What kind of driving is likely to burn the most oil?

[pb11]

Help settle a little disagreement with a friend. What kind of driving situation in likely to burn the most oil? 5K miles of 70-80 mph highway driving or 5K of aggressive city driving. Also would the answer differ if the car was a performance vs non-performance engine and turbo vs NA?

Please help fill up my mug the next happy hour!

 

[BlazerLT]

city for sure, higher operating temperatures and probably higher over engine rpm average.

 

[Titan]

Aggressive city. Especially if you factor in the inevitable many more cold starts. Now, that said, a car driven in the city, even aggressively, may not seem to consume much oil due to fuel dilution/water buildup...depending upon if it really gets hot enough to burn it all out of the oil...then, when such a car is taken on the open road...lo and behold, the level on the dipstick drops a significant amount by the first fuel stop.

 

[sdude2k2000]

Agressive city for 4,900mi, followed by a 100mi highway trip to burn off any excess fuel / water dillution. That will show you what your true oil level is

 

[Drew99GT]

In my car, highway all the way. Burns twice as fast because it turns 3500 rpm at 75 mph.

 

[eljefino]

Saturn driving, easily.

Seriously, in my case, hilly/city stick shift driving with all the variations in vacuum will suck oil up then blow it out.

 

[Quest]

Define the term "burning" oil?

Is this "burning" caused by excessive crankcase/valvetrain heat that burns off relatively volatile motor oil? or are you referring to motor oil past through oil control rings/worn valve guides and gets burned in the combustion chamber?

 

[MN Driver]

I burn nothing in the city, but if the car runs over 2500rpm(60mph)it burns. I drive on the highway about an hour on the weekend at 55mph and the oil level doesn't go anywhere, but when I make an hour trip on a 75mph highway I lose 1/4 of a quart from both hour long trips there an back. Most cars would burn it in the city driving. Either way, cars that I've seen burning oil have burned at least a half quart per thousand miles, which would kill a car for anybody not adding oil.

 

[Hirev]

I do not know the answer, but for me extended highway driving has always used more oil in my vehicles.

 

[pb11]

Quest,

I'm talking about regular oil consumption that is likely to occur in a engine functioning within "normal" spec range (i.e. not due to worn rings or seals).

I'm surprised at the split opinions here. Guess I might have to buy my own beer after all next week.

 

[windnsea00]

From what I have learned thru german cars, is that sustained high rpms can cause drinking (Autobahn driving, for example)

 

[benjamming]

My V6 Accord will use oil when on the highway for long stretches at 80+ mph, passing, etc. City driving doesn't seem to burn any b/c, like someone else said, there's is moisture in there that artificially raises the oil level.

 

[lucky phil]

Highway driving for sure, all things being equal.
Assuming the engine is in good condition then highway oil temp will be at least as high as city driving probably higher.
The primary reason for using oil is by burning it.
The primary way for oil to get into the combustion chamber is past the rings.
The oil control rings do not rely on combustion pressure to do their job so the higher the average rpm the more oil fling from the bigends onto the cylinder wall the more work for the oil control rings to do.
The more work they have to do the more oil they will let past into the chamber.
All this is relative remember.
The harder the engine works and the higher the rpm it is asked to sustain the more oil it will use.
Take a modern large capacity sports motorcycle engine used for spirited sunday rides only with no city work.Oil consumption will be almost zero between oil changes.
Take the same engine and run it on a race track for the same mileage at race speeds and it will use some oil.And i don't mean because of contaminent burnoff.
There is no free ride.Work the engine harder and use more rpm and all things being equal you will use more oil.
Ciao

 

[tamu_man]

I drove an hour to get to a track event and then check my oil. Right on the money. I race for an hour and the check the stick. I lost an entire quart. It was Royal Purple 10w30. Did the same thing with M1 and had a half quart missing after the event.

My car is an 06 RSX Type-S.

 

[vad]

WOW, people!
What are you driving???
I expect the Honda VTEC engines to consume some oil due to the nature of the beast, but common...
The rest of the modern day engines are not supposed to burn any oil (as judged by the dipstick), highway, city or anywhere else.
The most of you pretty much take your engine oil burning for granted as a normal event.
Am I being unreasonable here?

 

[ToyotaNSaturn]

quote:

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Eljfino wrote:Saturn driving, easily.

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Continued high-rpm driving will consume more than any other method IMO.

Keeping an oil-gulping Saturn at 80MPH will deplete your oil stash faster than any BITOG itch-to-change-your-oil-too-often...

 

[ex_MGB]

Well on my Nissan VQ it seemed to use more oil on a 800 mile 85 mph interstate run than normal duty, not less.

 

[buster]

vad, that is not true. Some oil consumption is normal and expected. I've also read that in some cases, it's beneficial.

I lost 1qt of M1 0w-20 over a 10k mile interval. 80 miles a day @ 80mph. 4k rpm shifts. Highway definitely burns more.

 

[Blue99]

Actually, depending on the vehicle/engine, both answers are correct.

Volatility is a function of temperature & time.

Some engine and transmission combos see higher rpm's in stop-n-go driving than on the highway, and the opposite is true for others.

In either case, it's the accumulated time at high temperature, that generates the oil consumption.

This would explain why a 1 hour session at the track, at high rpm's, consumes more oil, than the 3 hr drive freeway drive to reach the track, where the constant rpm's generate lower oil temperature.

 

[Hirev]

quote:

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vad
The rest of the modern day engines are not supposed to burn any oil (as judged by the dipstick), highway, city or anywhere else

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Where does that fact come from?