Articles by JAStuart on ArticleSnatch.com

Fuel Prices: Myths and Reality Surrounding the Price of Gas. Part I.

Mon, 14 Jan 2008 00:00:00 -0500

Price of Gas Myth Number 1â€: Our fuel price crisis is all about Supply Shortfallsâ€ No doubt. The price of gas seems always poised to go up. Itâ€'s almost a knee-jerk reaction to assume thereâ€'s nothing but bad news in the price of gas ahead of us. There is. But not for the reasons most of us think. The supply side of the fuel price equation is as robust as ever. Conventional wisdom, reported in the media and driven by fears that Hurricane Katrina was the beginning of our current fuel price dilemmaâ€, says the world is running out of fuel. Consequently, there must be fuel price hikes. So, the price of gas will climb, media mania says. Actually, Katrina didnâ€'t damage the Gulf Statesâ€' oil infrastructure. For all of its destructive power, Katrina only temporarily disrupted production. The media hype did far more to convince Americans the catastrophe bid up fuel prices and more specifically the price of gas, to levels believed to be permanent. Actually, the world is awash in its supply of fuel, despite higher gas prices. In 2002, the CIA World Factbook stated the worldâ€'s proved reserves were 1.025 trillion barrels. **End Summary** Topics: price of gas]]> fuel prices]]> oil]]> gas]]> fuel]]> barrels per day]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> Jim Stuart is a chemical research scientist specializing in automotive, diesel, tractor, and marine engine oil additive technologies. To contact him, go to TechniciansTip or send an email to: ContactUs@ 'Technicianstip.com'

The Science Of It All

Wed, 31 Oct 2007 00:00:00 -0400

“Parts Division” and Oil Additives: A Tale of Two Standards The “Parts Division” of many auto/vehicle manufacturers is the one division in which stockholders expect money will be made. After all, “Parts” is what people need as they make their cars last longer… and a lot longer than 20 or 30 years ago. Today, the average motorist is making his car last twice as long as in years gone by. Why? It’s a basic economic fact: cars cost more, and in the short run, many families can barely justify a $400 budget breaker, as opposed to a new purchase of a $25,000 price tag. So, the “Parts Division” – auto, truck, motorcycle and others – often has the “final say” in decisions about oil and additive recommendations for the vehicles produced by their manufacturer. After all, if “parts” isn’t making its typical “lions share” of corporate profits, stock holders complain and heads roll. “Built-in Obsolescence”: Nothing New in Corporate Practice All of which is a simple way of hinting at the fact that vehicle manufacturers must make sure that vehicles – and their parts – last just so long, before coming in for repairs. **End Summary** Topics: oil additive]]> engine]]> parts]]> car]]> friction]]> heat]]> engine oil additive]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> Jim Stuart is a chemical research scientist specializing in automotive, diesel, tractor, and marine engine oil additive technologies. To contact him, go to TechniciansTip or send an email to: ContactUs@ 'Technicianstip.com'

The Science of it All Part II

Wed, 31 Oct 2007 00:00:00 -0400

Engine oil additives Do they really work? That question has sparked controversy for years in the automotive and diesel industries. Are the various engine oil additives really just the modern automotive versions of “Snake Oil”? Many engine oil additives promise to reduce friction. The presence of friction – metal on metal inside the engine’s combustion chamber - generates intense heat and often indicates the galling of metal parts and surfaces. In other words, your engine is being gouged, scored or gashed piece by piece over time. (See test photos at reference below). There are several major kinds of engine oil additives: 1. Ptfe engine oil additives (Polytetrafluoroethylene, which is Teflon TM). 2. Engine oil additives containing solvents and detergents, such as kerosene, naphthalene, xylene, acetone or isopropanol. 3. Engine oil additives containing zinc dialkyldithiophosphate (“zinc” for our purposes here). 4. Engine oil products using the same additives used by oil manufacturers, only in different amounts and combinations. 5. Other engine oil additives such as chlorinated paraffins and molybdenum. Ptfe Polytetrafluoroethylene got off to a rough start in its early career as an engine oil additive. **End Summary** Topics: Engine oil additives]]> engine oil]]> engine additives]]> oil]]> ptfe]]> engine]]> automotive]]> manufacturers]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> Jim Stuart is a chemical research scientist specializing in automotive, diesel, tractor, and marine engine oil additive technologies. To contact him, go to TechniciansTip or send an email to: ContactUs@ 'Technicianstip.com'