Grumpy Bears 2015 Silverado 2WD

Grumpy Bear · March 23, 2017

Think I have enough information to have a useful tool. Let’s call it Peppers thermometer. I’ve removed the individual tank results. Both the calculated and the Scan Gauge II numbers. Narrowed upper and lower control limits that are set by the standard deviation from three to one unit of standard. Added the six point moving average of the calculated average and superimposed that upon the actual lifetime cumulative average. It’s less confusing that it sounds.

The cumulative average, the centerline, will continue to shift as new data is added but slowly. Like watching paint dry. The upper and lower limits will also have a snail’s pace shift directionally lock stepped to the center tendency.

The six point moving average is the tattletale. It is the average, naturally, of the last six tanks and the most volatile number in the group. It, as you can see already is a pretty noisy signal. It is tied to driving habits. Weather. Fuel quality and most importantly the state of tune. Meaning that all but the tune up should fall within one standard deviation of the central tendency. There are rules of statistics to observe so a single point is only a warning.

Edited March 23, 2017 by Grumpy Bear

Grumpy Bear · March 25, 2017

I guess I'll start with the pinion seal leak. It was leaking from the OD, not the shaft. Looks like it was damaged during the installation. There was no Lithium grease on the spine either. Wow! The source of some intermittent back lash noise. Seal repaired, spline greased. Noise and leak plus $150 dollars all gone, bye-bye.

Alignment up next. Remember I bought this rig with 1300 very soft old man miles on her. The before is the factory setup. Look below for after. Do not kid yourself. The alignment man was not happy with my fussiness. I chose the specs and the tolerance, nil. Another hundred gone and well spent.

Tire wear is remarkable slow for a tire the press and key board reviews consider junk and a front end this messed up. I find it a pretty good tire. Just under 8/32” center ribs. 7/32 outer ribs. Lots of meat left in this set. I see no need to replace them.

The result?

1.) Harsh jar is gone on bridge approaches, tar snakes and small pot holes. Not plush but no bump steer either.

2.) Slow speed near lock judder gone and steering effort at all speeds is remarkably lighter.

3.) High speed turn in noticeably quicker and more precise. Less caster induced understeer correction required.

4.) Tire temperatures are lower and pressures now remain even.

5.) Coast down from 55 mph to 40 mph takes 50-75% more distance. That's huge.

6.) Included angle which had nearly a 5 degree delta is now zero. SLA - camber delta now 0.1

7.) Steer ahead now zero.

8.) Thrust angle is cut in about half. It can’t get better until the rear axle is squared.

Seriously? Rear axle off square? Charge like Bentley build them like a Tinker Toy. Nice job GM. I'll get to it.

Edited March 25, 2017 by Grumpy Bear

Grumpy Bear · March 29, 2017

Add all tanks divided by all miles and that is the ‘cumulative average’. The central tendency. Or just average. Yellow line.

The upper and lower control limits are one standard deviation of all the points that make up the cumulative average. One unit plus and one unit minus. Also called one Sigma.

Add each tank as it is logged to the average of the previous total and that is the ‘running average’. That is point #1 is the first tank. Point #2 is the average of the first two tanks. Point #3 is the average of the first three tanks and so on. Orange line.

Six point moving average is the average of the last six successive tanks. Thus its first plot point is point #6. Blue line.

Each is a tool with its own use. The cumulative for instance is the stick in the ground. Your primary point of reference. Over the course of a year it will include all weather, traffic and driving patterns.

The running average is the swing in those three pattern makers and in more general terms tells you in a longer view about the health of the system. You can see things like the point of being fully broken in for example.

The six point. That’s the thermometer. I make X change and get Y result. Six points is long enough to judge the change and filter out the noise.

This last tank is the first tank since the alignment change. The previous six point average was 25.93 mpg. A bit above the cumulative 25.56 mpg. The result of some warmer weather no doubt. The first point of the next six point is 28.45 mpg. A pretty big shift already but only the first of six.

I did a 360 mile trip today on a partially used tank but using the ‘current reset’ feature and tracked the to and from separately. 30.6 to and 29.2 return. The surprise is the ease with which it comes now.

When the motor isn’t dragging the tires sideways the width of the highway each mile the motor stays in the four cylinder mode allot more. The truck glides further. Gains more speed going downhill so it goes up the next further before the cruise control catches it. (M6 defeats the grade logic on less brutal hills).

It will take a while to burn down five more tanks so let’s not get ahead of myself.

Grumpy Bear · March 30, 2017

GM’s Active Fuel Management. Dropping some cylinders to reduce fuel usage. That’s the simplified version.

Okay that’s what it is, now what triggers it. Demand triggers it. Load pure and simple. An algorithm reads the computers inputs and from an and/or table and a load calculation decides when to active and when to deactive the system.

Range widened the window in favor of on over off. That’s one way to do it.

OR

Actually reduce the demand to the point the system favors being on.

Baby-baby getting the alignment squared went miles towards that. It is now eager to engage. GM says the AFM increases fuel efficiency 5-7%. Without any more data than a tank plus under my belt I’m going to say in this case, that is conservative, as I would expect GM to be. If I didn’t have the Scan Gauge to let me know is was toggling I wouldn’t know it was there.

It is starting to become clear to me why the national average mpg for this truck is so far below the governmental estimates. Trucks are like Harleys. It’s rare to find a stock one. We express ourselves in them and create our art. But most of what is mainstream in modification adds considerable load and consumes a corresponding increase in fuel. How often do we ask how a modification will effect mileage? How many actually care?

Well, there ya go.

Okay on another note. I’m at Casey’s grabbing a cuppa and this fella comes in who just stepped out of a new Nissan Titan so I ask him how he like it? Hates it he says then adds, and get this….

“Thing darn near killed me the other day. I was in a hurry to get home from work and it was driving rain and it hydroplaned at 80 mph on I-80 west. Nearly put me in the ditch”.

I smiled and out loud said, “That would be scary” but in my head I said, “And that’s the trucks fault?”

Edited March 30, 2017 by Grumpy Bear

Grumpy Bear · April 2, 2017

I consider the suspension of the truck everything between my backside and the pavement and it has a job more encompassing than making it around a corner. Being a long time tour bike guy I’ve tried the gambit of devices.

Bottom line is…if you sit in the saddle long enough your tailbone is going to hurt and your legs are going to go flat. There is no Nirvana. But Wonder Gel Original is as close as anything I’ve tried in 45 plus years of trying.

This pad, added to the caster adjustment and running two psig less air in the tires and I have a experience light years more comfortable.

On my three hundred mile test drive yesterday I was impressed with how much longer it took to feel the tailbone ache and how quickly it left on the short breaks I took. My legs never went dead and my sciatic never bit me. That boys and girls never happens. (cover off for photo)

On another note that three hundred completed the second tank of 500 miles of the six tank set I’m logging and again it registered over 28 mpg.

JohnJ@ridetech · April 3, 2017

How well did the Lucas work?

Grumpy Bear · April 3, 2017

How well did the Lucas work?

For $12 a tank it will turn 87 into 89 for 48 cents a gallon making local $2.20 gas $2.68 a gallon which is between the price of the 89 and 93 grades.

Adding two bottles to get 92 octane for $3.16 a gallon while I can buy 93 a the pump for $2.78. This is a non-starter.

That said I tried it anyway as the money has been burned. The goal was fuel efficiency by dialing in more timing by limiting the knock sensor retard. Over the 400 mile test loop the result was....zip...nada...ziltch...nothing. (Post #35)

Edited for clarity.

Edited April 5, 2017 by Grumpy Bear

Grumpy Bear · April 5, 2017

I pared this test back to three tanks each. Why? Time & $$$$.

Before alignment 1475 miles on 55.84 gallons of fuel 26.41 mpg

After alignment 1589 miles on 56.89 gallons of fuel 27.93 mpg

1.52 mpg increase for a 6% gain. That’s 28 miles more range per tank and gets me over my 500 mile wish list target.

Current total average for life of truck 25.7 mpg and climbing. Post alignment number is 9% above life time average.

Next goal is to keep it there at a higher speed. Rabbits out of a hat.

Grumpy Bear · April 10, 2017

With the running average now back to the cumulative average and the six point moving average riding the upper control limit it is time to increase the trolling speed a bit.

My aim is a 500 mile range with the recommended 25% tank reserve for pump cooling and while accommodating a 26 gallon tank that isn't actually fillable to 26 gallons plus the fact we have a quarter gallon fill variance and another tenth in Scan Gauge vs Pump resolution. We need some cushion so I settled on 25 gallons as a realistic actual tank size leaving 18.75 gallons of useful average volume. As the Scan Gauge isn't able to accept anything smaller than a gallon I have decided to convert to liters and a target of 71 liters or 18.76 gallons.

This means to get my 500 mile range I need to average 26.65 mpg or 7.04 miles per liter of fuel or 8.83 liters per hundred kilometers. As I drive in the US and the speeds are in MPH the report will now be in miles per liter. 7 is close enough for horseshoes and hand grenades for me.

Basic? The task now becomes, how fast can I drive and AVERAGE 7 miles per liter (26.5 mpg) A hair above the six point moving average.

It's 1007 miles from my town to my daughters city. Denver. One fuel stop is my target.

Grumpy Bear · April 11, 2017

Reporting: Bridgestone Dueler HT D684 II 255/70R17 110S that are factory fit for Pepper.

23,000 miles. Tire tread depth measured .265 inches. New is .3125 and will end at .094 plus a .033 early allowance for the outer treads shallower measurement or at .127. This gives a projected tread life of 90,000 miles. Bridgestone’s warranty is 60,000 miles or five years on this tire. My bad. I should have had the alignment checked in the first week I owned her or I would have gotten 105,000 out of this set.

Yesterday I had the misfortune of being forced to drive in a downpour. One of those that a wise man would pull over for. Thing is, with good blades and Rain-X on the windshield my vision was actually really good and these tires cut a path down to the blacktop as could be seen in the rearview. Traffic had me speed limited to 50 mph on a state primary. Plenty fast enough. They are extremely quiet and handle, bite and braking as good as any tire needs to that isn’t track driven. If they were fitted to my Buick I would knock the comfort mildly but they aren’t on a sponge sprung Buick. They are on a half-ton truck. No whiners. Can’t tell you a thing about snow and ice. Don’t drive on it with this truck but the experienced mature drivers mentioned in the paragraph below who drive in the Rockies and Canada are not complaining about a lack of winter bite. I won’t argue with them.

This shocked me a bit. Write ups are not kind to this tire. Downright mean in fact. They go on for pages on the Tire Rack site but if you pick through the garbage you will also find those mature experienced drivers that are literally raving this tire in situations I will/would never put Pepper in. The haters are generally those not getting 20,000 out of set. Go figure. I’m stupid and it’s the tires fault. Whatever.

One fella summed it up pretty good. “These tires are butt ugly and yet I can find no fault in them that would have me run anything else. I will by a second set”. (paraphrased)

I’ve been looking for a reason to 8T6 these tires in favor of a lighter weight lower rolling resistance type. Even had them picked out. Good enough. Guess I can buy some rims and loose the weight there.

Grumpy Bear · April 14, 2017

“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore, is not an act, but a habit.”
– Aristotle

Saw this in a café along the roads I drive and it caused me to think about how I pursue fuel efficiency. I don’t really hypermile. I don’t have the patients for it and some of it in my opinion is plain dangerous. But I do note to do it effectively is has to be your habit.

We all drive by habit; what we repeatedly do. Our habits can be charted and I’ve shared some of those in my build thread. When I saw this quote it made me ask myself, “What IS my habit?” I’d have to say an attempt to limit variables to hone my methods. Is that really excellence? The quality of being outstanding or extremely good.

My results are pretty good but I don’t know about being outstanding. I mean anyone with the inclination to repeat the result could. Perhaps even exceed my result. So…no…not outstanding just maybe unusual but I’ve eaten pie that was unusual that I wouldn’t call outstanding. Guess I’m saying that to be excellent then I need a new habit. My current repetitions have taken me about as far as they can. Hang on to that thought.

I met the fella who owns this really successful farm near us who had an interesting take on farming that I think applies. He said, “Three things I can’t control. Weather, time or the markets, EVERYTHING else is fair game”.

How true I thought. A variable indeed and one I have no control over is the weather. More to the point, wind. Living in Norther Illinois wind is a fact of life and trucks hate wind. I meant they HATE wind. That said I’ve now gone full circle. I need a new habit and that habit has to eliminate a variable I have no control over, wind. Or do I?

I’ve started experimenting with a set of ideas.

1.) Target a mileage.

Nuts right? I mean you have to actually reach your destination, right? Cause your thinking that to do this you have to drive 40 mph everywhere you go. Not actually. In fact not often or at all. Some limits. Boundaries.

2.) Never exceed the speed limit.

3.) 45 mph minimum.

Those two alone will bound a possible number you can target. I add another.

4.) My personal maximum limit is 60 mph.

That by itself will raise the floor of your possible number.

The average speed we drive as a whole (not individually) measured by total miles divided by engine hours falls in the mid 30 mph range. 33 mph is a number used by Ford Fleet. My experience is a bit higher at 38 mph for all vehicles I have owned in the last thirty years. And here’s a personal fact. I’m likely the slowest driver I know that isn’t geriatric. So how do I manage an above average-average speed? Saddle time and a steady pace. Which leads me to my next point.

5.) Obtain the highest speed measured miles/hours without violating the first three points.

Since post #159 I’ve made some minor modifications to my target and my fuel cell size. 70 Liters is 18.5 gallons and 75% of 25 gallons which is where the pump cuts off consistently. That done I now need a slightly higher MPL to get 500 miles solid from this volume of fuel. 7.14 MPL the math says but the resolution of the meter begs 7.2 MPL. (27.25 mpg).

So…how is that working out? Well my average speed is rising, now over 39 mph and the rest is in the graph. You’re looking for the broken yellow line.

Ponder this a minute. My average speed is higher than those who drive with abandon and whose record nationally is 17 mpg or 4.5 MPL. So how slow can I be?

Grumpy Bear · April 18, 2017

Cell phone picture. Palisades Kepler State Park near Cedar Rapids Iowa. I need to start carrying my real camera. This phone thing is awful. I actually do more than just drive.

Part of the days 501 mile road trip. Visit my Aunt. Test my wind adjusted mileage plan. Think ALLOT and make a decision on a new puppy.

Aunt is doing fine. Dog is a go and the fuel test a success. I get the pup tomorrow.

16.652 gallons. 30.1 mpg doing 85 kph (53 mph). 10.6 hours motor on time for a 47 mph average. 12.5 hours seat time. 40.1 mph average. It’s how time slips by and averages fall.

Left this a.m. heading west into a light and variable west wind and a temperature of 54 F. At the half way point I’m clocking 28 mpg. Heading home I have a 10 mph tail wind and average 32.9 mph on the Interstate clocking 55 mph. About 25 miles from the barn the wind shifts hard east by north east and the gauge falls to 24.6 mpg. I dial back to 50 mph and settle in at 27 mpg. High for today was 74 F and by the time I rolled in I’m a bug covered 62 F.

Note. 53 mph is about the point the air goes sideways on this truck. I could run a bit quicker with the wind and improve my clock time. The last time this truck clocked 30+ mpg I was doing 45-50 mph. Making progress.

Edited April 18, 2017 by Grumpy Bear

Grumpy Bear · April 27, 2017

Rex takes allot of time and so does spring yard work meaning the truck is doing more work and less pleasure cruising like the vet, pet store, big box for yard stuff, trip to the dump and a few hundred pounds of salt for the softener. General bruising about. Enough to burn a tank in a more natural setting experienced by a larger number of users. Result for the tank was a bit over 25 mpg with a second tank not yet complete doing about the same.

Living 18 miles from the nearest town with more than three stop lights this is what I would call more mixed driving than city. That sound fair?

Dogs, especially little cute puppy dogs as you know are chick magnets. It takes a hit on the fuel efficiency and raises the eyebrow of the Mrs. Mostly as she laughs at these young ones all goo-goo over the pup ignoring the old fart holding him.

He hasn't noticed the truck FOX yet. Good!

Grumpy Bear · April 28, 2017

25K mile service was routine. Oil/filter change. Tire rotation. Checked brake slides and greased. Checked brake pads. Check diff seal.

Tread wear rate still exceptional. Seems the slightly lower pressures are hurting nothing at all. Over 75% of the pads left. Slides perfect. Seal holding up. Top off fluids and call it a service.

I am not very hard on parts.

Edited April 28, 2017 by Grumpy Bear

Grumpy Bear · May 6, 2017

The Rock River along former Illinois state highway 2. One of my favorite drives takes this decommissioned highway from Wisconsin to Iowa down western Illinois along the Rocks path.

My favorite car wash, M & M, is in Byron along that route. Or was until the owner decided that having the best wash in Northern Illinois was a distinction he no longer cared to hold. It's a fifty mile round trip for us. Now it is just average after his "upgrades". Upgraded the price $2 and deleted two soap cycles, lost the wax and lowered the spot free rinse. Now you are allowed to donate $7 to his cause and you get to keep your dirty truck. I do it myself now in the hand wash bays. The equipment is still top notch and I like the drive so....whatever.

Sad. I'm taking half the olives out of the bottle and charging 30% more. What a concept.