Bob Sanders: Gas shortages nothing new

Bob Sanders
Columnist
Published: August 18, 2008

Gas problems are nothing new. Some of us remember the War, when gas was rationed and you could buy only what your A, B or C sticker allowed. As we much later found out, there was no shortage of gas, we had it to burn. Rubber was the stuff in short supply.
By driving less and slowly (35 mph speed limit), we would therefore wear out our tires more slowly.

Then in the ‘70s, there was a brief panic about gas, with pictures of mile-long lines at stations, in California particularly. We chose that time to go to Disney World in our Pontiac from Canon Motor Company.
A speed limit of 55 had been set. On our way south, we noticed that it was about half and half: half the people going 55, half paying no attention whatever to the speed limit.

Now this. Do we start drilling offshore and in national parks, or learn to live with less gas? I’ve listened carefully to the public service announcements about saving gas, and, I think these suggestions will work:

I changed my oil filter, resulting in a 10 percent saving.

I changed my air filter, 10 percent saving.

I put in platinum spark plugs, 10 percent saving.

I carefully keep my tires properly inflated, 10 percent saving.

I cut out jackrabbit starts. Ten percent saving. And hard, fast stops, another 10 percent.

I let down the tailgate on my pickup, thereby cutting wind resistance and reducing gas usage by 10 percent.

I drive with the windows closed, also cutting wind resistance and increasing mileage by 10 percent.

Oh, yeah, I had my engine tuned up. Another 10 percent.

And I don’t get over 45, because everybody knows, any speed faster than that causes a huge decrease in mpg.

These are all suggestions on how to use less Woco-Pep as we go down the slippery pathway of life. Some people have even stopped coming to important meetings because of gas prices.

The situation is creating a whole new lifestyle. We will adapt, I suppose. Do we have a choice?

My buddy, Ross, and I once came up with an insightful solution: just switch the fuel gauge with the temperature gauge, and the more you drove, the fuller your tank and the cooler your engine. Alas, we forgot to get a patent.

An example of a no-no: Goodyear had just come out with their Super Cushion Low Pressure tires. Twenty four pounds of pressure, it said, right there on the tire.

We learned much later that the 24 pounds was supposed to be cold pressure; the pressure would build up, naturally, as you drove. But it said 24 pounds, didn’t it? So every time we gassed up the Kaiser, on our first vacation trip, we’d bleed the pressure in those hot tires down to 24 pounds. (That set lasted about 5000 miles.)

Whoa! I’ve saved so much gas by doing all the right things, I’ve got to stop and drain some out.

Need some?

Bob Sanders is a longtime radio personality with WAUD in Auburn and writes a weekly column for the Opelika-Auburn News.