I was unable to find the post doing a search but I believe the thread/post was about MPG changes with different spark plugs. The post said that there was a .2MPG change with a certain spark plug!

 

John, it was Ericbecky that told me years ago that Ron Delong (SG Inventor) was going to start programming the Scangauge to work with hybrids. I called Ron and he confirmed this to me and I just broadcast the news to the forums.

I purchased two extra gallons of Mobil 1 5W-20 when Walmart put it sale for $22.00, so I have 2 more oil changes to go with it. However, all three of my Ford vehicles can use Mobil 1 5W-20 so I will purchase Amsoil if they make 5W-20 and give it a try. I'll drain the old Mobil 1 real good with a hot engine in my '09 FEH and install a new Motorcraft filter and add the Amsoil if I can find it. No need to flush IMO and if there is a change I'll see it right off the bat. A 4.8mpg increase in my mileage right now or during the winter makes no difference because I adjust my P&G as weather conditions change. The hotter the weather the more my Aux A/C runs with the engine but the engine is more efficient. I've been increasing my speed during the pulse in hot weather so the pulse is shorter which shortens the running time of the engine. I may change my summer MPG from the worst to the best MPG ever with the FEH with a battery Aux A/C. Right now after my last refill I'm getting a 65mpg Nav tank reading and a 60.2mpg adjusted SGII.

I still have a few thousand miles before I'm due for a oil change in my '09 so I will start looking for the Amsoil and let everyone know when I make the change. I will most likely make the change at the start of my next refill so it can be tracked in my Mileage Log at CMPG. I'll even make a note in my log about the change to Amsoil.

GaryG

 

EG the noise issue and other stuff...

My post was on an observation over some 7,000 miles. The longer interval the measurement is over the less noise interferes with a valid measurement. In the case of my Suburban I got a reliable 15.5 mpg over the long term and mostly highway with an intermixture of 65 & 75 mph speed limits. My long term average is now falling between 16.6 & 17.0 mpg. I used to go 800 miles to fillup and now go 1,000 to fillup (eg same size gas tank and yeah it came with a big tank).

I don't expect that you could really draw a sound conclusion over one tankful. I'd just change the oil and be done with it for the change interval. Then see what you get for mpg over that interval. In my Suburban's case it was done over 7 fillups & 7,000 miles.

Regarding spark plugs: I went through a period with my Suburban where I put in plugs for 50k then tried another plug for 50k and so on... in the end I saw little difference in mileage. In fact, when I tried Bosch Plus 4's mileage went down by 0.2 mpg. Go figure. So I've gone back to standard "ole" plugs.

Of course this is on a Suburban getting around 15.5 mpg then. As mpg goes up smaller & smaller differences in plug design will become more significant. I just put in Bosch Plus 4's at 62,000 miles on my FEH. After I have, say, 5,000 or 10,000 miles on them I'll draw a conclusion.

BTW: for those with significant miles on their original plugs (the manual doesn't call for changing them until 100k) when I took them out there was more rust on the threads than I'd have liked. Also while unthreading them there was a "gritty" feeling. Consider removing the OEM plugs and reinstalling them with thread anti-seize compound. As I threaded my new plugs in with anti-seize there was no "grittiness" felt at all.

 

Sounds to me like what I would expect if cooler temps resulted in less AC usage.

 

Bill, I monitor my mileage like a hawk and I would see a 8% change in a few miles after warm-up. I see a 4% change if only one of my tires drops 5psi and I have my fingers on the pulse of my FEH at all times. If I see a slight change in MPG, I can always figure out what the cause is within a few P&G segments. There is a reason why people like Wayne Gerdes squeeze a drop of gas out of every mile they drive and it's no accident. Wayne can do this with a vehicle he has never driven but it took me a year to get to this stage in my '09 FEH. Within the last few weeks I've notice about a 2% jump in MPG and I know its the 92F temperature and my change in a faster P&G. I may have a record 60mpg tank going well over 800 miles this next tank because of the change. I just hit the 3/4 of a tank mark and I'm already 30 miles further than a normal 57.6mpg tank. If Amsoil does what you claim, I may break 200% of combined EPA certification of 32.5mpg on a single tank of E10.

Of course I will continue monitoring the Amsoil for at least 10,000 miles till the next oil change unless I see a drop in MPG. I put an average of 12,000 miles a year on my '09 FEH, so the Amsoil should need to be changed around next May. This test comparing MPG using Mobil 1 and Amsoil might put to rest which one is a better oil or are they the same.

GaryG

 

Sorry, I don't buy fuel mileages that cannot be sustained across several thousand miles of usage.

I've explored the electronics in my FEH and I can get it to show whatever number I want in the little window. Its true that you can do little things that improve mileage temporarily. You might try that little swirly vaned thingie...

I have tracked virtually every gallon of gas that was put into my Suburban across its 400k+ miles. ...And yes it really did get 15.5 mpg long term average before the Amsoil and across the typical usage out here where I live, mostly highway as it turns out (65 & 75). As I watched the mileage develop and sustain itself across, now 7,000 miles I couldn't believe it. While I do believe synthetic oils improve mileage, to have one synthetic do so over another was a jaw dropper, so I put it up.

I didn't say the FEH would see the same.

For the guy who said a Suburban with 400k+ miles will likely get less than 15 mpg on average: What don't you get about write down the mileage on fillup, put it into a spreadsheet along with the gallons put in, and doing the math. Did you really think I fudged the numbers when I said 15.5 mpg?

For the guy who remarked about A/C usage: my A/C compressor lunched it self the summer of '08 and I haven't yet replaced it... because out here the summer weather ain't too bad when you're moving at highway speeds, which is most of the time and I can use the money elsewhere. So the numbers reported aren't anything but moving the vehicle.

An improvement of "only" 1.2 mpg is nice to have. With my fuel tanks that translates to something around an additional 200 miles per fillup. I can use it.

 

Okay, I've found that Amsoil does meet the Ford specs and comes in 5W-20.

APPLICATIONS
AMSOIL Extended Life Synthetic Motor Oils are excellent for use in all types of gasoline-fueled vehicles. They are recommended for all domestic and foreign vehicles requiring any of the listed performance specifications:
XLM 5W-20 Synthetic Motor Oil

• API SM/CF, SL, SJ ...
• ILSAC GF-4, 3 ...
• ACEA A1/B1
• JASO VTW
• GM 6094M
• Ford WSS-M2C930-A
• Daimler Chrysler MS-6395N

I also found a local dealer who sells Amsoil products so I'm set for the test at my next fill-up to change my Mobil 1 5W-20 to Amsoil 5W-20. There is no question in my mind I will see any change in MPG the first day of the test but like I said, it will be a ~15 tank, 10,000 mile total test. Even if Amsoil only improves my MPG 2%, I will make the change forever. If there is no change in my MPG, I will most likely stick with Mobil 1 because it's cheaper at Walmart.

GaryG

 

cleaned. keep on topic all.

 

Gary, how much does the Amsoil cost per qt? I'm 70% of the way through an annual oil change and might try the Amsoil if your results are favorable in the FEH. Looks like it's only available from independent dealers and not auto supply shops. Is that what you found?

 

I just went to the local Amsoil dealers address and found that it's run out of single family home in a poor section of town. I was going to purchase 5 quarts but I have no price and it seems like a business scam according to this:

"Mr. Amatuzio went on to formulate a synthetic motor oil for use in automobiles in a joint effort with the Hatco Corporation[1]. AMZOIL 10W-40 grade 100 percent synthetic motor oil became available to the general public in 1972 as the first synthetic motor oil in the United States, claimed to meet American Petroleum Institute (API) requirements, though AMSOIL has refused to ever submit any oil sample to the API for testing. Today AMSOIL, Inc., markets the XL line of API certified synthetic motor oil [2] as well as many other oil formulations that they claim meet or exceed current API requirements."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amsoil

It looks like these so called certified dealers operate by taking your order and having it dropped shipped to your home or business from some other party. Sounds like a snake oil scam and I'm not going to even try it now. A 8% increase in MPG over Mobil 1? I don't think so!

GaryG