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Message started by jassi on 11/21/11 at 19:21:29

Title: Confused?? changed oil and mileage dropped WHY??
Post by jassi on 11/21/11 at 19:21:29

Guys..
Need ur expert advice on something that is baffling me..
I m not an engine expert by any measure..and i decided to change engine oil on my 2006 Suzuki Savage and i used the MOBIL 1 RACING 4T 10W-40 4-CYLE MOTORCYCLE OIL..
Not sure if i did the right thing but since thenthe mileage has dropped from llike 55 to around 40..
Not sure if coincidentally bad gas or did i use the wrong oil??
NEED YOUR HELP.
Will appreciate information

Title: Re: Confused?? changed oil and mileage dropped WHY
Post by verslagen1 on 11/21/11 at 19:32:32

Oil's ok

check to see if you knocked off the vac hose or something

Title: Re: Confused?? changed oil and mileage dropped WHY
Post by Oldfeller on 11/21/11 at 19:39:42

Mobil 1 has been lambasted a couple of times in the last 2 years for changing their old successful oil formulations on several of their products and not telling anyone until folks started oil testing the "failures" and asking questions ....

Just keep this in mind as you roll forward.

This is only a suggestion and it is in the nature of an experiment. Run the oil until your next oil change and keep written track of your miles per gallon. Some find that a new sump of oil requires "break in miles" especially after an oil change to a new brand, so your mileage may creep back up for you.

Then next oil change try some known good Savage full synthetic motorcycle oils, Rotella Syn 5w40 being what I personally use and some here on the list claim increased mileage and smoother shifting using it in stock motors

(my motor ain't stock by a good bit, so I cannot say much about the mileage I get 'cept it is really really bad for several know intentional good reasons)

What oil did you use before? What oil did you change over from?

Verslagen, if he is running a vac petcock and knocked his vac hose off ...

1) would it run at all once the bowl went dry?

2) does this class as "yet another vac petcock failure mode" for the failure modes lists ??

============== Required Statement of Potential Oil War Risks

Earl, zat you, buddy? Hey, whut's that tickin' sound a commin' frum at yer feet? Why are your boot soles a tickin' & a leaking smoke all angry like?

Title: Re: Confused?? changed oil and mileage dropped WHY
Post by Routy on 11/22/11 at 05:00:52

You can think anything you want to, but the oil did not cause that change in mpg,.....trust me.

If you really did have a drop from 55 to 40,....on the same bike,....under all the same conditions, you have a serious problem,......trust me on that too !

It is easy for one bike and rider to get 40, and another bike and rider to get 55. But you can bet your last $ it won't be under the all the same conditions.

Title: Re: Confused?? changed oil and mileage dropped WHY
Post by arteacher on 11/22/11 at 06:06:18

Clutch slipping?

Title: Re: Confused?? changed oil and mileage dropped WHY
Post by Oldfeller on 11/22/11 at 07:22:29

If you do mileage calculations, be careful to record both the miles that you get and the fuel you put in -- expect variations due to road and wrist action.

I actually wrote a spreadsheet to do mine for me, just plug in the two numbers for this fill up and it would calculate the miles ridden from the last fill up and apply the gasoline needed to get to a full tank (gas used) for this same period.

I learned a lot about my own personal "road and wrist" and the resulting gas mileage that I get varies a lot according to where I am going and how fast I want to get there. I am the major cause of variation. Your 10 mpg change that you are chasing falls easily within my personal road and wrist range of variation.

I bet the gas mileage variation you have seen is the same thing, unless (like Verslagen said) your vac petcock is misbehaving on you again.

;D He put some racin' oil in his bike, whut did you think he did wid his wrist?

Title: Re: Confused?? changed oil and mileage dropped WHY
Post by Boule’tard on 11/22/11 at 07:44:53

A few random thoughts that might help explain the loss of mpg:

New oil has its full rated viscosity which puts the most drag on your engine parts. Old oil is generally thinner. This is comparing oils of the same starting weight, i.e. 20W50.

If you went from 10W30 to 10W40 (or any higher weight) that would also reduce mpg.

The weather's cooling off, perhaps that also affected the average thickness when running. Short trips make this worse because the engine spends very little time at full operating temp.

How many tanks are you basing the mpg on? If only one or two.. that just could just be one particular gas pump (or tank of gas, or an inconsistent fill).

I would not worry about the loss of mpg being caused by the oil.. it's either an error or will resolve itself.

Title: Re: Confused?? changed oil and mileage dropped WHY
Post by Oldfeller on 11/22/11 at 08:20:58

Jassi, are you still there buddy?

Just pick up one foot and move it off the land mine, then wait a few minutes and gently move the other one.

If it ain't blowed up into an oil war yet, it ain't ever gonna do it.

Folks is being nice fer the Thanksgiving season.

Type something so we know you are still there ....

Title: Re: Confused?? changed oil and mileage dropped WHY
Post by verslagen1 on 11/22/11 at 08:49:41

The next question would be... how much oil did you put in?

Too much could blow out the breather tube and clog the air filter.
Sending your mpg into the crapper.

Title: Re: Confused?? changed oil and mileage dropped WHY
Post by royblueboy on 11/22/11 at 15:33:15

I buy my 92 octane (no ethenol) five gal at a time. I fill up at home and measure the amount it takes . I usually get 55 to 60 mpg. I do not beleive that the oil makes that much difference. good luck.

Title: Re: Confused?? changed oil and mileage dropped WHY
Post by justin_o_guy2 on 11/22/11 at 16:03:42

Am I noticing a pattern? We had the ridiculous symptoms in the "I Need HELP' thread.. now, some guy loses 15 MPG on an oil change? Gimme a break,,

Title: Re: Confused?? changed oil and mileage dropped WHY
Post by Oldfeller on 11/22/11 at 17:50:12

Justin, the wise older list member waits patently until page #7 of a 6 page long shifting symptom witch hunt before he calls bovine droppings on it ....

He also looks at the last 25 posts from the poster to see if he has any other existence beyond the symptomatic thread.

In this case, let the boy gently step off the land mine and escape with his pants legs (and feet) intact. He is a newbie who posts in the same manner on other threads. He just happened to ask an interesting question on a potentially sore topic.

Yes, I think he saw a 10-15 mph variance from normal -- but I can churn out a 20 mpg difference at will from when I am slow cruising in 5th gear near the speed limit to when I am playing "mountain roads" with the Dragon crew.

And who knows, mebbe his Mobile 1 stuff actually got changed recently -- who knows with Mobil any more since they jerked out the ZDDP and partially replaced it with micron fine moly powder and Teflon ......

And he never did say what he used for oil previously.

Title: Re: Confused?? changed oil and mileage dropped WHY
Post by justin_o_guy2 on 11/22/11 at 18:23:53

Im just a grumpy ol man,, &, there are some who have accused me of being a cynic..Naaah, they are wrong, Im just experienced & I no longer expect much out of people,..

Title: Re: Confused?? changed oil and mileage dropped WHY
Post by Boofer on 11/22/11 at 18:55:42

Justin, I appreciate your lowered expectations of me. I was getting so tired of being perfect. Happy Thanksgiving, you old coot. ;D

Title: Re: Confused?? changed oil and mileage dropped WHY
Post by Oldfeller on 11/22/11 at 20:08:54

Yeah, Happy Thanksgiving to all you cynical old coots, even them wrong headed ones who love vac petcocks and Seafoam and Klotz .....

:)