MPG by BRAND TEST 2008 Tahoe 6.0L v8.. (REAL World tests)

[Tahoe_Hybrid]

Test vehicle: 2008 Chevy Tahoe 6.0L v8 Hybrid
with Active Fuel Management V4 With: VVT

Using 91 Octane


It's fair to test a 6.0L v8 That is the only way to know if your getting the best BANG for you buck...


Testing method will be real WORLD conditions because we don't use our cars on a tread mill or in a lab or driven by computers



throttle will be used genital to keep Active fuel management on as much as possible (aka v4) CC maybe used based on REAL current ROAD Conditions (so if there is a lot of traffic it will not be used)

SPEED will be set to 59MPH on (cruse control)
which I found to be the optimal speed (MPH to MPG ratio)



I have been Testing different Fuel brands
1 month test for each

to put it this way CHEAPER or even TOP Tier Fuels
will not give you the best bang for your buck..


Yes they might be 5-10c cheaper
then Chevron/Texaco .

I average 25-26 MPG Combined* with Chevron with Techron Fuel..

(*my city speeds between 45MPH and 60mph with traffic lights )


I will be testing soon
Mobil/Exxon Fuel Top tier brand.. Next
USA gas (by ‎Marathon Petroleum)
76 brand.. Top tier brand..





Testing will be ended on the spot if MPG under delivers or on EPA EST value..
( i can't afford to be spending too much on gas LOL)
like shell fuel did..
Top tier brands so far.
Using 91 Octane Fuel...

Shell fuel (16.1mpg City) 19.78MPG highway 18MPG combined (only 3MPG BETTER THEN THE NON-HYBRID 5.3L )
BP/Arco 21MPG combined
Chevron/Texaco 26.8MPG combined..




Based on the current MPG I expect to burn about 7.5 to 9.3 GALLONS and i 'm NOT happy with that for a 156 mile trip on have on Sunday
With the FULL tank of Shell gas



Chevron is 5.2 Gallons at 156 miles or 26.73MPG BEST 5.2-5.7 typical for 156 miles route I take


AFM is seen often in v4 mode aka Eco mode with chevron

Watch my fuelly log..
http://www.fuelly.com/car/chevrolet/...brent88/905265

[slowmover]

1). Need Engine Hours to record AVERAGE MPH per tank. (Whatever denotes drivetrain in use). If it will break down farther, all the better.

2). Get a scale reading (CAT SCALE; app). An empty vehicle doesn’t mean much, but it’s a start. (Max fuel to scale. Driver plus gear permanently kept aboard). The separate Steer and Drive Axle readings also get you on target per Load & Pressure Table to set tire pressure CORRECTLY.

3). If shock absorbers are past 40k Miles, gas charge has dissipated. Test accuracy should be with new.

4). What tires? Open or closed shoulder? P-metric or LT?

5). What geographical region of USA?

6). Description of use. Commuter? In town only or daily long distance? Are trips under 1-hour in duration, or over 3-hours?

These are basics for a comparison

[2000mc]

Before you start adding variables by testing different brands, at different pumps, at different stations, on different days and weeks. You might consider attempting to create something of a baseline of your real world conditions, with as few new variables as possible. Try to replicate the same result 3 or 4 times from the same pump, so you have some idea how much variation you will have tank to tank. Then when you goto the next pump, the ground willl be angled slightly different, the pump will click off at a different moment, so you really couldn’t compare fairly until your second tank from any given pump... I’m sure there’s more wrenches to be thrown in the gears, but as good as real world testing sounds, removing as many variables as possible makes it more likely to find actual results

[ksa8907]

Yeah, what they said. I think you should be able to show a statistically significant difference between premium and regular with daily driving, but different brands of the same grade? I would not trust any numbers you present, nothing personal just far too many variables when the likely difference would be hard to show in a lab environment.

[ksa8907]

Consider this: I work around the corner from a marathon gasoline pipeline. There are MANY different brand trucks getting their gas from the same pipeline. Another 15 miles north there is a Countrymark pipeline that again, supplies far more than just one or two brands.

I would bet what plays a bigger role in fuel quality/performance is the age of the underground tank.

[mpg_numbers_guy]

Weather will also skew your results, unless you wait one year between tests and only test if the weather is the exact same.

[Tahoe_Hybrid]

Originally Posted by slowmover

1). Need Engine Hours to record AVERAGE MPH per tank. (Whatever denotes drivetrain in use). If it will break down farther, all the better.

2). Get a scale reading (CAT SCALE; app). An empty vehicle doesn’t mean much, but it’s a start. (Max fuel to scale. Driver plus gear permanently kept aboard). The separate Steer and Drive Axle readings also get you on target per Load & Pressure Table to set tire pressure CORRECTLY.

3). If shock absorbers are past 40k Miles, gas charge has dissipated. Test accuracy should be with new.

4). What tires? Open or closed shoulder? P-metric or LT?

5). What geographical region of USA?

6). Description of use. Commuter? In town only or daily long distance? Are trips under 1-hour in duration, or over 3-hours?

These are basics for a comparison

89k miles

Bridgestone Dueler A/T Revo2 P265-60-18 stock size 40psi hot

so-cal


Engine Hours don't count when in 'Auto Stop' it has been verified not to count it...
88,953 miles
Averaged 65.03MPH with current Hour Count 1367.8 (see how off it is)


mostly City use(40-60MPH speed limits) and 160miles highway once a week..


this is my daily driver....


I try and take the 40-45mph roads because I can Cruse control it 41MPH is the IDEAL sweet spot MPG to SPEED Ratio it's 1 to 1 ratio..

I can't seem to get into Econ mode with Shell fuel aka Active fuel management it just does not make enough power to stay in v4 mode which will GET me the best mpg....


this is a noted issue with Arco as well... No econ mode..


Oil Consumption None 2500 miles into oil change
all using 91 octane fuel (to be fair)

[Tahoe_Hybrid]

Originally Posted by 2000mc

Before you start adding variables by testing different brands, at different pumps, at different stations, on different days and weeks. You might consider attempting to create something of a baseline of your real world conditions, with as few new variables as possible. Try to replicate the same result 3 or 4 times from the same pump, so you have some idea how much variation you will have tank to tank. Then when you goto the next pump, the ground willl be angled slightly different, the pump will click off at a different moment, so you really couldn’t compare fairly until your second tank from any given pump... I’m sure there’s more wrenches to be thrown in the gears, but as good as real world testing sounds, removing as many variables as possible makes it more likely to find actual results

I can;t even get Eco mode v4 with Acro or Shell fuel

and Arco is moving a lot of fuel
as well as the two shells I tried

exactly how will I get good MPG if i'm always in V8 mode... even with a tail wind

Weather on the June 23th will have favorable conditions.....

[slowmover]

Average MPH (odometer divided by run time) sure is handy way to “see” results. Irritating that the Hybrid Tahoe looks to make that difficult.

As a rule of thumb, anything under 26-mph means too much idle time. Conversely, get the average up into the 30’s and now one is on track.

One of the reasons I bought my pickup despite high miles was that the business owner averaged 47-mph. That means he pretty much didn’t stop except for diesel and cigarettes. It’s an exceptionally high average, one associated with full time highway travel. Fit his business.

Given that he was likely consistent and seeing 20-mpg (minimum; my average is 24+) the odometer miles translates then into gallons-consumed (another measure of life expectancy besides hours).

Comparisons to others are a start. Research. FUELLY. As living in Southern CA is fairly unique as to climate, look for others in area (with my TT I looked for same design, size & weight [a range], plus truck brand/spec/year, and then compared my rig against others in the South Central US where owners reported running same approx speed. Indeed, my truck averaged same as theirs. More than a dozen good comps.

Engine design life is: miles or hours or gallons. The second set against the first is the most reliable for a non-stationary vehicle.

Tire & brake wear are harder to quantify, though they are indicators. The AT2 is hurting economy. Not as bad as some tires, but money is being left on table. (Closed shoulder highest. A solid rib around outer edge).

As before, Scale it and match pressure to actual load (so long as that isn’t below GM door sticker range). Handling, braking, steering & life will benefit.

New shocks will distinctly help. BILSTEIN 4600. High COG vehicles REALLY suffer as they age. Any transition where the body and suspension are out of synch.

The average mph isn’t about travel speed so much as it is about LOWEST IDLE TIME. Ha! What’s THAT mean on a Hybrid? Second is maximizing steady state cruise.

How you, OP, can find a way to correlate one with another is the task, IMO.

Filling the fuel tank is not realistic feedback until an average of 3-5k miles is run. Really, a full calendar year to account for seasons and non-typical driving.

.

[ksa8907]

My cts would calculate average mph, routinely saw 55mph average and even got above 60mph average on a tank once.