[jd4010]

@HeavyAssault - Headed to Jersey hauling 16k load next week. I will order 64oz and use this for the whole trip and will report back accordingly. I hand calculate each tank and track via Fuelly......so the tool will help to confirm or bust the theory of MPG. Stay tuned....

 

[chilehed]

My daily driver is a '14 Chevy Cruze diesel. One of the instrument panel displays is average fuel economy over the last 10, 50 and 100 miles, as well as the all-time high value for each. The best 50-mile average I've ever gotten over level ground was 59.9 (tires at 50 psi; cruise control at 60; no wind; Findley, OH into SE MI), and the best all-time was 60.5 (westbound I-80 in Pennsylvania, west of the continental divide so losing elevation, cruise set to 70). Northbound I-75 coming back from Asheville, NC also consistently gets me a 50 mile average that breaks 60 mpg at some point.

The other night when I filled up I added Hotshot (5 oz in a 16 gallon tank) and drove 90 miles home from a friend's house; it's a flat drive with some rolling hills towards the end but the total elevation change is nil (southbound out of Saginaw, MI). Tires at 50, cruise at 60, no wind. I got a 60.6 mpg average over 50 miles, a new all-time record without the benefit of coming downhill out of the mountains.

That's only a 1% improvement over my previous flat-ground record (compared to the nearly 10% I saw on my F350), and I wouldn't bet the farm on it without a few back to back tests on the same day (which I'm not going to do any time soon). But even if it turns out that the Cruze sees no benefit at all, that doesn't mean that the F350 won't - the two engines could easily have different sensitivities to cetane number.

Just reporting the latest results.

 

[jclarke531]

Anyone use the Lucas Oil fuel additive?

 

[Jdaniel]

Anyone use the Lucas Oil fuel additive?

View attachment 786933

Yes… but not in my engine. Beware, it leaves skin rashes.

 

[jclarke531]

Yes… but not in my engine. Beware, it leaves skin rashes.

any reason why you don’t use it?

 

[smoke33]

I just wish the makers of fuel additive sold it in an easy measure bottle. I have a repurposed Stabil bottle I use but don’t like dealing with refilling it and it gets nasty over time and needs to be replaced.


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[GregWork]

I just wish the makers of fuel additive sold it in an easy measure bottle. I have a repurposed Stabil bottle I use but don’t like dealing with refilling it and it gets nasty over time and needs to be replaced.


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I buy small bottles in bulk and prefill them to treat half a tank.
I do it twice a year for summer and winter additives.

 

[smoke33]

I buy small bottles in bulk and prefill them to treat half a tank.
I do it twice a year for summer and winter additives.

How much do those bottles cost and how many do you go through?


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[GregWork]

One per fill up. Less than $1. You could reuse, but I toss for convenience.

 

[HeavyAssault]

any reason why you don’t use it?

I'd be sure it has no alcohol which is a HUGE problem when used in diesel fuel. Since it's a "multi-fuel" product I'd be careful.

 

[HeavyAssault]

EDIT:
See new post below

 

[chilehed]

Yesterday we hauled the camper about 250 miles to the NW corner of Michigan's Lower Penninsula. The route starts off flat but the last third or more is rolling hills that can get steep. Averaged 12.4 mpg, just shy of 10% better than what I'm used to with untreated fuel which is the same result I got unloaded.

It's getting easier for me to think that this isn't my imagination.

 

[Jdaniel]

I have ran about 30 ounces through the tank over the past 1000 miles and I’ve not noticed a difference. I filled up yesterday and put 12 ounces in the tank and drove from SC to lower Alabama and I actually got worse mileage. I usually get about 19.5 mpg on the highway and I averaged 17.8 on the highway. I’ll annotate the mileage again when I head back on Monday and see if I get any better mileage traveling with the jet stream. 😂🤣😂

 

[HeavyAssault]

ON EDIT:
Getting back to the data reporting:
I'm going to fuel up today or tomorrow so I'll have fresh info to share. I'll continue to reach back here giving the latest fuel numbers I'm seeing while using this product. Not to mention if there's any other significant observations as I continue forward. I'll use the EDIT function to update this post.

Nothing has significantly changed in my driving style, local area weather conditions, traffic, etc etc etc. As usual any High Pressure weather system tends to making driving SO much fun.

#1
So here's my data from the fill up. I use the Fuelly App to track the data and make updates. I did use the AC a bit more than normal during this interval. Nothing out of the ordinary in the big scheme of things. I don't idle long unless it's traffic or whatever. No towing, no significant loads in the bed. Just my normal routine and driving.

Miles Driven: 537.90 // 553.55 by stand alone GPS
Fuel Used/Filled: 31.9 gallons by dash display // 30.370 gallons fueled to the cap
MPGs calculated: Fuelly 17.71 MPG // 537.90 miles / 30.370 gallons

So my dash display shows 16.8 MPG...537.9 miles / 31.9 gallons >> You could say 553.55 miles / 30.370 gallons for 18.22 MPG
The "spread" is quite a bit I know. Which is interesting to say the least but when you look at the hard data points...you see why I track all the info. I see where Ford calculates the MPG, I see where Fuelly calculates the data, then I use the GPS miles with the actual fuel added to get the other MPG number.

Notes: I use a small stand along GPS to double check speed (MPH), miles driven, along with a few other data points. Generally speaking I always fuel to the point I see fuel at the cap. This is the best way for me to be sure I fuel up the "same way" every time.
Gallons Used by the dash along with the Miles Driven to tend to always be off from my other data points. Why?? I suspect Ford's math tends to be a tad off based on the tire size that can vary by brand. My MPH displayed is always on point with the GPS within 1 MPH of those stupid flashing YOUR SPEED signs.
So my tire size choices aren't creating any significant difference to the data other than what's on the dash display. My GPS tends to always be spot on, so I just collect both data items to share along with the fuel used data. Why there's like a 3% difference in Miles Driven between the dash and GPS I really can't say other than Ford's algorithm is just to broad to help makeup for aftermarket tires.

 

[Jdaniel]

Just got back from my trip to UCLA (ugly corner of lower Alabama). The trip total was 433 miles and the truck reported closer to what I’m used to seeing which is 19.2 mpg but after filling up and doing the math, I got an actual of 18.9. Not sure if I had a headwind heading to Alabama or what but I’ll be going back at the end of October… so that will be the tell tale.

19 mpg isn’t bad for a 9000 lb truck lifted on 35” tires. If only I could get 19 mpg while towing my 5er that would be GREAT.

 

[The Evil Twin]

Well, towing season is over for me so when I can find some ill join the experiment. Went to Advance Auto today (had $40 in Speed Perks) but they were out. They were also out of all but 3 grease types! WTF?!? Grease is in short supply?!?
Anyway. Will be on the lookout for some.

 

[jd4010]

As promised, here are the results from my recent trip and using Howe's Diesel Defender:

Miles: 1,083
Cruise set to 64 MPH
Hauling: 16k# 5th wheel
Fuel consumed: 108.745 gallons
MPG: 9.95 MPG

For comparison previous trip w/o Howe's:

Miles: 1416
Cruise set to 64 MPH
Hauling: 16k# 5th wheel
Fuel consumed: 143.622 gallons
MPG: 9.859

MPG gain with Howe's: 1%
64oz of Howe's: $19.16
Cost per oz: $0.30 which treats 5 gallons
Cost of Howe's for recent trip: $6.52
Fuel savings for recent trip: 1.20 gallons @ 5.499/gallon = $6.59
Fuel savings less cost of Howe's: $6.59 - $6.52 = 7 cents

So my savings was a whopping 7 cents for this trip. Now of course there are always variables at play like head winds, traffic, etc but using the bare bones numbers, I don't see material cost savings with Howe's.

For me, I'll stick with my concoction of Stanadyne Lubricity and Ford PM22 mixture. Of course your mileage may vary.

 

[Msp079]

I have been running Rev-X combined with TC-W3 2 stroke motor oil that I buy at Walmart. Been using this combo for ever in 7.3s, Cummins motors, and now in the 6.7 Powerstroke. Reason for doing this also is to keep my CP4.2 pump happy with the extra lubricants. So far so good....I run a long bed dually and get 15.0-15.2 mpg give or take.

 

[HeavyAssault]

Update #2 :
My most recent fill up will seem unusual. It's based off a vacation trip to the OBX which tends to be lower HWY speed traveling ( under 65MPH) along with some longer "slow speed" driving in the 30-55 MPH range. So for a trip down, driving around, trip back, and a little "at home" driving here's the numbers.

Miles Driven: 601.4 // 618.34 by stand alone GPS
Fuel Used/Filled: 31.5 gallons by dash display // 29.709 gallons fueled to the cap
MPGs calculated: Fuelly 20.24 MPG // 601.4 miles / 29.709 gallons

I was sort of shocked to hit 600+ miles but with the OBX trip lower traveling/driving speeds it didn't seem all that unusual.
It just tells me I tend to drive faster any other time.

 

[Msp079]

Update #2 :
My most recent fill up will seem unusual. It's based off a vacation trip to the OBX which tends to be lower HWY speed traveling ( under 65MPH) along with some longer "slow speed" driving in the 30-55 MPH range. So for a trip down, driving around, trip back, and a little "at home" driving here's the numbers.

Miles Driven: 601.4 // 618.34 by stand alone GPS
Fuel Used/Filled: 31.5 gallons by dash display // 29.709 gallons fueled to the cap
MPGs calculated: Fuelly 20.24 MPG // 601.4 miles / 29.709 gallons

I was sort of shocked to hit 600+ miles but with the OBX trip lower traveling/driving speeds it didn't seem all that unusual.
It just tells me I tend to drive faster any other time.

Are you running Stock or Deleted?