Marianne:

Have we considered winter gas formulation (+ % ethanol mix)? It's been known for this type of gas to actually make it into the more southern states causing all sorts of mileage drop reports. Perhaps a combination of issues relating to your last service in addition to the gas formulation could account for such a drop?
I assume that all other things remain equal including your driving attitude & regimen.



lloyd123:
Just as a side note: Depending on the type of "hybrid" failure, the HCH will continue to run for a short while but definitely not for very long at all. Also while doing so, it will likely behave like a snail and the instrument cluster will be lit like an annoying Christmas tree.

Cheers;

MSantos

Thanks for the clarification. I was just repeating some info I read somewhere else on the web - I don't have any firsthand knowledge about the HCH.

Sorry, but I believe it is physically impossible to achieve 35+ MPG at 80MPH in our cars unless you were going downhill w/ a tailwind in both directions....

Our cars are pig-butt heavy and require a lot of HP to keep it moving at that speed in choice conditions (flat road/no wind). That is why so many people pump up the tires to reduce the rolling resistance.

I would be thrilled to get 32mpg @ 80MPH on a normal highway long distance trip!!!

Relax the right foot a little.....

Most would also say that 41 mpg on a saturn sl is also not possible. The sl has an all aluminum engine and very sensitive to temperature or lack there of. Not only did I lose 6mpg but also noticed oil burning when i switched back to 5w30. The thicker grade 10w30 blew out all the piston / manifold seals. I think when you are dealing with an all aluminum engine, small 1.9 liter SOHC , any change in oil grade will have an impact. I am aware that the 5w -10w first number only represents the cold starting temperature viscosity, however the change in mileage was real also. The NAH should not be as sensitive however, going from 0w-20 to a 10w-30 will most certainly have a impact on FE

Well, I just did a 300 mile trip in my '96 Saturn SL2 Auto (which is my daily driver) with 108,000 miles on it. With 4 people in the vehicle, some luggage, and speeds between 60-65 mph, I averaged 37.3 mpg. It's running normal 5w-30 conventional oil, and does have the updated coolant temp sensor in it.

Many engines are all aluminum, with an aluminum block and head. It's very, very common on imports these days.

No, 10w-30 will not blow out the piston seals or manifold seals on a S-Series. We have people running viscosities of 5w-30 to 15w-40 on SaturnFans with no effect on the seals. Intake manifold gasket failure is quite common the 2000+ S-Series with the different manifold setup and is not related to oil.

As far as oil, Saturn S-Series 1.9L engines burn a ridiculous amount of oil, regardless of oil grade or past maintenance history. It isn't uncommon for well-maintained engines to consume 1qt/1000 miles. It doesn't seem to have an effect on durability though, as we have on guy with 515k on his 95 SL2 but consumes 1 qt every 200 miles!

Sorry for the off-topic...

Well then, something else caused my 6mpg drop in fe. And something else caused me to have to replace the manifold gasket at a cost of $1000. And something else caused the piston rings to malfunction causing the oil burning. I blamed walmart for putting in the wrong grade oil, thats when all my problems started. Thanks for your input, I am really going along with the old addage that oil is the blood of the car. Perhaps this may be a good topic for the mythbusters to try...

Please take a look at the weight difference between your Saturn and our NAH and I think you will understand!

Or I could channel Albert and have him explain the whole E=MC*C thing for ya....