Winter Vs Summer MPG on newer vehicles

[rusty ol ranger]

We used to get way more poor mileage complaints in the winter and they increased dramatically when remote starts appeared. Some customers refused to believe that their car got zero miles per gallon when it sat idling. One of the dealer's hunting buddies would often stop and visit for 30-45 minutes while his truck idled in front of the showroom and complained about loss of mpg. He grudgingly agreed to shut it off while visiting for 1 tank of gas to see if it made a difference. He never complained about it again, never told me I was right, and went back to leaving it idling. A cold truck bothered him more than less mileage.
Alcohol in the gas hurts mileage regardless of season, winter blend gas hurts mileage, snow tires hurt mileage, cold, thick gear oil hurts mileage, idling hurts mileage, driving on slushy, snowy roads hurts mileage, tire pressue loss from cold temps hurts mileage.
I check my tires a little more often in the winter. If my Escape didn't track average mileage, I wouldn't even check in during the winter months.

I think the fact my jeep has the MPG readout also throws off my perception.

Just seemed more drastic then i had noticed before with older vehicles

 

[scotts90ranger]

Combined with everything stated, the colder denser air also makes more power so you might be using the extra power which uses more gas... combine it all, mix it up and it's about what it is

 

[DRanger024]

Mine calls for that 0w20 stuff. Since its under max care ive been having dealer change it. Id be nervous about messing with weights on an engine with VVT

Ford does the oil in both F150’s. The Ranger is almost 30 years old. It’s just happy to have oil in it.

 

[sgtsandman]

I think the fact my jeep has the MPG readout also throws off my perception.

Just seemed more drastic then i had noticed before with older vehicles

Those MPG read outs are inacurate and near useless as far as gauging what the real MPG your vehicle is getting. With enough time, you can use it as a gauge to give you a general idea how you're using fuel but that is about it.

 

[19Walt93]

Speaking of oil, when I had my 4.0 sohc 2011 I tried Mobil one and the mileage improved enough to justify the extra cost as long as gas was $2.80 a gallon or more. A less Rube Goldberg engine would probably notice less difference.