RP Synerlec and Increased MPG?

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donnyj08

donnyj08

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Southern IN / North central, KY
Flame suit is on..

I just drove to Mississippi last Wednesday and back on Sunday. I drove a steady 70-75 MPH the entire way and I did not hit one traffic jam. I had PU 10w30 in the sump. I reset my trip as well as the on board fuel economy before the trip. I averaged 18.1 MPG for the trip. Engine is a 5.3L with a 4L60-E transmission. Axle ratio is a 3:73.

I changed the oil on Monday morning after a trip to town to heat up the oil. OLM was at 15% with 8k mostly highway miles on the PU. (I know I changed it too early)

I put in 5w30 RP HPS and a fram ultra filter. I reset the OLM and the Fuel economy gauge as i do after every oil change or before a trip, and i reset the Trip meter. I drove the truck to Indianapolis and back Monday afternoon and Today. each trip is about 240 miles round trip. I also did some city driving yesterday. Trip shows 503 miles since the oil change. My average Fuel economy so far is 19.7MPG

I drove 70-75 on both trips to Indianapolis as i normally do and i got stuck in traffic on 65 idling for 15-20 mins today.

Im not claiming RP is providing a boost in MPG yet, but i've never Seen a 1.6 MPG jump in this truck in the 35k miles i've driven it this year. Truck has always averaged 17.5-18.5 MPG. I do about 80% highway driving.

Just a fluke? Could Synerlec be as good as all the Amazon and Jegs reviews say?? Discuss!
 
Originally Posted By: OneEyeJack
People often find what they're looking for.



wink.gif
True, I do check it pretty regularly, however. Everytime I get fuel i check my mileage from the last tank.

It is way too early in the OCI to tell if the difference is only because of changing to fresh oil or not.

I will give it a month or so to continue to average and i will see if it falls in the expected range of 17.5-18.5. Time will tell!
 
I've heard people claim they get better MPG right after an oil change. Nothing to do with RP.

I'm thinking it's just coincidence though. There are too many factors that influence MPG.
 
Originally Posted By: mongo161
All I can say is RP with Synerlec is outstanding oil. The Synerlec makes the difference in the RP varieties.


Agreed.

Their API stuff is no better and no worse than any other API offering from the majors however their synerlec stuff is special. I've got a couple of friends who build chev 350 engines in every shape and form. From strokers to 60 over high hp screamers and they get cams that look like arrowheads with Rams the duke boys could jump off and I've never seen a cam come out that was galled or any wear to them. More often than not if the engine blows the cam goes into the mext build.
Does a typical grocery getter need it,probably not,and personally I,minor paying extra for the stuff,but in demanding applications royal purple does have a lot of fans.
 
Originally Posted By: mongo161
All I can say is RP with Synerlec is outstanding oil. The Synerlec makes the difference in the RP varieties.



I will continue to monitor MPG. After 500 mi it seems to be quality stuff. I've used the API stuff in the past. This is my first true experience with an oil containing Synerlec.
 
This doesn't surprise me at all, it's a proven fact that swaping to a higher quality oil can lead to a better MPG, in this case I see it impossible not to notice improvement in vehicle's fuel economy and overall performance considering the fact that RP olis have superior quality.
 
Rp gets no love here because guys think it looks like valvoline when a voa is seen.
But a voa really doesn't say much. There are many additives invisible to a voa so it's a judgement made without all the facts.
I like rp. I'm just not paying the premium for it. Not when the majors make products that are more than adequate for my duty cycle.
If I was tracking my rides or had an engine with special needs then I would seriously consider rp products,but only the synerlec stuff.
It's possible the old oil was thicker because of oxidization and this new stuff is thinner. It's only 2 mpg so it's entirely possible that the old stuff was thicker than when new and the new stuff is thinner than the old stuff when new.
Or you had a tailwind.or a bunch of little things that now equate to an improvement.
The anti-wear adds need miles to plate the engine internals so I don't think the add pack itself has had enough time to be a factor,however it is possible.
Or you've gotten a couple of great tanks of fuel. Fuel quality is a very important part of mileage.
So it could be a lot of things. I am interested in your observations though so if you could would you mind updating this thread periodically just to keep us informed.
Thanks.
 
Well stated Captain
smile.gif

I checked my gas mileage on route 5 west of town that's flat and straight has an arrow for 2.8 miles. Well, per my in car mpg... 27.2 headed west. But I had sustained west- northwest winds 20 mph with gusts over 35.. Headed east on route 5 my in car mpg was 31.4. Tailwind bigtime!! And like you said great gas helps a lot... I get an extra 1 to 1.5 mpg with Shell gas than with Sunoco gas.. Both run very very good. Just get better gas mpg with the Shell gas. And right after I change the oil in my car I get 29.1 to 29.8 averaging 64 mph on that part of route 5. Past 5k miles it fell to 28.3 to 28.8. I have done this ohh 20 times or more. On a non windy day these numbers have been strikingly similar and repeatable.
 
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Way to go donnyj08.

It looks like you found aan oil that works well with your vehicle and driving style. On some economy cars with a nice oil you may feel the engine run smooth at very slight throttle inputs.


I got a 6.0 earlier in the year and, IIRC, got almost 16mpg from TX to MS. Owner said 20w-50 was in the sump. He said he could see 18mpg if driven smoothly. I have not checked mpg since, I don't think, but have 10w-30 in there now.


I have 3.73s as well but a MW3 NV4500.



Maybe driving N to S versus a different direction on your high 19mpg run?


It IS nice when the oil, filter, fuel and all other systems work well and efficiently to respond well to very slight throttle inputs. Do you have the cable or DBW?
 
Originally Posted By: splinter
Originally Posted By: donnyj08
..Truck has always averaged 17.5-18.5 MPG..

What's your typical payload?



1-2 passengers, a tool box with A floor jack and mechanics tools. (350 pieces) truck also has a fiberglass tannau cover. Probably 800-1000lbs
 
Originally Posted By: Clevy
Rp gets no love here because guys think it looks like valvoline when a voa is seen.
But a voa really doesn't say much. There are many additives invisible to a voa so it's a judgement made without all the facts.
I like rp. I'm just not paying the premium for it. Not when the majors make products that are more than adequate for my duty cycle.
If I was tracking my rides or had an engine with special needs then I would seriously consider rp products,but only the synerlec stuff.
It's possible the old oil was thicker because of oxidization and this new stuff is thinner. It's only 2 mpg so it's entirely possible that the old stuff was thicker than when new and the new stuff is thinner than the old stuff when new.
Or you had a tailwind.or a bunch of little things that now equate to an improvement.
The anti-wear adds need miles to plate the engine internals so I don't think the add pack itself has had enough time to be a factor,however it is possible.
Or you've gotten a couple of great tanks of fuel. Fuel quality is a very important part of mileage.
So it could be a lot of things. I am interested in your observations though so if you could would you mind updating this thread periodically just to keep us informed.

I absolutely will, Clevy.
Thanks.
 
Originally Posted By: Thebimmerfan
This doesn't surprise me at all, it's a proven fact that swaping to a higher quality oil can lead to a better MPG, in this case I see it impossible not to notice improvement in vehicle's fuel economy and overall performance considering the fact that RP olis have superior quality.


I linked an article a while back that described trying to measure real-world MPG. It essentially showed that it was impossible unless extraordinary measures were taken, such as using standardized test fuel and over a closed-loop track. There were just too many outside variables to allow accurate measurements, not the least of which was that the energy density of "gas station" gasoline varied up to 4% even at the same station. So unless you do multiple, multiple runs over the same course and observe a difference of over 4%, good luck attributing it to the single variable of motor oil - especially within the same grade.

The stuff people attribute to oil is amazing sometimes (good or bad).
 
Quote:

Maybe driving N to S versus a different direction on your high 19mpg run?


It IS nice when the oil, filter, fuel and all other systems work well and efficiently to respond well to very slight throttle inputs. Do you have the cable or DBW?


Both trips were north one way and south the other or vis versa.

The engine has DBW and AFM.
 
I'm a big fan of RP (not the price) and really liked it when I used it previously but I can't say that increase is due to the oil. Perfect temps probably a better explanation.
 
Originally Posted By: Brons2
Headwind going south, tailwind going north.


Possibility, however Both separate trips included north and south travels. No calculations were made only going one way.
 
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Synerlec is good stuff. RP HPS is well dosed with additives.

5w vs 10w.... HTHS difference, cold flow difference, ....
Do you have an oil temp gauge?
What oil filter used before and now?

Try Mobil1 0w30 advanced fuel economy, or Amalie 0w30!

Now, get some RoyalPerp in the differentials, transfer case, ... and some Dexron-HP or Amsoil ATL in that transmission.
 
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