

sybrib says

Some people define themselves by whom they hate.

That must be it.

Tenouncetrout says

I just noticed the size of someones car was never an issue, until Schwarzenegger won governorship. Then it was let’s demonize Hummers, then any large pick up Truck, because the ass holes that voted the Arnold, drive them, then it was Big cars.

I just noticed that your "observation" is baseless, and that of a nincompoop. Now I am not calling you a nincompoop (I have seen you make some reasonably intelligent comments), but that this observation is one that a nincompoop would make.

So, giving you the benefit of the doubt let me enlighten you (as I have for many liberals with whom I have discussed Arnold's environmental views)

A. People have complained about SUV(large car) owners long before Schwarzenegger’s 2003 governorship
B. Schwarzenegger’s HUMVEE was an alternative fuel vehicle
C. Schwarzenegger was a big proponent for alternative fuels in general, and increasing mpg of cars

elliemae says

sybrib says

Some people define themselves by whom they hate.

That must be it.
Eschew Obfuscation

Yes, and unfortunately these people, blinded by rage to the point of unreasonableness, can be a big stumbling block to fix the issues that have them so angered in the first place.

About NUMMI:
zzyzzx says

Doesn’t sound like they are making any cars there at the moment, and if they are the numbers are tiny.

Toyota owns $50 million worth of Tesla stock. The Tesla Model S will start at $49,000 AFTER the $7500 tax credit and you only get about 140 mile range. The 300 mile version of the Model S will be around $70k. The plant went from producing affordable gas savers to expensive electric cars that few can afford.

They made Corollas 35mpg, Pontiac Vibes and Tacoma trucks there. It was Toyota's lowest defect plant WORLDWIDE. NUMMI even beat out the Japanese plants for quality during their internal audits. So why did they shut down NUMMI?

To make a long story short, everything the news media (including PBS) told you about why NUMMI shut down was a lie. Toyota shut down NUMMI so they could get rid of their only unionized plant so they could lower wages across N. America. Union negotiated wages were propping up wages at Toyotas other plants.

Toyota didn't have to do it. Toyota had $39 BILLION in Cash on their balance sheet when they announced the shutdown. Toyota could've bought GM's half of NUMMI for pennies on the dollar because of their bankruptcy, but Toyota chose not to. It only costs $1.5 billion to open a brand new plant. Instead, they ran a union busting campaign to shut people up and direct criticism away from Toyota.

------

Marketing of small cars is complete BS. Cars have been getting more efficient over the years; yet, the average MPG has risen very little. Instead, cars have gotten heavier and with more horsepower, both of which uses up much more gas. A 225hp Mustang 5.0 back in the late 80s was considered a fast car, but nowadays, we have 268hp Camry's. Small cars in the 80's had under 100hp and got 30mpg. Now, there are few cars under 100hp. Theoretically, small cars should all be getting 40mpg.

Big business has no other reason for being other than to enrich themselves. They only make cars that appeal to our worst desires.... power, image, greed. It has nothing to do with addressing our needs. The only way to get these companies to comply and make more fuel efficient cars is by government regulation and that's where we as a people need to step up and take part in our democracy.

Mother Muckraker says

Toyota could’ve bought GM’s half of NUMMI for pennies on the dollar because of their bankruptcy, but Toyota chose not to.

How so? I hope the new GM management wouldn't have simply given assets away for far less than they were worth, ripping off the taxpayer even more.

Tenouncetrout says

While gas and oil is being artificially inflated to make it so, at the expense of Global famine, just so Political points can be scored.

I just don't know. I'm not saying you're wrong, but I really don't know. IF you believe in capitaism and markets at all, then you have to accept the market as a price discovery mechanism, and that peak oil is happening, and hence the price discovery process takes that into account. THere are several big producers competing with eachother, and the US exherting a fair amount of influence (you know how much less we have always paid for gas then Europe right ?). They were paying the price we now pay, what, 20 years ago ?

How is it supposed to work ? It stays cheap, and we use it up wastefully and quickly, and then one day the price just jumps to $100/gallon ?

Seriously, if the demand keeps increasing, and the supply decreases very slowly, what do you expect to happen ? Sure they could sell it cheaper, but hey, it's whatever the market will bear. Thet's the sellers right. That's why alternatives are so important.

Speculators might jump the gun, as they did in 2008 (or was that a last ditch effort to spark inflation?), but at great risk. Eventually though and not so far off in the future, gas will get more expensive.

Tenouncetrout says

currently there’s an over supply.

You mean the extra few days worth in your graph ?

marcus says

IF you believe in capitaism and markets at all, then you have to accept the market as a price discovery mechanism, and that peak oil is happening, and hence the price discovery

Peak Oil my Ass!

See that flat line for the Month of May, that's the Oil industry actually buying the contracts the gets sold off to keep the price $100 or above. They can afford to do this for years. As long as they are getting Billions in profits every week. Supply and Demand has nothing to do with it. They control the Commodity they can control the price.
Even as usage declines and those with cold feet sell off. They know Oil is still needed to drive commerce.

It's the Robber Barrons all over again sucking the carcasses of helpless Americans with Washington in their pocket all the way.

Greenies love it, because they've been trying to get people to drive Unicorn Fart powered cars for years, and this is just what they need to boost sales, lest they get the steak knives at the end of the month. And it looks good in the Polls.

We're just caught in the middle of the greedy money grubbing people to lazy to produce, and the Political aspirations of those that chose to ignore it and embrace it as part of their cause.

All capitalizing by politicizing peak Oil, Forien Dependency, Global Warming, or Profiting from it, by driving prices higher. It only serves to create havoc on all the worlds ecconomies, not just our own divided recovery. They all Chose to ignore that bread $4.25 a loaf here, is bread $4.25 everywhere else in the world, including the most destitute regions in the world.

Tenouncetrout says

See that flat line for the Month of May, that’s the Oil industry actually buying the contracts the gets sold off to keep the price $100 or above. They can afford to do this for years.

I was a floor trader for years, and I can tell you, with your ability to interpret charts, and exactly who is holding the price up and why, you should definitely move to NY or Chicago and get in to trading. Maybe get a job for Golman Sachs.

One question though. IF the oil industry can hold the price wherever they want, why only $100 ? How do they figure out what they can get away with ? And also, do you think Peak Oil is a lie ? That it won't happen in our lifetime ? Also, can demand ever be high enough relative to supply to warrant price increases ? Or is it all just a con game.

I find it fascinating that you are the republican(relatively speaking), and I'm the democrat, but I actually believe in markets working more than you do.

IT's reasonable to think that big participants are bidding oil up, but by definition, that's risky. They are already sellers, that is they have oil to sell. Now when they buy these contracts, trying to hold the price up, they have even more oil to sell. That's risky, because if they miscalculated, and say Russia comes in and starts pushing the price down, when they are long far more oil than they even physically possess, even they might then have to do some panic selling. They have a lot of production in motion, and commitments to sell a certain amount of what they produce, so they can't wait forever to sell. What a bitch that would be, needing to sell a lot, right when you were failing in your effort to bid the price up, necessitating that you sell even more (and at a loss on the ones you bought in effort to bid the price up).

(Guess I'm repeating myself)

Conspiracy theories are easy to generate. But being a huge participant in a market, and selling your huge size at a price that you like, might not be as easy as you imagine.

marcus says

Russia comes in and starts pushing the price down, when they are long far more oil than they even physically possess, even they might then have to do some panic selling.

Nope that was what our interest was about in the Georgia uprising in 08.

""I think that if Russia isn't somehow engaged, a Russia that really does feel marginalized and isolated in many ways is even more threatening to our interests," said Stephen Flanagan, senior vice president of the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, who served in both the Clinton and George H.W. Bush administrations. "Because I think they still have a lot of capacity to make mischief to do damage to our interests around the world."

In this new global economy, Flanagan said, that may mean punishing Russia with one hand and embracing it with the other. "

http://abcnews.go.com/Business/story?id=5595811&page=1

Besides all of the Opec countries are only making great profits as well, how our Policy allows to keep them in a lucrative windfall is no concern of theirs. Their not going to fuck it up.

Russia was just a random choice, and I don't know much about oil. MY only point is that markets aren't as easy to manipulate as you might think.

That's not to say they are never manipulated by big participants. We all know about what the Hunt bros did in the metals market in the late seventies. I can think of other examples of markets being manipulated, even now, but as I tried to explain, it's risky. What happened to the Hunt brothers with their cornering of the silver market ?

As a big guy I had a VW Jetta TDI (Diesel) which was fairly small but got 40 miles per gallon!

Had that for 8 years but sold it and bought a Jeep Wrangler. Now that I live in a rural area with lots of mountains and snow it works better. The little VW was fine when I lived in the city.