Fresh oil= Better mileage?

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Changed oil on my Rav4 and Rsx. Both synthetic. One 5w-30. One 5w-20. This may be weird but both seem to get better mileage right after an oil change. Same oil as always but better mileage. Do you think this is possible or just my imagination. I do keep good track of usage. What do you guys think?
 
Originally Posted By: needsducktape
Read: Also people feel like their cars perform better right after a car wash.


I'm guilty of this. It feels like my car has better acceleration after a wash and wax.
 
I think it depends on the engine. My Suzuki Aerio, 7500mi OCI w/ M1, would go from 24mpg to 26mpg after an oil change everytime. My Yaris, 5000mi OCI, never saw any mpg gains or losses after a oil change.
 
Originally Posted By: needsducktape
Read: Also people feel like their cars perform better right after a car wash.

+1....Placebo.....
 
Originally Posted By: Popinski
Originally Posted By: needsducktape
Read: Also people feel like their cars perform better right after a car wash.


I'm guilty of this. It feels like my car has better acceleration after a wash and wax.


Mine does too. More aerodynamic!
 
both same oils and filters. I keep good records and check every tank. Seems to be a couple mpg different after change but you all might be right. Mileage does fluctuate.
 
Originally Posted By: bruckus
This may be weird but both seem to get better mileage right after an oil change.


Changing the oil/filter removes all the contaminates from the engine, thereby lessening the weight of the vehicle.

Viola! Better gas mileage.
 
Car wash = more aerodynamics....less "drag" from those bird splatters, love bugs, and pollen stains
smile.gif



I can vouch for MPG gains after an oil change too..lol. Don't know what it is....my sister is the same way, when she drives my car, last time she drove it, she was like [censored] your car is bad on gas, you need an oil change? No....I wasn't quite at 3k....BUT, when I checked my oil, I was a tad low....so I topped it off and I was "back to good"
smile.gif


Don't know what it is....I mean, technically it probably makes sense....more power to the engine with fresh oil....right?

And being that the oil level was low.....same deal. topped it off with a half quart of 5W-20 my stepfather had left in the garage (car spec'd 5W-30...but eh, any oil is better than no oil lol), and I wasn't gonna go for the SAE30 that had the neck band broken/open on it
wink.gif


So, the 5W-20 it was.
 
Proven before, if a car had a golf ball finish with dimples, it would get better mileage. Once CAFE gets it's new mileage standard, we will probably all be driving golf ball finish cars.
 
Originally Posted By: Hallmark
Originally Posted By: bruckus
This may be weird but both seem to get better mileage right after an oil change.


Changing the oil/filter removes all the contaminates from the engine, thereby lessening the weight of the vehicle.

Viola! Better gas mileage.



lol.gif
 
Originally Posted By: Michael_P
Proven before, if a car had a golf ball finish with dimples, it would get better mileage. Once CAFE gets it's new mileage standard, we will probably all be driving golf ball finish cars.


So hail storms are actually improving MPG?!
grin2.gif
 
Originally Posted By: bruckus
Changed oil on my Rav4 and Rsx. Both synthetic. One 5w-30. One 5w-20. This may be weird but both seem to get better mileage right after an oil change. Same oil as always but better mileage. Do you think this is possible or just my imagination. I do keep good track of usage. What do you guys think?


This is very possible.
The fresh oil comes with fresh friction modifiers, so it is possible that mileage really does improve after an oil change.
No placebo effect involved.
 
J've noticed the same thing on most cars that i've owned. The first tank after an oil change seems to do really good.
 
Originally Posted By: fdcg27


This is very possible.
The fresh oil comes with fresh friction modifiers, so it is possible that mileage really does improve after an oil change.
No placebo effect involved.


So do all current oils dino and synthetic come with these modifiers and generally how long (in miles) do they last?

I've never been a big believer in statements like the OP made but maybe if what you say is true it is possible.

I personally can say that following a OC (about every 6k mi) in my 15 year old VW Golf 2L that the engine definitely seems to operate more smoothly and quietly.
 
Originally Posted By: Viggen
Originally Posted By: fdcg27


This is very possible.
The fresh oil comes with fresh friction modifiers, so it is possible that mileage really does improve after an oil change.
No placebo effect involved.


So do all current oils dino and synthetic come with these modifiers and generally how long (in miles) do they last?

I've never been a big believer in statements like the OP made but maybe if what you say is true it is possible.

I personally can say that following a OC (about every 6k mi) in my 15 year old VW Golf 2L that the engine definitely seems to operate more smoothly and quietly.


Using the search function, I found a number of threads in the Interesting Articles forum.
It appears that FMs are required to make the really light oils suitable for use.
I would therefore expect that any 20 grade would have a healthy dose of FMs, and any starburst oil would as well.
I didn't look far enough to tell you how long these additives last.
I myself have seen improvements in fuel economy with certain oils.
For example, the BMW has been about 8% more economical on M1 15W-50 than it was over the same period in the same type of driving than it was last year on Tection Extra 15W-40.
The Castrol product is a HDEO, a fleet oil aimed primarily at diesels, so I would expect it to have little or no FMs.
The M1 is clearly a PCMO, although many bike owners favor it.
The concern of many riders is that a high FM level wil lead to degraded wet clutch performance, so I'm not sure what level of FMs this oil has.
It may be that the oil simply uses a proportion of ester basestocks, which also deliver lower friction.
In any event, something is happening with this oil that cannot be explained by the grade and high HTHS.
I wish that XOM were more forthcoming about the composition of the variuos grades and flavors of M1.
That way, those with some knowledge could make a more informed choice, and those who know only the brand would remain ignorant, since they would neither know nor understand the significance of the information.
 
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