Amsoil and MPG increase (I know another thread)

[ProStreetCamaro]

I switched my 99 SS camaro to SSO a couple weeks ago. I have noticed but kept quiet about my mpg increase.I have been seeing an average of 1.5 to 2mpg increase. It still doesnt make sense in my mind why I or anybody else would see better mpg out of one oil over another.

Anyway what spurred me to make this thread is because we just got home from dropping off my fathers 63 chevy II at my cousins fabrication shop to get the rear end narrowed. While there I noticed he started selling amsoil. I asked him what he thought about it and he said "We have been running it for about 6 months now in both of our trucks and we have seen a 2mpg increase. We also have a couple race cars useing it now and they seem to like the results".

Thats when I spoke up and told him I also have seen around 2mpg increase in my camaro but never said anything about it because I figured people would think I was crazy. He laughed and said your not crazy because we are getting the same results.


Before people start screaming "DEALER" and [censored] here is his website. He knows his stuff and had absolutely no reason to [censored] me about it. My uncle (his father) was sitting there and confirmed he seen the same thing in his dodge truck.

http://www.fastlanefabrications.com/index.php

I also have some cell pictures from his shop today that I will post up later of a very rare very valuable car factory dodge demon race car. There were only a couple made. It is stamped on the radiator core support "RO" with a couple numbers behind it. The RO stand for "Race Only". It has the hipo race 426 Hemi in it.

 

[glennc]

What were you running before out of curiosity? And what was your previous mpg - in other words, what is the percentage increase? Does the increase hold in highway driving and longer trips (less warm-up)?

I have a mind to try this oil for myself and see if I notice some of these remarkable things everybody seems to be saying about it.

 

[buster]

Most 0w oils will give you a slight bump in fuel efficiency. SSO is their top of the line oil that may be using better FM's.

I'm sure new FM's are on the way for GF-5,,,I would think.

*fwiw, I did not notice any increase in mpg with SSO but I don't doubt those that do see a 1-2 mpg increase. I've read quite a few reports on other forums that people using M1 0w20 and 0w30 are seeing increases in MPG but that could be completely biased.

 

[oilyriser]

How would it stack up against Quaker State Winter 5w30 with its 207 viscosity index?

 

[nascarnation]

Here's what GM had to do to get 1 mpg on the half ton pickups:

"new XFE models get low rolling resistance tires, aluminum wheels, an aluminum spare wheel, aluminum lower control arms and a lowered suspension with revised tuning. In addition, the Silverado and Sierra also get a new front lower air dam and soft tonneau cover that improve their aerodynamics."

My guess is if an oil change could do that, they would have jumped on it.

 

[buster]

Quote:
My guess is if an oil change could do that, they would have jumped on it


9 times out of 10 when people buy an oil, they get the results they want to see. Pennzoil did a study about something similar.

It is true though that new friction modifiers could be the reason for the gains people are seeing.

 

[ProStreetCamaro]

Originally Posted By: glennc
What were you running before out of curiosity? And what was your previous mpg - in other words, what is the percentage increase? Does the increase hold in highway driving and longer trips (less warm-up)?

I have a mind to try this oil for myself and see if I notice some of these remarkable things everybody seems to be saying about it.



I have run M1 5W-30, Maxlife and PP 5W-30 then switched to SSO. My driving habits are very consistant in the fact the car gets driven 11 miles from my fiances to my parents every morning and 11 miles back every day after work. Very rarely does the car see anything else. I travel the same route every day 7 days a week.

 

[ProStreetCamaro]

Originally Posted By: nascarnation
Here's what GM had to do to get 1 mpg on the half ton pickups:

"new XFE models get low rolling resistance tires, aluminum wheels, an aluminum spare wheel, aluminum lower control arms and a lowered suspension with revised tuning. In addition, the Silverado and Sierra also get a new front lower air dam and soft tonneau cover that improve their aerodynamics."

My guess is if an oil change could do that, they would have jumped on it.


Less weight = better MPG. Less friction in the engine = better mpg and more power. I did notice my LS1 revs more freely while in neutral. I just figured it was a placebo and didnt think twice about it but now its starting to make sense. Also my car drank PP like water. 2 quarts in 3000 miles. So far it has used no SSO that I can notice but I havent put that many miles on it yet so thats still to be determined.

 

[buster]

How are you calc the mpg? Has the weather varied much during the time the SSO has been in?

 

[Jim 5]

Originally Posted By: nascarnation
Here's what GM had to do to get 1 mpg on the half ton pickups:

"new XFE models get low rolling resistance tires, aluminum wheels, an aluminum spare wheel, aluminum lower control arms and a lowered suspension with revised tuning. In addition, the Silverado and Sierra also get a new front lower air dam and soft tonneau cover that improve their aerodynamics."

My guess is if an oil change could do that, they would have jumped on it.


I read somewhere that the reason GM has those black plastic tailgate spoilers/protectors is that they are good for 0.7 MPG's and are actually wind-tunnel designed to alter the way the air flows off the tailgate when closed.

I also read that the reason these aren't installed on the 3/4 tons and 1 tons is because these trucks don't figure into GM's CAFE ratings.

In lurking on some GM and Dodge diesel truck forums, people are installing them on their diesel trucks in a quest for a little better fuel economy.

 

[ProStreetCamaro]

Originally Posted By: buster
How are you calc the mpg? Has the weather varied much during the time the SSO has been in?


I dont let my car get under a 1/4 tank because the fuel pumps are known to have problems if run low. I fill the car to the top when it hits 1/4 tank and reset the trip each time. I have been getting 240 miles out of 11.25 gallons of fuel which comes out to roughly 21.3 mpg. I am now getting 260 miles out of the same amount of fuel so that is 23.1mpg. I have had this same result the last 3 tank fulls. This is in morning and evening stop and go traffic on the highway on rt 270 (for anybody familiar with maryland). The weather has been very consistant here this summer.

 

[Mamala Bay]

I used the TSO 0w-30 and engine did run more freely with instant start ups. Also more responsive which I did use less gas peddle and adjusted my driving style going with the oil to avoid premature brake pad wear out. Previous oil used was the ASL 5w-30. Temp conditions here is pretty stable with no cold starts. I averaged about 23.5 mpg with the ASL. The TSO did increase from 24-25.5 mpg. I did hit a few 26 mpg. This is pretty much highway miles with no traffic slow down. This is with normal driving ... not aggressive driving.

 

[FZ1]

When I went from dealer fill to M1 5-20 a few years ago in my Honda V6 I noticed an increase of .5 to 1 mpg. So I figure the syn pays for itself. I do not think one synthetic vs. another syn would have such a noticble increase as from conventional to syn. Here's the kicker,I ran M1 ep till it smelled like gasoline (5k, 10 months in my case) and replaced it with free dealer fill (Citgo 5-20). The dealer fill is getting better mpg than the old,fuel diluted EP. So lot's of factors in play re mpg. Fresh oil vs. spent oil, etc.

 

[ProStreetCamaro]

Originally Posted By: Jim 5
Originally Posted By: nascarnation
Here's what GM had to do to get 1 mpg on the half ton pickups:

"new XFE models get low rolling resistance tires, aluminum wheels, an aluminum spare wheel, aluminum lower control arms and a lowered suspension with revised tuning. In addition, the Silverado and Sierra also get a new front lower air dam and soft tonneau cover that improve their aerodynamics."

My guess is if an oil change could do that, they would have jumped on it.


I read somewhere that the reason GM has those black plastic tailgate spoilers/protectors is that they are good for 0.7 MPG's and are actually wind-tunnel designed to alter the way the air flows off the tailgate when closed.

I also read that the reason these aren't installed on the 3/4 tons and 1 tons is because these trucks don't figure into GM's CAFE ratings.

In lurking on some GM and Dodge diesel truck forums, people are installing them on their diesel trucks in a quest for a little better fuel economy.


Our new 2007 new body style 2500HD has that tailgate protector on it. You can see it in this picture.

Ok here we go. Here are the picstures I said I took today at my cousins shop.

RO stands for Race Only. This is a SUPER rare dodge demon factory race car. Notice the holes cut out in the fenderwell's. It came brand new that way. It is done to lighten the car.

Here is another Hemi thats going into another customers street rod.

Here is a chevelle that the customer had him tub, roll cage and slam it with an air suspension.

 

[Steve S]

Originally Posted By: nascarnation
Here's what GM had to do to get 1 mpg on the half ton pickups:

"new XFE models get low rolling resistance tires, aluminum wheels, an aluminum spare wheel, aluminum lower control arms and a lowered suspension with revised tuning. In addition, the Silverado and Sierra also get a new front lower air dam and soft tonneau cover that improve their aerodynamics."

My guess is if an oil change could do that, they would have jumped on it.
Its no wonder G.M. is having hard times they are spending all the money on improvements when they could be using Amsoil.

 

[Steve S]

I like the way tunnel rams look, I liked them on my boats "they worked great as well!"

 

[Solo2driver]

Nah, the Amsoil price increases each month would have hurt GM too badly.

*ducking*

 

[TeeDub]

Buster,

Amsoils' most fuel efficient oil is their 0w-20, followed by their 5w-20 and then the 0w-30/SSO. The most critical parameter is HT/HS viscosity (lower is better), followed by VI (higher is better). The degree of friction modification is the least important part of the formulation with regards to fuel efficiency....

I'm seeing better performance with the 0w-30 in the TT turbo, but that's in comparison to their 5w-40/AFL.

Nobody can overcome the basic laws of fluid mechanics - not even big Al.

 

[Brian Barnhart]

Based on what Ford had to go through to use 5W20, I’d say a manufacturer cannot simply dump preferred oil in the crankcase for the EPA testing. The oil used for the EPA tests must be representative of what is readily available and likely to be used, and it must be representative of what is recommended in the owner’s manual. GM would get a lot of flak from customers and dealers alike if they had to install SSO. And there would be more flak when the truck’s fuel mileage didn’t hold up if other oils were used. Instead of all that, GM chose to make changes to the trucks that provide fuel economy benefits regardless of the oil used.

But fear not, our government is here to help. Tire pressure monitors will be used to make sure everyone’s tires have sufficient inflation pressure. The down side is that a tire rotation requires a recalibration of the system.
Tire shops and dealers who invest the hundreds of dollars in calibration equipment can do the recal as part of the rotation. But the guy who rotates his own tires and doesn’t have expensive calibration equipment ends up with a system that provides false information once the tires are shifted from their calibrated position.

 

[buster]

Quote:
The degree of friction modification is the least important part of the formulation with regards to fuel efficiency..


True, but I think it's important to some degree.