Surprising increase in truck MPG

Ignoramus15242 wrote:
>
> I have a Chevy Silverado pickup that is by now about 18 months old.
>
> I was never able to get more that about 220 miles out of a 22 gallon
> tank of gas, sometimes even less.
>
> However, the last three refills, gave me 280, 266, and 283 miles per
> refill. (I usually run until my tanks gets fully empty, since I have
> an emergency gas canister for the instance when I run out of gas).
>
> This represents approximately 22% increase in MPG that I have hard
> times explaining. I see three possible explanations.
>
> 1) Just before those refills, I did an oil change and used Mobil 1
> synthetic oil. The previous oil changes were at a service station.
>
> 2) The engine had a chance to "burn in" and naturally improved its
> efficiency
>
> 3) something is seriously mistaken in my measurements.
>
> I am at a loss and am very puzzled. Can synthetic oil really account
> for that much of an increase? I highly doubt it.
>
> i

Could be any of the three, but Mobil 1 is very good stuff. I always get
receipts from every fill up and I write the current odometer reading on
them so I can eventually take a stack of those receipts and punch them
into my MPG spreadsheet.

Ignoramus15242 wrote:
> I have a Chevy Silverado pickup that is by now about 18 months old.
>
> I was never able to get more that about 220 miles out of a 22 gallon
> tank of gas, sometimes even less.
>
> However, the last three refills, gave me 280, 266, and 283 miles per
> refill. (I usually run until my tanks gets fully empty, since I have
> an emergency gas canister for the instance when I run out of gas).
>
> This represents approximately 22% increase in MPG that I have hard
> times explaining. I see three possible explanations.
>
> 1) Just before those refills, I did an oil change and used Mobil 1
> synthetic oil. The previous oil changes were at a service station.
>
> 2) The engine had a chance to "burn in" and naturally improved its
> efficiency
>
> 3) something is seriously mistaken in my measurements.
>
> I am at a loss and am very puzzled. Can synthetic oil really account
> for that much of an increase? I highly doubt it.
>
> i

I never think in terms of MPG (miles per gallon), but rather in terms of
GPH (gallons per hour) . At the speeds we are allowed to travel this is
a better gauge of fuel/engine performance.

cheers
T.Alan

"T.Alan Kraus" wrote: I never think in terms of MPG (miles per gallon),
but rather in terms of
> GPH (gallons per hour) . At the speeds we are allowed to travel this is a
> better gauge of fuel/engine performance.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
You will get *really good* gallons per hour standing still with the engine
idling. How is that a measure of anything useful? Assuming that you need
to know the gallons per hour, how do you get numbers? Do you have a
flowmeter in your gas line?

Brent P wrote:
> In article > , cavelamb himself wrote:
>
>>Ignoramus15242 wrote:
>>
>>
>>>I have a Chevy Silverado pickup that is by now about 18 months old.
>>>
>>>I was never able to get more that about 220 miles out of a 22 gallon
>>>tank of gas, sometimes even less.
>>>
>>>However, the last three refills, gave me 280, 266, and 283 miles per
>>>refill. (I usually run until my tanks gets fully empty, since I have
>>>an emergency gas canister for the instance when I run out of gas).
>>>
>>>This represents approximately 22% increase in MPG that I have hard
>>>times explaining. I see three possible explanations.
>>>
>>>1) Just before those refills, I did an oil change and used Mobil 1
>>>synthetic oil. The previous oil changes were at a service station.
>>>
>>>2) The engine had a chance to "burn in" and naturally improved its
>>>efficiency
>>>
>>>3) something is seriously mistaken in my measurements.
>>>
>>>I am at a loss and am very puzzled. Can synthetic oil really account
>>>for that much of an increase? I highly doubt it.
>>>
>>>i
>>
>>
>>I'm going to take a wild guess - that traffic is running a bit slower.
>
>
> traffic congestion drives down MPG for most vehicles. It would be rather
> rare that it would result in a steady speed that was better for his
> truck.
>
>
>
>

Kinda sorta exactly.

When traffic slows down a bit and spreads out speeds tend to stabalize.



--
(remove the X to email)

Now just why the HELL do I have to press 1 for English?
John Wayne

In article > , cavelamb himself wrote:
>Brent P wrote:
>> In article > , cavelamb himself wrote:
>>
>>>Ignoramus15242 wrote:
>>>
>>>
>>>>I have a Chevy Silverado pickup that is by now about 18 months old.
>>>>
>>>>I was never able to get more that about 220 miles out of a 22 gallon
>>>>tank of gas, sometimes even less.
>>>>
>>>>However, the last three refills, gave me 280, 266, and 283 miles per
>>>>refill. (I usually run until my tanks gets fully empty, since I have
>>>>an emergency gas canister for the instance when I run out of gas).
>>>>
>>>>This represents approximately 22% increase in MPG that I have hard
>>>>times explaining. I see three possible explanations.
>>>>
>>>>1) Just before those refills, I did an oil change and used Mobil 1
>>>>synthetic oil. The previous oil changes were at a service station.
>>>>
>>>>2) The engine had a chance to "burn in" and naturally improved its
>>>>efficiency
>>>>
>>>>3) something is seriously mistaken in my measurements.
>>>>
>>>>I am at a loss and am very puzzled. Can synthetic oil really account
>>>>for that much of an increase? I highly doubt it.
>>>>
>>>>i
>>>
>>>
>>>I'm going to take a wild guess - that traffic is running a bit slower.
>>
>>
>> traffic congestion drives down MPG for most vehicles. It would be rather
>> rare that it would result in a steady speed that was better for his
>> truck.
>>
>>
>>
>>
>
>Kinda sorta exactly.
>
>When traffic slows down a bit and spreads out speeds tend to stabalize.

On what planet? When traffic slows down here, it clumps and clumps
grow into each other and when the clumps meet it soon becomes stop and
go.

On Apr 18, 11:21*am, Ignoramus15242 <ignoramus15...@NOSPAM.
15242.invalid> wrote:
> I have a Chevy Silverado pickup that is by now about 18 months old.
>
> I was never able to get more that about 220 miles out of a 22 gallon
> tank of gas, sometimes even less.
>
> However, the last three refills, gave me 280, 266, and 283 miles per
> refill. (I usually run until my tanks gets fully empty, since I have
> an emergency gas canister for the instance when I run out of gas).
>
> This represents approximately 22% increase in MPG that I have hard
> times explaining. I see three possible explanations.
>
> 1) Just before those refills, I did an oil change and used Mobil 1
> synthetic oil. The previous oil changes were at a service station.
>
> 2) The engine had a chance to "burn in" and naturally improved its
> efficiency
>
> 3) something is seriously mistaken in my measurements.
>
> I am at a loss and am very puzzled. Can synthetic oil really account
> for that much of an increase? I highly doubt it.
>
> i

I'd vote for the drivetrain getting broken in, with possibly an
adjustment for seasonal changes and/or fuel formulations. I regularly
get 400+ miles from a tank of gas in my car in the summer, but it
drops to 325-350 in the winter. I blame increased use of the A/C (for
defrost) and am curious if the difference between "summer gas" and
"winter gas" contributes in any way.

nate

Ignoramus15242 wrote:
> I have a Chevy Silverado pickup that is by now about 18 months old.
>
> I was never able to get more that about 220 miles out of a 22 gallon
> tank of gas, sometimes even less.
>
> However, the last three refills, gave me 280, 266, and 283 miles per
> refill. (I usually run until my tanks gets fully empty, since I have
> an emergency gas canister for the instance when I run out of gas).
>
> This represents approximately 22% increase in MPG that I have hard
> times explaining. I see three possible explanations.
>
> 1) Just before those refills, I did an oil change and used Mobil 1
> synthetic oil. The previous oil changes were at a service station.
>
> 2) The engine had a chance to "burn in" and naturally improved its
> efficiency
>
> 3) something is seriously mistaken in my measurements.
>
> I am at a loss and am very puzzled. Can synthetic oil really account
> for that much of an increase? I highly doubt it.
>
> i

Live in an area in the US that uses reformulated gas for the colder
months? That increase is the same you would find here in NY after they
switch over to the summer blends of gas.

--
Steve W.
Near Cooperstown, New York
Life is not like a box of chocolates
it's more like a jar of jalapenos-
what you do today could burn your ass tomorrow!

On Apr 18, 11:21 am, Ignoramus15242 <ignoramus15...@NOSPAM.
15242.invalid> wrote:
> I have a Chevy Silverado pickup that is by now about 18 months old.
>
> I was never able to get more that about 220 miles out of a 22 gallon
> tank of gas, sometimes even less.
>
> However, the last three refills, gave me 280, 266, and 283 miles per
> refill. (I usually run until my tanks gets fully empty, since I have
> an emergency gas canister for the instance when I run out of gas).
>
> This represents approximately 22% increase in MPG that I have hard
> times explaining. I see three possible explanations.
>
> 1) Just before those refills, I did an oil change and used Mobil 1
> synthetic oil. The previous oil changes were at a service station.
>
> 2) The engine had a chance to "burn in" and naturally improved its
> efficiency
>
> 3) something is seriously mistaken in my measurements.
>
> I am at a loss and am very puzzled. Can synthetic oil really account
> for that much of an increase? I highly doubt it.
>
> i


Could be your part of the world just got the seasons 1st shipment of
'non-winter-blend' gasoline.

Or maybe they were selling gasohol (10% ethanol) and stopped.


Dave

Get a container rated for gasoline storage.Put one accurately measured
gallon of gasoline in the container.Mount it to the fuel intake of your
vehicle's engine.Miles per gallon.
cuhulin

I'd vote for the drivetrain getting broken in, with possibly an
adjustment for seasonal changes and/or fuel formulations. I regularly
get 400+ miles from a tank of gas in my car in the summer, but it
drops to 325-350 in the winter. I blame increased use of the A/C (for
defrost) and am curious if the difference between "summer gas" and
"winter gas" contributes in any way.

nate

Also in the summer your oil viscosity will be down. I'd suspect the service
station has been using a higher viscosity mineral oil. Don't think it's
synthetic that makes the difference, I think its viscosity (at operating
temperature). Synthetics hold their viscosity better as they warm up (which
goes the "wrong" way).