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Grumpy Bears 2015 Silverado 2WD


Grumpy Bear

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E&G classics says: This grille is a call to arms against the facelessness of today's commuter boxes.

 

T-Rex says: Don’t talk about how tough your truck is, show them with an X-Metal Grille.

 

Race Mesh says: Take your vehicle from ordinary to extraordinary with the help of this product.

 

Paramount says: Add some drama to your front end with a perimeter grille from Paramount Restyling

 

And my personal favorite:

 

RI says: When you’re driving down the road, the front of your vehicle is the first thing people see. With this distinctive Mesh Grille, you’ll make a statement people will remember.

 

Go on now. Tell me they are selling grills. LOL.

 

For between $150 for the cheapest overlay to $2,900 of the full Monty I want my grill to do more than empty my wallet and stroke my ego.

 

​A dime well spent.

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Edited by Grumpy Bear
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The last two days have been trying. I hurt my back and driving has been uncomfortable meaning my concentration is suffering. Add to that, two of the windiest days of this set of trials and the deck is stacked heavy in favor of failure.

 

Despite that the results of the last two days are actually encouraging. Todays 29.61 mpg for the outing is much better than the trips first half into the wind 27 mpg return and gives a running median still better than the cumulative average of the first six tanks.

 

Better news is the tank fill deltas are nearly canceling each other at the current calibrations. .037 gallons apart on 35 gallons of total charge. 1/10%! The MPG meter error is a bit more as the mileage isn’t perfectly matched but as close as the adjustments allow. ½ % maximum. It is a small error. Small enough to make the Scan Gauge results at a glance VERY reliable.

 

I bought a small roll of a wider black Duck-Tape to replace the cello to give me some latitude in adjustments. And yes, because it was black.

 

I have some grades on some of the test circuits steep enough to have passing lanes (5-7-1/2%) that make Pepper huff and puff some and yet the temperatures remain unfazed even with the air temperatures in the mid 80’s. I have room to close off more.

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Edited by Grumpy Bear
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Takes a long time to run down a tank when the tank is 26 gallons and the mileage hovering 30 mpg. And I’m running two scenarios at the same time that have different needs and yet do not interfere with each other’s measurement but do interfere with the data collection thus the result a bit.

 

GM does not encourage running the tank below a quarter tank. That puts the maximum fill at 19.5 gallons. I have the data base set at 20 gallons. Scan Gauge adjustments to tank size are in whole gallons. Close enough.

 

That’s a 600 mile range. More than I can do in a single outing these days even if I had the time which I don’t on any one day. 15 to 20 gallons on a fill gives the finest adjustment to the usage portion of the Scan Gauges MPG calculator.

 

Adjustments are made primary by 1/10 gallon corrections between what the gauge says was used and the pump measured use. A tenth of a gallon on a four gallon fill is a 2.5% adjustment. A tenth of a gallon on a 20 gallon fill is a 0.5% adjustment. After four fills averaged we were under a 1% error. .89% to be exact. I made a 1/10 adjustment today on a 16 gallon fill or a .625% correction. I would like to get this done in my lifetime.

 

Running the tank down that far meant the mileage data suffered an additional negative hit in that the 470 miles it took also happened over three outings meaning two additional cold starts. Yesterday’s entry was based on gauge values not the fill values. That was corrected today when I filled up. A penalty was paid to the tune of about 7/10 mpg on nearly half the total test distance miles. It hurt the unweighted average but not so much the median average. We have two runs and just under 400 miles left for this test. What I am suggesting is that the final result I already know will not reflect the full effect of the modification. The actual result will be somewhat better even if the data shows otherwise.

 

I’m good with that an know exactly the cause and effect. I’m not selling anything so who cares as long as I’m honest about the process my conscience is just dandy. Which brings me to a story. Separate post for that

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I’m OLD. Old enough to have seen a few things come into this world like scanners at the checkout of your grocery store for example.

 

I checked and stocked in the days of hand ordering in a ledger and checking on a 10-10 NCR tabulator register. Pretty high tech back then.

 

Eventually the powers that be wanted the store to convert to automated ordering and scan registers which work hand in glove with that process.

 

The checkout process removes an item from inventory which the computer adds to the order in nearest full cases. We got trucks twice a week.

 

I stocked an aisle that contained baby food, Jell-O, oils and greases, pasta, dry beans and marshmallows. Lots of variations. Lots of room.

The object of the game for a stock boy is a full aisle on the smallest back room inventory possible. What we called “no-go” was stored on pallets in the back and each aisle had a “quota” of exactly one pallet stacked not higher than you could reach standing flat footed on the floor. Actually not higher than our five foot five night manager could reach. I miss those days.

 

Ordering by hand I was able to keep my isle “tight” and faced on a quarter to a half a pallet of inventory except during the holidays where I might reach a full pallet but no more. By tight I mean when the manager went down the aisle he could poke any item with a finger and not find a void behind that product. A full inventory on the self and little no go. I was very good at this.

 

Along comes the computer and I am FORCED to oblige the powers that be and within a month am carrying three pallets of no-go and the aisle is half empty. That could get a fella fired except….every aisle in the store was in even worse shape.

 

Ya see there are some things a computer can’t do. Like know that two weeks prior to Thanksgiving day your Crisco order needs to be doubled and on St. Patrick’s day you better have six extra cases of Lime Jell-O at the South side store where all the Irish live and none at the North end store. It doesn’t know that Aunt Millie and her sister who has bought two cases of Fluff-O for the last ten years at Christmas has been moved to the county nursing home and won’t be baking this season. In other words…it can’t “anticipate”. Oh you can write programs to FIX the expected but the unexpected…..not so much.

 

Statistics is somewhat like that. It can measure and evaluate any data set you’re interested in but the numbers have to be representative of the world of data your considering. For example. Our fuel mileage survey. If the drain bung were to fail on the tank or we were to spring a leak in the fuel line and we ignore that fact and log the extra fuel usage with the standard miles; the result tells you nothing.

 

This also means you cannot “cherry pick” that data you wish to include if it indeed represents the “real world” even if it does not favor your wishes, expectations or your marketing groups planned roll out date. Now there’s a concept. Honest effort and reporting. In the end it improves the process if you let it do its job.

 

It’s why I’m including the “windy day data” from the second sequence that wasn’t an issue in the first. It’s part of the “real world” of operation. By the same token I’ve exclude some runs that include city miles as the study is open road. Still I make note of it. Not to make excuses but to identify items of note that impact the study results so that a ‘better mouse trap’ can be made next go. No one is so smart they can anticipate every variation nor the impact those variation may have.

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I’m done with the grill blocking experiment. Needed to strip the grill cover to clean Pepper for the paint protection film and window tint. I will not reinstall it for one additional data point.

 

I dropped the first (low) data point from the base line instead, which favors the baseline.

 

I’ve also decided to change the charting report that’s been tracking point by point median average for a cumulative mileage running average. This provides a mileage “weighted” average which once again, favors the base line.

 

3 of 5 runs with the blocked grill have been under high wind which never happened during the base line test, which favors the baseline.

 

I’ve held the speed to 50 mph, which favors the baseline.

 

Each test now has consumed nearly equal amounts of fuel over nearly the same miles and same four circuits I run.

 

41.942 gallons used on 1240 miles for the open grill base line.

 

41.675 gallons used 1251 miles for the closed grill option.

 

29.56 mpg open. 30.02 mpg closed over a distance exactly that between Chicago Illinois and Grand Junction Colorado.

Stacked the deck to heavily favor the base line and still showing a positive result. The opposite of what marketing would do if selling something.

 

I’ll be bumping up the speed now to 55 MPH. Have an oil change coming up and a block heater I want to install. Garage is full of Buicks so the truck will sit outside.

 

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Five hours later at the Johnson’s Tinting Shoppe in Sycamore Illinois and this happens. Ryan Kelly (owner) provided all I hoped for and more.

 

Actually the look is a nice aside. I was after heat rejection and glare reduction so ponied up hard for ceramic tinting films and was rewarded greatly.

 

It’s 85 F here today at 1 PM and not a cloud to be seen. Perfect conditions for roasting pork on the spit in the cab of a red truck with a dark interior. Not todays friends. Air on the lowest fan speed drawing from outside and the cool knob set back more than half way puts you in the meat locker in short order and from the get-go.

 

Before you ask? On such a day this WAS full cool knob, recycle and 1/3 fan after the cool down. In an hour or so you might get blower speed to minimum pulsing fresh air now and again.

 

My UV activated photo grey eyeglasses that normally tinted up in the cab under the factory tint are now visibly unaffected. Glare? That will have to wait to be seen at night or in the rain.

 

An 80% ceramic film is full on the windshield along with 6” of 5% visor film. After the fact 4” would have been plenty for me. I’m long from hip to lip so I’m getting a bit of the bifocal effect. I expect I will get used to it and will welcome it later today as the sun is setting. My 5’ 5” wife will love it as is.

 

Back glass is also treated to ceramic Infrared/UV blocking film.

 

I know most tint glass for “The Look” and this look can be had for a fraction of the high ceramic $$$$ if you like. Me? Well, I like my comfort. I also like protection. UV is an interior killer. I can toss my foil shade now. Hated messin’ with that thing anyway.

 

What you can’t see, in this picture anyway, is the clear paint bra. Can’t hardly see it from a foot away. 18” on the hood and leading fender edges. Chip guard on the trailing door edges along with the door handle cups plus entry lower sill guards where everyone including the dog loves to kick the paint silly. Ryan full wrapped a Tesla the other day with this stuff.

 

Both films I’m told will be a bit hazy for a week or so. I was instructed not to roll down the windows for three days and wait on putting the suction cup EZ-Pass holder back up. No automatic car washes for at least a week. I'll report on that later.

 

​Ah, the day I have been waiting for arrived and I am not disappointed. Click on the photo to get a full screen view. Much better view.

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Edited by Grumpy Bear
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Difference in the glass looks more appearant when two photos are posted together. Above and here are as close as I can get it.

 

Went for a sundown ride. The visor strip is wonderful. The 80 % base tint under it made oncoming lights tons easier on the eyes later in the evening. Especially from those who love those "I'm the only one who needs to see" ultra bright and aimed to blind crowd. The rear tint is highly effective at knocking down the "I need my lights on high beam with my light bar on" followers. Reflection off the bed cover in the rear view is diminished but the internal reflection from the back light is worse.

 

 

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Ran out the first ‘full’ tank to base line the error correction to the fuel gauge. Not bad. Scangauge-II showed 21.7 gallons. We took on 22.263 gallons. 2.5% error but on the wrong side. Any error I wish to have is to be in the favor of safety. Made adjustment. Next few data points and will see how this correction does.

 

No longer concerned with a maximum or a condition and just driving netted for this tank 24.6 mpg in mixed rural situations that included some Interstate driving at 70/75 MPH with the air on. Having discovered within the gauges capabilities a short term meter and having a nice day for it I ran some comparatives. This is running north on I-39 into a WNW 40 mph wind for the first two data points then moving over to Ill 251 for the next two slower points. Runs dead parallel to I-39

 

75 MPH 17.0 mpg @ 98 - 110 hp.

 

60 MPH 22.5 mpg @ 45 - 48 hp.

 

50 MPH 29.0 mpg @ 28 - 32 hp.

 

45 MPH 31.0 mpg @ 22 - 25 hp.

 

Turning east on Ill 72 and now having a stiff tail wind

 

60 MPH 31 mpg @ 25 hp.

 

Friday is oil change and tire rotation.

 

Refrigerator shaped vehicle. Wind. Hills. I’m not use to such large swings in efficiency having three Civics in a row.

 

Living a week now with the paint mask and all I can say is WOW. Love this stuff. Ditto on the tinting which gets a bit clearer every day.

Edited by Grumpy Bear
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Between Morenci and Springerville Arizona lies the Devils Highway. Roughly 117 miles of the most twisted highway in America. Forget the Dragons tail in North Carolina which boast 318 curves along its’ 11 mile reach. Old US 666 does it over ten times longer at elevations peaking near 11,000 feet . About 427 curves between Clifton and Alpine. Enough at a walking pace to be downright unsafe. Scary even for a seasoned rider.

 

Springerville itself rest nearly 7,000 feet up from the sea bed. Coming from the south there is a small B & B and on the trip I have in mind the only gas along the route that day. I was riding a Shadow VT 1100 Tour which sports a four gallon tank and on most days is good for around 50 mpg. This wasn’t most days.

 

Plugging along at under 15 mph in first or second a good deal of the time the gas was going like water bottles in the Mojave. This gets compounded by a storm of freezing rain and a stiff wind starting about 15 minutes past the point of no return. Add in walking through an Elk herd for a half hour and meeting one of the biggest bovine bulls I’ve ever seen standing on the road in the peaks meadow eye to eye.

 

The temperature dropped from 92 F at my entry to the Devil off route 70 and fell to under 30 F before it was said and done. I reached the B & B soaked, frozen and blue unable to feel anything past my torso. Arms and legs numb from the cold and ice that formed on the denim under my leathers. It was early September and my brain was ready to shut down.

 

I thudded against the door to the closed Inn an hour or so after the owner and his family had gone to bed. I had literally rolled to the pump out of gas dropping the bike on the drive and stumbled the last twenty yards to the door hoping someone would notice. They did. I lived.

 

I’ve wrung out every vehicle I’ve ever owned since to find its limits and weakness. So yea, I’m an efficiency freak. It's meant my life more than once.

Edited by Grumpy Bear
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Yesterday I added, as opprotunity permitted, data points for against and into the wind. Added that data to the previous chart. AC off.

 

In addition yesterdays local weather charts which are dead ringers for the day before. Say if you need to see those.

 

Using the resettable short term Scangauge-II program and running each speed for exactly ten miles along I-88 toward Moline Ill into the wind. I left at 10 AM and returned at 3 PM. I-88 is about as flat a road as one can travel in the Midwest.

 

There is a lengthy construction area along the highway with a 45 mph limit that allowed the lower speed data without bothering anyone. The "with the wind" 40 mph point is actually a guess based on the curve and a three point best fit poly extension.

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Edited by Grumpy Bear
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