How Much is too Much to Pay for Economy?

Grumpy's Castle; Rainy Wednesday 13th of April --

The question of how much is too much to pay for economy entered Grumpy's mind recently. The occasion was his noting a used Toyota Camry (Hybrid!) offered for sale by another Senior Citizen -- or so the ad said. Grumpy has been pondering the situation of the Grand Mother and Grumpy travelling to the Midwest (and possibly beyond), and thought "how much more pleasant to ride in the relative quiet of a Rolls Royce -- or a Lexus -- or (more to our pocket-book) a Toyota Camry!"

When the ad for a 2008 Camry Hybrid with only 25,000 miles on its odometer was offered for a "mere" $18,900, Grumpy's automobile slobber-glands wet his shirt front. The ingenious way in which Toyota combines the electric motor drive with the gasoline engine had intrigued him since a friend from Oklahoma sent him a web-link that described the design. Grumpy recognized this as a clever mechanical (with computer controls commanding the mechanical ratios) gadget -- one that he wanted to have.

But the realities of economy emerged when the Grand Mother was brought into the equation. First of all, she did not want Grumpy to squander any of "our" money (our Grandkids' inheritance!) on -- " ... any more of your foolishness!", were approximately her exact words. Well, at least that was their understood meaning.

As Grumpy was assessing the economy equation thus brought into focus, he reckoned that the Toyota Camry Hybrid might achieve 45 miles per gallon, driven the typically-conservative way that Grumpy drives the Red Rocket. That figure would be about 50% more than the Red Rocket achieves. Assuming the Grand Mother and Grumpy drive the Toyota 6,000 miles per year (all of the cross-country, freeway driving now being conducted with the Red Rocket), and assuming gasoline at $4 per gallon, the annual savings would be 75 gallons x $4 = $300  per year. If I were to trade in the Red Rocket (what am I saying!!?) and drive the Toyota exclusively for the additional 6,000 miles of "town" driving, assuming it would get 40 mpg around town (compared to about 20 for Red Rocket), the Toyota would save us another 150 gallons x $4 = $600 per year.

Now, a total savings of $900 per year to drive an economy car (that costs about $3000 more than a non-Hybrid) does not equate to Grumpy as true "Economy".

So Grumpy just decided that the only real justification for the Toyota Camry Hybrid is for its quietness. And if the Grand Mother thinks that the road noise is something which we can put up with, then so be it. Red Rocket is safe!

Miles per Gallon Competition -- Nissan Sentra 2 liter versus Honda Accord V-6

22-23 March 2011; Nebraska --

It is a popular conception that a little four-cylinder automobile will get better miles-per-gallon traveling similar speed and highway conditions compared to a larger-displacement six-cylinder. Grumpy can now confidently state that "... t'ain't necessarily true!"

During his recent safari to Central Nebraska to witness the Sandhill Crane migration spectacle along the Platte River, Grumpy reserved a compact car for his transportation from the commercial airport in Omaha to the viewing site some 200 miles to the west. His preference was to rent a Toyota Corolla; the purpose was to observe the relative quietness from road noise that this model of the Toyota brand exhibited, compared to Grumpy's Red Rocket. Unfortunately (for Grumpy), no Toyota was available at the rental site in Omaha, so he chose instead the comparable Nissan Sentra.

Unlike the Toyota (Lexus and Camry, at least!), Nissan models are not noted for quietness from road noise, and this Sentra was not expected to dispel this reputation -- and it didn't. However, Grumpy was interested in how well this little (well, it was plenty roomy for the two adults -- Grumpy and his sister -- who rode in it from Omaha to Kearney NE) compact performed on I-80 at legal speeds. This economy rental car even had a dash-board indicator of outside air temperature, and cruise control, which Grumpy was able to figure out how to engage after traveling 20-30 miles down the freeway. It also had air-conditioning -- for which Grumpy and his sister were thankful, as the outside air temperature registered 80deg F for awhile west of Lincoln!

But gas mileage! Sorry, that is not one of the bragging characteristics of this Nissan! We drove 403 miles in the 30 hours or so that we had possession, and bought 14.58 gallons of unleaded gasoline to fill it up. That calculates out to 27.64 mpg; Grumpy's Red Rocket has consistently exceeded 30 mpg under similar driving conditions. The observed Nissan RPM was a tad over 3,000 at 70 mph; Red Rocket's RPM is a tad over 2,000. Thus, the engine displacement per mile is about the same for the two cars. All other things being equal (equivalent tire rolling resistance, equivalent aerodynamic cross-section) one should expect that the miles-per-gallon should have been about the same. Grumpy concludes that the Honda V-6 is a more efficient design (higher compression ratio? less internal friction losses?) than is the Nissan 4-cylinder in-line.

Great Myth of Ethanol Additive

All Around Town -- And Country, Too!; December 2010 --

As noted in my first posting on this BLOG, Grumpy has strong documentation, showing that the miles-per-gallon deterioration on the Red Rocket is due to the 10% Ethanol that has been introduced into the gasoline sold in Washington State (as well as many other States, as well). So this got the Old Grump to thinking about what problem this addition to our gasoline was supposed to solve.

Global warming is a "hot" topic [pardon the pun, but Grumpy couldn't resist! Ha! ha!] and a reduction in the unburned hydrocarbons is supposed to help in this regard. The addition of Ethanol, with its high Oxygen content [don't ask Grumpy to cite the chemical compound represented by Ethanol; Grumpy passed college Chemistry, but he didn't set any records!], will definitely reduce the amount of hydrocarbons in the exhaust of the automobile engine. But Carbon Dioxide is also a component of automobile exhaust and apparently a more serious contributor to global warming than is unburned hydrocarbons.


If the addition of 10% Ethanol reduces the miles per gallon by 10%, then isn't it obvious that the same amount of gasoline is going to be used to travel the same distance? And isn't it also obvious that the Carbon content in that gasoline is going to wind up producing the same amount of Carbon Dioxide as before? Another argument for using 10% Ethanol is that it reduces our need for imported petroleum. But if the introduction of 10% Ethanol results in a 10% reduction in miles per gallon, then isn't it also obvious that the same amount of petroleum is still required to drive the same number of miles as before?


So, in reality, the introduction of 10% Ethanol does nothing to reduce our dependence on imported oil, does nothing to reduce the amount of Carbon Dioxide entering our atmosphere and does nothing to keep prices from rising for food for human and animal consumption because of the increased demand for corn to produce Ethanol. The only minor benefit Grumpy sees for keeping Ethanol as the additive of choice in our gasoline is that it reduces the amounts of unburned hydrocarbons; but isn't that what that expensive catalytic chamber, now mandatory in all automobiles, is for?

Grumpy's opinion is that a better solution is to quit making "corn likker" to add to gasoline and, instead, improve the efficiency of the engines (hybrid- and all-electric automobiles; Diesel is a "shovel ready" technology!), and motivate people to use alternative means for commuting (bicycling, another "shovel ready" technology) and by allowing free-market access to the mass transit business (government efforts in this regard are mostly demonstrable failures).

What does the reader think about this?

Disc Brake Pads, Part IV; A Happier Story

Grumpy's Garage; A Clammy, Dreary Armistice Day --

Well, as reported earlier, after much careful greasing of the metallic contact points in the front disc brake calipers, there remained a light moan or groan which the Grand Mother and Resident Grandson attributed to (variously) the left rear -- or the right rear. Grumpy vowed to tackle both of those two potential "complainers" as soon as possible -- or later.

However, much to Grumpy's delight, the noises have apparently gone completely away!!  It has been nearly a tank full of gas and several days since another peep has been heard from those pesky brakes. Perhaps there remained a dry spot between the metallic contacts in the front and the grease finally worked its way into these areas. Anyway, the "soon as possible" noted in an earlier BLOG and in the paragraph above, will now be postponed at least until fair weather sets in -- maybe as early as May 2011 -- if not later. [Heck, for all Grumpy knows, there might even be a Lemon Meringue Pie event before he gets around to working on the rear disc brakes!]

Reader may be assured that, fair weather or not, the task of lube-ing the rear brake calipers will not be long delayed if that annoying moan reappears.

Disc Brake Pads, Part III; A Sad Story

Grumpy's Garage; A Rainy Saturday --
Today, the Grand Mother, Resident Grandson and Grumpy ventured out into the blustery November weather to shop for some new shoes for the Growing Grandson. We easily found what he wanted -- plus a "studded" belt, that he just "had to have" to go with his "skinny" black Levi's -- the total, over $75. But that was the good news; the bad news is that the "moan and groan" disc brakes are still "howling".

So now, hold on to your hats for some "expert" bloviating from the Grumpy Engineer!

My best theory now is that, it is no longer the front disc brake doing the "complaining", but one (or both?) of the rear. So, at the first (or maybe the second?) opportunity the rear wheels will be removed and the rear disc brake parts will receive the same grease job as was applied to the front.

Something has to be done to get rid of that annoying moan!!

Disc Brake Pads, Part II; A Sequel

Grumpy's Garage; A Sunny Thursday in November! --

In the last segment, I told the readers about the noise (let's call it a "groan" or a "moan") emanating obviously from one or both of the front disc brakes on Grumpy's Red Rocket. Today, the Grumpy One took matters into his own hand and decided (and acted!!) to do something about this annoying moan. Not because it portended anything catastrophic or potentially damaging, but simply because -- well, Grumpy just got tired hearing the noise everytime he touched the brakes, or made a slow turn to the left. 

Besides, it is embarassing that any "strange" noise should come from a car proudly maintained by the Eminent Engineer of Mechanical things. The noise must be eliminated or fully explained with something other than a bloviated theory.

Grumpy removed the wheels and found that the disc brakes on this Honda are the easiest of all to work on! Two bolts hold the caliper assembly (right) to the fixed part of the suspension. By loosening the top bolt a half turn and removing the bottom bolt, the caliper assembly can be swung upward and laid to rest on the top of the wheel suspension. The brake pads are now fully accessible to examine, replace, or, as Grumpy planned to do this time, to clean the non-braking contact surfaces (above, left and right) and apply some hi-temp grease to these contact areas so that these parts can be free to move relative to each other and thus not vibrate like a bass fiddle when light brake pressure is applied.

The picture at left shows the fine, thick condition of the left front brake pad, thus confirming what was reported in the previous post on disc brakes. Yes, after nearly 86,000 miles these original brake pads are showing very little wear -- perhaps the Grand Mother would prefer that they showed much more wear!!

But, I digress! The non-braking contact points on the brake pad backing are shown on the right with grease applied. Grumpy used a wheel bearing grease containing Molybdenum di-Sulfide. This grease is especially designed for use in high temperature applications, which is the case with disc brakes. The Molybdenum di-Sulfide is a solid lubricant (similar to Graphite) so that, even if the grease is disappated by the heat generated by the disc brakes, the coating of Molybdenum di-Sulfide will still function to prevent friction and/or binding between these contact points. It is when these parts stick together (held by friction) that the caliper unit vibrates to create the moan that has annoyed Grumpy and his passengers.

A critical caveat: Be careful to not get any grease on the brake pad friction surfaces or on the brake disc surface!!

Viva a Red Rocket!! Viva o mal-humorado Um!! Graças a Deus pelo silêncio!!

Disc Brake Pads

From the Liar's Lair; 8 October 2010 --

The other day my Son-in-Law was helping me with a job that needed two good men. Well, the Son-in-Law was one good man and we got the job done despite the obvious deficiency. But this isn't about the job -- or even the Son-inLaw. This is about the disc brakes on the "Red Rocket".

As we rolled down the road, a strange noise appeared whenever Grumpy applied a long, light pressure on the brakes. Son-in-Law opined that it was the right front brake. Grumpy's faulty hearing was just able to confirm that there was, indeed a strange new sound emanating from the proud Red Rocket but Grumpy sure couldn't tell where it was coming from. But for sure, it was happening everytime the brakes were applied ever so lightly for more than a few seconds.



Left Front Disc Brake
(Looking Forward)



Right Front Disc Brake
(Looking Forward)



So tonight, Grumpy dismounted all four wheels on the Red Rocket and examined the disc brake pads on each hub. Here are the results: 

Notice, just above the hub in either photo, and next to the polished disc rotor, the 3/16" thick brake pad. Looking very carefully you can see the springy metal "tell-tale" extending toward the disc from on top of the pad backing. This "tell-tale" is placed such that it will contact the disc rotor when the pad is less than about 1/16" thick; the idea is to alert the driver of the need to replace the pads before the metal backing comes into contact with the rotor, causing a disgusting grinding sound and much damage to the rotor disc. The right front shows a similarly thick brake pad remaining; with about 85,000 miles onthe odometer, Grumpy estimates that these pads are "good" for at least another 40,000 miles before needing change. Of course Grumpy will plan to spot check them again every 10,000 miles (when he swaps the front tires, left to right). This very long brake pad life is predicated on conservative braking -- using engine compression as much as possible, by downshifting on long down-hill stretches, and by letting up on the gas early upon noticing a red-light or STOP sign up ahead, or traffic slowing down.



Right Rear Disc Brake
(Looking Aft)



Left Rear Disc Brake
(Looking Aft)

 The rear disc brake pads are apparently about half as thick as the fronts; either that or they have undergone more wear than the fronts. The emergency brake on this Honda Accord is applied to the rear disc brakes by a mechanism of which Grumpy is not sure. But the fact that the rear brake pads get wear due to the emergency brake application could explain more wear here. Even assuming that the rear brake pads were originally the same thickness as the fronts, Grumpy estimates that these should also be good for another 40,000 miles. However, since Grumpy plans to rotate the rear tires to the front at about 107,000 (after 40,000 miles on this set of tires), he will reassess the expected life of the rear pads at that time.

Unless the little "Tell-Tale" squeakers alert him before that!