Grumpy Bears 2015 Silverado 2WD

Grumpy Bear · November 11, 2016

Yes sir Matt I do consider myself fortunate. Not quite as sure about the salesman they sent to probe me though. Pretty sure he’s still licking the wounds.

So…reading in other threads I try the M5 to end the V4 mode which is does. That’s a good to know. Then there was a line that shutting off the traction control would eliminate a good portion of the ‘torque control’ in the ECM. But unlike the treads; I have found no need to continue to turn it off every time I drop below 35 mph. If fact I find the only two ways to turn it back on are...well…turn it on OR when you turn the key off and back on. A restart situation resets it. Good.

Then I needed to know what it was. Traction control that is. Found that on the GM site. Interesting read. Spark retard and injector interrupt to limit motor power. Signals come from both the ECM and the TCM.

Let’s test that. Scan Gauge II I dial up the spark and spark retard and observe both ways. Guess what. Traction control off and spark map looks quite normal. Mechanical and 'vacuum' advance working in sync with MAP just like the good old days. With it on the map looks more akin to a lie detector test and someone isn’t being honest.

Is any of this useful? I think so. At speeds below 50 mph M5 and TC off provide a nice happy motor that isn’t labored on hills, good fuel efficiency and isn’t stumbling all over itself switching back a forth. The whole system is more gear appropriate. Over 50 M6 TC off relaxes the rpm improving fuel efficiency on its own merit and….a rather nice bump when conditions allow. Tail winds, down hills and so on. The motor is small enough, truck heavy enough and gear tall enough that the factory mapping prevents the majority of annoyance type V4 operations.

I'll keep playing with it.

On another note. My Honda is in the shop soaking up some time and truck $$$$. Looks like my first repair in 216,000 miles is in the works. It's my daily driver so gets the first draft pick.

Edited November 11, 2016 by Grumpy Bear

Grumpy Bear · November 12, 2016

Having some down time I attempted programing all 16 possible variations of the cansf OBD II codes to retrieve the A/F ratio from the ECM. After striking out I’ve written Scan Gauge once more for additional help.

I’ve also asked for the codes for the ethanol content that so far are unpublished. If I score on either I will post these.

Grumpy Bear · November 13, 2016

Since the end of the 50 mph hypermiling exercise and the grill blocking experiment which combine netted a 29.5 MPG average +/- 1 mpg over about 5,000 miles each I can now report the results over the last 5,000 miles where we are just driving it.

25.4 mpg +/- 1 mpg

The last thousand miles of this netting the lower end of this range 24.4 mph +/- 0.2 mpg. Much longer warm ups allot more often and from much lower temperatures.

My wish for a 500 mile range isn’t happening in the ‘drive as you like’ mode under these conditions and in this configuration. I need to rectify that. But I need to be a realist too. All the Honda’s take a 25% hit if fuel during the winter months.

That said there are two ways to extend range. Get better efficiency or carry more fuel. I could get better efficiency by slowing down; by spending some time and resources on heat management, aero perhaps or even more efficient trip planning.

I can add capacity by adding an ancillary fuel cell, lowering my safety reserve setting or taking steps to reduce the wasted space from the volume I already have.

Of all these steps I like the last best. Reduce the waste. I’m pretty sure that is going to come from getting the truck more level. Filler neck is in the front of the tank and the truck has a good 4” of rake.

Grumpy Bear · November 16, 2016

Linear Logic has a service department. A real one that solves issues and makes good on word in deed. Can't get much better than that. I'm being sent a data logger to unravel the reason I can't get the AFR address to respond. I plug it in and send it back and receive the entire list of PID's available. Hopefully among them will be the alky percent and a few other choice tidbits that solve problems and remove doubt.

I'm researching spring rates. Looks like I'll do a mild drop but if a spring swap is in order then the ride is going to get a facelift as well. I'm not doing hangers or flip kits.

Edited November 16, 2016 by Grumpy Bear

Grumpy Bear · November 16, 2016

Long term data shows that adding 5 mph to my average speed reduced my fuel efficiency 5 mpg? That is a staggering 17%!

Adding an additional 5 mph lowers the average an additional 12%. Amazing.

25% in fuel (delta) to drive 10 mph faster. On trips under 50 miles the difference in time saved is hardly worth the fuel used over the course of the trucks life. Things change a bit on long hauls such as thousand mile trips to see my daughters. Just say'n

Say'n this too. Scan Gauges are well worth their price IMHO.

Edited November 16, 2016 by Grumpy Bear

Grumpy Bear · November 20, 2016

Data Logger came Saturday. Trip planned for Monday. Linear says they only need 30 minutes of drive time to collect all the PIDS. It's a seven hour trip. LOL.

Grumpy Bear · November 22, 2016

Quick interior once over today. Bamboo Hake Brush is a nice tool for vents, buttons and soft crevice areas. WT1 trim level makes it a breeze. Lots of rubber and plastic.

Loaded the data logger and went for a thirty minute drive then packaged it and dropped it off at the Post Office. Now we wait. A can of Sea Foam and a top off then reset the Scan Gauge.

A bit over 400 miles yesterday back and forth to Dad’s where he brokered a nice deal on a set of badly needed new tires for my LaCrosse that go on Friday. Saved me a hundred minimum. Yes after fuel and meals included.

15,000 mile service coming up after the holiday.

Grumpy Bear · November 26, 2016

15,000 mile oil change. 5w20 Quaker State Full Syn. and a Purolator.

5,000 mile tire rotation and rebalance. Tape weights replaced the clip on type. I hate clip on weights. They would be fine IF the vendor used the right weight type for the wheel flange, material and type and the right tools and used a bit of care. But hey, that would be to much to ask. At least I have a shop that cares.

Grumpy Bear · November 27, 2016

Over the last 2855 miles Pepper has averaged 24.92 (25) mpg with a single standard deviation of .667 mpg. This gives a normal 3 SD range of 23 to 27 mpg.

Statistical rules would call anything abnormal then 3 consecutive points outside 1 SD, 2 consecutive points outside 2 SD or 1 point past 3 SD. A downward adjustment from post #93 of a few tenths.

That given; over the last 6875 miles the cumulative average stands at 25.48 mpg which includes points while hypermiling. The former points including much cooler weather and a seasonal fuel change. Over the short term there is always some environmental fluidity. There, of course would also be some load based fluidity in this number.

Doing this exercise with my 2005 HD bagger it took a few years and nearly 50,000 miles worth of data to give a 99% + confidence to the averages. In this exercise we learned that it took 40K to break the drivetrain into the even wear portion of that graphs slope. During which the fuel efficiency continued to climb peaking at the afore mentioned 40K.

Point is, I can now account with a good deal of certainty events that are other than those I can assign to abnormal load or changes in my driving habit which would indicate some major issue. An early warning device.

In addition the Scan Gauge and the Calculation are now in sync to less than a hundredth mpg and the cumulative fill error in two hundred gallons charged about a pint. Fill to fill, pump to pump, site to site about a quart on an individual 20 gallon fill. A stone axe has be refined to a scalpel. Both finer than the resolution of the instrument.

Tire wear stands a 9/32 center 8/32 outside ribs all four tires. No change from last rotation. Tire pressure had no effect on evening the wear over the 5000 mile event. Looks like these tires will last longer by double the chatter common to the “Consumer Review”.

Break inspection reviled what Jason called Meaty and Unscarred. All in all a stellar checkup. (6430)

Edited November 28, 2016 by Grumpy Bear

Grumpy Bear · November 29, 2016

This is a bubble scatter chart of the fuel efficiency vs the power output with a Power trend line that is showing a .999% fit. Better than good. Data was collected from the Scan Gauge II during a drive today and constructed later this evening. It was also collected in top gear and while fully warmed up.

Efficiency is load sensitive not speed sensitive. It just so happens that increases in speed normally increases load but not always. In the same way that all squares are rectangles but not all rectangles are squares. Something we don’t give much thought but will blindside you if you hold it as a rigid thought.

Such an example may be the motor will need to make less power doing 60 mph with a 20 mpg tail wind than 45 mph into that wind. It will take more power to do 45 with a 2,500 pound load than 55 empty.

The motor will use the same amount of fuel for the same power produced when in the same mode. I.E. Top gear and warm produced this curve. 4^th gear and cold produces another. So anytime this truck in on the highway and warmed up the fuel number is controlled by my response to conditions and WILL fall on this line until the engines state of tune changes or malfunctions.

The EPA number is a number generated under a particular and repeatable set of conditions. If your regular drive is milder you get a bigger number and visa-versa. Having said that those that get worse numbers than the EPA average are pretty aggressive as the test conditions are also fairly aggressive. (6514)

Grumpy Bear · November 29, 2016

Raining pitchforks and hammer handles today and Peppers first full out run in the rain. And on factory Bridgestone Dueler H/T D684 II’s everybody and their brother tell me are absolute junk. Even Tire Rack rates them 26^th of 32 in their category getting less than 6 for 10 in hydroplaning and wet traction. Under 5.5 for wear and 6.4 for noise.

15,000 miles on this set and 9 of the 10/32’s original tread left. Quite as a mouse and in an inch of standing water on our rural northern Illinois roads at less than 50 F stuck like glue without a hint of hydroplaning.

Granted I rarely exceed the speed limit. Am mindful of the civil engineers lower posted corner speeds, use extra caution in foul weather and have enough common sense not to think I’m Mark Martin on public roads. None of this is popular granted. But it is reasonable, prudent and legal.

So far, I can find nothing wrong with this tire that would make me toss them under a buss before they reach their tread life limit.

Grumpy Bear · December 6, 2016

That seven inches of snow that fell yesterday is still unspoiled. The roads are clear due to a good plowing and mid 40F temps today. This evening after dark we had some fog. But not at ground level. About thirty to fifty feet off the ground like a ceiling. North Central Illinois is pretty flat.

So we’ve got city lights trapped between the reflective snow and the fog ceiling which is also quite reflective. This can be seen from twenty miles away and made Rochelle look like Sherman burning Atlanta. Or what I imagine that would have looked like.

Lights up the entire space between the two. In the country where there are a few farm lamps burning the several inches of snow on the bare branches of trees looks like candles sitting in a Christmas tree.

I’m driving total back roads at 40 mph with Beethoven’s symphony #20 playing and it feels like angles have touched earth.

More than pretty.

Just say’n. It was quite a site. Not one you can see every day.

Grumpy Bear · December 9, 2016

Christina at Linear Logic got back to me and we’ve been bouncing emails for two days with this result.

Unfortunately Command O2 is the only accessible PID from the OBD II port and there isn’t an accessible ethanol percentage PID either. Not what I was hoping for. She sent me a long list of PIDs and I chose a few to add as X-Gauges. She then supplied the PID addresses for the cansf menu. (see post 92).

Estimated Oil Temperature (Fahrenheit)

TXD: 07E0221154(01)

RXF: 046205110654

RXD: 3008

MTH: 00090005FFD8

NAM: EOT

Torque Management Ignition Timing Retard (degrees)

TXD: 07E022119C(01)

RXF: 04620511069C

RXD: 3008

MTH: 005A01000000

NAM: TIR

Relative Humidity

TXD: 07E0222301(01)

RXF: 046205230601

RXD: 3008

MTH: 006400FF0000

NAM: HUM

Current Gear

TXD: 07E0223201(01)

RXF: 046205320601

RXD: 3008

MTH: 000100010000

NAM: GER

Gear isn’t part of the display for the base model. Oil temp is a calculation used for the oil life program. Humidity is a direct reading.

Retard is the output from the ECU traction control to the ignition circuit. There is a similar output from this control for the injector duty cycle as well. This is a fraction of the list she sent. I can post the entire list if someone wants a look at it.

Edited December 9, 2016 by Grumpy Bear

Grumpy Bear · December 9, 2016

What is the hurry?

People sit in a home in the winter with a blanket and sweater to save $50 a month on a heating bill and drive $250 a month plus needless gasoline through their trucks running fuel inefficient speeds.

Dad said it wouldn't make sense. LOL.