Cab Fleets On Conventional

[lancerplayer]

I recently viewed this video regarding Amsoil synthetic oils:



It got me thinking...if a cab fleet can reach 200K miles on their vehicles using conventional fluids, then why can't majority of cars on the road do the same? Cab vehicles see harsh, stop and go conditions much more than majority of our vehicles. Could most cars use dino fluids for 5K OCI and expect to see the engine last 200K with how good motor oils are these days?

 

[eljefino]

Who says normal cars can't?

They usually die of rust, electrical problems, overheating, and transmission problems. Oddball emissions failures also claim some where inspections are done.

I'd stay on top of the coolant and ATF, compared to the average idiot.

 

[Jasper8146]

I think cabs are a completely different situation than "normal" cars when it comes to lubricants especially engine oil. Cabs probably run 18-24 hours a day and most importantly, depending on which city they operate in, may not ever shut the engine down during those hours. The point is that synthetics are known to reduce wear upon start up and with cabs, there are probably few start ups. So, cabs are actually ideal for conventional lubricants. What I don't understand however is the fact that synthetics could go 2 or 3 times as long and for cabs, time used in oil changing is time not used in revenue service, so it seems like it would make more sense to have fewer oil changes rather than more oil changes in that business. Just my two cents worth.

 

[Barkleymut]

I am at 160k with mostly the cheapest conventional I could find at each OCI. If you buy a decent car and stay on top of maintenance it should easily get to 225-250k

 

[Cardenio327]

1. Cab engines seldom if ever cool down. 95% of engine wear occurs at coolant temperatures lower than thermostat setting.

2. Their cars are in the shop for maintenance and repairs at least once a week, worked on by mechanics who have intimate knowledge of the particular cars and great experience in making them last as long as possible in abusive conditions.

I worked for a regional trucking firm that generally took poor care of its fleet. They usually got 800,000 to 900,000 miles between rebuilds using Delo 400 conventional for 10,000 mile OCI. The trucks themselves would last about 4 million miles. The manual transmissions generally got between 200,000 to 500,000 miles between rebuilds, depending how often idiot drivers drove them. This fleet runs two shifts, so the engines only cool down Saturday evening and are back to work early Monday morning. A typical day would be the day driver working 12 hours, 1/2 hour post-trip, fueling and pre-trip, night driver works 11 hours, another 1/2 hour for shift change.

 

[SwampSurvivor]

Fleet operation, as "harsh" as the oil advertising companies say, is about ideal for an engine.

Always up to temperature, run hard.

In addition to that, on a Crown Vic ... probably one of the most overbuilt cars for the last 20 years.

They could get 400K out of the engine on bullseye.

This is more a testament of the Crown Victoria's build quality, or how taxi service is ideal

 

[edwardh1]

Originally Posted By: Jasper8146
I think cabs are a completely different situation than "normal" cars when it comes to lubricants especially engine oil. Cabs probably run 18-24 hours a day and most importantly, depending on which city they operate in, may not ever shut the engine down during those hours. The point is that synthetics are known to reduce wear upon start up and with cabs, there are probably few start ups. So, cabs are actually ideal for conventional lubricants. What I don't understand however is the fact that synthetics could go 2 or 3 times as long and for cabs, time used in oil changing is time not used in revenue service, so it seems like it would make more sense to have fewer oil changes rather than more oil changes in that business. Just my two cents worth.


very little taxi traffic in NYC in the wee hours.
or in my city.

 

[JR]

My first ranger had 147k when purchased. head gasket failure at 375k. head crack claimed her at 390-395k. used the 2qt filter and good brand oil.
quarter million miles is a walkin in the park. my moms 07 fusion 2.3l dohc16v 5sp auto has around 250k on 5k mobil5000 oci's . never uses oil and oil is still light enough you still see the stiick through oil. we plan 450-500k before we get her another one

 

[y_p_w]

There is this Mobil 1 commercial:



I have seen manufacturers' recommendations that "commercial use" should move a vehicle up to severe service maintenance intervals. However, I just don't see how it's really all that severe. If it's running 12 hours a day that's actually pretty easy. While it may seem that cab drivers are pushing it, they're not really knocking the snot out of the engine. And with modern electronic fuel injection cars, idling for long times (when the engine is fully warmed up) really isn't that bad for engine longevity or for the motor oil. Carbs probably had issues with fuel dilution, but an engine computer should lean out the fuel mixture.

 

[lexus114]

Originally Posted By: y_p_w
There is this Mobil 1 commercial:



I have seen manufacturers' recommendations that "commercial use" should move a vehicle up to severe service maintenance intervals. However, I just don't see how it's really all that severe. If it's running 12 hours a day that's actually pretty easy. While it may seem that cab drivers are pushing it, they're not really knocking the snot out of the engine. And with modern electronic fuel injection cars, idling for long times (when the engine is fully warmed up) really isn't that bad for engine longevity or for the motor oil. Carbs probably had issues with fuel dilution, but an engine computer should lean out the fuel mixture.


I agree.

 

[Ken2]

A local airport shuttle service would buy highly used shuttles, mainly Ford van cutaways (E-450) with gasoline engines, and already a few hundred thousand miles on them. Conventional oil. Half-million miles wasn't unusual. Full time company mechanic.

We baby our cars way too much.

 

[HTSS_TR]

Originally Posted By: lancerplayer
Could most cars use dino fluids for 5K OCI and expect to see the engine last 200K with how good motor oils are these days?

My 1994 35x,xxx miles LS400 OCI is 6-7k/6mo with dino, with syn the OCI is 12-15k/12mo, oil filter once a year (reuse with dino). Engine has no oil related problems.

 

[T_CUDA]

Originally Posted By: Ken2
A local airport shuttle service would buy highly used shuttles, mainly Ford van cutaways (E-450) with gasoline engines, and already a few hundred thousand miles on them. Conventional oil. Half-million miles wasn't unusual. Full time company mechanic.

We baby our cars way too much.



I ran Guarda CT(armored truck) and our E450 vans had 220k-260k on them and were only 2yrs old. They saw 7-12 OCI on Shell 5w20 conventional. We just had a Honda Odessey Cab in the other day 476k on conventional

 

[y_p_w]

Originally Posted By: T_CUDA
Originally Posted By: Ken2
A local airport shuttle service would buy highly used shuttles, mainly Ford van cutaways (E-450) with gasoline engines, and already a few hundred thousand miles on them. Conventional oil. Half-million miles wasn't unusual. Full time company mechanic.

We baby our cars way too much.



I ran Guarda CT(armored truck) and our E450 vans had 220k-260k on them and were only 2yrs old. They saw 7-12 OCI on Shell 5w20 conventional. We just had a Honda Odessey Cab in the other day 476k on conventional

One of the deals these days is that with the requirements of API SN, the line between what's "conventional" and "synthetic" are blurred. These modern oils are really good. While the motor oil does have to be "better", there are some things that modern engines don't do that benefits oil longevity. They certainly don't dump as much unburned fuel compared to older engines with carbs.

 

[stchman]

The whole purpose of the Amsoil thing in the cabs was to demonstrate that the cab company could save money by using extended drain intervals on oil and transmission fluid changes.

A slight MPG gain can be see on using synthetics over conventional oils as well.

Mobil 1 does the same thing as Amsoil in the Las Vegas taxi thing.

 

[Garak]

Back when I was dealing with taxi fleet maintenance, we were going 6,000 mile OCIs on Quaker State conventional 10w-30 when 3,000 miles was the norm. Engines lasted hundreds of thousands of miles. And as others have pointed out, taxi service isn't as difficult as oil companies like to pretend. The oil doesn't cool down or get a lot of cold starts or loaded with condensation.

Yes, longer OCIs are possible with synthetic in taxis. However, one has to consider a few things. A taxi is not a semi. I could change oil and grease the chassis in an old Caprice/Impala before my cleaners finished with the windows and the vacuuming. So, down time wasn't an issue. Secondly, it's good to get under a car and look things over once in a while. Cabbies are notorious for hitting curbs and potholes, and it's good to inspect things when possible.