Rising Fuel Prices And Driving Habits

[INTJ]

With diesel at 40B a litre you would think people would drive a little bit lighter with the right foot to enhance fuel economy, but no, everyones still got their foot to the floor even in the old scrappers.

I did a test in a pickup a few years ago, on a full tank of diesel driven hard I could get 400km, but driven like a vicar could get 700km.

Do the Thais not realise the more they rev the engine the more fuel they use ?

[ruddick]

Strange driving habits and fuel consumption is not just confined to here in Thailand.

I remember many years ago back in the "old country" my ex-wife (a farang) was 100% convinced and nothing I could tell her could change her mind, that when the petrol gauge was showing empty she had to drive as fast as possible to the filling station before she ran out of petrol.

Mind you she was blonde........

[sgunn65]

They drive with their pedals on the floor most of the time so why do they insist on leaving traffic lights at 5km a day??? And don't get me started on 4x4's that drive over railway lines like they are negotiating a mine field!!!

[froggshw]

well I just got me a new Ford Ranger 2.5 turbo diesel..filled up the tank and drove it 600km..filled it again and used it around town,and got 550km

well happy :-)

[Heng]

With diesel at 40B a litre you would think people would drive a little bit lighter with the right foot to enhance fuel economy, but no, everyones still got their foot to the floor even in the old scrappers.

I did a test in a pickup a few years ago, on a full tank of diesel driven hard I could get 400km, but driven like a vicar could get 700km.

Do the Thais not realise the more they rev the engine the more fuel they use ?

Of course they do, but you'll always have those who could care less about saving a few thousand or even tens of thousands of Baht per month by driving slower.

I do think that plenty of people are driving slower though, at least on my usual Bangkok to Pattaya route on the motorway.

[HDRIDER]

Hi

I will not change the way i drive just because diesel is 40-50 or 60 a litre......

[INTJ]

To the Chinese guys in their Camrys, Benzos and Beemers I can understand that fuel price/consumption is no real issue.

I am talking about the old pickups, rusty old Toyota Heros, Aerobodys et al, mainly builders trucks, which are being driven by people who don't look as if they are on their way to broker a land deal.

Either they are completely unaware that driving in this manner uses 50% more fuel than is necessary or it is someone else (the boss) filling the tank.

If I had a diesel being driven by an employee I would have a 90km/h governor fitted. Mind you, then they would probably drive in 2nd gear everywhere to keep the revs at 5000.

Anyone who's used a Cambodian moto will know what I mean about driving slow to save fuel.

Edited June 3, 2008 by INTJ

[phutoie2]

The roads are quieter now up this way, so perhaps the high price is having an effect. Its mainly the weekenders driving up to their rural retreats who are bombing through our town now.

Less trucks on the road too, except the large artics transporting goods to the new Big C & Tesco in Petchabun city. Though they are mainly at night times.

Edited June 4, 2008 by phutoie2

[Heng]

To the Chinese guys in their Camrys, Benzos and Beemers I can understand that fuel price/consumption is no real issue.

I am talking about the old pickups, rusty old Toyota Heros, Aerobodys et al, mainly builders trucks, which are being driven by people who don't look as if they are on their way to broker a land deal.

Either they are completely unaware that driving in this manner uses 50% more fuel than is necessary or it is someone else (the boss) filling the tank.

There are definitely some folks out there who don't know any better.

But there are also plenty of folks out there who drive rather 'cheap' automobiles who are rather relatively well to do and aren't as affected by the rising cost of well, anything. No different than a lot of places in the world.

[Carib]

You all got it wrong... If you drive fast, you wil get there let`s say in 20 minutes. Now if you drive slow, it wil take you 35 minutes. That means you will drive 15 ! minutes longer, so you wil use 15 minutes more fuel.....

[Gary A]

I have noticed the difference up country. Other than company cars and trucks that the employer is paying for the fuel, traffic has definitely slowed down.

As for myself my driving habits have not changed. I seldom go anywhere that I don't HAVE to go. I generally just go with the traffic flow so I have slowed down too.

[billd766]

When I drive locally I generally keep my speed down to around 75 to 80 kph as the yturbo is not doing anything then as it is about2200 rpm and it kicks in at 2500.

However I AM using my scooter more if I can steal it form my wife as my pickup does about 10 km/l and the scooter nearly 40 km/l

[Cuban]

Do the Thais not realise the more they rev the engine the more fuel they use ?

I think they do - as the traffic signals change to green there is a long pause before Thai drivers creep slowly over the white line - on the other hand this maybe due to waiting for all the other cross traffic that is still streaming through the junction with the red light against them.

[wilko]

They drive with their pedals on the floor most of the time so why do they insist on leaving traffic lights at 5km a day??? And don't get me started on 4x4's that drive over railway lines like they are negotiating a mine field!!!

Absolutely...I've asked hundreds of Thai colleagues about this and never received a coherent reply!

[wilko]

........inflation is now over 7% in Thailand......this will soon supplant any concerns about how to drive with what to drive or how to get home at all.

[HDRIDER]

Hi

I know its not fun for anybody to pay 33 or even 45 if it comes to that, but i am one of the few people the smile a bit every time prices go up, because it mean more work to me (oil & gas)

[tartempion]

They drive with their pedals on the floor most of the time so why do they insist on leaving traffic lights at 5km a day??? And don't get me started on 4x4's that drive over railway lines like they are negotiating a mine field!!!

I drive from my moo baan to Udon 2x a week and traffic is defintely much lighter.

I also see rarely pick-ups driving "with their pedals on the floor" they also need ages to overtake others or move on when the traffic light turns green

[tartempion]

well I just got me a new Ford Ranger 2.5 turbo diesel..filled up the tank and drove it 600km..filled it again and used it around town,and got 550km

well happy :-)

You also might learn to use a calculator and figure out how much your fuel consumption is per 100kms.

Therefore you need to record how much liters you fill-up and how many kms you drove between two fills.

So 62l to fill up and 652kms driven will give you 62x100/652=9.5092l/100kms

Now we farangs don't need a calculator to figure that one out isn't?

[wilko]

You can't raise the price of fuel by over 100% in the space of a few months without a profound effect on the economy. everything you buy is delivered by fossil fuel powered vehicles. It's a spiral.....food costs more because of fuel so grow bio-fuels which take up land that should grow food, which puts up the price of food and the price of fuel continues to rise making bio-fuels more profitable so crops are better sold as fuel rather than food.......

Edited June 6, 2008 by wilko

[Gary A]

There are more AA Paper trucks on the roads up here than any other company. I have noticed that they all have eight white tanks stacked behind the truck cab. I would think that these are CNG tanks. I'd be interested to know for sure and also what kind of conversation system they use.

[wilko]

If bio-fuels -or any other alternatives become too popular they will inevitably incur taxes too.......what govt can surrender its income from fuel users?

[goingaroundagain]

I gave up worrying months ago when it became clar that 8km/L around town and 11 or so on a run were about all I can get from the D-Max auto with the aircon on and going the speed I want. Bought a year ago with diesel at about Bt22 a litre and now hitting 40 so about double the cost.

Last year drove 16,000 km so at 10/L = 1600 litres at an average of say Bt30 a litre = 48,000 baht. replacement cost at Bt40 = 64,000 baht so another 16,000 baht a year, or Bt1400 a month or bugger all a week.

[torrenova]

Just filled the truck up and at Bt39.01 for diesel it swallowed Bt2900 against Bt1600 when I bought it !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[wilko]

I've moved closer to work...i would have saved 4000 baht per month....now I pay slightly more than I used to but live 30% closer...still I'm saving on wear and tear, and if I'd stayed where I was......