keeping oil at full vs between high and low marks?

[friendly_jacek]

Originally Posted By: GMorg
I routinely run 3.5 quarts in a 4.5 quart sump.
3.5L V6, 2005 Montana SV6.

Older thread when discussed before:

http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ubb...true#Post671543


GMorg,
Thanks, good info. Did not see your old thread.

 

[GMorg]

Several people have mentioned that the crank cannot hit the oil unless appreciably overfilled. In fact, if you are accelerating, changing direction, are on an incline, or are bouncing through rough terrain, the pan oil is no where near where it would be if you are on level ground. I grew-up in the East Tennessee mountains. I could barely keep my Pepsi in the can on country mountain roads. I don't expect that oil just sits level in the pan when I am driving.

 

[BuickGN]

Originally Posted By: GMorg
Several people have mentioned that the crank cannot hit the oil unless appreciably overfilled. In fact, if you are accelerating, changing direction, are on an incline, or are bouncing through rough terrain, the pan oil is no where near where it would be if you are on level ground. I grew-up in the East Tennessee mountains. I could barely keep my Pepsi in the can on country mountain roads. I don't expect that oil just sits level in the pan when I am driving.


That's a good point but look at your average acceleration in a daily driver grocery getter. What are you pulling, like .2Gs? It will barely make the oil move. Besides, most pans are baffled, especially new cars. That's why I focus more on the stationary level of oil. I've taken my TL up to 2 quarts overfilled, waaaay over the full mark and driven around just to see how much I could get away with. I would immediately pop the hood with the engine running to see of there was any aeration and there was none. I don't run it like this. It's 1/2 quart over the full mark at most during the summer and right at the full during the winter.

Offroading with large bumps or steep inclines and declines or drag racing where you may see 2+Gs is a different story. I would also think that oil getting whipped around by the crank would show increased consumption and frothing.

I forgot to ask, what type of cars did your father run in the drag racing days?

 

[labman]

I think how much oil an engine needs depends partly on how it is driven. If you are going to thrash it around good, better top up the oil regularly. If you are doing gentle accelerations and cornering, you likely can get way with less.

 

[GMorg]

BuickGN wrote: "I forgot to ask, what type of cars did your father run in the drag racing days?"

He ran a '66 Chevelle, a '69 Camaro, and in the latter days a '76 Monza.

He build a lot of other cars for other people - all GM. It was amazing how many records came from a hand-full of guys in upper east Tennessee in the late 60s and early 70s. I think that all TCI transmissions still come through Danny Shortridge in Grainger county.

 

[N4cer]

It's a Prius. He's at no risk of heavy acceleration. Sad part is listening to those people for auto info. Anybody see Top Gear's Prius tests? :-D

 

[Geonerd]

Originally Posted By: ekpolk


I think you're painting with a pretty broad brush. "Hypermiling" is not one "thing" in and of itself, it's a group of techniques, some quite reasonable, some, as you suggest, pretty out there. I've become pretty good at what might be called "reasonable, situational hypermiling." No, I'm never going to run my engine critically low on oil (theory might be that lower oil vol will increase oil temp, thinning the oil, nutty, but true), I don't lose sight of the fact that my time is more valuable than saving a cup or two of fuel driving to work, and most importantly, safety and consideration for others take precedence over hypermiling (e.g. no pulse and glide if it messes with other traffic, etc.).


Point taken.

Moderate HM techniques can increase the average driver's city mileage by at least 30~40% (IMO, just training people to look further than 5 seconds down the road will generate an instant 20% or so!) Unfortunately, hardcore hypermilers are their own worst enemy, often coming across as holier-than-thou, obsessive, dangerous goofballs. Bragging about pushing the car across the lot, taking 'death curves' at max speed, running 60PSI tires, etc. would scare away anyone. Look at This Video: Your "average Joe" is going to think "What an idiot; I'm not going to drive like that fool!" and dismiss hypermiling out of hand.

 

[BuickGN]

That's so annoying. I came across one of those one time and let's just say he was lucky to average 5mph once he cut me off in the fast lane doing 45mph.