Tires have gotten expensive

Len Silva · April 01, 2011, 06:36:22 AM

OTOH, in how many other countries in the entire world would owning your own bus for personal use not be the ludicrous idea you could think of?

zimtok · April 01, 2011, 07:18:32 AM

As the price of Crude Oil goes up so do the products that rely on Crude Oil.... (That means EVERYTHING)
ALL products rely on Crude Oil at some point...

Transportation is the most direct link we see but there are others...
All plastic uses petroleum, so all of the plastic packaging from the Blister pack that contains your individual product to the Stretch film used to hold a pallet of product together for shipping is relying on Crude Oil.

Tires are even more dependent of Crude Oil because the tire is made from rubber and that is made from... you guessed it... petroleum.

If you think that going to alternative fuel vehicles is going to stop our dependence of Crude Oil you need to look around and see all of the products that we consume that are made from Petroleum....

.

buswarrior · April 01, 2011, 07:37:19 AM

You used to laugh at the prices we paid in Canada...

When our dollar was low.

Now your dollar is low, it ain't funny any more, eh?

US dollar has lost a lot of purchasing power, so things that come from elsewhere will cost more of those cheaper dollars, as well as the run on fuel.

The huge profit margins being squeezed tight due to economic conditions are a variable thrown in for further confusion.

Running a coach has always cost, and always will.

Of course we can choose a pleasant spot and put it up on blocks...

but then, the spot will cost too...

happy coaching!
buswarrior

Len Silva · April 01, 2011, 07:39:07 AM

Still lots cheaper than a comparable boat.

luvrbus · April 01, 2011, 09:22:39 AM

still lots cheaper than a comparable boat.

you got that right no way can you pump 3800 gals of diesel in a bus at one time see how far go can go using 58 gals a hour @ 26 knots and cost over 2 grand a month for parking lol,but you don't need tires

good luck

happycamperbrat · April 01, 2011, 09:42:09 AM

My history book and Bible taught me that people used to sail around without petro....

luvrbus · April 01, 2011, 09:45:58 AM

Not this guy lol

good luck

Jeremy · April 01, 2011, 11:32:30 AM

Quote from: happycamperbrat on April 01, 2011, 09:42:09 AM
My history book and Bible taught me that people used to sail around without petro....

Have you priced a suit of sails recently? Trust me, tyres and diesel are cheap. And I had no idea that there was any yachting in the Bible - I really must read it sometime.

Len Silva has it exactly right - the price of bus tyres may seem extravagant now, but don't forget that the idea running these 40 foot long, 10 ton+, diesel-guzzling monsters for your own selfish pleasure is essentially absurd. Rightly or wrongly, whether things are seen as being 'socially responsible' is going to matter more and more in the future. Governments around the world are already using punitive taxation as a way of guiding people away from (for instance) driving SUVs or going on long-haul holidays. It doesn't bear to think about the number of ways they could hit the private ownership of 30-year-old buses if they chose to.

Jeremy

Rick59-4104 · April 01, 2011, 02:21:21 PM

A friend commented to me a few days ago that "a hundred dollars sure is not much money anymore," my reply was that depends on if you are spending it or earning it.

Rick

divinerightstrip · April 01, 2011, 03:19:55 PM

What do you gals and guys think about used tyres? There is a company near me that scavenges them from state vehicles with predetermined tyre life expectancy... That is, they are only allowed to be on the vehicle for a certain # of years regardless of mileage (I guess it is to protect themselves in this sue-happy society?) and then they must be replaced.

IMO this seems much better than retreading, especially since buses tend to sit around, which can damage the retread.

Any input??

Lin · April 01, 2011, 03:51:18 PM

If you can find good used ones at a dramatic savings, I'd say go for it.

lostagain · April 01, 2011, 04:02:40 PM

I have obtained used tires from a friend who runs transport trucks. 2 to 3 years old, virgins, 50% tread for $100 each. That was a couple years ago. The $100 was how much he would have got for the casings from the retreaders. That was great for me, because I don't use them in the winter.

JC

belfert · April 01, 2011, 04:14:41 PM

Quote from: buswarrior on April 01, 2011, 07:37:19 AM
You used to laugh at the prices we paid in Canada...

How much are you pay for a gallon of diesel up there now days?

usbusin · April 01, 2011, 05:08:43 PM

belfert asks, How much are you pay for a gallon of diesel up there now days?

About $4.65/US Gallon in Creston, BC

About $4.53/US Gallon in Abbotsford, BC

These are from Flying J's website

LesBerg · April 01, 2011, 06:02:16 PM

I've driven from Boise, ID to Athol, ID three times in the last two months, and haven't seen diesel under $4 anywhere. Athol is running $4.25 and Boise was $4.10 two weeks ago.

But if I had a bus, I'd happily pay it. The roads out here are so bad they're damaging my truck. Three times in the last two days I've had the engine shut off when I hit a pothole. Having a bus would mean we wouldn't be out here living with my parents - not a bad thing overall, just that the roads are horrid and we're 20 miles to any job prospects in any direction.