Somehow I do not think that 20 wt oils exist solely for better fuel economy. First of all you may get 1/2 or 1 more MPG. If you want 1 or 2 MPG better then make the engine a few cc smaller. If every engine was just a little smaller then you get better gas mileage for the whole car line-up.
Several automotive manufacturers make only small cars. Chevy makes a bunch of Big, Thirst cars and trucks and a few small cars. They cannot compete with these “small car Only” companies. Mercedes has no small US cars and many are real gas guzzlers. Ferrari, Aston Martin, Rolls, Bentley, Lamborghini and many others make Only REALLY THIRSTY cars. They do not HAVE TO MEET EPA, CAFE standards for MPG. The answer is NO. The average “fleet” MPG is whatever it is.
Yes I paid a single gas guzzler tax when I bought my cars but no US car buyer looks at that or they would never buy all these cars the American car buyers keep buying. Few American car buyers buy hybrid cars. Just look at the stats. We by SUV’s.
There used to be a lot of tiny imported trucks. Now look at them. They are all HUGE trucks from the same companies. This is what we buy.
I do not think that Ford recommends a 20 wt oil in my Expedition to be able to meet some fleet-wide CAFE rule by getting a half more MPG. My “old” Mercedes SEL 600 with a 6.0 liter V12 and 412 BHP has run 80,000 miles on mostly Pennzoil 20 wt oil with 3-4,000 mile OCI’s and is running strong with no oil consumption at all. These “thin” oils can work and in my thinking provide better overall protection for us “short trip” Americans who are driving mostly in the start-up period.
I do not think that 20 wt oil was developed just to increase the average MPG of automotive manufacturer’s fleets to be able the meet MPG requirements. Cars are getting bigger. Engines are bigger and more powerful. This is what the average American is buying, not gas mileage.
aehaas
Several automotive manufacturers make only small cars. Chevy makes a bunch of Big, Thirst cars and trucks and a few small cars. They cannot compete with these “small car Only” companies. Mercedes has no small US cars and many are real gas guzzlers. Ferrari, Aston Martin, Rolls, Bentley, Lamborghini and many others make Only REALLY THIRSTY cars. They do not HAVE TO MEET EPA, CAFE standards for MPG. The answer is NO. The average “fleet” MPG is whatever it is.
Yes I paid a single gas guzzler tax when I bought my cars but no US car buyer looks at that or they would never buy all these cars the American car buyers keep buying. Few American car buyers buy hybrid cars. Just look at the stats. We by SUV’s.
There used to be a lot of tiny imported trucks. Now look at them. They are all HUGE trucks from the same companies. This is what we buy.
I do not think that Ford recommends a 20 wt oil in my Expedition to be able to meet some fleet-wide CAFE rule by getting a half more MPG. My “old” Mercedes SEL 600 with a 6.0 liter V12 and 412 BHP has run 80,000 miles on mostly Pennzoil 20 wt oil with 3-4,000 mile OCI’s and is running strong with no oil consumption at all. These “thin” oils can work and in my thinking provide better overall protection for us “short trip” Americans who are driving mostly in the start-up period.
I do not think that 20 wt oil was developed just to increase the average MPG of automotive manufacturer’s fleets to be able the meet MPG requirements. Cars are getting bigger. Engines are bigger and more powerful. This is what the average American is buying, not gas mileage.
aehaas