New member; few options?

[euromodder]

Dire situations
The flipside of the American dream ...

I hope things will work out for her when she starts the new job.

[dopplereffect98]

For a while now I've been thinking of converting an airport shuttle or hotel shuttle into a homemade RV. Look at Steves_Van_Conversion for ideas on modding the inside of the van for when times get tough. Other links on cheaprvliving.com cover everyday living in vans, laundry, cooking...etc. Lots of people on a budget on that site so a lot of the ideas may be dooable for your friend, also check out vandwellers.org. During a skiing trip I found out this style of living is very popular in Colorado and could be in other places too. HTH. -Ryan

[dopplereffect98]

Maybe I've got this wrong (I'm no mechanic) but, I'd be careful before putting such a low weight (0W20) oil in your vehicle; sure it'll be easier for the engine to move but with older vehicles I think you really do need the lubrication that a heavier (read: heavier than 0W, not heavy) oil provides.

[Midnight Drifter]

Ford spec'd 5W-20 as a safe oil to use and placed it on the factory cap of all 2003 and up Vulcans. Nothing was changed on the engine's oiling system to accommodate the new spec.

I just know the Rotella T 15W-40 that's sitting in the crankcase now probably brings a little bit of drag with it.

[JRMichler]

If Ford spec'd 5W20, then 0W20 should work just fine. The 0W rating is cold viscosity, the 20 rating is hot viscosity. She will have less drag with the engine cold, same drag with the engine hot. You do not want to reduce the hot viscosity - that's what keeps the cam lobes from getting destroyed.

If her driving is in the 40 MPH range, I'd check the AT torque converter lockup speed. The most economical speed is the lowest speed where the torque converter stays locked up.

Study up on DWL and DWB. Those will do more for mileage than aero improvements.