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Coast Gas Prices Vary Dramatically (And Yes, It’s Most Expensive In North Escambia)
October 3, 2011
Gas prices across the Gulf Coast vary dramatically — with some stations selling gas for barely over three bucks a gallon while others are nearly four dimes higher.
Some stations in Mobile on Sunday were down to $3.01 a gallon, while that same gallon of gas was $3.39 in Century; $3.37 in Cantonment, Atmore and Brewton; and as low as $3.24 in Pensacola, according to GasBuddy.com.
With continuing weak demand, fuel prices in the United States are expected to continue to fall, AAA Auto Club South said Sunday.
“Economic news is not looking good in the long term and we can expect the market to react to every piece of economic news that comes from the U.S. and Europe in the short term,” said AAA spokeswoman Jessica Brady. “Gas prices continue to decrease as oil prices retreat below $80 a barrel and this trend is expected to continue for quite a while, unless positive news unexpectedly hits the market.”
The national average price of regular unleaded gasoline is $3.42 per gallon, reflecting an 8-cent decrease from last week. Florida’s average price of $3.39 also dropped 8 cents since last week, respectively.
Pictured above: A gallon of regular unleaded was $3.39 in Century on Saturday. NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
Comments
27 Responses to “Coast Gas Prices Vary Dramatically (And Yes, It’s Most Expensive In North Escambia)”
An engines static and dynamic compression ratios are the critical factors in preignition. Clyinder pressures during operation can be increased or decreased by valve timing. Engine operating temperatures are critical as well. There are several aftermarket spark control systems which can vary engine timing, helping to reduce knock. In my old 4wheel drive I mix 19 gallons of 93 octane gas, with one gallon of low sulpher diesel. This raises the detonation temperature of the fuel and provides upper cylnder lubrication as well. This works great in the summer time, offroading up at the gravel lakes. In closing Volumetric Efficiency is the goal in engine performance.
Well, it’s good to see that you are for anti gravity transportation too. We can talk about that one some other time I guess. I got to reading everything and I did not take the time to realize that you changed the subject to a diesel engine, this changes the whole aspect of the situation in which you are (right) and I am (wrong). Something else my grandfather and I were discussing this morning about the price of fuel and the energy concept. You can buy more of the cheaper gasoline and fill your car up twice vs spending more money and getting less gasoline. But the higher energy content in 93 octane last longer and your MPG will increase, but you get charged a lot more money. You would think that the gasoline stations could sell more gasoline to more customers if they could afford to buy the good grade fuel. Last time I checked Propane was $2.99 a gallon maybe we could run that, what you think ol mighty Dave ????
REGARDING;
“Just retard the timing back about 5 degrees and say good bye to engine knock.”
One final, probably futile, attempt. Timing is related to when the spark ignition fires. Compression derived knock is related to when compression causes pre ignition. They really aren’t related other than the fact that both can cause ignition of the air/fuel mixture.
From:
http://www.procarcare.com/icarumba/resourcecenter/encyclopedia/icar_resourcecenter_encyclopedia_ignition.asp#timing
“Ignition timing is the measurement, in degrees of crankshaft rotation, of the point at which the spark plugs fire in each of the cylinders. It is measured in degrees before or after Top Dead Center (TDC) of the compression stroke. “
http://www.procarcare.com/icarumba/resourcecenter/glossary/icar_resourcecenter_glossary_viewglossary-d-n.asp#k
“KNOCK: Noise which results from the spontaneous ignition of a portion of the air-fuel mixture in the engine cylinder caused by overly advanced ignition timing or use of incorrectly low octane fuel for that engine. “
Note: overly advanced ignition timing CAN cause early ignition resulting in knock, but we are talking about low octane related knock. That is unrelated to the electrical system.
David also for anti gravity transportation
and reality in the mean time
REGARDING
and combustion caused by compression rather than the spark in a spark ignition internal combustion engine is called knock, which you DO NOT want in the compression stroke, rather you want it in the power stroke which follows the compression stroke
Just retard the timing back about 5 degrees and say good bye to engine knock.
Scott for anti gravitational propulsion
The Raceway station and BP station in loxley has regular for $3.15
REGARDING THE RESPONSE TO:
“Compression ignition of gasoline is called knock.”
WHICH WAS:
“No David, it is called Combustion.”
and combustion caused by compression rather than the spark in a spark ignition internal combustion engine is called knock, which you DO NOT want in the compression stroke, rather you want it in the power stroke which follows the compression stroke
David for everything in its place
Regarding
You can avoid knock with low octane gasoline by using low compression ratios but then you have less power to go VROOM VROOM with.
One of the ways that Chevrolet avoided knocking was to engineer a reverse rotation water pump on their LT-1 and LT-4 engines. Instead of the cool water flowing through the block first and to the heads last like the old gen 0 and 1 350 CI engines, it flowed through the heads first and through the block last. The advantage was that they could run lower octane fuel and advance the timing further without damage to the pistons, valves, etc. Today’s engines regardless of engine size use this same design to increase engine life.
Regarding
Compression ignition of gasoline is called knock.
No David, it is called Combustion. It’s almost like an explosion inside the combustion chambers, but in a more controlled smaller form. Combustion of the Air/Fuel is the driving force that forces the pistons in a downward motion. This is called the compression stroke. This is where you want the number one piston to be at if you ever have to manually set your engines timing.
No science here, just simple mechanics.
REGARDING:
“Just to point this out to everyone. 93 & 89 octane gasoline burns a lot hotter and slower requiring less liquid mass to do the same amount of work. 87 octane burns a lot cooler and faster which requires more liquid mass to do the same amount of work.”
Lots of people believe that, even President Carter, once a nuclear engineer in the Navy. However this is wrong (as he so often was). For example, ethanol has an octane rating of 113 but has much less energy by mass than any form of gasoline. Octane rating is simply a measure of the tendency to ignite by compression rather than by spark. Compression ignition of gasoline is called knock and is hard on spark ignition engines.
You can avoid knock with low octane gasoline by using low compression ratios but then you have less power to go VROOM VROOM with. This DOES NOT mean the gasoline has less energy than high octane fuel, though. You can add tetra ethyl lead or ethanol to heptane and get performance equal to 100% octane without increasing the energy content of the fuel.
Note: if you inject the fuel at the end of the compression stroke, you effectively have a diesel engine even if you’re burning heptane
For an independent source on the subject you might try:
http://auto.howstuffworks.com/fuel-efficiency/fuel-consumption/question90.htm
David for truth
We just got back from Tennessee and the price of gas was $3.11 !!!!
David
Just to point this out to everyone. 93 & 89 octane gasoline burns a lot hotter and slower requiring less liquid mass to do the same amount of work. 87 octane burns a lot cooler and faster which requires more liquid mass do do the same amount of work. An experienced driver can feel the difference in engine acceleration with 87 octane burning faster giving the driver more acceleration vs 93 octane burring slower giving the driver a little slower acceleration.
If you have a car that gets an average of 28 MPG on 87 octane, using 89 will bump that up to 30 mpg. If you use 93 octane you will be looking at about 32 to 33 mpg. I have noticed this in my fiance’s 1997 Chevrolet Cavalier.
An engine with a compression ratio of 10 to 1 or 10.5 to 1 will require 93 octane no matter what kind of budget you are on. The reason is when the compression ratio is raised the gasoline will try to ignite faster once on the compression stroke. If low octane fuel is present in a high compression engine, the fuel will try to ignite before the spark plug fires causing pre-detonation.
REGARDING:
“So if you want good gas with additives that keep your car running longer, buy the more expensive gas. If you are on a tight budget, buy the cheap stuff. ”
I agree with everything but that. Price doesn’t determine the quality of the product. Sometimes the low octane gasoline has the same additives as the high octane. Sometimes the cheap gas in Brewton (or wherever) is the same gas as the expensive gas in Flomaton (or wherever).
Further, just because it’s higher doesn’t mean it is definitely better. As you said, different folks figure their prices differently.
David on diesel
Many factors go into pricing gas but the bottom line is; FREE ENTERPRIiSE. That’s right, stations are no longer owned by the Big Oil Companies, rather they are individually owned by station owners who price gas according to the market price and their own individual profit margins. Alabama Oilmen Association says the average station “makes” 7 cents a gallon on gas. That comes to $1.40 for a 20 gallon purchase. Suffice it to say that stations do NOT keep the doors open on what they make on gas. So if you want good gas with additives that keep your car running longer, buy the more expensive gas. If you are on a tight budget, buy the cheap stuff. See, how simple that is!!!
Lower gas prices and cool clear weather. It makes me feel like taking a drive in country.
Gas was 3.06 today in Mobile….
while it is great to pay 3.32 or even better this is still to much to pay for a gallon of Gas. when only 6 years ago or a little longer we was only paying 1.55 or somewhat near that. as they say on the price is right.” THAT TO MUCH” and it is
I just drove through Ms. and LA. on my way to Colorado. I was near ecstatic to pay less than $3.00 gal for gas in La.! Yes it was as low as $2.96 gal for regular.
Here in Colorado it is $3.50 – $3.75 gal as it was in most of central to northTx. Talk about vaying prices!!
The stations charge what the market will pay, simple…. They don’t add on a certain percent and charge that, they charge whatever the customers will pay. If only one station’s around they will get whatever price they put on the sign. Reg unleaded should be no more than .99 cents a gal. How can they sell it in Iraq for .10 cent a gal? Profit, profit and more profit is all big oil cares about.
It is greed!! I was in Mobile Saturday and paid $3.06 for gas. That is a big city. Now yout take a look at Atmore, $3.49. There is something wrong with this picture. Flordia has a higher tax on gas and it is cheaper then Atmore. Brewton is cheaper then Atmore. They know that you will not make a trip to another town to get just gas. But i gased up in Mobile the other day and it will do till i get back out of Atmore for other things so i will not have to buy any in Atmore. Try to support the local people does not cut it any more.
I distinctly remember confident claims the price would exceed $5 per gallon by this past Labor Day because those evil speculators would magically force the price to be whatever they wanted.
David in a world with false prophets
and freaky fluctuations
It is 3.29 in Panama City, while it’s still 3.59 in DeFuniak Springs at I-10.
i’m currently in Huntsville and there are two stations here where gas is $2.99
gas at exit 69 flomaton was 3.29 yesterday…jep pep flomaton needs to tell there stations they are tired of being ripped off down town..why is it 20 to 30 cent higher in town.
Yes, this is true. Tom Thumb in Molino is ALWAYS higher than anywhere else! Even the other Tom Thumb stores in Ensley & Gonzalez area. I just drive to the Atmore reservation and get it there, even though it sometimes is the same as anywhere else.
flomaton rips you off. you pay the same as stores on i65. tom thumb is best , i go to wal mart in brewton for gas.
why are we being raped on the northside? west and south pensacola pay the same gas taxes as we do.
That’s why when I go to Mobile I make sure I have just enough gas to get me to the Pilot Truck Stop at the second exit after you cross the bridge on I-65. It was 3.13 last night!!!! But be careful!! Next door to the Pilot the Chevron was charging more if you used debit or credit other than a Chevron card!!!!!!
We paid $3.29 at I-10 in Milton Saturday. It is $3.34 in Jay and $3.39 – $3.34 around Milton!