Will $5+ / Gallon Gas Keep You From Chasing?

[Marko Korosec]

Same as usual - paying the price of flying over from the UK, etc, means that the fuel cost will just have to be absorbed. As mentioned above we pay through the nose over here in the UK for fuel. I just wish I could get my 50-55mpg+ fuel economy in a US car!

Exactly my thoughts, Paul. Gasoline here in Slovenia is $6.51/gal and yes, if only I could use my car for chasing in the US. Indeed around 45-50mpg, lol.

And to answer the topic, I voted for "I'll Chase The Same Amount and Just As Far As Usual" as I actually don't have other choice. I'll surely grab all that nature drops. But I'll strongly reduce chasing in Europe. With much higher probability of severe storms/tornadoes in US, I see no reason why throwing money for gas here. Those times are over. Actually, to be more precise; one European season (4 months) would pay 2 months trip in the US (we're talking of $4000/month).

 

[Fred Dearborn]

We will chase the same as usual.Will there be cut backs,you bet.We will plan our trips better on forecasts,drive slower to our destination and bring food instead of paying that high road price.If we stay overnight,we have enough room in the Explorer to put our mats in the back to sleep.Lots of little things can make a big difference if your budget is slim with fuel prices or anything else that will rise.There are plenty of other things you can do year around to help with costs,most people never see it...

 

[Jarrod Barnett]

I'll just take my motorcycle.

 

[Bryan Stokes]

Lots of little things can make a big difference if your budget is slim with fuel prices or anything else that will rise.There are plenty of other things you can do year around to help with costs,most people never see it...

I totally agree with Fred. It's very easy to pack 2-3 days of food in a cooler, and if done just at the beginning of each chase trip, you can save a good amount of money. Plus you can eat a lot healthier too. There are tons of ways to help keep the budget in check.

Bryan

 

[joel ewing]

I noticed this evening while filling up my Ford F-350 Dual-rear-wheel pickup with the PowerStroke Diesel motor that Diesel #2 is frickken' $4.10 a gallon. I about puked. Guess how much it cost to fill it...and it's only got one tank.......$130.00. I felt like starting it up and driving right thru the wall of that convenience store. What a ripoff. And to think we've got so much gas that we're sitting on and not drilling. Argggghh. No, we better not get started on THAT subject. Anyhow....no, thank God I'm able to afford the currrent fuel prices to keep on chasing this spring. That is one benefit of being married 34 years and opting NOT to have children. And I'm serious about that. I'd rather chase that have kids. Oh hell yeah.

 

[Jane Herbert]

Clyve and I converted both of our cars in Australia to LPG so we are dual fuel - gives the cars double the range but our chase costs are 54% less if we use gas (LPG 58-65c/ltr) rather than petrol (gas $1.29 - 1.45c/ltr with 4.5 ltrs to our gallon), but we do tend to use the car which is the most fuel efficient. In the US it just means we spend more time paying fuel off at the end of the trip - but if we another 18,000 miles this year, it'll be worth it!!

 

[Robert Balogh]

Nah - it costs what it costs

 

[Scott.Kraushaar]

I should be more or less finished with school for once and should be able to find time after work... so I'll be chasing more than usual! Besides, E20 makes it a little cheaper

 

[Dan Nichols]

Chasing locally is a good idea anyway -- gas prices or no. How often have I gone on a 20 or 30-mile long chase only to learn that a 5-mile chase would've done just as well, or better. Our Connecticut storms are usually small, so a few local miles could make a big difference between a miss and a hit!

Downsizing the size of your car or van is always a good idea. Consider what you really use your car for. Unless you have the need to drive the local glee club around or transport a grand piano, does one really need that huge car? Smaller vans are made a lot better than they used to be, and most can fit all the equipment most chasers use. And avoid those gas stations whose prices are out of line with the norm!

 

[Ryan McGinnis]

I would argue that a five mile chase isn't really a chase per say, it's just staying home and watching a storm. If you can make the roundtrip by walking in less than a few hours, you didn't really go on a chase. "Chasing local", to most chasers, probably means staying within one or two hundred miles from home.