Quote:
Originally Posted by TheSpoils
I'm sure this issue has come up already, but I am too lazy to find it.
My dealer said I should change the synthetic 0w-20 every 4500 miles. Honestly, I have not reviewed the manual but that seems too soon. As a matter of numbers lets estimate that standard Nissan Altima 2.5L engine can provide an average of 30mpg combined highway + city http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/FEG20...neVehicles.pdf, on the NAH we are averaging say 40 mpg. My assumption is that, the 25% better fuel economy is due to the electric motors of the hybrid system. During the driving time that the ice is not "on" I will assume that the oil is not being deteriorated. So if I have driven a total of 4,000 miles, the ice has only been operating for about 3,000 miles, the other 1,000 miles came from the electric motors. My theory is that the actual miles driven are not the actual miles on the ice, so the oil change frequency should be adjusted for such. Any one of you math geniuses out there can please review my theory and my math.  |
This is a very interesting theory, though I think that the percentage the ice is not on is a lot smaller than 25%... For me, the trip computer calculates 39.5mpg when on the highway cruising at 60mph for about 50 miles... During that time the ice is on all the time, and yet the economy is pretty close to 40.
The factor that I am most curious about though is the price difference between regular and synthetic oil vs. the miles you can drive with each before having to change it.
For example, if synthetic oil was twice as expensive, I would expect to be able to go twice as long on it before changing it - otherwise, whats the benefit of using synthetic oil? If it gives me 10% better fuel economy and an extra 2K miles, but I end up paying $30 more for it over regular, in the end it is still a net negative...