0W-30 Mobil 1 superior gas savings???

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Hello to all,

I saw an M1 ad in the latest Car and Driver magazine indicating that the 0W-30 (green cap synthetic) weight oil gives 9 more miles per tank full of gas. Is this oil OK to use in my 01' Durango V-8, 4.7 liter engine??? According to their website it's considered an alternative to my specified 5W-30 oil. Is it OK to use in any V-8 engine to gain more miles cuz M1 says it won't alter the factory warranty.

Opinions please cuz I want to try this oil weight in my next OCI.

Durango
 
You'll be lucky if you see more than a 1-2mpg gain IMO. Sure it's a low friction, low HT/HS oil, but there are many other ways to improve your fuel economy such as driving slower and keeping your tires inflated at the proper tire pressure. It is a good oil though so go for it.
 
Originally Posted By: buster
You'll be lucky if you see more than a 1-2mpg gain IMO. Sure it's a low friction, low HT/HS oil, but there are many other ways to improve your fuel economy such as driving slower and keeping your tires inflated at the proper tire pressure. It is a good oil though so go for it.


+1, it should be just fine. I put a fill of it in my wife's 05 PT Cruiser last oil change, and she's run it almost exactly 1000 miles so far. No big improvement in economy, but the engine does seem smooth and quiet on it. I'm always saying how I don't trust human ears as a judge of how an oil is working, though, so the proof will be in a UOA when it hits around 3000 miles.
 
I noticed a slight gain in my Ranger, but I also changed the front and rear diff fluid to synthetic as well, so I don't know which had more effect.
 
Guys,

OK then would I not increase mileage by going to a 5W-20 synthetic like M1 instead of using a 5W-30??? They also market a 5W-20 synthetic too.

Currently I use all the tricks I know of to save a little gas and improve mileage like checking my tires every month, make sure the air filter is clean and of course use M1 synthetic BUT in the specified 5W-30 weight. The BEST MPG I've gotten so far was 22.2 MPG on the highway.

Durango
 
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Compares with conventional oil 10W30, M1 0W-30 may yield up to 9 more miles per tank of gas which is about 2% gain, assume gas tank capacity is 20 gallon.

If you want to improve gas mileage even more, try M1 0W20 and inflate your tires 4-6 PSI above recommended in the manual but never more than max pressure on the tire sidewall.

My car recommended oil is 0W40, it has M1 0W20 in it now and my gas mileage improved more than 3-4% according to trip computer.
 
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If you want to icnrease mileage inflate your tires to the maximum pressure as stated on the sidewall.
 
Originally Posted By: wannafbody
If you want to icnrease mileage inflate your tires to the maximum pressure as stated on the sidewall.


Don't do this. The max pressure is exactly that, the maximum the tires can handle. When the tires heat up the pressure increases. You could potentially get the pressures high enough to cause a dangerous situation.

The door jamb recommended pressure is the recommended number. You should be ok going between this and the tire's max, but I wouldn't get too close to the max. Some may see this as overly cautious, but better safe than sorry
 
Originally Posted By: wannafbody
If you want to icnrease mileage inflate your tires to the maximum pressure as stated on the sidewall.

Except that if you inflate your tire to maximum pressure as indicated on the sidewall when the tires are cold or only warm, and you start driving at high speed (tires get hotter when the tread flexes rapidly at high speeds), the air pressure will increase past the maximum pressure and you risk a tire failure (gases expand when temperature rise).

There are a lot of ways to increase gas mileage, but this forum (and the original question) deals with motor oil, so lets not open a can or worms.
 
Originally Posted By: mozart
Originally Posted By: wannafbody
If you want to icnrease mileage inflate your tires to the maximum pressure as stated on the sidewall.


Don't do this. The max pressure is exactly that, the maximum the tires can handle. When the tires heat up the pressure increases. You could potentially get the pressures high enough to cause a dangerous situation.

The door jamb recommended pressure is the recommended number. You should be ok going between this and the tire's max, but I wouldn't get too close to the max. Some may see this as overly cautious, but better safe than sorry


Not at all overcautious, this was even discussed in, "Zen and the art of Motorcycle Maintenance". :)
 
At max sidewall PSI I suspect you'd be in more danger from overly-bouncy tires than blowouts. Actually, I believe the most common cause of tire separation is inadequate air pressure. Stay at or above the door jamb pressure without exceeding the max sidewall pressure and you shouldn't worry about your tires grenading.

@ OP: I spent a good deal of time trying to make my old Ford as fuel efficient as possible, but the biggest determinant of fuel economy was my driving style. Minimizing weight, use of synthetic fluids/lubricants, running a thinner oil, etc... nothing made as big a difference as restraining my lead foot.
 
Originally Posted By: tropic
At max sidewall PSI I suspect you'd be in more danger from overly-bouncy tires than blowouts. Actually, I believe the most common cause of tire separation is inadequate air pressure. Stay at or above the door jamb pressure without exceeding the max sidewall pressure and you shouldn't worry about your tires grenading.

@ OP: I spent a good deal of time trying to make my old Ford as fuel efficient as possible, but the biggest determinant of fuel economy was my driving style. Minimizing weight, use of synthetic fluids/lubricants, running a thinner oil, etc... nothing made as big a difference as restraining my lead foot.



I totally agree and have had a lot of experience with this when hauling. The only time I ran into issues with either PickUp tires or Truck tires was when we were underinflated, heat built up and the tire blew.

If a tire calls for 44 PSI....running it at 44 PSI will yield you best results and mileage, not to mention longer life of the tire itself. Low pressure is just plain bad.

As for the M1 0W30, I personally think it is the best oil they make and also noticed a slight mileage increase in my 4-Runner with this stuff.

I am currently running Pennzoil 5w30 (becuase it was on sale), but come Fall, I will be going back to 0w30 for my winter fill.
 
Sidewall is max cold pressure. During operation the pressure will rise beyond this value - this is anticipated (built in to the sidewall value) and is perfectly safe. Try going part way, maybe 5 PSI over doorjamb pressure, and see how the ride changes. Although you'll feel a few more bumps, I think you'll find the handling to be improved, and that tire wear - and wear irregularity - will be reduced. As near as I can tell, going from 32 to 39 PSI increased my Accord's freeway mileage by about 1MPG; from 36 to 37. It also significantly improved tire wear.

With most vehicle tires, the rolling resistance curve starts to level off somewhere around 40~45 PSI, but increases dramatically below 25~30.

Regarding the oil. If you're already using a 5W-30, I really doubt you'll see any detectable increase in mileage. IMO, you're far better off practicing stoplight anticipation (look 30+ seconds down the road and ease off early if you know or suspect the light will be red when you arrive), and driving 2~3 MPH slower on the freeway. Make a conscious effort to do these for one tank, and you will see gains. You can drive sanely and save significant gas without destroying your car or becoming a rolling roadblock, as many of the self-proclaimed 'hypermilers' do.

Good luck.
 
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Originally Posted By: Geonerd
Sidewall is max cold pressure. During operation the pressure will rise beyond this value - this is anticipated (built in to the sidewall value) and is perfectly safe. Try going part way, maybe 5 PSI over doorjamb pressure, and see how the ride changes. Although you'll feel a few more bumps, I think you'll find the handling to be improved, and that tire wear - and wear irregularity - will be reduced. As near as I can tell, going from 32 to 39 PSI increased my Accord's freeway mileage by about 1MPG; from 36 to 37. It also significantly improved tire wear.

With most vehicle tires, the rolling resistance curve starts to level off somewhere around 40~45 PSI, but increases dramatically below 25~30.

Regarding the oil. If you're already using a 5W-30, I really doubt you'll see any detectable increase in mileage. IMO, you're far better off practicing stoplight anticipation (look 30+ seconds down the road and ease off early if you know or suspect the light will be red when you arrive), and driving 2~3 MPH slower on the freeway. Make a conscious effort to do these for one tank, and you will see gains. You can drive sanely and save significant gas without destroying your car or becoming a rolling roadblock, as many of the self-proclaimed 'hypermilers' do.

Good luck.


It would appear as though some manufacturers spec the door jam pressures differently. We get very even wear using what is on the door jam/(gas door actually) on the Expeditions we've owned. going up in pressure wears the centres of the tires.
 
Originally Posted By: OVERK1LL

It would appear as though some manufacturers spec the door jam pressures differently. We get very even wear using what is on the door jam/(gas door actually) on the Expeditions we've owned. going up in pressure wears the centres of the tires.


Cool. (As with all things BITOG, YMMV!
grin2.gif
)
Do you have newer (post Firestone/Ford) trucks?
 
Originally Posted By: Geonerd
Originally Posted By: OVERK1LL

It would appear as though some manufacturers spec the door jam pressures differently. We get very even wear using what is on the door jam/(gas door actually) on the Expeditions we've owned. going up in pressure wears the centres of the tires.


Cool. (As with all things BITOG, YMMV!
grin2.gif
)
Do you have newer (post Firestone/Ford) trucks?



We've had an '88 F-250, '97 Explorer, '98 Expedition, '00 Expedition (still have), and an '02 Expedition (mine).

'00 came with Firestones, '02 came with Goodyear tires.
 
For highway driving, 0w-30 should make almost no difference, since it gives an improvement during the warm up phase. Going thinner will make a small difference, and more if the engine is lightly loaded. Taking out unneeded mass helps too. Driving slower make a big difference, and driving less makes the most difference. A good map program and intelligent trip planning helps.
 
Originally Posted By: Mark888
Originally Posted By: wannafbody
If you want to icnrease mileage inflate your tires to the maximum pressure as stated on the sidewall.

Except that if you inflate your tire to maximum pressure as indicated on the sidewall when the tires are cold or only warm, and you start driving at high speed (tires get hotter when the tread flexes rapidly at high speeds), the air pressure will increase past the maximum pressure and you risk a tire failure (gases expand when temperature rise).

There are a lot of ways to increase gas mileage, but this forum (and the original question) deals with motor oil, so lets not open a can or worms.


You can run tires at the maximun pressure stated on the sidewall w/o worry. Add the air while the tire is cold, the tire was engineered for the numbers stated on the sidewall. Do not exceed that pressure when adding air to a cold tire. Checking pressure in a hot tire will show higher pressures than the sidewall states, the mfg calculated for that when suggesting max cold pressure.


As a side note, the car will ride stiffer and handle differently, I inflate mine 10% less than max pressure.
The 0w30 oil might help fuel economy, but a properly tuned engine and smart driving habits yield the best results.

HTH
 
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