Question about break-in

Grumpy Bear · February 16, 2018

On ‎2‎/‎14‎/‎2018 at 7:04 PM, Boardmember said:

I'm getting about 15mpg, on exclusive highway, about 17. My prior trucks - one with 8sp, one with 6sp - did a lot better than this but had more miles.

Are these State/Fed highway miles or Interstate miles and how fast do you drive them?

Boardmember · February 16, 2018

Good explanations here.

completely stock.

Cruise on highway 72; interstate 76 (mostly highway tho)

I’m - how do I say this - close enough to retirement to be make g plans, so no I’m a pretty conservative driver.

i will take it by the dealership and ask.

SippiSierra · February 16, 2018

On 2/14/2018 at 8:44 PM, Boardmember said:

Facinating. I’ve been aware of winter:summer blends, but never known there to be a difference in this state. So therefore, I’m again ignorant...

does ES the winter mix mean 15% ethanol? The pumps remain strictly labeled “up to 10%”.

Is the ethanol the only difference?

Mike I am also in Mississippi, I was getting 18.2 city and 21.1 Highway last summer with 45,000 on the clock for my '14. Since we switched to winter blend the DIC is reading 15.9 city and 18.9 highway. I am convinced it is the blend.

Grumpy Bear · February 16, 2018

38 minutes ago, Boardmember said:

Cruise on highway 72; interstate 76 I’m a pretty conservative driver.

Food for thought.

1.) Cowpie was correct, the Butane used to adjust the RVP of the fuel has a much lower BTU content. Even so, it has little effect on the fuels total BTU content. It takes a really small amount of Butane to push the Reid Vapor Pressure around pretty good. This is an adjustment I did four times a year personally. Can it be measured in MPG. Yes. Small doesn't mean irrelevant. 3-5% but not 25-30%.

2.) I would expect the temperature differences in Mississippi are not as drastic as Northern Illinois but none the less colder is colder and most of what people experience in low fuel efficiency is related to the warming of lubricating fluids and the tighter mechanical clearances cold weather demands and frankly the shorter nature of our winter trips. The motor/trans/diffs spend more time at a much colder 'average' operating temperature for the trips overall length. We debate at times the effectiveness and measurability of switching from say 30W to 20W whose at temperature viscosity difference is a few centistokes. Then fail to grasp that the difference between starting your engine at 95 F and -15F is hundreds of centistokes. Literally the difference between the flow of hot sugar water and room temperature molasses. We tend, in addition, to let it 'warm up' longer and more frequently. Especially if remote start is handy. It's unavoidable. The thing just cools down quicker over that 20 minute stop and the grocery store or having coffee with the boys at the Quick Trip. Snow, rain and wind are never a help either. Each is a penny making a dollar. No one thing is a back breaker but additively it's huge and some are worse in concert than in solo.

3.) Peppers 26 mpg lifetime average is mainly the result of my self imposed 50-60 mph speed limit (road dependent). She has no problem drinking fuel at the rate of 15-17 mpg at 75 mph with any headwind at all. Peak to peak, summer to winter? 28/30 summer. 22/25 winter. Use that for what you value it at.

4.) Lastly you compare this truck to previous trucks. Give that some though. Type, size, weight, platform etc.

DONWT15 · February 16, 2018

Cowpie and Grumpy are right. Winter blend fuels cost me a minimum of 3 MPGs every year from October until April here in the snow belt of N.Y. This year has been one of the worst with January temps hanging in the teens most of the time and snow falling a foot at a time every few days.

The guy in the article saying it would help to increase the ethanol content to 15% represents the renewable fuels companies and is trying to sell more ethanol. There is no benefit from ethanol in controlling the volatility. Ethanol was added to "extend the country's fuel supply" in case of shortages. The auto makers don't want any part of it (wholesale parts changes headed in the direction of E-85 mods) and the refiners don't either because it will cost more to make the gas. They have to pay for all that ethanol whether they use it or not. EPA mandated quantities they are required to buy.

Rant over

Boardmember · February 16, 2018

Grump

1. Very interesting and useful. You are a tremendous feature and technical writer. ThNk you.

2. We had an extraordinary winter here in mid-south Mississippi (it snowed 2X, 5.5” & 4” that lasted 3-4 days on the ground. Yay! No..). I really don’t use remote start much but the couple times I did, it was for a minute or so as I walked toward the truck. But it’s all incremental. Good point to remember.

3. That is excellent but not a reasonable expectation for me. We have different vehicles and you’re waaay more patient than I.

4. Except for the transmissions and the other two had a 1.5” RC lift, no difference. Though I did add 3-4lbs over Christmas that I haven’t shed. I hope my service tech doesn’t allude to that...

Grumpy Bear · February 17, 2018

I knew I had this information at hand around here somewhere. The BTU variance in a pound of gasoline for seasonal Federally mandated adjustments is.....drum roll please....1.75% .

Ripley's Believe it or Not.

Boardmember · February 17, 2018

8.33lbs/gal of H2O- I don’t know the weight of gasoline. It’s been a very long day. Let me think. Does the -1.75% in volumetric btus aggregate to something more than -1.75% in an entire gallon? We use the liquid metric, right?

(I may read this question in the morning and a) wish I had gone to bed earlier, and b) delete it.)

But I know I’m in good hands. Does that make sense? Can you ask Ripley?

Grumpy Bear · February 17, 2018

2 hours ago, Boardmember said:

8.33lbs/gal of H2O- I don’t know the weight of gasoline. It’s been a very long day. Let me think. Does the -1.75% in volumetric btus aggregate to something more than -1.75% in an entire gallon? We use the liquid metric, right?

(I may read this question in the morning and a) wish I had gone to bed earlier, and b) delete it.)

But I know I’m in good hands. Does that make sense? Can you ask Ripley?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gasoline_gallon_equivalent

First table includes information on most motor fuels. First table. NOTE: remember as you review this table the question under review is the difference between summer and winter regular gasoline ONLY.

NOT reformulated (MTBE/ETBE) or other oxygenated (C2H6O ethanol) fuels . Keep it apples to apples or this goes sideways fast.

FYI yes water is 8.33 lb./gal. and gasoline a range between 70% to 78% of that. Heavier contains more aromatics. Again non-oxygenated.

Aggregate? No. 1.75% of the stink of an elephant is the same no matter how many smaller pieces you cut him into. But I get tired. No harm, no foul.