09 G5 oil recommendations?

[DrDusty86]

A friend has a 09 Pontiac G5 with a 2.2L ???? Ecotec. Sorry my gm knowledge is lacking. She has a 70mile round trip commute. It only gets 24mpg avg. She Runs AC/ Cruise set at 70mph. Its ALL hiway. Could I use 0w20 or 5w20? I know GM says 5w30 for the car but I want to help her fuel milage. ALSO, the dealer set her tires at 27.5psi..seems low, tire sidewall says 35psi MAX. I was looking at 32psi to help boost it as well, is that ok ????
Please Help,
Dusty
Car: 09 Pontiac G5, Auto, 50k miles, dealer serviced currently.

 

[pbm]

I'm not sure about 5w20 in an ecotec but I would run 32 psi in the tires. That's unimpressive mileage for a 4 cylinder commuter car. I'm not impressed with the mpg of my 2011 Chevy Cruze but it only has 1000 miles on it so I'm hoping it goes up. (the DIC says 29 mpg but I'm counting closer to 25).

 

[229]

I would run an dexos1 approved 5W30 such as PP or M1. Increasing the tire air pressure is a good idea as the recommended pressures on the door post should be more than 27mpg. At tire replacement time a low rolling resistance rated tire will help.

 

[DrDusty86]

I drove it on a 3 hour trip and got a hand calculated 24.2mpg... DIC says 29mpg That is horrible for a 2 door 4 cyl. Considering my zx2 with 200k and 10 years old can get 42mpg with AC running, not even TRYING.
CALLING NICK: Is 0w20 or 5w20 ok in an 09 G5??
What else to maximize fuel milage?
If it matters, the car will be traded in, in 2 years or so, they don't keep em' long.
I know the K&N Dust stories, but if its getting traded.. Would a K&N Air filter boost the milage in the car???

Her husband is a QS guy. They are my "adopted parents". I would Do QS UD 5-20 if it would help???
I JUST dont see changing the dealer fill MC 5000??? to another 5w30 in hopes to increase fuel milage.

 

[oggb]

It's rated at 35 mpg highway. I had a Cobalt rental car (aren't they essentially the same?) and I was geting 32 mpg combined. I'm not sure what to tell you but 20-weight oil and tire pressure probably aren't going to fix it. If it's going to get traded in two years you'd probably never recoup the cost of a K&N.

I'd check and clean the MAF if it has one and make sure no brakes are dragging. Could also be an O2 sensor beginning to STB but not yet throwing a code.

 

[DrDusty86]

I had a rental Cobalt and it got around 24mpg as well.. You must have been going by the DIC or got a freakishly good car.

 

[oggb]

Originally Posted By: DrDusty86
I had a rental Cobalt and it got around 24mpg as well.. You must have been going by the DIC or got a freakishly good car.


I was in fact going by the DIC; are they really that far off? I never bothered to calculate it myself.

 

[DrDusty86]

YES SIR,
Both her's and the rental are/did read EXACTLY 5MPG high

 

[electrolover]

i dont think i would run a 20w in a 5/30 spec engine. something else is wrong if the mileage is down. keep looking because the 5/20 isnt going to make much difference anyway

 

[DrDusty86]

What else???? i'm lost here guys.. I'd have thought It would be a 35-37mpg car. I KNOW I set my zx2's tires @ 35psi if they drop to 31psi or so my mpg is in the low 30's. IT makes a HUGE diffrence in my car, so I'm thinking her's could be the same.
I personally drove it to the dealer, and they said it's normal. "look at the DIC, see it says 29mpg and that's good". Me: It is NOT normal I have hand calculated MANY MANY times for a avg of 24mpg....Dealer:uuuuummm....welll...uuuummm

 

[bodeh6]

I would try Castrol EDGE w/Ti 5W-30.

 

[DrDusty86]

Bearings feel cool.... AC delco air filter has 10k on it.

 

[DrDusty86]

what would it do going from 1 5w30 to another...Seemingly no increase right????

 

[Whimsey]

Originally Posted By: DrDusty86
what would it do going from 1 5w30 to another...Seemingly no increase right????


I don't think you're going to see any significant gain in mpg going to another 5W-30 or even to a 5W-20 oil. My 1996 2.0L Zetec Contour gets 34-36 mpg on highway trips @ 75 to 80 mph using a thicker 5W-30 SL Schaeffer's Blend. It did basically the same with less viscous Mobil 1 5W-30.

Whimsey

 

[bepperb]

You're not going to gain more than .5mpg going to a 0w-20. That's not the problem.

I had a rental Cobalt, my one tank of gas was a little over 30, maybe 1mpg better than my Accord doing the same commute (though the Honda is stick). 24.xxx isn't right.

 

[cp3]

09 is a 2.2 LAP version of the EcoTec. It has VVT like the LE5, oddly enough, I find mine seems to get a little better mileage if I drive it a bit harder. Does she drive it like a granny?

My average so far this year is 25 MPG and that is probably 60-70 percent highway. Not impressive at all. My DIC incidentally is fairly accurate. I didn't notice any difference with the K&N or cleaning the MAF or throttle body. I am going to do the plugs this summer but I'm not hoping for much.

I would doubt going to a 5w20 will net her very much either.

 

[DrDusty86]

Do these cars have a servicable fuel filter or is it in tank? I have heard from several people on this site; changing the filter boosted milage by 2-3mpg. If so, whats the recommended service interval? This car just never has gotten good milage.
I think I will air up the tires first, as that made the biggest difference in my car.

What other suggestions?

 

[HTSS_TR]

Bad alignment such as too much toe can effect gas mileage. If the engine air filter is original and very dirty can effect gas mileage too (but very little). Pump up the tires to 32-33 PSI from 27 PSI would improve gas mileage about 2-5%. Check spark plugs and replace if needed. Add a bottle Chevron Techron Fuel System Cleaner may unclog the fuel injector and improve gas mileage.

 

[DrDusty86]

CP3,
I wouldn't say she drives like a granny. Getting up to speed it shifts about 4k, redlining when she enters an onramp to get up with the flow of traffic and not being a rolling road block like they are here where I live.
On the G5 are the plugs only good for 50k?
So:
Inflate tires, change to AFE 0w30, add Techron concentrate

off topic rant: [censored] do people think it is ok to enter the Interstate at 35-50mph, when traffic is going 70-75 on the interstate...MORONS..fricken HAMMER DOWN!!!!!! They should have failed the driving test INSTANTLY with this stunt.

 

[71Chevyguy]

I didn't realize that the Cobalts and G5 were so much worse on gas than my 07 Saturn Ion without VVT. I normally get 38-40 MPG AVG and the last trip I took to NYC it averaged 43. I am not easy on it either. I would say something may be wrong with the car itself? Maybe O2 sensor is going bad. That just seems too bad for highway driving in an Ecotec car. Unless the gearing is different in mine for some reason? Doubt it though.