Hi all,
I just had a little question - would warming up my hch for 1-2 minutes on idle in the morning help improve mpg for the first 5-10 minutes of my trip? I park outside, so the car gets pretty cold overnight. Also, my first 5 minutes of driving are stark uphill - with 50% assist and revs around 2800-3000 rpm - i cant go much slower because most cars gun that route at 50 mph while I poke around at 35-40 mph.

i know that warming the car up doesnt make sense for FE when your initial route is mostly flat - because then it's just like sitting at a stoplight wasting gas and getting 0 mpg - but because I have to go uphill for the first part of my route, i thought maybe warming the engine up would produce better mpg that would perhaps make up for the initial gas used. correct me if i'm totally wrong.

i havn't tried this yet, but i know whenever i hit both stoplights when they're red around the top of hill and wait without autostop (because the engine is still too cold to shut off) i always get better mileage - 51 instead of 48 mpg by the end of my round trip.

 

While I'm no Civic expert, I've never heard of warmups or idling helping fuel economy. The engine has to warm up, no way around that. If you're moving, at least you get some useful work during warmup. Low MPG is better than No MPG! Plus, idiling only warms the engine, all the cars other components (transmission, drivetrain, etc) warm up only with motion. Modern engines warm up best best while driven (gently). They probably don't like hard acceleration or going 65MPH until they wake up, but wake up faster by getting out of bed!

 

thanks - i'll just hop in the car and go without warming it up - though it pains me to hear the engine strain uphill when its still cold :X oh well

theres no way around it - another route would add 15-20 minutes to my trip, which is currently 25 minutes one way - though the alternate, longer route would yield better mileage, it would use more gas because the engine is running longer.

 

With a cold morning uphill high rpm startup, I would AS SOON AS POSSIBLE switch to a high flow Synthetic motor oil, if you do not already have it installed in your car. A high quality synthetic oil like Amsoil or Mobil 1 helps lubricate WAY better on cold startups.

 

i think my dealer uses mobil 1 synthetic

they mark "GT1" on the oil change sticker" - and i saw boxes of mobil 1 synthetic sitting in the service room - so that's got to be what they use

 

What is the Hondaline 0w20 oil? Is that really Mobil 1, or is it made by someone else, and is dino oil?

 

far as I can tell from researching a few sites, all 0w20 is synthetic. I don't know if Mobil 1 is the line Honda uses. If there's a difference in quality anyone knows of between what you get at the dealer and other 0w20, please say so.

 

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Syn Timeline


Historical Facts(borrowed from wayback machine since synlube website was down)

1877
C. Friedler and J.M. Crafts synthesize the first "synthetic" hydrocarbons.

1913
Friedrich Bergius in Germany develops Hydrogenation process for production of synthetic oil from coal dust

1921
Standard Oil in USA produces one barrel of synthetic oil from one ton of shale rock

1921
Friedrich Bergius in Germany develops commercial process for hydrogenation of coal to synthetic oil

1925
In Germany Franz Fisher and Hans Tropsch develop Synthetic Oil industrial production process

1926
I.G. Farben acquired the patent rights to the Bergius hydrogenation process for production of synthetic oil from coal

1927
I.G. Farben's Leuna works start synthetic oil production

1929
Standard Oil of Indiana makes the first attempt at commercial development of synthetic hydrocarbons

Many gallons of synthetic oil were made by polymerization of different olefins.

1930-34
Union Carbide and Carbon Corp develop and investigate the applications of water soluble Polyalkylene Glycol (PAG)

1931
Nobel Prize for Chemistry:
Friedrich Bergius & Carl Bosch

Invention and development of chemical high pressure methods (used for synthetic oil production)

1932
I.G. Farben investment into synthetic fuels production from coal

1936
Adolf Hitler in Germany starts Major synthetic fuels and oil program

1937
First Polyalphaolefins were synthesized

1939
Fischer-Tropsh process that used carbon monoxide and hydrogen to make synthetic oils and fuels was commercialized in Germany

1942-45
PAG synthetic oils used in fleets and commercial vehicles

1944-1954
10% of German supply of lubricating oil is "synthetic", made by using three different processes

1944
US Army aircraft operating in Alaska and Canada use PAG engine oils

1944-45
The idea of using colloidal solids in synthetic fluids for lubrication of the first jet engines is tested and researched in Germany

1946
National Carbide Company, Inc. markets the "First" commercial PAG engine oils

Prestone Motor Oil

1946
New York Power & Light Corp uses PAG engine oils in variety of their commercial vehicles.

1942-1955
Diester oils used in turbine engines because Petroleum oil simply was inadequate to meet the demands of these engines.

1962
Texaco produces Synthetic Aircraft Turbine Oil

1962-66
U.S. Army experiences significant problems in operating vehicles and equipment in Alaska with
MIL-L-10295 Lubricating Oil.

1965
Mobil introduces fully synthetic grease

1966
First Syn! Synthetic Super Lubricants produced in Canada

1966
Motul introduces first semi-synthetic motor oil in France

1968

U.S. Army develops MIL-L-46167 specification, which can be satisfied only with PAO synthetic oil

1969
SynLube Company is formed in Vancouver, B.C. Canada – it’s specialty the first "syn-sol".

1970’s
Arab Oil embargo prompts interest in "synthetic" oils

1971
Motul in France introduces first all-synthetic oil in Europe

1972
AMSOIL is formed and markets re-labeled MIL specification oils to motoring public through multi-level "pyramid" type organization.

1974
Mobil test markets Mobil 1 synthetic SAE 5W-20 "synthesized engine lubricant"

1976
Mobil 1 goes national in USA and changes the product description to "synthetic" motor oil

1980
Mobil introduces second generation synthetic motor oil Mobil 1 available as SAE 5W-30 and 15W-50

1982
SynLube in Canada produces first SAE 5W-50 all synthetic motor oil

1984
Agip in Italy introduces synthetic motor oil SAE 10W-50

1985
U.S. Army uses the MIL-L-46167 lubes in other than arctic conditions.

1986
Mobil only in Europe introduces Rally Formula Mobil 1 synthetic motor oil SAE 5W-50

1990
Quaker State introduces line of Synquest synthetic lubricants: grease NLGI No.2 GC-LB, motor oil SAE 5W-50 and gear oil SAE 75W-90

1990
SynLube opens sales office in Las Vegas, Nevada USA

1990
Chevron introduces synthetic motor oil

SAE 5W-30 and 5W-50

1992
Mobil introduces Advanced Formula Mobil 1 motor oil SAE 5W-30, 10W-30 and 15W-50

1992
Formulation of first SAE 0W-60 motor oil in Germany

1992
Valvoline introduces synthetic motor oil

SAE 5W-30, 10W-30 and 20W-50

1992
CASTROL introduces Syntec SAE 5W-50 motor oil based on PAO

1993
Texaco introduces Havoline Synthetic motor oil SAE 5W-40

1993
Pennzoil introduces Performax synthetic motor oil SAE 5W-50

1993
Sunoco introduces DynaTech synthetic engine oils SAE 20W-50 and 5W-40

1993
Sta-Lube launches marketing of synthetic gear oils and synthetic industrial grease

1994
Pep Boys starts selling synthetic motor oil under their own brand name

SAE 5W-30, 10W-30 and 20W-50

1994
Petrolon introduces synthetic motor oil under Slick 50 brand name

1994
Synthoil starts marketing of SAE 10W-30 synthetic motor oil

1992
CASTROL reformulates Syntec motor oils with API Group III (petroleum) base stock from Shell

1996
SynLube introduces SynLube™ Lube-4-Life ®
"The FIRST oil you do NOT change" !

1999
Mobil introduces Mobil 1 "Tri-synthetic" version of their motor oil

1999
NAD rules that hydroisomerized base oils (Group III) can be classified as "synthetic oils"

1999
Exxon and Mobil merges to ExxonMobil.

2000
Mobil 1 introduces Synthetic-Blend motor oil

2002
Mobil 1 introduces Synthetic motor oil with SuperSyn

 

"Syn Timeline"

Hoo boy, there are just too many puns to pass up here. Something about the "seven deadly syns," or "syn city," or government institution of yet another "syn tax".

Sorry, I will crawl back into my hole now...

 

I was going to comment on a newbie's nickname, but....

iron lung breathing

{gasp! choking}