Odd Oil Consumption Experience

[spooltime]

Just curious about oil consumption.  My Cayenne is a daily driver commuter vehicle with lots of stop and go driving.  I probably add a quart in total every 800 - 1,000 miles.  So in planning for a trip, I packed 2 quarts and figured that would cover me for the 1,700 mile round trip.

 

I checked the oil at my destination and it was barely down at all, so I didn't add anything.  After returning home last night after the second segment of the trip, I checked it again this morning and it was down only just a tad on the dipstick.  Maybe only 4 or 5 OUNCES (not quarts) of consumption over a 1,700 mile trip averaging about 70 - 75 MPH.

 

Obviously, I was happy and am feeling really good about the condition of my 95K engine, but I simply couldn't believe the difference in consumption between in-city driving and steady state interstate driving.  What would account for the difference in oil consumption? Anyone have some thoughts?

[hahnmgh63]

I've also got a '06 CTTS and it reacts just like you say. Short commuter trips (22mi each way) and it uses a fair amount of oil. Drive a long distance and almost no useage.  I've heard similar results from other CTT owners so it is fairly normal.

[clarksongli]

oil consumption is related to ring seal....

 

i agree with hahnmgh63.....the problem with short low throttle driving is you tend to build deposits in the ring lands and sometimes can cause the scraper rings to hang up.

 

Longer rides tend to run a more stable AFR helping clean up those deposits.  The other thing that helps are power bursts at higher RPMs.

 

That being said....(knock on woood) but i drive stop and go and i burn exactly 1 quart every 5k miles.....somehow i've always been way less than most others and even what the manual says.....i have 115k on the clock these days too.

 

Must of had a good break in...

[jagman1]

I've had similar experiences based on trip length. I've also noticed that cold weather, and the brand of oil I use matters too. With Pentosin and Motül oil I burn more. With Mobil 1 I burn less. I average 1 qt every 2K miles.

I also burn more in sustained high speed driving. Autobahn cruising at 100-140 mph ups my consumption too.

[spooltime]

Autobahn cruising at 100-140 mph ups my consumption too.

 

Wish I could have this problem, but the law enforcement types would not be pleased with those kinds of speeds. :cheers: