Worst gas mileage with GC

haley10 · Jun 30, 2004

quote:

Originally posted by Eiron:
Regarding Finklejag's original question, does anybody think that moving from Washington (sea level?) to Colorado (5,000+ ft?) has any impact on mileage? Does relative (or absolute) humidity have any effect on combustion efficiency & mpg?

simpleguy_68,
The short answer: swapping in a new filter now would easily take her out to 10,000 miles. I'd do one of three things if this Corolla were my car:
1) Assume that I used GC 'cuz it's as good as everyone says, so there should be no problem going a minimum of 10,000 miles on it.
2) Assume everyone's blowing smoke out their butts & switch to an oil I know can go that long, like Mobil 1.
3) Switch her over to a high-quality HDMO year-round, & get her onto 5,000 mile oil & filter changes for around $10/change.

Now, there are a few unknowns, like how much oil does the car hold, & is her commute a straight shot for 30 mi or is a lot of it in stop-&-go city traffic? Those answers might trend the GC changes down towards 10k mi rather than up towards 20k mi. Another plan might be to wait until 10k mi, then swap in a new filter, top up with more GC & go on to 15k. But this oil's too expensive (& too hyped here on BITOG) to use for only 8k mi intervals.

pscholte,
So what's the deal with GC? Is it truly some wunder brauen, or is it simply a pretender to the throne? Any good Group III oil should go 8k mi in a decent N/A engine.

This is heresy. Not only have you cast doubts on the green elixir of life, but you have gone over the edge and implied that a Group III is acceptable.

simpleguy_68 · Jun 30, 2004

Her commute is rural roads for most of the trip. There were also several long trips, one down to the Houston area and one up to Branson, MO. I've considered doing a filter swap and letting it go to 15k. The motor is a 1.8L Toyota and holds app. 4 quarts. Don't know if this is one of the infamous sludge motors or not.

Stab · Jun 30, 2004

If she is so low on money she can't afford the extra 10 bucks for the GC she should sell the 02 model car and get a cheaper car. No offense but that is like buying a riding mower when you can't afford the gas to mow the lawn. Get a cheaper push mower with some money left over for gas.

If you have a problem laying your hands on 30 bucks you are either wasting money or living way above your means and that is a fact! I've been poor several times in my life and I always managed to take care of daily expenses(like car maint. and repairs)and get the bills paid.

I find it funny that someone with a 2002 model car can't come up with $30 yet I drive a 11 year old Ford Crown Vic with 250K miles and manage to own and operate a business, pay all my bills, invest some of my earnings, and provide for a wife and children. I guess it is about priorities.

Maybe a $6 supertech oil/filter change is more her speed?

supraturbo · Jul 1, 2004

I wouldn't sweat 10k on GC in a corolla. Since day 1 with our commuter civic, a 96 DX i've run mobil 1 5w-30 and have never changed it under the 10k mile mark. The car now has 170k, at 160k passed a compression test with flying colors, basically performed it for sh#ts and giggles. Also at the 160k mark when I replaced the timing belt, was amazed at how clean the valve train area under the cam cover was, zero sludging. GC should be able to go 10k without breaking a sweat, its not like the corolla is tuff on oil LOL.

pscholte · Jul 2, 2004

quote:

Originally posted by Eiron:
Regarding Finklejag's original question, does anybody think that moving from Washington (sea level?) to Colorado (5,000+ ft?) has any impact on mileage? Does relative (or absolute) humidity have any effect on combustion efficiency & mpg?

simpleguy_68,
The short answer: swapping in a new filter now would easily take her out to 10,000 miles. I'd do one of three things if this Corolla were my car:
1) Assume that I used GC 'cuz it's as good as everyone says, so there should be no problem going a minimum of 10,000 miles on it.
2) Assume everyone's blowing smoke out their butts & switch to an oil I know can go that long, like Mobil 1.
3) Switch her over to a high-quality HDMO year-round, & get her onto 5,000 mile oil & filter changes for around $10/change.

Now, there are a few unknowns, like how much oil does the car hold, & is her commute a straight shot for 30 mi or is a lot of it in stop-&-go city traffic? Those answers might trend the GC changes down towards 10k mi rather than up towards 20k mi. Another plan might be to wait until 10k mi, then swap in a new filter, top up with more GC & go on to 15k. But this oil's too expensive (& too hyped here on BITOG) to use for only 8k mi intervals.

pscholte,
So what's the deal with GC? Is it truly some wunder brauen, or is it simply a pretender to the throne? Any good Group III oil should go 8k mi in a decent N/A engine.

Eiron, Eiron, Eiron...you love to challenge ze Green Nectar...and I vill reshpond...SLX can handle the challenge! (I back that up with 157 quarts on my shelf and 7.3 qts in a twin turbo motor.)

[ July 02, 2004, 05:42 PM: Message edited by: pscholte ]

simpleguy_68 · Jul 2, 2004

Actually, I mispoke as the car is either a '99 or '00 model with 88k miles on it. This is her only means of transportation and it MUST be reliable. And if you'd actually taken the time to read my first post, you would have seen that the reason she is strapped for cash right now is that the ex- hasn't paid the child support for over two months. While she could scrape up the money, if she didn't have to that would be $30 that would be better spent elsewhere.

Sometimes people get into situations through no fault of there own. I can empathize as I am currently out of a job and need new tires on my truck, but every dollar I've got is going to pay the rent and utilities. Thank God the truck is paid for...

haley10 · Jul 2, 2004

With 90K, I doubt this is one of the sludgemonster engines. Get more info and bitog can tell you if it is or not. I doubt it.

Since you can change it yourself, you could minimize the cost by shopping for the best price on a good dino for now. Maintenance has to be done, regardless of hard times or they just get harder with an avoidable repair.

Stab · Jul 2, 2004

I did read your first post simpleguy.

You said she didn't have the money! Maybe you should read your first post again.

I read all about the child support. Does your lady friend not earn a living?

All I am saying is I HAVE BEEN POOR (not much better right now) and I know being poor sucks but not getting child support is no excuse. What is she going to do if the child support never comes in? Wither away and starve to death? Doubt it.

Sounds like my friends ex wife that got two child support payments after the divorce and then bought herself a 20K used Honda Accord then she had him served with papers 6 months later to make him pay more child support. I'm sorry but you are blowing your lady friends financial troubles way out of porportion. If you ever meet the poor house you will understand what it is really like.

Now I am off this thread because can't stand it when people are having to roll pennies to buy food when they drive 02 model cars!

[ July 03, 2004, 01:19 AM: Message edited by: Stab ]

Finklejag · Jul 2, 2004

Back to the original post. I guess it wasn't the GC I just used. I just filled up with 87, and now I'm back to 29.1 mpg. I live in a rural area. My car recommends 91. Maybe the gas was sitting in the tank too long. So I filled this tank with 87. Now everything is back to normal.

Robbie Alexander · Jul 3, 2004

quote:

Originally posted by Gene K:
Guys the difference in mpg between a 30 Weight and a 40 is about 1-2%. I will buy that the difference between a light 30 and a heavy 30 is up to 0.6 mpg on a 30 mpg car. There are other factors involved here on both the gains and the losses.

Gene

maybe more or less... there can be between .01-10 MPG between setups, although admittedly usually between .4-1.9 MPG is realistic... every oil will give a different result upond different motors and driving traits.

Put it this way... I have several million miles experience on my own cars and THE OIL DOES matter.
If all you are looking at is MPG. Albeit not always that much, but over the long haul that could be a lot of MoooooULllllahhhhhhhhhh.
I keep track of all my miles and all my TWEAKINGS to be sure if there are other factors at play...
Now, I don't know much but I do know how to teak my cars to get the most MPG for the buck.

Worst gas mileage with GC

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