Your fuel sucks (apparently)

[faffi]

Well worth watching if you want to learn about fuels and how they affect your engine - and oil.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fu7PlRsqMyA

[Dirk_S]

Glad to see another person turned onto Lake Speed, Jr. There were a couple threads where I dropped his name and channel and simply got crickets. I’ve learned quite a bit from that guy.

[SIR REAL ED]

Good video. 

It authoritatively debunks the popular internet phrase "I think the engineers know best!" which is always spouted by people who have no clue what the priorities/marching orders of the engineers were at the time the specifications were created.

Longer engine life, longer catalytic converter life, better gas milage, lower emissions, lots of contradictory goals.

What the customer wants often contradicts the original design intent.

[ridingron]

I think there are some engineers that know best. However, a consumer product's final state is controlled quite a bit by the lawyers and the manufacturing people.

[SIR REAL ED]

I think there are some engineers that know best. However, a consumer product's final state is controlled quite a bit by the lawyers and the manufacturing people.

Exactly!  And also controlled by the buying public!  Most products will last longer than most consumers are interested in owning them.

As Lake Speed noted: The OEM's lowered the anti-wear additives in the oil, to make the catalytic converters last longer, at the expense of engine wear.  The engine will last longer than the owner will own the vehicle, but if the owner has to replace a catalytic converter while they still own the vehicle, that will be looked upon as "equipment failure!"

"Those stupid Engineers don't know their butt from third base!  My catalytic converter died at 80,000 miles!!!"

My point was the criticism of the Monday morning quarterbacks who have zero knowledge of the original game plan.

Almost everyone would like 2 more miles per gallon, and would not care if the cost was an engine that would only last 150,000 miles instead of 250,000 miles.

[Tusayan]

Almost everyone would like 2 more miles per gallon, and would not care if the cost was an engine that would only last 150,000 miles instead of 250,000 miles and its low stress fun when you have a replacement already on hand.

Speaking as a guy with a car I bought new in 2017 that has literally 152,000 miles and is running like new, I take issue with that view.  I’ve already bought the replacement car to be ready, it’s 4 years newer but the same model with super low miles. The plan is to extract every mile possible from car #1 in commuting etc duty until I start adding significant miles on car #2.  My goal is (you guessed it) 250,000 miles and it’s low stress fun when you already have a replacement on hand.

I use ‘world spec’ oil in both of them, not US spec fuel economy enhancing oil. The manual lists both.

[SIR REAL ED]

Speaking as a guy with a car I bought new in 2017 that has literally 152,000 miles and is running like new, I take issue with that view.  I’ve already bought the replacement car to be ready, it’s 4 years newer but the same model with super low miles. The plan is to extract every mile possible from car #1 in commuting etc duty until I start adding significant miles on car #2.  My goal is (you guessed it) 250,000 miles and it’s low stress fun when you already have a replacement on hand.

I use ‘world spec’ oil in both of them, not US spec fuel economy enhancing oil. The manual lists both.

We share similar automotive philosophies. 

All of my 4 wheel road vehicles are over 22 years old.  I recently bought a one owner 2003 Honda CR-V with 53,000 miles as an eventual replacement for my 2003 Honda Element with 170,000 miles.  The only flaw in the plan will be if the Element outlasts the parts availability for both vehicles.

My wife's 2000 Jeep Cherokee (which we bought new) has 240,000 miles.  She loves it and wants to drive it forever.  As long as parts are available, that should be possible for $500-1000 a year in preventive maintenance.

My 2002 truck has 64,000 miles and only gets driven 4,000 miles a year.  It won't wear out in my life time.

Obviously, we don't fit into the category of "almost everyone."

People on the internet think the OEM's specify oil type for maximum engine life.  But there are lots of other factors involved.  Some are more important to the OEM's than maximum engine life.
 

[Perazzimx14]

I think we need to watch the video with aluminium foil hats on. Compare vehicles from a few decade there were rebuildable (and needed to be) to today's vehicles with planned obsolescence built into them that only last 100's of 1000's of miles and a couple decades with oil change intervals 2 to 5X longer than that was recommended from the birth of the ICE until the early 2000's and using detergent deprived fuels that is slowly choking the vehicle to death. The other thing is even ordinary cars like the Honda Civic and Camry outperform most of the muscle cars of the 60's and 70's and get 35 MPG and are gas and go. When I was in school if someone had a 300HP car it was a powerhouse that weighted like a battleship, now grandma's grocery fetter has 400HP, leather seats and is 1/2 the weight.

Dern engineers!

[MerleLowe]

I think we need to watch the video with aluminium foil hats on. Compare vehicles from a few decade there were rebuildable (and needed to be) to today's vehicles with planned obsolescence built into them that only last 100's of 1000's of miles and a couple decades with oil change intervals 2 to 5X longer than that was recommended from the birth of the ICE until the early 2000's and using detergent deprived fuels that is slowly choking the vehicle to death. The other thing is even ordinary cars like the Honda Civic and Camry outperform most of the muscle cars of the 60's and 70's and get 35 MPG and are gas and go. When I was in school if someone had a 300HP car it was a powerhouse that weighted like a battleship, now grandma's grocery fetter has 400HP, leather seats and is 1/2 the weight.

Dern engineers!

The new stuff does make more power and use less fuel, but a few hundred k miles on an engine isn't anything new.   I had two 80s GM cars with the 2.5 and each passed 200k without trouble.  I junked the Pontiac 6000 at 225k because scrap prices were crazy (got $600) and the trans started slipping, likely because it still had the 1986 ATF in it lol.  Those 3-speed transmissions were cheap to rebuild so not like today's throwaways where the trans is 8-10k on its own.  Although nearly modern, my brother's 97 F-150 went 470k with a cylinder head rebuild just before 400.  Was still running fine but the frame was rusting apart.