Grumpy Bears 2015 Silverado 2WD

[Grumpy Bear]

Winter is here! Blue by tank, Yellow lifetime and Red 36 tank moving average. Entering her third winter and now two summers in the rearview mirror I'm just starting to understand her. Pretty cool. Wife took much longer  

 

Winter is not just cold in northern Illinois it is the windy season which will continue in earnest until early June. The fuel change cost little. Under 2%. Cold cost more. Allot more. Especially if trip length is shorter and it is on average. It's just less pleasant. But once up to heat and given a windless day the averages over my favorite routes are only about 1 mpg lower than the average summer day. Peak to peak difference, that is coldest to hottest days are about 3 mpg different or say 10%. A 20 to 40 mph wind will take a half dozen units out of her. Pretty much anything over 10 mph has a significant impact but once over 15 it drops like a stone in a well.

 

Changes to Pepper have centered on heat management and viscosity selection second season and driving style first season. Wind is wind and outside passive attempts like the bed cover and keeping the air dam not much else can be done. You can see by the red peaks the gains from vis and heat have been significant not just in height but in duration. Eventually this will push the life time line higher.

 

Seasonal note. Temperature swings have a huge impact on tire pressures. Tire pressures have a notable impact on fuel economy. Just not paying close attention will cost you big on a tank now and again. AAA suggestion has always been to check pressures once a month. I look every day. 

 

[Grumpy Bear]

November numbers are in and Fall 2018 finished, (September to November). At year three of Peppers records we have a 13% increase this year over year one for this season. Up 3.3 mpg. 

 

25.28 mpg is the three year November monthly average. 25.2 mpg for November 2018 alone. Now we start Winter of 2019 for this record. 

 

[Grumpy Bear]

Continuing the transmission temperature vs air temperature chart, (upper) and fuel mileage (lower). 

 

Obviously the MPG chart for winter conditions is improving. Why? In part, I'm  cherry picking my days driving. (weather mainly wind)  The increasing the distance per drive (commitment).

 

I was on a 29 +  mpg run today returning from dad's when I ran up on a wreck that spoiled the pass. Cost me nearly 2.5 mpg all said and done.

 

Removed from top chart points that fell outside the stated conditions. 55 mph and temperature. Added now data collect inside bounds. Will continue and report as acquired.  

 

12/09/2018 late note: Just logged 2,000.2 hours. 83,641miles. 

 

 

12/13/2018 Trans temp chart update next post

 

 

 

Edited January 9, 2019 by Grumpy Bear
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[Grumpy Bear]

Adding data as conditions and time permit. Yes there is some noise in the data but the trend line holds. I expected that. Wind direction and wind speed seem to have SOME effect. A best guess is about 4 degree F head wind to tail wind up to a wind speed of about 20 mph. Any concern I had about the ability of the thermostat delete over cooling, that is unable to maintain a minimum 100 degree F floor is pretty much history. Even in temperatures around the lowest seen to date, 15 F, she can get to 100F in about 15 miles. Perhaps come spring I might add a thermostat that has a min flow bypass (something the factory 192 F stat lacked) and a floor around 145 F. 

 

 

Edited January 9, 2019 by Grumpy Bear

[CadillacLuke24]

Nice! You're getting Pepper dialed in. Being able to keep your winter MPG losses down is incredible. That lifetime average is looking great too!

 

Keep us posted on what more you may find out with Dyson reporting. Blackstone came highly recommended to me from my best friend who uses it on his Mustang. I use them every 3rd oil change, or try to at least. Clyde has a string of GLOWING reports. Quaker State Ultimate Durability at every 5k with a Purolator BOSS filter are working WONDERS 

[Grumpy Bear]

Peppers Decembers numbers are in. By year:

2016 24.6 mpg

2017 24.6 mpg

2018 26.2 mpg

This is a 7% increase over the previous two Decembers. Continuing to see relief from lower viscosity lubricants on the up front number. 0W instead of 5W or 10W. In addition to quicker heat up of transmission. Drove more miles this December over previous by just a little. Still a low traffic month. There is allot of winter left.

 

What! No graph? This one is easy to visualize, right? 

[Grumpy Bear]

Savana Illinois to Sabula Iowa on US 52 FINALLY done. This new bridge replaces an old girder open grate narrow crossing. Two semi trucks on it would trade mirrors. This one is sweet but took forever to complete. Actually it was done nearly a year ago and I got to cross is once. Then the smaller girder on the Iowa side at the end of the two mile causeway fell into the back waters. Took longer to build a bride over a creek than to complete the main bridge. Iowa was on the hook of 100% of the cost. That slows things down.

 

This bridge is the shortest route between me and my family by an hour. I am so happy it's done. I refused to take the ferry that was available. Six to a platform with inches between vehicles. Pepper is more valuable than that. I suppose now they will want to repave the causeway. Good! Just don't take a lifetime to do it. (View from Illinois south of the bridge near the ferry landing.)

 

[Grumpy Bear]

85,000 Mile Service

 

84,706 actual miles. October 16th 2018 last service so we hit it two ways. 3 months or 5K miles.

Red Line 0W20. NAPA Platinum (WIX XP). Dyson says this filter will remover more trace water. 

Rotate tires. This set may never wear out.  

Check all fluids. Good once over. All good.  

 

Older charts deleted. Updated charts below: 

I expect the fuel chart to tank these next two months. Winter finally arrived. 

 

At 85,006 miles filled up and added two cans of Berryman C12 (clean injectors) this will be it's last use. Going back to Techron. 

 

 

Edited January 19, 2019 by Grumpy Bear

[Grumpy Bear]

Berryman B12 Injector cleaner MSDS. Product recommended by Dyson: 

 

Section 3 – Composition / Information on Ingredients
 
Ingredient CAS Number Weight

Ethylbenzene 100-41-4 10-15%

Petroleum Distillates 64742-47-8 30-40%

n-Propanol 71-23-8 5-10%

Xylene (mixed isomers) 1330-20-7 40-50%

 

So Naphtha, Xylene, Rubbing Alcohol and a hint of ethylbenzene. Basic? A can of light straight run gasoline with a hint of alcohol.

 

Ethylbenzene is a chemical used mainly in styrene production. In fuel as an octane booster. Not effective to that end in this concentration dilute an once per gallon as directed. Not effective as a solvent cleaner. Even the alcohol content is so low as to be ineffective as a water scavenger.   

 

Back to Chevron Techron which contains actual detergents. 

 

Bad call Dyson. 

[Grumpy Bear]

Work Truck w/1WT 4x2 Regular Cab 6.5' Box 18 mpg city 24mpg highway 2dr Regular Side 4.3L 2WD Automatic (from EPA)

 

For whatever reason I had believed that the EPA highway cycle was done at 55 mph but according to Car and Driver it is a 48 mph test cycle. (see below article) 

 

https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a25953794/chevrolet-silverado-four-cylinder-fuel-economy-test/

 

Ergo I was happy as a clam at high tide to average for all miles driven to have a 27+ MPG average at what is my basic 55 mph trolling speed. 12% better mileage at 15% faster speed. I'm not just happy with Pepper. I'm impressed. I'd guess, and it would be a guess, that she can match the EPA 48 mph numbers at say, what,  100 KPH (62mph)?

 

Other news. Digging out from a second round of 5" snow fall and the salt trucks are rolling. Forecast has is sub zero the next few days. With but 9 days remaining in the month looks like January numbers could be pinned on just one tank of fuel. Still over 25 mpg. Just....

 

 

 

Edited January 24, 2019 by Grumpy Bear
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[swathdiver]

A buddy has a V6 Silvy like Pepper with the double cab and I tell him about your fuel economy and he tells me his is nowhere near it.  Of course, his is all stock and unless they're out of town with it, only driving a few miles each way to work and back everyday.  

 

Mine is hitting the average on E85 like the short wheelbase 2WD/4WD models, 12 mpg.

[Grumpy Bear]

3 hours ago, swathdiver said:

A buddy has a V6 Silvy like Pepper with the double cab and I tell him about your fuel economy and he tells me his is nowhere near it.  Of course, his is all stock and unless they're out of town with it, only driving a few miles each way to work and back everyday.  

 

Mine is hitting the average on E85 like the short wheelbase 2WD/4WD models, 12 mpg.

Easy to understand given his circumstances. Situation and service has allot to do with results, wouldn't you say? 

 

CCR's "Look'n out my back door" 

 

3F this morning. 

 

[KARNUT]

Easy to understand given his circumstances. Situation and service has allot to do with results, wouldn't you say? 

 

CCR's "Look'n out my back door" 

 

3F this morning. 

 

Dude, you’re retired move to Texas. Out my front door.


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[Grumpy Bear]

Wife isn't but hang on and fire up the grill,  I'll be right over. Nice house BTW. 

[Grumpy Bear]

Going to call January a done deal considering the next few days forecast. 

 

Two fills, just over one tank for the month and only 705 miles. 

 

2017   24.9 mpg

2018   23.9 mpg 

2019   26.2 mpg

 

A weather driven month indeed. 

Edited January 30, 2019 by Grumpy Bear