For some reason i always
when someone is looking to "squeeze" out a measly 1 or 2% (if that) better gas mileage out of their car by turning to thinner oil as the solution.
First off, the car you're driving is pretty much maxed out, as far as fuel economy is concerned (Lets not count the fact that an auto manufacturer will detune an engine to produce worse gas mileage, while still better then the previous model year, because lets face it, if they give you the best they can do today, it will be hard for them to beat that tomorrow when the next model is introduced - but that's a whole other subject better left for tomorrow's conversation)
The engine in your car was designed for a certain MPG range in mind and the oil viscosity the auto maker choose best suits the lubrication the engine requires so metals don't fuse together.
Although i agree that using a lighter viscosity oil "can" result in a percent or two increase in gas mileage, the thought of increased engine wear in the long run seems to outweigh the benefits to me. A worn engine performs worse which results in less power produced which results in you need to push the gas pedal deeper into the carper just to accelerate as fast as the car did when the engine was "fresh"
^this sort of defeats the whole purpose of you trying to get better gas mileage IN THE LONG RUN, over the course of the life of your car.
Sure, some say that regardless, the car will fall apart waaaay before the engine decides to clock out from its shift, it still raises the question - are YOU the owner REALLY benefiting from the supposed "1-2% gas mileage increase" over the course of say a 5 year period of owning the car and racking up say, 100,000 miles with enough savings in gas mileage to make this practice actually "worth it"??? (not talking about a few dollars)
If you insist on trying to "squeeze" a few extra MPGs from your automobile, there are "civilized", common sense ways of doing so, starting with the duffus sitting in between the drivers seat and the steering wheel... (how you drive!)
Next you have properly inflated tires (or a few PSI more to decrease the rolling resistance), a clean engine air filter and basically a properly functioning engine is general.
Next you have the removal of excess weight (take out that pile of [censored] from the trunk!)
Something as simple as keeping the exterior of your car clean and Waxed is said to decrease the wind drag and help the air hitting the car "slip by" easier which helps RESTORE lost gas mileage vs driving with bird poo, leafs, branches and an inch of dust that has settled on your paint, causing excess drag (i've tested this one personally using a scan-gauge and driving with a dirty car vs clean & waxed)
I can go on for a few pages worth but there are LOADS of websites that list all the various things you can do (common sense things) to restore lost MPGs and add up to 5-10%+ with everything combined, all while still providing your engine with the required lubrication it so desperately needs.
I use a scan-gauge and am able to achieve much higher gas mileage then the highest average number posted on the window spec sheet that came on the cars i own. The tool has paid for itself 2-3 times over by helping me to adjust my driving style to increase my average fuel economy without having to result to the use of thinner oil and this happens with each and every tank full with receipts and gas mileage calculations increases much higher then 1%
Thoughts?
First off, the car you're driving is pretty much maxed out, as far as fuel economy is concerned (Lets not count the fact that an auto manufacturer will detune an engine to produce worse gas mileage, while still better then the previous model year, because lets face it, if they give you the best they can do today, it will be hard for them to beat that tomorrow when the next model is introduced - but that's a whole other subject better left for tomorrow's conversation)
The engine in your car was designed for a certain MPG range in mind and the oil viscosity the auto maker choose best suits the lubrication the engine requires so metals don't fuse together.
Although i agree that using a lighter viscosity oil "can" result in a percent or two increase in gas mileage, the thought of increased engine wear in the long run seems to outweigh the benefits to me. A worn engine performs worse which results in less power produced which results in you need to push the gas pedal deeper into the carper just to accelerate as fast as the car did when the engine was "fresh"
^this sort of defeats the whole purpose of you trying to get better gas mileage IN THE LONG RUN, over the course of the life of your car.
Sure, some say that regardless, the car will fall apart waaaay before the engine decides to clock out from its shift, it still raises the question - are YOU the owner REALLY benefiting from the supposed "1-2% gas mileage increase" over the course of say a 5 year period of owning the car and racking up say, 100,000 miles with enough savings in gas mileage to make this practice actually "worth it"??? (not talking about a few dollars)
If you insist on trying to "squeeze" a few extra MPGs from your automobile, there are "civilized", common sense ways of doing so, starting with the duffus sitting in between the drivers seat and the steering wheel... (how you drive!)
Next you have properly inflated tires (or a few PSI more to decrease the rolling resistance), a clean engine air filter and basically a properly functioning engine is general.
Next you have the removal of excess weight (take out that pile of [censored] from the trunk!)
Something as simple as keeping the exterior of your car clean and Waxed is said to decrease the wind drag and help the air hitting the car "slip by" easier which helps RESTORE lost gas mileage vs driving with bird poo, leafs, branches and an inch of dust that has settled on your paint, causing excess drag (i've tested this one personally using a scan-gauge and driving with a dirty car vs clean & waxed)
I can go on for a few pages worth but there are LOADS of websites that list all the various things you can do (common sense things) to restore lost MPGs and add up to 5-10%+ with everything combined, all while still providing your engine with the required lubrication it so desperately needs.
I use a scan-gauge and am able to achieve much higher gas mileage then the highest average number posted on the window spec sheet that came on the cars i own. The tool has paid for itself 2-3 times over by helping me to adjust my driving style to increase my average fuel economy without having to result to the use of thinner oil and this happens with each and every tank full with receipts and gas mileage calculations increases much higher then 1%
Thoughts?
