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Re: My ?
Posted By: Howard, on host 205.184.139.67
Date: Tuesday, April 4, 2000, at 19:47:29
In Reply To: Re: My ? posted by Aaron Loewens on Monday, April 3, 2000, at 15:13:02:

>
> Does anyone out there have any Info or intresting thoughts of the relationship between US speed limits in relation to fluctuating gas prices.
>
> If so please write back, Thank you

What do you need to know? I was here all through the energy crisis that began circa 1973.
In those days, most cars had big inefficent engines with sloppy suspensions and bad brakes. The automatics of those days wasted gas and radial tires were just coming into use. Big cars went 10 or 12 miles on a gallon and small cars seldom got over 25 or 30. A few people got great mileage by lying about it. Speed limits were as high as 75.
Then the Arabs got organized and jacked up the price of crude. Gas prices doubled, tripled,
and worse. Americans got smart and began buying small low-powered foreign cars. Great mileage, but no power. Then along came the Japanese cars with slightly bigger engines that still got great gas mileage. In the meantime, the US government paniced and lowered the speed limit to 55 mph. Nobody really drove that slow much, but they weren't going 75 either. Small engines, low speeds and great mileage! The Arabs suddenly couldn't give the stuff away, so they lowered prices and waited. Sure enough, the Americans fell into the trap. Speed limits went up and even those weren't enforced. People began to buy "supercar" also know as SUV or MINIVAN. Gas hogs is what they were. High speeds, big engines, heavy vehicles, poor fuel milage. The Arabs snickered and jacked up the price of crude again.
Now you can buy those supercars for a song, but who wants 'em? People are going out behind the barn and putting a new battery into the old Corolla, or the old Beetle, or even the old Pinto and they are hitting the road in those. Once we catch on that we've been had, we'll stop using so much gas and the price of crude will come back down. It's all part of the cycle.
Howard